Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: ???
Chapter Title: For My Gentle Dragon
I couldn't breathe.
A sensation like someone crushing my chest.
Scenes I never wanted to see again played endlessly in my mind.
Black smoke,
a roar that tore at my ears.
Flames shot up into the air.
The bombardment reduced the house to rubble.
The ornate ceiling shattered in an instant and came crashing down.
The carefully tended garden,
the grand and brilliant chandelier,
the ornaments that were Father's pride.
Everything was destroyed beyond recognition.
Even my precious parents.
"……!"
The child thrashed with her whole body.
She reached out to grab hold, but nothing was there.
A scream mixed with sobs escaped her lips.
The smoke choked her throat.
The more she tried to breathe, the more her chest burned.
Her vision blurred, and everything vanished.
And then─.
A pungent alcohol stench stabbed at her nose.
"……."
Her body shrank back instinctively.
This smell was undoubtedly part of those hellish days she never wanted to relive,
days where even screams were not allowed.
"?!"
A large hand roughly grabbed her by the hair.
Her body was lifted limply, then thrown to the cold floor.
"……!"
As her frail body collapsed, curses flew along with kicks.
A shock that cut off her breath.
The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
Coughs burst out, but she had to hold them back.
Otherwise, she'd be mercilessly trampled for not staying still.
Her hair was grabbed again.
Soon, a large hand came flying at terrifying speed.
"……!"
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Holding her breath, she curled up tightly.
At that moment─.
"…Are you okay?"
A warm hand touched her forehead.
A gentle, careful touch that pushed away the thick darkness.
The child slowly opened her eyes.
"Why are you sweating so much? Was it too hot?"
"……."
"Sorry. I should turn down the fire a bit."
It was Row.
The strange man who had picked her up from the ruins not long ago.
Row carefully wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Her still-trembling body slowly calmed under his kindness.
The child gazed up at Row quietly.
Row was truly strange.
The more time she spent with him,
the more odd things she noticed about him.
He was human, yet not quite human.
Expressionless, yet his eyes were endlessly kind.
Above all, his embrace was strangely warm.
"Hm? Want me to hold you?"
"……."
Row met her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened his arms.
As always,
a soft, warm embrace.
The moment she was in his arms, her anxiety and fear melted away like a lie.
"……."
The child slowly caught her breath.
It was so comfortable.
So much that she never wanted to leave, not even for a second.
The child gripped Row's clothes tighter.
It was clinginess.
She didn't want to let go.
Something she could never have imagined living with her aunt.
But,
the child knew.
Row never got annoyed no matter how tightly she clung.
He didn't get angry,
nor hit her,
nor ignore her.
If she wanted, he always opened his arms with a smile.
Just like now.
"Dinner's all ready."
"……."
"…Want to stay like this longer? Okay."
He put her wishes first.
Even her parents, who loved her, had never done this.
Her parents always decided first, saying 'this is for your own good.'
They didn't allow her to say no,
and insisted she obey because they were right.
The child complied.
She believed and followed her parents' words unquestioningly.
Because that's how she received love.
As always, Row patted her back.
A leisurely but steady rhythm.
Before long, the child's body grew languid under that touch.
The child slowly closed her eyes.
"Sleepy?"
"……."
"Let's eat first, then sleep. Okay?"
"……."
Even Row, who always put her wishes first,
sometimes made her do things like the adults she knew.
Some of them she definitely didn't want to do.
"Ah, medicine before dinner."
"?!"
But she didn't hate it.
Not even forcing down the bitter medicine she despised.
"Good. You drank it all."
"……."
Before long, the child realized.
That when he asked her to do something, it was completely different from other adults.
He never forced her,
explained the reason in a relaxed tone,
and waited patiently without scolding if she showed reluctance.
The most important thing was─.
"Good job."
"……!"
Whenever she fulfilled Row's request,
a smile spread across his usually expressionless face.
The child liked that smile.
Just seeing it made her smile, and her heart fluttered pleasantly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The scenery outside the window had changed.
The fallen leaves visible when she first came to the cabin
had all vanished, replaced by pure white snow.
"!"
The child's eyes sparkled.
Because when a tree fell, Row came into view.
His arm was no longer human.
An arm as thick and huge as his torso.
Covered in platinum scales harder than metal,
with sharp, menacing claws extending from his fingertips.
When he swung his arm lightly, trees shattered to pieces,
and deep gouges scarred the ground chaotically.
His form under the sunset couldn't hide that he was no ordinary human.
But it didn't matter.
No matter the appearance,
Row was Row to her.
The being who always held her warmly.
Besides, that form suited him perfectly.
The child stopped drawing and fixed her gaze outside.
She didn't even want to blink, afraid his form would fade into the distance.
"……."
She slowly reached out her hand.
Grabbing the window frame, she tried to stand.
"!"
Her legs still had no strength.
Her frail body toppled over.
"……."
The child knew.
That she couldn't walk.
She had long accepted that she couldn't move.
But why?
The longer she spent with Row, the more she wanted to walk.
Toward Row outside the window,
toward Row focused on his task,
even one step closer.
Tears welled up in the child's eyes.
Tears not of sadness, but of frustration and upset.
And those tears
stopped as if by magic.
Because she saw Row walking back to the cabin.
"!!!"
The child's face brightened.
She quickly wiped her tears and crawled to the door.
Soon, the door opened.
"Hm?"
"!!!"
"Were you waiting?"
"!"
The child stretched out both arms.
Conveying that she had waited with actions instead of words she couldn't say.
The child's feelings reached Row today as well.
Row smiled faintly, set down the firewood, and scooped her into his arms.
"I'm back."
"!"
"What were you doing? …Ah."
"? …?!"
The child's shoulders twitched.
She hadn't noticed while drawing intently,
but from afar, the spot where she'd been was a total mess.
The child's eyebrows drooped.
As if knowing she'd done wrong, she bowed her head slightly.
"……."
"You forgot to clean up."
"!"
"Yeah. I'll set you down, so let's clean together."
The child smiled brightly.
Even then, Row didn't get angry.
He gave her a chance to make up for it before scolding.
It had been that way since her first mistake in front of him.
It happened not long after coming to the cabin.
The child was still anxious,
always on edge, fearing punishment for even small actions.
And yet,
she didn't want to be apart from Row.
"…Forgot one herb."
"……!"
Row, who had been sitting beside her, stood up.
Just him leaving his seat
made her heart sink, anxiety choking her breath.
The child unconsciously tried to stand.
But─.
Her injured legs wouldn't obey.
"!"
Her body crashed right into the pile of herbs Row had carefully dried.
Dried leaves scattered everywhere,
and the sorted materials became a jumbled mess.
"……."
"…Huh?"
Their eyes met.
The child trembled in fear.
Ruining expensive, precious items.
Such mistakes had even made her loving parents furious.
Row approached slowly.
The child curled up tightly and squeezed her eyes shut.
"It's okay?"
"……?"
"…Good thing there were no poisonous ones."
There was no anger or disappointment on Row's face.
Only worry about whether she was hurt.
It was strange.
Tears welled up even without being scolded.
The child stifled sobs.
Row's warm hand touched her eyes.
"Why are you crying? Does it hurt? Were you scared?"
"……."
"Come here."
Row held her as always.
His embrace was as warm as ever.
Row patted her back slowly while inspecting the herbs.
"Guess we have to sort them again first."
"……."
"It's okay. It happens."
"……."
"Hm, if you really feel bad… want to help clean up?"
The child nodded slowly.
Her small hand carefully gripped Row's sleeve.
A faint chuckle came from above her head.
"Good. I'll teach you the herbs, so sort them. This one's dandelion."
"!"
"This is flame grass, this is windflower. This is sage, this is…."
"??????"
The child looked back and forth at the herbs.
All dried-up green things.
She couldn't tell what was different at all.
But it was okay.
"Don't know?"
"……."
"Then… can you gather these tiny scraps? We can't use them."
"!"
Row didn't scold her for not knowing.
Instead, he gave her a chance to make up for it with something she could do.
Always.
Today was the same.
The cabin messed up with scattered pens and paper.
Instead of getting angry, he placed a box in her hands.
"Want to pick up the pens first? Don't want to step on them."
"!"
Her small hands moved busily.
Fully focused, she tried not to miss even one pen.
Her desire to do well showed plainly on her face.
"Yeah. You're doing great."
"!"
"…Ah, right. Need to get some branches too. Be right back."
"…?!"
Row headed for the door.
The child reached out her arm.
She tried to stand once more.
But─.
The door closed,
and her body toppled.
"……."
She wanted to walk.
She wanted to go to him.
To Row's side.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Today too, Row left the child at Loren's clothing shop and went out on errands.
It had upset her before, but now it was fine.
Because she had a routine here that only she could do.
The child put on her leg braces.
And today, she took hold of Loren's hand again.
Loren carefully grasped the child's hand and took slow steps.
The child's trembling legs gave out after just a few steps, collapsing weakly.
"!"
"Oh dear! Are you okay?"
"……!"
The child nodded.
She reached for Loren's hand again.
No time to cry or feel upset.
She had to take one more step in that time.
"Whew, alright. Let's try a bit more."
"!"
The child grabbed Loren's hand and stood again.
She glanced
at the calendar.
The accumulating X marks were steadily approaching the circle.
Loren had said it.
The best gift is something that makes the other person happy.
Hearing that, the child resolved.
For the coming holiday,
what to give Row.
She wanted to approach him, even one step, with her own strength.
The reason was simple.
On the first day she stood,
Row's smile had been so warm and dazzling.