Lost in thought with my chin in my hand, I suddenly felt a shadow fall before me. When I opened my eyes, I found Blanc staring at me with curiosity.
“What’re you thinking?”
Blanc’s flowing white hair brushed against my shoulder as he leaned in.
Even though he was clearly a grown man, he still had a youthful, boyish charm. Blanc gazed down at me with his pure, unblemished features.
I awkwardly smiled and gently pushed Blanc’s shoulder.
“Blanc, let’s keep a little distance. You’re too close.”
“Huh?”
Blanc tilted his head to one side. With his height, he was almost as tall as Albert, and he seemed completely unaware of the need for personal space.
I needed to explain. I thought back to when Blanc was just a dragon cub. He had grown up and overcome many challenges, but it didn’t mean he instantly understood the ways of the human world.
“Blanc, let’s stay a bit farther apart.”
I was about to say that we should keep our distance when I noticed the intense scrutiny from the people around us.
It was obvious that referring to the youthful and handsome man as ‘Blanc’ didn’t make much sense. I needed to come up with a better nickname.
{ t/n: remember that ‘Blanc’ is actually like a doggo’s name in Korean, like ‘Whitey’ or ‘Shiro’ }
I decided to recall Blanc’s early days as a dragon cub to understand how to approach this. He had grown up and matured, but it didn’t mean he instantly grasped the intricacies of the human world.
“Blanc, let’s keep some more distance…”
…between us, was what I was about to say, but the gazes on us remained pointed.
It’s clear that they were finding it strange that I was calling a handsome adult man with a weird nickname.
…Come to think of it, I can’t call him the same way when he’s in his human form either. Let me think…
Since Blanc’s name itself referred to the white of his scales, I thought maybe ‘Wight’ would work. I whispered to Blanc,
“Blanc, when you’re in human form, I’ll call you ‘Wight.’“
Upon hearing this, Blanc’s lips curved slightly downward.
“I like being Blanc.”
“…It’s just a bit awkward for me to use that name right now.”
“Why?”
What was easy for Blanc to understand a moment ago seemed to be met with resistance this time. Finally, I had to explain the truth.
“Isn’t Blanc’s name too cute for humans to use?”
“…Don’t I look cute to you now?”
Blanc blinked with a sulky expression, and for a moment, he looked just like the baby dragon he used to be.
My tension melted away in an instant. I gave a faint, teasing smile and tilted my head.
“Rather than cute, you look pretty.”
“Is it a compliment to be called pretty?”
“Of course.”
Blanc’s eyes narrowed slightly as he rested his face on my shoulder for a brief moment before lifting his head.
“If it’s a compliment from you, then it’s fiiine…”
His tone still had that same languidness, but there was something different about his demeanor. However, the person who initiated this conversation seemed oblivious to this fact.
Could it be that the female lead in the original novel, who unknowingly captivates people with her charm, exuded the same aura as him?
The stares of the people around us continued to focus on us. I awkwardly smiled and started walking again.
“So, shall we head to the Magic Tower?”
I headed towards the tower where Mercy was expected to be. In truth, it was my first time going to the magic tower.
Thinking of the past with Belfort and Mercy, I longed to meet her again.
The thought of seeing Liam, Schubert, and others made me feel like their past would come to mind once more.
Recalling the banquet after what Marquis Evnen did still made me shudder. I was utterly helpless then, as there was nothing I could do.
The journey to the magic tower was not difficult.
It was well-known among the people, and Mercy’s reputation had grown since I had aided Albert in his work.
The issue was that Mercy was also absent.
Initially, the gatekeeper mage seemed apprehensive, but upon realizing that my magical power exceeded his, he shared various details while expressing his respect for me.
It seemed that he regarded me as a master who had just resurfaced from living a reclusive life.
“Right now, His Imperial Majesty took her to the palace.”
So, this was another dead-end. If Mercy wasn’t here, my next option was Liam. I inquired about the location of the Masen Duchy’s residence from a mage.
“Duke Mason is currently away.”
And another failure. They didn’t disclose where he went, but I suspected he might be accompanying Albert.
Given Liam’s personality, he wouldn’t have let Albert go alone.
Then Schubert would be in a similar situation. He was even closer to Albert than Liam, practically inseparable from his liege.
None of the three people who knew my true identity were present. The only ones left was Leona, but would she believe my story?
It wouldn’t hurt to try. I asked for directions and headed towards the palace, determined to find her.
“…Crazy.”
The palace, which had been grand when I last saw it, now stood overwhelmingly larger than life. It wasn’t mere luxury, but a fitting residence for an emperor who had gained dominion over the entire continent.
Lost in thought with my chin in my hand, I suddenly felt a shadow fall before me. When I opened my eyes, I found Blanc staring at me with curiosity.
“What’re you thinking?”
Blanc’s flowing white hair brushed against my shoulder as he leaned in.
Even though he was clearly a grown man, he still had a youthful, boyish charm. Blanc gazed down at me with his pure, unblemished features.
I awkwardly smiled and gently pushed Blanc’s shoulder.
“Blanc, let’s keep a little distance. You’re too close.”
“Huh?”
Blanc tilted his head to one side. With his height, he was almost as tall as Albert, and he seemed completely unaware of the need for personal space.
I needed to explain. I thought back to when Blanc was just a dragon cub. He had grown up and overcome many challenges, but it didn’t mean he instantly understood the ways of the human world.
“Blanc, let’s stay a bit farther apart.”
I was about to say that we should keep our distance when I noticed the intense scrutiny from the people around us.
It was obvious that referring to the youthful and handsome man as ‘Blanc’ didn’t make much sense. I needed to come up with a better nickname.
{ t/n: remember that ‘Blanc’ is actually like a doggo’s name in Korean, like ‘Whitey’ or ‘Shiro’ }
I decided to recall Blanc’s early days as a dragon cub to understand how to approach this. He had grown up and matured, but it didn’t mean he instantly grasped the intricacies of the human world.
“Blanc, let’s keep some more distance…”
…between us, was what I was about to say, but the gazes on us remained pointed.
It’s clear that they were finding it strange that I was calling a handsome adult man with a weird nickname.
…Come to think of it, I can’t call him the same way when he’s in his human form either. Let me think…
Since Blanc’s name itself referred to the white of his scales, I thought maybe ‘Wight’ would work. I whispered to Blanc,
“Blanc, when you’re in human form, I’ll call you ‘Wight.’“
Upon hearing this, Blanc’s lips curved slightly downward.
“I like being Blanc.”
“…It’s just a bit awkward for me to use that name right now.”
“Why?”
What was easy for Blanc to understand a moment ago seemed to be met with resistance this time. Finally, I had to explain the truth.
“Isn’t Blanc’s name too cute for humans to use?”
“…Don’t I look cute to you now?”
Blanc blinked with a sulky expression, and for a moment, he looked just like the baby dragon he used to be.
My tension melted away in an instant. I gave a faint, teasing smile and tilted my head.
“Rather than cute, you look pretty.”
“Is it a compliment to be called pretty?”
“Of course.”
Blanc’s eyes narrowed slightly as he rested his face on my shoulder for a brief moment before lifting his head.
“If it’s a compliment from you, then it’s fiiine…”
His tone still had that same languidness, but there was something different about his demeanor. However, the person who initiated this conversation seemed oblivious to this fact.
Could it be that the female lead in the original novel, who unknowingly captivates people with her charm, exuded the same aura as him?
The stares of the people around us continued to focus on us. I awkwardly smiled and started walking again.
“So, shall we head to the Magic Tower?”
I headed towards the tower where Mercy was expected to be. In truth, it was my first time going to the magic tower.
Thinking of the past with Belfort and Mercy, I longed to meet her again.
The thought of seeing Liam, Schubert, and others made me feel like their past would come to mind once more.
Recalling the banquet after what Marquis Evnen did still made me shudder. I was utterly helpless then, as there was nothing I could do.
The journey to the magic tower was not difficult.
It was well-known among the people, and Mercy’s reputation had grown since I had aided Albert in his work.
The issue was that Mercy was also absent.
Initially, the gatekeeper mage seemed apprehensive, but upon realizing that my magical power exceeded his, he shared various details while expressing his respect for me.
It seemed that he regarded me as a master who had just resurfaced from living a reclusive life.
“Right now, His Imperial Majesty took her to the palace.”
So, this was another dead-end. If Mercy wasn’t here, my next option was Liam. I inquired about the location of the Masen Duchy’s residence from a mage.
“Duke Mason is currently away.”
And another failure. They didn’t disclose where he went, but I suspected he might be accompanying Albert.
Given Liam’s personality, he wouldn’t have let Albert go alone.
Then Schubert would be in a similar situation. He was even closer to Albert than Liam, practically inseparable from his liege.
None of the three people who knew my true identity were present. The only ones left was Leona, but would she believe my story?
It wouldn’t hurt to try. I asked for directions and headed towards the palace, determined to find her.
“…Crazy.”
The palace, which had been grand when I last saw it, now stood overwhelmingly larger than life. It wasn’t mere luxury, but a fitting residence for an emperor who had gained dominion over the entire continent.
