After hearing from Guinevere about the 50 years that had disappeared, Siod had a dazed expression. He staggered and muttered.

“I shouldn’t have left.”

Why such a regretful face, why such a pained voice? Guinevere couldn’t understand at all.

They had been casual from the start. They had mixed bodies before satisfying their curiosity about each other, and a child came unexpectedly before they properly knew each other.

Before Guinevere could collect her confused emotions, he left. What was the emotion she felt then?

‘It wasn’t betrayal.’

Because it wasn’t a relationship with that much trust. Guinevere didn’t try to find him after he left and quietly gave birth to the child alone.

She raised William alone, affirming to herself that he was entirely her child, that this child didn’t need a father.

“I’m sorry. For making you struggle alone……”

So she never expected this kind of reaction. Siod knelt before Guinevere and carefully covered the back of her hand.

“How great must the shock have been for you to make such an irrational vow. I should have been by your side.”

Siod bowed his head and couldn’t continue speaking for a while. Guinevere quietly looked down at his trembling crown and asked.

“……Are you crying?”

There was no answer.

“……”

Genuinely, Guinevere was flustered. There was no need to cry, was there? Though they had seen each other naked, it was the first time seeing him cry.

Guinevere barely suppressed the urge to look closely at Siod’s face and said.

“Anyway, I’m glad you came. At least we confirmed that the dragon clan won’t have to intervene as long as the time regression doesn’t happen again.”

In fact, Guinevere was truly relieved. She was even glad for Siod’s very existence.

Now, if we go back to square one and just prevent Larisa’s death, William won’t have to turn back time. Guinevere, her tension released, slumped into the chair.

As the tension eased, a useless question popped out involuntarily.

“If you regret it this much, why did you leave?”

“……”

“No, never mind.”

Siod silently raised his head and stared at her. Though he was clearly backlit by moonlight, for a moment his eyes seemed to flash silver.

“……Because I was so angry.”

It was strange. She thought he would act nonchalantly, saying something about being jealous. But Siod spoke with an expressionless face, tears dropping steadily.

“When I thought the child wasn’t mine, I felt like I was going crazy.”

Guinevere gently pulled her hand away from Siod’s grasp. He said, his wet eyelashes trembling.

“That’s why I ran away.”

I think I should be the one running away. Guinevere thought. She felt strangely chilled.

“I was afraid I might kill you.”

Oh shit. Guinevere swallowed a curse. It had been a while since she felt this chill down her spine.

Siod made a dejected expression, perhaps interpreting Guinevere’s silent response in some way.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For leaving without properly checking… But that’s how I felt then.”

Guinevere thought she should change the subject. After pondering briefly, she forced a different question.

“Then why did you come back?”

“If I hadn’t stepped in, Lord would have come directly. Then you would have died.”

It came back to the talk of her dying again. Guinevere irritably ran her hand through her hair.

“Why not just let me die then?”

“After sleeping and waking up, my head had cooled down and……”

Siod started to hesitate and watch her reaction. Guinevere was curious about what this childish dragon was thinking.

“I won’t get angry, so speak honestly.”

“The magic power used in the regression spell was similar to yours but different… so I thought it might be the child you bore. So I thought if I just got rid of that child, the problem would be solved and I could see you too… Ugh.”

Guinevere unconsciously kicked Siod and then sighed.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t get angry?”

“Just shut up.”

Her head was complicated. Dragons are capricious creatures. Though he seemed to be fawning over her now, one never knows when he might change. Like when he disappeared before.

So she couldn’t trust him. Moreover, his easy talk of love was also unreliable.

‘They say dragons are programmed to protect eggs and hatchlings as their top priority.’

Could it be that he’s acting this way because William is his child? If children are that important to dragons, it might be so. Guinevere asked probingly.

“If you hadn’t recognized him as your son, would William have died by your hand?”

Siod turned pale and stammered.

“I, I didn’t intend to kill him.”

“Then?”

“……I was going to make him take a magician’s oath.”

Should I be grateful for that? Guinevere gave an incredulous smile.

“William can’t do magic. He can’t take a magician’s oath.”

“……Right. Haha.”

“You’re laughing?”

Siod quickly shut his mouth. He too was thinking how fortunate it was that he recognized William immediately. It was fortunate William inherited more of the dragon’s magic power, if not then…

“I’ll say it again, don’t even think about acting like a father.”

“But……”

“He’s my child. And it would be troublesome if the future goes wrong because you interfere.”

Having experienced the same tragedy three times, Guinevere couldn’t help but be sensitive about this issue.

She didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if William realized he was of dragon lineage.

As soon as he realized he had a talent for time magic, he offered his own heart as a sacrifice. If he realized his lineage, he might do even worse things.

Even now, seeing him unhesitatingly wound himself to extract magic from his blood made her sick to her stomach.

“I won’t teach him magic, and I’ll keep him ignorant of everything. The regression never happened, and William just needs to grow up like this and be happy with Larisa.”

Guinevere grabbed Siod’s collar and pressed him.

“Do you understand?”

“……Yes.”

Guinevere thought it was fortunate that at least dragons had paternal feelings. She arbitrarily interpreted Siod’s emotions and drove him back to the dragon’s valley, badgering him.

*

And finally, a month had passed since Larisa came to this mansion. And now Larisa was having her blood drawn in Doctor Frosch’s laboratory.

“Ow ow ow……”

Larisa’s round eyes, startled by the unfamiliar syringe, grew teary. As the long, sharp needle approached, Larisa turned her head away. William said in a gentle voice.

“It’s okay. It’s just drawing blood.”

“Waaah, I’m scared.”

“It will sting a little.”

Larisa resented William, who was holding her arm tightly so she couldn’t move.

“You said you’d always be on my side, traitor!”

“Lala, this is just a health checkup.”

If it were a magic experiment, William would have stopped it too. But it was different if it was to check Larisa’s health. Larisa looked too small, thin, and fragile compared to her peers.

“It’s just drawing a little blood.”

“No, it hurts!”

“Lala, be a good girl?”

“I won’t be good.”

While Larisa and William were bickering, Doctor Frosch skillfully drew blood.

“It’s done.”

“Phew.”

William quickly picked up the sniffling Larisa. Comforting her like this made him feel like her real older brother.

“There, you did well. Let’s eat chocolate. Ah~”

“Ah~”

Larisa accepted the chocolate William put in her mouth even while crying. William smiled knowingly, aware that Larisa never refused food.

In truth, it didn’t hurt Larisa much, but she was scared because it was her first time having blood drawn with a syringe.

“The test results should be out by today.”

Guinevere sighed and said.

“Please take good care of it.”

Doctor Frosch, the Rodante family’s physician and magical medical scientist, couldn’t hide his surprise at Guinevere’s request, which he had never heard before.

“Why such a little girl……”

Sensing the negative nuance, Guinevere turned to Doctor Frosch and said.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

Doctor Frosch, both a doctor and a magician, was a talent even coveted by the imperial palace. However, he voluntarily chose to become the Rodante family’s physician.

Because that way, he gained more. Since neither Guinevere nor William were likely to get hurt or sick, he could just live doing his research idly.

He was so busy with research, yet Guinevere called him to specially request a mere health checkup for a slum kid. To hear her even making a request was absurd.

But he didn’t mean to show it in front of Guinevere. He had heard that Guinevere had been fond of this girl lately.

However, Larisa didn’t miss the gap where Guinevere was suspicious.

“I’m sorry for the trivial matter, Doctor Frosch.”

“Pardon?”

Doctor Frosch cleared his throat, having inadvertently used honorifics to Larisa who was still in William’s arms. Larisa was still just a commoner from the slums, not yet a member of the Rodante family.

He felt embarrassed for suddenly using honorifics to a commoner child. However, his embarrassed face turned pale at Larisa’s next words.

“You told me not to call you for trivial matters. I’m sorry.”

Hearing Larisa’s dejected voice, Guinevere murmured ominously.

“You said such things?”

As the already cold-looking Guinevere made a frigid expression, it felt as if the room temperature was rapidly dropping. Doctor Frosch hurriedly pushed up his monocle and denied it.

“Not at all. Lady Rodante’s request could never be trivial.”

“But last time when William called you, you said not to call for such trivial matters.”

“Is my son trivial?”

Doctor Frosch began to break out in a cold sweat.