‘Was everything that happened last night just a dream?’

Adel frantically looked around the room. She needed to find evidence that last night’s events were real and not a dream, or some cruel joke or lie. She hoped for the latter.

Adel scrutinized every corner of the room, under the bedside table, under the bed, and where she had thrown the dagger last night.

Finding even one piece of evidence seemed enough to satisfy her. But there was no trace left in the room. It was empty and silent.

Not only the dagger, but even the green bottle of medicine given by Father Padre was nowhere to be seen. The thin nightgown, which should have been slightly torn from last night’s struggles, was just as it was when she first wore it, and the sheets, which should have been stained with blood, were clean.

Adel lowered her hands, feeling dumbfounded.

‘Was all of this really just a dream?’

She slowly went over her memories. Valentin had confessed to her that he was a dragon, she had heard something about a terrible contract, the lives of the people of Anschar were mortgaged, and she made a contract to stop it.

Under the noon sun, the whole thing seemed ridiculously absurd.

And, of course, as proof of that contract…

‘Right, the proof!’

Adel hurriedly got out of bed and stood in front of the large mirror. Suddenly, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu about the mirror’s position. It certainly wasn’t like this last night…

‘It doesn’t matter.’

She reluctantly looked at the mirror and then pulled down her gown to her shoulders. There was supposed to be some sort of mark as proof of the contract being made. If it was really there, then last night wasn’t a dream.

She searched for the mark in the mirror, twisting her body this way and that. It was hard to spot, so she turned around several times.

“What, are… you doing, Adel?”

Startled, Adel hurriedly pulled up her gown. Valentin had quietly approached and was watching her with an odd look.

Adel’s entire body turned as red as the sunset.

“When did you get there?”

“From… the, beginning. When you woke up. I’ve been, watching you.”

He blinked languidly and then smiled broadly the moment their eyes met. Innocent as if he knew nothing of life’s worries or shadows. But Adel stepped back, frowning.

He had been there from the beginning? She hadn’t noticed at all. Had he used some trick, being a monster? Or had she simply been careless? Regardless, he should have made his presence known. Not like this, silently…

“Adelheit.”

His voice was closer now. Adel looked up, and Valentin, now close to the mirror, reflected. Under the midday sun, her husband looked even more magnificent. The pupils that had been beast-like narrowed the night before were now almost human in their roundness.

Remembering last night, Adel’s expression darkened. Valentin approached, turning her body toward him and lightly brushed her cheek with his finger. Reflexively averting her gaze, a tense voice leaked from him.

“Look… at me.”

“….”

“Why, suddenly… acting… like this? As if, afraid.”

“….”

“Eh?”

Adel firmly controlled her crumbling expression and turned her head sharply away, removing Valentin’s hand. No matter how affectionately he behaved, a monster was still a monster. She reminded herself dozens of times.

‘You must never give in.’

She grew up learning to fear monsters all her life. They were hideous in appearance, cruel and malevolent by nature, consuming the sanctity of the gods. She was taught to avoid them, as if getting too close would soil her with filth.
Whether it was the truth or not didn’t matter. Once prejudice took root, it was this unyielding. Adel, feeling discontent, abruptly blurted out words she had only been rolling in her mouth.

“You should speak like yesterday. Not awkwardly like this… It can distort what you’re trying to say.”

“No, can’t…”

“Why not?”

“Adel, scared… right?”

“….”

“If I act… like a fool… it’s not scary… right?”

Adel looked at him incredulously.

“Does that mean you’ve been speaking like this on purpose all this time?”

“No, not… like that.”

He waved his hands in denial, but Adel already looked at him suspiciously, her eyes narrowly slit. Valentin stammered an explanation.

“No need… for human language… much…”

“….”

“Understand… but tongue, new to… use…”

He slightly stuck out his tongue like a boy, then glanced at Adel and flashed a sly smile. His sharply cool gaze turned playfully curved, a sight that was always fascinating.

Men, that is, the noble men she knew, didn’t smile so openly.

‘I know he’s a terrifying monster inside, but he seems just like an ordinary person when he does that.’

The idea that his large frame could look boyish was in itself nonsensical. And now, he even seemed a little… cute.

‘Cute? I must be losing it.’

Adel was shocked by her own thought. Why did she suddenly feel that way?