Home/The very suspicious chick of the Blue Dragon clan/ch 25

Chapter 25

"I apologize, my lord. However, it occurs to me that the young master's sudden summoning of a six-eyed turtle last week may well have been practice for today—so what are we to do about this…"

"Practice?"

It was infuriating.

That a child not yet a year old had used a direct-line ability to summon a spiritual creature—not as a random accident, but as part of a meticulous plan.

Where could such a clever child, having prepared so thoroughly, have gone?

Had he felt the punishment of confinement to the library was unfair? Had the child become resentful?

If not, perhaps…

"Summon the young master."

At Ui-cheon's words, which he'd held back as long as he could, Si-baek hesitated.

"My lord, the young master had left the palace for ability training and only returned today—surely he has nothing to do with…"

Just then, the window suddenly flew open and a strong wind gusted in.

"What in the…"

As the servants rushed to close the window at Si-baek's gesture, Ui-cheon raised his hand.

"Wait."

At that, everyone stopped and waited.

A strip of thin silk rode the warm wind like a wave and flowed into Ui-cheon's grasp.

Si-baek's eyes widened in wonder.

"Could it be… a wind letter from the Blue Dragon Palace?"

The Blue Dragon Palace's wind letters, which used the wind, were the fastest mail on the continent—but they were by no means a method to be used casually.

Because depending on the distance, it consumed a great deal of ability energy.

"I wonder. It's not wartime—what could this fellow want now…"

As Ui-cheon tilted his head and spread the white, wide silk, his face immediately crumpled.

For it read, in a calm and matter-of-fact tone, that Taeo had abruptly trespassed into the Blue Dragon Palace, but that he would be treated as a guest—and that someday, he would collect on this debt.

The wind letter, written in the finest calligraphy on the continent by Cheongun himself, had the dual effect of both deeply reassuring Ui-cheon and enraging him at the same time.

"Th—this, this little wretch…!"

Si-baek subtly moved to close the still-windy window, then pretended to pick up the discarded letter and glanced at it.

Ui-cheon sat down as if struck by a headache, but to the strategist Han Si-baek, the wind letter carried a different meaning.

The youngest hadn't just used a summoning circle drawn with his own hand to command a six-eyed turtle—he'd actually ridden it out…

For the first time in a while, Si-baek thought he'd like to live a long life.

If he did, someday the grown youngest would become his lord and fulfill his ambitions.

---

Unaware that he was causing his aging father such grief.

The next morning, Taeo was sleeping in late in Aran's room.

Aran, who still hadn't obtained human form, had shared her pink bedding—still as good as new—with her guest overnight, and it hadn't been an easy decision.

"Why, why does only he get to sleep with Arani?"

"Yeah! Min knows how to sleep with Arani too! This is unfair!"

"It's not 'unfair,' it's 'unfair'!"

"Whatever!"

The twins' fiery interference, of course.

"What? Don't you know the rule about boys and girls over seven not sharing a room? How can Aran share a room with him?"

Even the young fuddy-duddy Su-ryeon had stepped in to oppose it.

But since both Aran and Taeo were under seven, Su-ryeon's objection quickly lost ground.

"Huh? I've never slept alone before?"

After being scolded by Cheongun, Taeo suddenly started acting like a spoiled, treasured youngest son…

In the end, So-rim had to spend the night in Aran's room with the two little ones.

Because even before asking Cheongun, Hwi had already vetoed leaving Taeo and Aran alone together.

Perhaps because, young as he was, he had abilities—Hwi was wary that Taeo might take the opportunity to abduct Aran.

Thanks to that, So-rim had spent a rare night in Aran's room and woke up to a slightly awkward morning.

So-rim, the first to rise, tidied up the room, and next, Aran woke up.

She gave her wings a quick flutter and looked around—Taeo was lying face-down on the wide floor cushion she usually used as a bed, one cheek pressed against it.

Aran quietly observed Taeo's face.

His youthful, round cheeks were as plump and lovely as rice cakes, and his thick, jet-black lashes were neatly closed like seashells.

When standing, he seemed about a head taller than Min, but lying down like this, even that was hard to tell.

"Pip."

(Such an adorable kid…)

Just as Aran was reconsidering Taeo's unauthorized trespass the day before, his swallow-feather lashes lifted, and his jade-green eyes gleamed into view.

Then Taeo curved his apricot-colored lips into a pretty smile.

"Good morning, Aran."

Aran set aside her thoughts and couldn't help but smile back.

"Peep?"

(Yeah, did you sleep well?)

---

On the third morning since the unexpected guest had appeared at the Blue Dragon Palace.

Yeon greeted Cheongun with a sulky expression.

"Did you sleep well, Daddy?"

"Mm-hmm, did Yeon sleep well too?"

But Yeon's answer, which usually went on for a while with stories about dreams or Min's fussing, somehow didn't come back quickly.

Cheongun tilted his head and called his son again.

"Yeon-ah?"

"Ah, Daddy…"

Only then did Yeon seem to come back to his senses and look up at his father.

"Um, I have a question…"

Cheongun couldn't help but chuckle as he looked down at his youngest son.

It was obvious what was bothering him.

After hesitating, Yeon finally opened his lips and asked.

"Th-that guest from the Black Tortoise clan… when is he going home?"

"The guest from the Black Tortoise clan? You mean Taeo? What, haven't you been able to become friends with him yet?"

When Cheongun asked as if he didn't know, Yeon made a miserable face.

"B-but Daddy. It's hard to become friends with him. Actually, that doesn't matter. It's not like I even want to be friends with him anyway!"

It wasn't like Min—for Yeon to show such a sulky reaction was unusual.

A amused smile briefly appeared at the corner of Cheongun's mouth, but he quickly composed it.

"Really? Why? You seemed curious before when I said there was a peer who could use abilities."

"C-curiosity and becoming friends are different! Now that I've actually met him, I really don't want to be friends!"

Cheongun eventually chuckled at Yeon's outburst, his face flushed red.

"Alright. It's your freedom not to be friends with him—but more than that, you seem upset?"

"U-upset… well, upset is…!"

Yeon hesitated for a long while, as if unsure what to say, and finally burst into tears.

"Waaah, Daddy…! He keeps clinging to Arani and won't let her go! Arani says she has to be nice to guests and only listens to him! And without big brother, Yeon can't even understand what Arani says…!"

Yeon poured out his grievances, tears streaming down as if utterly heartbroken.

"Waaah, he has other abilities, so why does he even know beast-speech? Is it because he's still young?"

The sadness she'd been feeling lately about not being able to understand Aran's beast-speech seemed to have exploded because of Taeo.

"I—I know it's not proper for a fine Blue Dragon to say this to a guest, but…"

Yeon continued, sniffling, not giving Cheongun a chance to answer.

"Waaah, he's already slept over two nights—shouldn't he go back to his own home now? Arani plays with him all day long, and Yeon-ie is so upset…!"

"Oh dear, Aran is Yeon's best friend. You must have been very hurt."

Cheongun barely suppressed his laughter and answered with a serious face, and Yeon's small head nodded vigorously.

Indeed.

Yeon had always believed that she got along better with Aran than even her twin Min, who looked just like her.

She never dreamed that Aran would spend two whole days glued to a guest from another palace like a buddy.

And Yeon wasn't even being sought out!

"Hic, Arani must like him better than me!"

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