Home/The very suspicious chick of the Blue Dragon clan/ch 7

Chapter 7

Finally, evening came. Only after Yeon had finished licking his bowl of egg porridge clean did he timidly mumble.

"Kiiing…"

(Arani, sorry for skipping training earlier and leaving you alone.)

How sneaky—you slipped away on your own and now you come to apologize?

Aran was dumbfounded as she looked at Yeon, but the moment she saw his gentle, round eyes, her will to be angry dissolved instantly.

Th-this is definitely not because he's cute.

This body is a great Vermilion Bird, and he's just a plain baby dragon—that's all. Hmph.

"Pit-pit."

(Fine, I get it. It's not like you suffering with me makes it any less tiring for me.)

"Kkyuung…"

(Sowwy. I just couldn't keep up with Mini's walking, and I wanted to come in first just once…)

Aran snapped to attention at Yeon's babbling excuse.

She'd heard that Yeon had hatched only a day later than Min.

But Min had walked on his first day, run on the second, and had already developed to the point of flying low above the ground.

I mean, what kind of monstrous creature is that?

Even if they were the same kind of dragon, it couldn't be pleasant to fall that far behind one's twin.

Aran, who had been neglected and compared to her older cousins from the moment she was born in the Vermilion Bird Palace, knew that feeling all too well.

"Pit."

(Hey, straighten your shoulders.)

Aran bumped her tiny head against Yeon's drooping shoulder and spoke.

In fact, in the future that Aran remembered, there was a remarkable ally beside Cheong Hwi, the Lord of the Eastern Quarter—a great dragon called the Ten-Thousand-Life Dragon.

A beastman of exceptional caliber who possessed the ability to promote life itself.

And now Aran had a hunch that it was Min. That one was already extraordinary.

In that sense, Aran felt sorry for Yeon. He would be compared to his outstanding twin for his entire life—how painful that must be.

So she resolved to do whatever she could, even when Min wasn't around, to boost Yeon's spirits and help him grow into a healthy dragon.

After all, Min—who was exceptional and whom she couldn't even understand—would be well taken care of by others.

"Peep-peep."

(Min is an idiot anyway. The world is ruled by smart people.)

But was her wording too difficult?

Yeon tilted his head, unable to understand at once.

"King?"

(Goobern?)

"Pipit."

(No! Rule. Like your father does.)

"Kkuung…"

(Rule like Daddy… But it's not 'your father'—he's our father. Oh, but for Arani, he's your mother, right?)

You can't even understand words properly, and you're nitpicking that?

While Aran was dumbfounded, Yeon looked dejected and continued.

"Kururu…, kiing."

(I heard someone say it before—they said this family has never had a slow dragon like me born before.)

When Cheong Min and Cheong Yeon were first born, the physician, assuming they couldn't understand words, had indeed said something like that.

To be exact, it was a jest: "In all my years, I never thought I'd see a dragon in the Cheong clan that couldn't walk within a day, hahaha."

But not knowing that fact, to Aran's ears, it sounded something like this:

"Look at that one. Can't even walk yet—what a disgrace to the Cheong clan!"

Of course, this was largely a projection from her own personal experience…

But recalling such voices made Aran's eyes blaze.

"Ppyak?"

(Who on earth said such a thing?)

She'd only known him a few days, and already she'd grown attached.

"Piiiiik—!"

(What do you mean slow? Min can't even say a single word yet—how frustrating is that—!)

It was all because Yeon was just too pretty. And of course, everything he did was adorable too.

Th-that water-drop tail of his was the biggest problem of all…!

"Kiing…?"

(But Mini… he talks a little now…)

"Piiiit…!"

(Is that what matters right now! From now on, you stick close to me! If anyone locks you up, starves you, insults you, leaves you in a north-facing room, or abandons you under the scorching sun all day—you come to me and tell me, got it…!)

Having lost her abilities, unable to obtain a human form, and not even having a single feather grown, Aran was still habitually making grand boasts.

But the clueless baby dragon asked again.

"Kkyut?"

(Is a north-facing room bad?)

In fact, young dragons have poor temperature regulation and need to be kept cool.

But even the hundred-year-old Vermilion Bird didn't know something—and that was the proper way to raise a dragon.

"Bbaek!"

(What do you mean 'bad'? Where's your room! Let's go right now! Lead the way!)

With that shout, Aran really began waddling out of the room.

Whenever she thought of the Vermilion Bird Palace where she'd grown up through such hardship, she felt like she'd go mad worrying that Yeon might suffer the same fate.

Yeon, who knew nothing, scrambled to follow, and So-rim—who couldn't possibly understand the little ones' conspiracy—also tilted her head and followed.

"Young miss, young master. It's almost bedtime—where are you going?"

Aran, agitated, huffed.

"Pik!"

(None of your business!)

---

But the little ones couldn't go more than a few steps before stopping in the middle of the garden.

Aran, her legs wobbling, asked.

"Piik!?"

*(Is it far?!)_

Ugh, I'm exhausted.

Even when I was a mistreated outcast in the Vermilion Bird Palace, I never wore out my legs like this.

Yeon, who had rested in the afternoon and was in slightly better condition, nodded apologetically.

"Kurung…"

(Yeah, it's pretty far from here…)

Come to think of it, So-rim always brought Yeon over early in the morning.

Does this kid even know the way?

Growing suspicious, Aran stretched out one short wing and pointed in a direction.

"Pik?"

(Is that the right way?)

To her surprise, Yeon answered with remarkable clarity.

"Kkiyung."

(Yeah, but that's not it. That's the training hall…)

See?

This kid may have been born weak, but he's smart.

Just then, So-rim, who had been following all along, finally noticed the little ones' scheme and crouched down to ask.

"Huh? Little ones, don't tell me you wanted to go to the nursery?"

"Pik!"

(Yes, that's right! If you understand, then pick this body up at once!)

Aran nodded vigorously and immediately spread both wings, making a bold demand.

Yeon quickly followed suit.

"Kkyut!"

(Yeah! Yeon-ie wants to be carried too! I'm tiwed!)

"Sniff…"

Deeply moved, So-rim gently lifted both children and set them in the crooks of her arms, then spoke cheerfully.

"If you wanted to go to the nursery, you should have said so sooner…"

"Peep."

(As if you'd have understood.)

But since So-rim had no idea what Aran meant, she remained moved and headed toward the nursery.

As So-rim strode forward, the scenery finally began to change.

Aran was busy taking in the Blue Dragon Palace as it whisked past, when So-rim's voice came again.

"By the way, I wonder if Young Master Min is behaving himself. Just in case, you two must stay close to me."

"Peep."

(Let's go see first. I'll decide what to do after I see what kind of cold, miserable hole they've stuffed him in.)

At Aran's cold words, Yeon tilted his head again.

"Kkyu?"

(Miserable hole?)

"Pit."

(I mean I'll check how cold and awful a place they've abandoned you in.)

Yeon actually liked cold places because they were cool.

If anything, the medicine wing was too hot and suffocating—but Aran's momentum was so fierce that he couldn't bring himself to say so.

Because Yeon was a very careful, timid, and fearful dragon.

"Kkiyung…"

(Don't be mad, Arani…)

But Yeon's reply only fueled Aran's anger further.

You poor, pitiful thing!

You don't even know how to complain about how you're treated…!

In Aran's mind, her own childhood self inevitably surfaced and overlapped with Yeon.

Ah, but what's the use of getting angry at a young, innocent child?

Instead, Aran decided to gather a little more useful information.

"Peep, pi?"

(Yeon, who usually keeps you locked up?)

"Kkyut!?"

(Huh? The door is always closed!)

Of course, the door was closed to prevent Min from barging in and hurting Yeon.

Though lately, Min had learned how to open doors anyway.

Not knowing that, Aran's tiny, millet-sized eyes blazed with fury.

"Pibi, pi?"

(And do they ever leave you outside on scorching hot days?)

"Kurung."

(Yeah, they said I need moderate sun exposure.)

Unless one was a cave-dwelling animal, sun exposure was perfectly natural—but somehow, Yeon's words only bred more misunderstanding.

No need to hear any more.

The little chick's face grew grave.

Cheongun and Hwi didn't seem like the type to mistreat Yeon for being slow, so it had to be the servants below them who were making such reckless claims and tormenting the child.

I won't let them get away with this…!

---

"Piiak…"

(This is tricky…)

Finally arriving at the nursery, Aran rolled her pitch-black eyes.

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