Home/The very suspicious chick of the Blue Dragon clan/ch 8

Chapter 8

The nursery where Yeon stayed was nothing like the cold, shabby north-facing room Aran had imagined.

The floor of the luxurious room was entirely paved with jade, and layers of fine ramie curtains hung by the windows, giving it an elegant appearance.

With a faint, unfamiliar scent of forest foliage, the room was a bit chilly—but aside from that, it was almost the complete opposite of Aran's imagination.

Is this what dragon nurseries are normally like?

Hmm, they are water-attributed beings…

So they like the cold from a young age? Do they even prefer the north?

No way—they're not Black Tortoises, what do they know about feng shui?

Just then, as Aran was pouting her beak, unable to find anyone to blame, she finally spotted something strange.

"Peep!"

(There it is! So they do stuff a child in this half-finished room?!)

What Aran had discovered was a wall that looked practically collapsed.

The surface was so uneven—covered in patches of moss as if it hadn't been cleaned in ages—that it looked like a child could get seriously hurt if they bumped into it.

On top of that, a draft whistled through the broken sections.

"King?"

(Huh? Arani, that's…)

Just as Yeon was about to offer an excuse—

BAM!

A sound of something crashing in recklessly—

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!

A small but vibrantly colored green dragon, far more vivid than Yeon, came charging into the room.

Agh, get out of the way! It's Cheong Min!

Aran, upon seeing Min, instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, fearing she'd get knocked out again—

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A strange sound effect was followed by Yeon's explanation.

"Kiing…"

(That's where he plays. I'm not good at it yet, though…)

Only then did Aran open her eyes and look toward the noise.

Now she saw—Min was climbing up and down the broken wall, having a grand old time.

So… it's a playground?

"Peep?"

(So no one bullies you? Or insults you?)

"Kku-kku?"

(What's that mean?)

Just as Aran was sighing, the familiar thumping sound came again.

It was only out of pride as a Vermilion Bird that she didn't squeeze her eyes shut this time…

"Kyaaang!"

(Hey!)

The baby dragon, who had been fluttering up to So-rim's knee height and dropping back down, let out a sharp cry.

Aran looked at Min with incredulous eyes.

"Pi?"

(Me?)

"Kit!"

(Yah! Sowwy!)

S-sorry?

Did that reckless little menace just apologize? Is that how a hoodlum says sorry?

While Aran blinked in surprise, Yeon praised him from beside her.

"Kururu."

(Good job, Mini. Well done.)

At that, Min spun around as if his business was done and dashed back up the wall.

The surface was so rough that he scaled nearly vertical heights like a lizard, without his feet slipping even once.

To the dumbfounded Aran, Yeon spoke shyly.

"Kkyuu."

(Big bwother made him pwatice saying sowwy if he met Arani.)

Ah… so this was Hwi's doing.

"Pit."

(I see.)

Aran tilted her head as if pondering, then asked.

"Pibi?"

(Does Min have his own room?)

"Kyut."

(Yeah, we used to share, but now we're separate.)

Is it because their developmental stages are different? Or is it discrimination?

Well, I'll just go see.

"Peep!"

(Then let's go see his room too!)

"Kkyu-kku!"

(Okay! But Mini's room is colder.)

Huh?

He's exceptionally gifted, so he should be the most cherished child… Min's room is colder?

Is Yeon just being foolish and mistaken?

You do know what cold is, right?

---

"P-pi, peep…?"

(Wh-what is this…?)

Min's room was utterly baffling.

It was on the upper floor—tall, domed, with all the windows wide open, letting in a gale-force wind.

And it was surrounded on all sides by the same mossy, strange wall she'd seen earlier.

If this had been Yeon's room, Aran would have genuinely been outraged, thinking he was severely neglected.

But the room's owner, Cheong Min, had already returned and—

Tap, tap, tap.

—was climbing the wall with the same nimble movements as before.

Wait, how far is he going?

Aran watched with anxious eyes…

Having reached near the ceiling, Min suddenly spread his wings wide.

…Surely he's not going to jump from there?

At that very moment, Min's feet left the wall.

"Pipit—!"

(That's dangerous! It's too high—!)

But just as Aran gasped in alarm—

The wind that whistled through the open windows rose along the wall, lifting the baby dragon's body.

"Kryak!"

(This is fun!)

Min cooed in delight as he rose, flapped his wings a few times, and came back down.

"Pi… peep?"

(So… it's flight practice?)

They said dragons walk, run, and fly without anyone's help. What incredible independence.

Even Aran, who had to learn walking and running on her own under a terrible nursemaid, couldn't master flying by herself—she had to sneak peeks at the Vermilion Bird Palace to learn.

Wow… these kids are amazing?

While Aran was momentarily distracted, Yeon murmured.

"Kiing…?"

(Cool, right? They said I can live here too once I can fly like Mini.)

Ahhh, the little one!

Our sweet baby dragon looks dejected!

Aran slapped her own cheeks with both wings for having been so entranced by Min's antics.

Then, in front of a startled Yeon, she deliberately shivered.

"Pii…"

(C-cold.)

"Kkyu?"

(Huh?)

"Pi, pipit…"

(Arani is cold… Can we go back to Yeon's room? Yeon's room is warmer and nicer.)

The simple baby dragon's eyes went round with delight.

"Kkyuung!"

(Okay!)

Then, flapping his wings, he escaped So-rim's embrace.

"Kurung-kurung!"

(Mini! Arani says she's cold, so I'm going to my room, bye!)

As Yeon strode confidently toward his room, his sky-blue little bottom seemed quite cheerful.

---

For about a month after that, Aran observed the Blue Dragon Palace with a watchful eye.

More precisely, she watched how Yeon was treated.

At least he resembled the Blue Dragon clan in appearance, so he fared better than she had in her youth—but Yeon was undeniably slow in development.

By the time his twin Min began low-altitude flight, Yeon had only just succeeded in his first real jump.

However, the servants of the Blue Dragon Palace neither bullied nor discriminated against the slow youngest dragon—nor even against Aran, the adopted one.

Because the master, Cheongun, personally came to check on the children several times a day, asking:

"Are our little ones eating well?"

Usually, So-rim would answer.

"Yes, my lord. Both have eaten well. And today, they went all the way outside the medicine wing without resting once…"

But whenever she tried to report on their developmental progress, she was inevitably cut off.

"That's enough. You are not a Training Master now. Just make sure our little ones don't get sick—keep their backs warm and their bellies full."

Of course, Aran would shout every time:

"Peep!"

(Mother, she is definitely a Training Master!)

No one understood, though.

In any case, as another month passed, Aran and Yeon had become fairly well "trained."

Yes, it was definitely more "training" than natural development—but the results were decent…

Thanks to that, Aran and Yeon often played together with Min under the adults' supervision. Just like right now.

"Kya-ung!"

(Catch this! Eat it!)

Aran looked pityingly at the cricket Min had caught.

Eating a terrified little insect wasn't going to fill a dragon's belly or make them healthy.

"Pipi, pit."

(Min, a great dragon doesn't eat pitiful little bugs. You have plenty of other food.)

Min, who had learned a few more words in the meantime, was somewhat defiant.

"Kyut!"

(But it looks tasty!)

"Pi-."

(Wrong-. It's not.)

"Kkyuu??"

(Really? For real?)

While they were at it, Yeon came back carrying some fruit.

"Kkiyung!"

(Arani! Yeon-ie brought weally yummy things!)

Wait, where did you get that from?!

Seeing Huirim approaching with suspicious eyes, Aran quickly took the fruit from Yeon and pretended to drop it on the ground by accident.

"Pipit!"

(Oops, sorry! My foot slipped.)

Then she pretended to stumble and stomped the fruit flat.

"Peep!"

(Oh, these clumsy feet of mine! Yeon, this body will find you something tasty instead.)

In a garden full of red, luscious fruits, Yeon had happened to pick a Naksanghong berry.

If he ate that, he'd get a stomachache right away.

If this counts as a skill, it's a skill—how did he manage to pick the least tasty fruit in the whole garden?

Just as Aran was heading to the wild raspberry bush she'd scouted earlier, plucking berries with her beak for the twin dragons—

Rustle.

From the nearby bushes came a very small, yet ominous sound.

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