Chapter 8

After releasing the familiars and turning around, I found Rudnain already sitting in a rocking chair, feeding milk to the baby water dragon…

I was so shocked that I stumbled backward.

W-What is this?

There was absolutely no sense of incongruity.

The continent’s most renowned Sword Master, taking care of a baby water dragon!

And even that sight looked so magnificent that it could have been a masterpiece.

If I’d had the camera I used in my previous life, I would have wanted to take at least a hundred pictures right then and there to preserve the moment.

Ah!

Just then, a good idea struck me.

I called Pembe and Belbet over to the desk, drew a picture on a blank sheet of paper, and spoke.

“I don’t have anything to do anyway since our honeymoon ended early.”

「…Her work addiction has started again.」

「Can’t you just rest?」

“Why would I rest when there’s something fun to do? I had a great idea. Let’s use magical engineering technology to make our own portable magic camera.”

「What’s that…?」

「The typewriter we invented last time is selling well, though.」

「Yeah. Besides, we already have a portable magic projector!」

“This is different! This one will let us print pictures directly onto paper. The magic projector takes too long because it’s more like a recording. We need something that can easily produce prints… So, we could use a magic formula like this…”

While Rudnain was feeding and taking care of the baby water dragon, I busily sketched out the magical formulas for a magic camera on paper and explained the general concept to my excellent assistants.

At first, they were reluctant, but gradually they became more interested and listened seriously.

Pembe and Belbet were both incredibly clever and loved inventing things, so I was sure they would make this magic camera successfully in no time.

And for some reason, I had a strong feeling that this was something I absolutely had to make.

There was this strange sense of duty telling me that I needed to photograph “someone precious to me.”

Why am I thinking like this? Do I want to take pictures of Rud?

Of course I did.

My man was so handsome that even if I took pictures of him every single moment, it still wouldn’t be enough.

Heehee.

While I was deeply engrossed in discussing the magical formula for the camera with my familiars, Rudnain appeared with a stroller from somewhere.

“My goodness.”

He seriously read through the stroller’s instruction manual, then naturally placed the baby water dragon, who had been lying in the crib for a while, into the stroller and even fastened the safety belt.

Rudnain, you really are…

I shook my head in disbelief.

Rudnain then approached the desk where I was sitting, pushing the stroller with the baby water dragon inside.

He spoke to me.

“Let’s go for a walk, Yvonne.”

“Together?”

“Yes, of course.”

At his gentle words, I nodded, stood up, and told Pembe and Belbet to take a break before following Rudnain.

I walked beside him as he pushed the stroller and looked down at the baby water dragon, who was looking around restlessly.

Then our eyes met.

It merely blinked and didn’t cry.

It had cried when I held it earlier.

Tch.

I grumbled inwardly, but I was still relieved.

If it cried again, I might not even be able to look at the baby water dragon, let alone go on a walk together.

It must be really exhausting if a baby is wary of strangers.

Still, I was glad that the baby water dragon wasn’t completely fussy and sensitive.

With that thought, we pushed the stroller outside.

After leaving the Grand Duke’s castle, we headed toward the garden.

To let the baby water dragon see plenty of flowers, we went to the eastern garden, where lots of low-growing flowers had been planted.

Fortunately, the baby water dragon liked flowers.

“Kyah-kyah!”

The moment it saw the flowers blooming in the eastern garden, the baby water dragon squealed happily.

It looked delighted.

Was that why there were so many pretty flowers around the lake?

At that moment, I finally understood the feelings of the mother water dragon.

Rudnain slowly pushed the stroller and kindly explained the flowers to the baby water dragon.

“That one is a peony.”

“Kyu!”

“And this is a bellflower.”

“Kya!”

“I planted jasmine, too. Because it resembles my wife.”

Huh?

Surprised, I deliberately made a flower pose with my hands and leaned my head toward him with a coquettish voice.

“Oh my, wasn’t I your silver rose?”

He smiled and gently brushed the corner of my eye.

“You are my silver rose, but I planted the jasmine because of its flower language.”

Flower language?

I blinked, and he whispered softly.

“‘You are mine.’ ‘Loveliness.’”

“Oh, my. Look at this romantic man.”

Embarrassed, I quickly lowered the hand making the flower pose and cleared my throat while averting my eyes.

I deliberately stepped backward, but Rudnain had already come close enough to stand right in front of me.

His eyes curved as he smiled, and he subtly leaned his face closer.

“Yvonne.”

“Y-Yes?”

“So, when are you going to give me the kiss you promised?”

His face was so close that our lips were almost touching.

His hot breath brushed against me, and my heart began pounding wildly.

I pushed him away and screamed.

“Eek! You shouldn’t say things like that in front of a child!”

“Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-kya!”

“H-Huh?”

The baby water dragon must have really disliked that.

Because at that exact moment, it suddenly started screaming and struggling in the stroller.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku!”

“There, there.”

Rudnain began soothing the baby water dragon in his usual gentle manner.

I crouched down in front of the stroller and blankly watched the man comfort the baby water dragon.

What is this?

Actually, the ointment Rudnain had applied earlier must have worked because my lips no longer hurt.

I had been planning to reluctantly let him kiss me.

B-But what is this?!

I crossed my arms and glared at the stroller.

Our baby water dragon really has terrible timing, just like me, huh?

Well, what good would it do to blame a baby?

Just as I was holding my forehead, overwhelmed by the absurdity of the situation, Rudnain called me.

“Yvonne. You carry snacks for the familiars, don’t you?”

“Huh? Oh, of course.”

He held out his hand toward me.

“Sorry, but could you give me some?”

“Ku-ku-kyu, kyah-kyah-kya, kyu-kyah-kyah-kyak!”

“Please hurry.”

“Kyu-a-a-a-ak!”

“Yvonne.”

“Ah, all right.”

The baby water dragon was making such a loud, irritated racket that it was as though it had swallowed a gong.

At Rudnain’s urging, I handed him the box of butter cookies I had set aside because Belbet loved them and I planned to give them to him today.

Rudnain opened the box faster than light itself and began feeding the baby water dragon one butter cookie after another.

“Kya!”

“Oh, good boy. Is it that delicious?”

Rudnain happily gave him another one…

And as I watched, I was overcome by a strange feeling.

Was this… jealousy?

It was ridiculous.

---

Rudnain took exceptionally good care of the baby water dragon.

No, as the days passed, it became more and more excessive.

Honestly, I had gone beyond feeling hurt.

I was starting to get angry.

Even though he was spending less time with me because he was so devoted to raising the baby water dragon, he didn’t seem bothered by it at all.

If anything, he looked happy.

“Boo-hoo.”

I raised both hands to cover my face and pretended to cry.

Yesterday, Rudnain had finally even given the baby water dragon a name.

Its name was Ruin.

That made me even more upset.

He had named it something so similar to his own name.

Wasn’t that going a little too far for a child that wasn’t even actually ours?

I knew I looked petty for being jealous like this, but I couldn’t help it!

“Ah, I’m so sad.”

I sat on the fifth-floor balcony, watching Rudnain and Ruin secretly as they went for their daily walk around the garden, and sighed.

It would have been one thing if Ruin liked me and followed me around, too.

But Ruin followed Rudnain and Rudnain alone.

With each passing day, Ruin revealed more and more of his fussy, sensitive nature.

He absolutely could not stand seeing Rudnain and me together.

He wanted Rudnain all to himself!

He even slept with Rudnain, so it had already been ten whole days since I had slept separately from him…

You’re so mean, Ruin! Waaah!

By now, I had even started to hate the baby water dragon.

And then I remembered the dragon mother, Atius, who had gone on maternity leave and had been completely silent ever since.

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