Chapter 24

Still unable to take her eyes off the nicely browned fish, Ramu stammered on.

"Th-this isn't an ordinary fish. It's a spirit beast that the scaled tribe considers sacred."

Having eyes, Kinaine naturally recognized that this fish wasn't ordinary.

A few hours earlier, after returning dejectedly from the main palace with only cold water when trying to get food.

Like fate, a large pond had caught Kinaine's eye.

More precisely, the shimmering fish swimming in the pond.

His first thought wasn't anything like 'beautiful.'

'That would taste good grilled.'

To a starving person, even a gold nugget would look like nothing more than a shining potato.

Since there were so many, he thought they wouldn't notice if he took one or two, so his deliberation wasn't long.

As Ramu continued to hesitate, Kinaine spoke soothingly.

"What's wrong with eating it? Once it goes in your mouth, it's all the same anyway."

Even a sacred spirit beast with rainbow scales was no different from ordinary fish when grilled.

The form of food wasn't important. What mattered was whether you could eat it or not.

Quietly watching the bonfire, he was reminded of his wandering days.

Kinaine hadn't always had such a strong stomach. It was just that his long experience with hunger had completely changed him.

Some experiences could completely transform a person. Just as Kinaine was no longer the noble prince who knew nothing of the world's malice.

"If you're not going to eat it, I'll eat it all?"

When he playfully reached out, Ramu flinched and moved back.

"I-I'll eat it!"

Perhaps afraid Kinaine might really take it away, Ramu hastily put the grilled fish in her mouth. Soon her eyes widened.

"I-it's delicious."

This fish wasn't just beautiful in appearance but also tasted exceptionally good. Ramu forgot how earnestly she had tried to stop Kinaine just moments ago and began eating the grilled fish hurriedly.

"Ahaha! It's good, right?"

Kinaine burst into clear laughter at her cute appearance with bulging cheeks.

However, that laughter didn't last long.

His face suddenly losing all trace of mirth, Kinaine abruptly stood up. Then he bowed his head deeply.

"Lord Asad."

The air that had been warm from the bonfire seemed to turn cold in an instant.

Soon the hem of the dragon's clothes came into view. Though the night was quite chilly, it was thin fabric that showed skin. Kinaine recognized it as sleepwear. He had once worn something similar.

Had he come here while sleeping? Why?

"Did you come for a walk?"

Though his heart was racing like a galloping horse from tension, his outward expression remained composed.

While asking politely, Kinaine secretly checked on Ramu. The quick-witted girl had stuffed all the remaining grilled fish into her mouth, making her cheeks bulge out like a greedy squirrel's.

Though it was a laughable sight, Kinaine swallowed a sigh of relief instead of laughing. This way, the evidence of stealing the fish had disappeared.

"..."

But why wasn't he saying anything?

Puzzled, Kinaine slightly raised his head.

The man's appearance standing in the moonlight was impressive enough to be startling anew even after seeing it several times. His silver hair shining in the moonlight was mystical as if from a dream, and his delicate, beautiful features made even his disheveled sleepwear look as sacred as priest's robes.

Only his posture was strange - he was covering the area around his nose with one hand.

Was the smell that terrible? Kinaine felt somewhat embarrassed.

Well, dominant alphas did have keener senses than other traits. Knowing this fact well, he could understand if they found the smell of grilling fish particularly offensive.

"..."

What he couldn't understand was... why the dragon's white face seemed to be tinged pink.

What was this?

If someone else had blushed while looking at him, Kinaine would have thought it was from embarrassment or excitement. But that couldn't be the reason for the dragon's flushed face.

He really couldn't understand.

"Human."

"Yes, please speak."

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Had he been drinking?

The strange question naturally led to such thoughts.

"I am too foolish to understand what you mean, my lord."

Kinaine answered politely.

Watching from a step away, Ramu was secretly surprised at how composed Kinaine remained even before the dragon.

Even without trying to threaten others, an oppressive aura flowed from the dragon. Even Ramu, who was quite brave except for her fear of insects, felt so tense she could barely raise her head just from seeing the dragon.

Yet Kinaine showed no sign of tension even before the dragon who spoke as if openly threatening him. Even in this situation where he had been caught stealing and eating a spirit beast. Though his face was pale, he had always been that way - all she could see was his composed expression as if nothing was wrong.

'So this is why the leader chose a human as a bride candidate.'

Ramu was impressed, believing she had understood the leader's deep intentions.

However, in truth, Kinaine was unprecedentedly tense.

'It's alright.'

Unlike his composed face, he hid his trembling fingertips in his long sleeves.

Was it because his life had been threatened twice? Or because those eyes that looked like his dead lover's kept speaking cruel words?

Though Kinaine was scared just standing before the dragon, instead of fleeing in fear, he stood there pretending nothing was wrong.

He absolutely had to become the dragon's bride. Only then could he break the black magic cast on Jinaks.

Only after that was done would he be free. From responsibility and guilt, from this terrible life.

Thinking this way made him feel a bit more motivated.

"Your face is flushed. Are you feeling unwell somewhere..."

Kinaine deliberately pretended to worry in an even gentler voice.

According to the plan, he needed to win the dragon's heart somehow. Though seeing how the dragon seemed to hate humans made him wonder if it was possible, there was no harm in trying to make a good impression.

Usually when he showed such goodwill, there were hardly any who disliked it. That much was similar whether before or after his body changed. Kinaine had been a tall, dominant alpha, and Hasan had been a rather pretty omega, so their appearances at least were suited to winning others' favor.

However, indeed, unlike others, the dragon frowned fiercely instead of acting friendly.

"Ha, do you know who I am to speak like that?"

"..."

At the cold response, Kinaine closed his mouth. Well, was the dragon an ordinary being? He probably wasn't weak enough to catch a cold just because the weather was chilly.

Asad glared at such a Kinaine. His hand remained covering below his nose.

It wasn't because of the grilled fish smell as Kinaine had guessed.

'I feel like throwing up.'

Asad's condition had started becoming strange precisely after hearing the human's laughter. From the moment he heard that laughter coming from afar, his chest had started feeling strangely queasy.

The dragon, who had lived a life far removed from motion sickness or hangovers, was extremely displeased by this strange sensation he was experiencing for the first time.

Full of irritation and anger, Asad warned the human.

"It's unpleasant, so don't laugh again."

"..."

"Understand?"

The small face that had been wearing a faint smile stiffened for a moment. However, it changed to indifference as if it had never happened. Like someone switching masks.

"I will do as you say."

"..."

For some reason, the docile answer made Asad feel even more disturbed.

'Pretending to be well-behaved!'

Though he wore an innocent and pure face as if knowing nothing, Asad knew it was all deception.

He hadn't forgotten. The fact that this omega was cunning and lewd enough to crawl into the room of an alpha in rut to get what he wanted.

Not only that. When he realized he couldn't handle it, he even stuck a needle filled with suppressants into his neck.

Thinking about it now, his form in immediately injecting suppressants into an alpha had seemed very practiced. He probably hadn't done such things just once or twice.

He must have played around promiscuously behind that well-behaved face.

Just thinking about it made his insides boil for some reason.

It must be because it was contemptible how he now pretended to be a modest and well-behaved omega after all that.

Just because he had somewhat nice pheromones and a pretty face, he must have found life easy?

'I was originally going to torment him a bit before killing him.'

This greedy human made him even more unpleasant than expected. So unpleasant that he couldn't take his eyes off that pale face.

Asad looked down at the human with cold eyes.

He decided. He would make him regret to death not running away and staying here.