Chapter 52

The dragon was sitting on a chair placed by the bedside. Like everything else, the old chair looked somewhat precarious in supporting the dragon's large frame.

The tailed tribe servant standing beside the dragon nodded towards the doctor.

"What are you doing? Come closer and examine."

Oh, what's this? He had expected to be scolded for leaving the dream incense on as soon as he entered, but the atmosphere wasn't like that. Wondering if perhaps they hadn't noticed, he approached the bed and glanced to check, but fortunately, the dream incense had all burned out, leaving only ashes.

The gods have helped. Relieved, the doctor turned his head to check on the person lying in bed.

"Huk...!"

The doctor involuntarily let out a groan and quickly covered his mouth. Though he felt the dragon's sidelong glance burning into him, who wouldn't be shocked to see this sight?

On the bed, of course, lay the human bride candidate who was the owner of this palace. The problem was his appearance. Seeing the face that had turned pale as if all blood had been drained, it was clear he wasn't sleeping but had fainted.

This was the human who hadn't lost consciousness even when his flesh was being stitched and broken bones set. The doctor remembered being inwardly surprised at his extraordinary spirit, having thought all omegas were delicate like flowers.

But now this person was lying unconscious, unable to hold on. What on earth had happened in just one night?

'Could it be that I was called to be held accountable for this?'

Just then, the dragon muttered from right beside him.

"Why isn't the doctor doing his job when I called him..."

Though the tone was emotionless, it was more chilling than any threat.

"I-I'll begin the examination!"

The doctor hurriedly reached out to take the pulse. But before he could touch the human's wrist, a glowing energy like a rope bound his wrist and pulled it back strongly.

"Oh my!"

The doctor, who had almost fallen backwards, barely managed to regain his balance. He had nearly cracked his skull. With a chill running down his spine, the doctor turned his head.

"Is, is there a problem, Lord Asad...?"

There was no need to guess the culprit. Who else could use such mysterious power but the dragon?

After telling him to examine the condition, why was he interfering with the pulse-taking? The dragon, looking at the doctor who was trying to read the situation, seemed somewhat disgruntled.

"Why are you touching?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked why you're touching."

The eyebrows that looked as if drawn with a fine brush furrowed mercilessly. He clearly looked displeased that the doctor didn't understand his words at once.

'They say this generation's dragon is a madman who pulls out tongues first if someone displeases him.'

A rumor he had heard once came to mind. Instead of questioning the incomprehensible words, the doctor immediately prostrated himself on the floor.

"I am too foolish to understand the great dragon's intentions!"

The doctor bowed as if he would smash his head on the floor. The dragon, with an indifferent face that suggested he wouldn't care whether the doctor bowed or fainted, jerked his chin towards the bed.

"Enough, examine again."

"Y-yes, sir!"

The doctor quickly got up. This time, he didn't take the pulse. Since he was told not to touch, he had no choice but to examine only with his eyes.

Even for an excellent doctor, there wasn't much that could be confirmed with just the eyes. But one thing immediately caught his eye. The mottled bruises all over the human's body.

These definitely weren't there when he had examined him last time. No matter how he looked at it, these weren't injuries from hunting magical beasts.

'Rather, these look like... marks that might occur during sexual intercourse?'

No way. The doctor denied the thought that had occurred to him. The human had been in a seriously injured state. Though he might have recovered relatively quickly thanks to his medical skills and the scaled tribe's special medicines, the fact that he was a patient who needed rest remained unchanged.

However, after confirming the bite marks on the ankle, his suspicion turned to certainty. Not only would it be difficult to bite oneself there, but such a shape wouldn't result from biting one's own ankle.

"..."

The doctor consciously fixed his gaze on the human, trying not to let it drift towards the dragon.

If it were someone else it might be different, but this human was a bride candidate. If a bride candidate had spent the night with someone, wouldn't there be only one possible partner?

No, even so, this is too much. The doctor inwardly clicked his tongue. It seemed they had spent a very rough night when they should have been extra careful with a patient. Seeing the blood seeping through the bandages, as if wounds had reopened... all his hard work stitching had been for naught.

"Um, may I touch the bride candidate's body for a moment?"

"Why, do you want to touch that badly?"

Though the tone was indifferent, the eyes staring at his hand were glistening in a way that clearly showed he wasn't asking with good intentions.

"What? N-no, absolutely not!"

The doctor shook his head and quickly denied.

"I was thinking of disinfecting and changing the bandages since blood has seeped through. There's absolutely no other intention."

Of course, the doctor's words were completely sincere without a shred of lie. Who but a doctor would want to touch this body that looked no different from a corpse?

However, the dragon didn't seem to think so, as the intensity in his glaring eyes didn't diminish at all. The doctor's legs felt weak, finding it hard to stand under the fierce golden eyes that seemed to be trying to determine whether his words were true or not, staring as if to bore holes through him.

They say when you encounter a magical beast, you freeze up just like this, like a fish caught in a shark's mouth, unable to even think of running away. Right now, the dragon felt like no different from a magical beast to the doctor. No, he was more terrifying than a magical beast. You might never encounter a magical beast in your lifetime, but the dragon was threatening his life right now.

"What do you need to do?"

"Pardon?"

"Ask one more time and I'll pull out your tongue first."

The doctor hurriedly covered his own mouth.

"Lord Asad is asking you to tell him how to change the bandages. And other treatment methods as well."

The tailed tribe servant stepped in, perhaps taking pity on the doctor who was trembling, unable to speak.

So that's what he meant. You could have explained a bit more clearly! The doctor felt wronged but couldn't argue with the dragon.

Swallowing his indignation, he took out bandages and medicine from his bag and explained what needed to be done. Even as the doctor was explaining to the best of his ability, the dragon showed an attitude of not listening at all, playfully flicking the human's hair with his fingertips.

"...Lastly, you wrap it with the bandage."

"Well, it's not that difficult."

As the dragon flicked his finger, the items the doctor had taken out of his bag floated into the air. After gaping at the sight for a moment, the doctor bowed his head and asked politely.

"Then may I take my leave now?"

"This was the disinfectant, right?"

The dragon was already not listening to him. Once again, it was the tailed tribe servant who saved the doctor who was just sweating profusely.

"You may go. And absolutely keep silent about what you've seen here."

"O-of course!"

The doctor was a person who valued money and his own safety above all else in the world. He didn't want to become one of the corpses buried in the dragon palace floor for carelessly wagging his tongue.

Jet, the tailed tribe servant who had been watching the doctor leave as if running away, turned his head.

Asad was frowning as if pondering something, holding the disinfectant that didn't suit him at all. This is why he should have paid attention when the doctor was speaking.

"Lord Asad. Shall I help you?"

"No, you all leave too."

He couldn't help but be surprised at those words. While Targan had his usual thoughtless, foolish expression, Jet was different.

When Asad had called him here in the middle of the night, he had thought trouble had finally occurred. He had thought the dragon had finally lost patience and killed the human bride candidate.

However, upon arriving, he was surprised in a different sense. It was because of the dragon's pheromones that filled the air so thickly that even alphas like Jet and Targan could barely set foot in.

And those pheromones were clearly flowing from the human. There was only one thing this could mean.

"Lord Asad. Did you indeed sleep with Lord Nine?"

"...Is this really medicine? Why does it smell so bad?"

Instead of answering, Asad tried to change the subject, but that behavior was as good as an answer. Jet, who had asked hoping it wasn't true, was shocked.

The reason for an omega's body being so thickly permeated with an alpha's pheromones was obvious. The alpha had covered the omega with his own pheromones. If it had been a normal relationship, this would have been seen as an expression of affection... but it was impossible between Asad and the human.

After all, didn't the dragon terribly hate humans because of what he had experienced in the past?

But it wouldn't hurt to confirm once more. Hiding his confused feelings, Jet asked again.

"What?"

"...Perhaps, are you thinking of taking this person as your mate?"

At those words, Asad immediately frowned.

"Do you think I would take a mere human as my mate?"