Chapter 101
Startled, I floundered for a moment before wrapping both arms around him and holding him tight.
My shoulder quickly grew damp with the tears Lycian shed.
“Are you that overwhelmed?”
“Of course…. Muriel accepted me….”
I let out a hollow laugh and said firmly,
“No matter how long it took, I would’ve accepted you in the end.”
“…I imagined the worst outcome, too.”
“The worst outcome?”
Lycian hesitated—so unlike him—then, after a brief pause, answered.
“I thought… you might despise me for imprinting on you without asking.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would I?”
“…It’s not unheard of.”
“…?”
The way he said it carried weight.
Did that mean there were cases where a dragonkin and their companion weren’t bound by mutual desire?
Patting his back, I fumbled through my words.
“I—I don’t know much about it, but I didn’t choose you out of compromise or resignation. I decided to be with you because I genuinely wanted to….”
I added it just in case he’d gotten the wrong idea.
I didn’t want to mess this up after coming this far.
At that, Lycian peeked up at me, cheeks faintly flushed, and spoke with an uncharacteristic shyness.
“There’s… one more thing I need to confess.”
“…What is it?”
How many secrets does he even have?
Since we were already here, I might as well ask about the rest.
‘What happened when you were thirteen. Why you came all the way to the contaminated land to find me…. And why your body was so badly hurt back then.’
It’s fine to ask, right? We’re companions for life….
Lycian’s small, hesitant voice continued.
“For a half-dragon… regular communion with their imprinted partner is essential.”
“…Huh?”
“Emotionally—and physically.”
Wait a second.
It was the physical part that snagged in my mind.
“If we don’t have enough communion… we go mad.”
I blinked, then asked,
“H-how mad are we talking?”
“Well, we could lose our reason. Turn violent.”
“…!”
“Our magic could run wild. We’d devastate our surroundings—and suffer for it ourselves.”
“Have you… seen that happen?”
A faint smile, as if hiding something, curved at the corner of Lycian’s lips.
“A few times.”
“…….”
I was dying to know whether he meant the Emperor or the Crown Prince—but I forced myself not to show it.
It would be rude to pry into someone else’s misfortune.
“Then… how often do we have to commune?”
“The stronger the half-dragon’s magic, the more frequently they need communion with their companion. And as you know, Muriel… I am—”
“…….”
Lycian was absurdly strong.
I wasn’t sure if he was the strongest among the imperial family, but still.
I swallowed and asked again.
“How… exactly do we do this communion…?”
“Satisfaction is important.”
“Meaning…?”
“It means I have to be properly satisfied.”
Lycian’s hand slid lightly down to the small of my back.
The strange current that began to hum between us made every fine hair on my body stand on end.
Normally, I would’ve shoved him away, too embarrassed to endure it.
‘Regular communion is essential…!’
Wasn’t this basically putting Lycian’s leash in my hands?
If I didn’t take proper care of him, he’d go mad—and then everyone around him would suffer….
‘Th-this can’t be….’
I was suddenly facing the prospect of doing things I’d never done before—but diligence was in my nature.
If managing Lycian was my duty, then I just had to rise to it….
His hand traveled up my spine and curled around the nape of my neck.
The strange sensation made me flinch. I blinked rapidly and opened my mouth.
“B-but, um….”
“Yeah?”
“Could we maybe… take things slowly…?! I’m not mentally prepared!”
“…….”
Lycian stared at me, frozen stiff with tension—then suddenly let out a laugh.
‘You sly little fox.’
I was being serious, and he was enjoying this.
“You—.”
“Alright. I don’t want to pressure you either, Muriel. But….”
Tilting his head slightly, he leaned in, slow and deliberate.
“Kissing is fine, right?”
Close enough that I could see the intricate patterns in his irises.
The instant my eyes widened—
Our lips met, soft and light.
His other hand brushed gently down my jaw, and my lips parted on their own.
Warm breath slipped into the gap between us.
“Mm….”
He swallowed even the small moan that escaped my throat as he carefully lowered me onto the bed.
The sensation of someone else entering, stirring inside my mouth.
Thud-thud—
My heart pounded as if it might burst. Heat flooded my entire body.
A wet sound grew between our lips, slick and slow as the kiss deepened.
The hand I’d left sprawled on the sheet twitched sensitively.
Then I slowly lifted my arms and wrapped them around him, pulling him close. His low laughter brushed against our locked lips.
The third kiss tasted as sweet as the pudding we’d had for dessert.
Sitting on the bed, Lycian wrapped his arms around me from behind and said,
“I have something for you.”
Golden light swirled over his outstretched palm, and a small box appeared.
Summoned through teleportation magic.
When he opened it, two rings nestled inside came into view.
“…Emerald?”
“Yeah. I chose that for the main stone. It looks like the color of your eyes, Muriel.”
Smiling faintly, Lycian picked up one of the rings and slipped it onto my finger.
A slender gold band, set with a weighty emerald. The emerald and diamonds embedded in it sparkled dazzlingly.
“Our engagement rings.”
“We’re having an engagement ceremony too?”
“Of course. When would you like it?”
I let out a rough laugh before answering.
“We should meet your parents first. We can’t just pick a date on our own.”
At that, one of Lycian’s brows arched.
“This is about companions. Half-dragons handle that themselves.”
“No. We greet the elders first.”
“…If that’s what you want, Muriel.”
To think he wouldn’t even consider consulting his parents about something as important as an engagement—what an unbelievable golden child.
“I’ll put yours on too.”
“Alright.”
I slipped the ring onto the fourth finger of Lycian’s left hand.
Even though I was the one receiving the gift, he looked overwhelmingly happy and pulled me into a tight embrace.
Seeing him smile so purely, like a child, stirred something restless in my chest….
Unable to resist, I cupped his cheeks in both hands and kissed him.
The next morning.
Lycian and I stood before the dead tree in the garden.
Hand in hand, I gazed up at its blackened, shriveled trunk and asked,
“This tree… they said it became like this when you were thirteen. Can you tell me what happened back then?”
“…….”
The longer Lycian remained silent, the heavier and more uneasy my heart grew.
Was it something I shouldn’t have asked?
Just as anxiety began to creep in, Lycian let out a deep sigh.
“Haa….”
Dragging a hand down his face, he gave a self-mocking smile.
His voice, when he spoke, carried both turmoil and unease.
“They say overprotectiveness is a disease. I’m severely ill. Even knowing it’s impossible, I want to keep you ignorant of everything, Muriel. I want to hide you away in this castle where nothing can touch you….”
“But… you’ll tell me, right?”
“…I will. It’s something you need to know anyway.”
Extending one arm out to the side, Lycian summoned something with teleportation magic.
It was the sword given to me by the god who protects me.
“Do you remember what the God of Dreams said about this sword?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded obediently.
‘That sword is one of the divine weapons capable of destroying a star’s heart. It is not something a mere half-dragon should possess.’
What Morpheus had said in the hidden shop.
It had stuck with me because it felt important.
“Muriel, do you know much about mythology?”
“Sort of?”
“Then what about the ‘star’?”
“The star….”
I quietly recalled a line from a mythological text I’d once read.
[After the war with the star ended, the king of the gods fell into eternal slumber….]
“In the distant past—so far back it might as well be ancient history—they say the gods who protect this world waged war against an entity called the ‘star,’ which came from beyond the heavens.”
“Yeah.”
“There aren’t many detailed records about what that star actually was.”
“I thought it was just a myth. That’s how myths are, aren’t they?”
“I believed it was all just legend, too. Until I saw ‘that being’ with my own eyes.”
“That being…?”
“The ‘star.’”
At the unexpected words, my eyes flew wide.
In a calm voice, Lycian continued.
“When I was thirteen, I was attacked by one of the star’s kin.”
“…!”
“The scar near my heart is from then. I almost died.”
Still frozen in shock, I managed to move my lips.
“The internal injuries you had in the contaminated land—the reason you were weakened—was that because you were attacked by the star’s kin too?”
“That’s right.”
Lycian held my hand and gently traced his fingers over it.
The moment I saw the fear lingering in his eyes—eyes that were always so confident—my heart dropped.
“The star’s kin… are called the ‘Witch of the Crescent Moon.’ That’s the name the Second Tower Master gave them. They appeared a thousand years ago alongside a comet, and for some reason… they’re after my life.”