TEB Ch 31
by STAR***
Liev left the room first, leaving the noisy group members behind, and was able to come face-to-face with the problem. Behind Renard, there was an attendant who was fidgeting helplessly. To express his dissatisfaction, Renard’s thick tail was thumping against the hem of his clothes, and it seemed like there was a lot of frustration to express. What more could be bothering him after achieving everything he wanted? Liev said it with an indifferent expression.
“Why do you look like that? What are you dissatisfied with now?”
When I asked in a calm voice, as if I didn’t have any affection left for him, Renard flinched with a confused look in his eyes, shrugged his shoulders, and answered.
“I don’t know.”
A sloppy answer could not help, but he met with an even sharper response.
“You put so many people in trouble by asking for something you’re not sure about? Nothing has changed. You expect everyone to accept and listen as long as you insist.”
Quickly get tired of me so you can no longer be childishly obsessed with me. As Liev firmly confronted Renard, Renard looked down at Liev with a hurt face. Did he want to find even a glimmer of hope? The gaze pouring over his face was quite passionate.
“…..”
See, you can’t properly refute acting like this. Liev, looking up at the speechless Renard, who was stuttering, asked again.
“So, what are you going to do now? How are you going to torment me?”
One more step. At the moment, As Liev pressed Renard, who was stumbling with words, ignoring the throbbing in his chest, an unexpectedly strange sentence came back to Liev.
“I’m going to make you lay my egg.”
“…?”
This was truly unexpected nonsense, and as Liev reflexively couldn’t maintain an indifferent expression, furrowing his brows, Renard added with a slightly flattered voice.
“You’re going to raise an offspring with bloodlines resembling me, whom you so hate, and witness the miserable sight of it.”
“…?”
Does this guy know what he’s talking about? When I hear absurd things, I usually don’t get angry but instead doubt the intention behind saying them. This was exactly the case. Unable to hide his astonishment, Liev asked again.
“What? How on earth?”
The most common method of reproduction known externally for dragons was sexual reproduction. Of course, Liev knew that asexual reproduction was also possible, but it was never discussed in the work, so he didn’t know about it. What was certain was that there was no record of a male laying a dragon’s egg. Stunned by Liev’s question, Renard answered with a confident face.
“I said it’s time for me to have a companion. Just like you guys, I can reproduce as much as I want!”
Then, with his shoulders straightened, he looked down at Liev, and a fundamental question flowed out of Liev’s lips.
“…Do you know how reproduction works?”
It was a moment when I seriously wondered what the Divine Dragon taught him.
Renard immediately retorted,
“Of course, I know! Did you think I wouldn’t know about that?”
However, the sentence strangely lacked strength. It seemed like he didn’t know anything. Taking advantage of the situation, Liev chuckled as if amused by Renard’s unexpected response.
“Oh, really? Then go ahead and do whatever you want. I have no intention of cooperating with your childish tantrums.”
If the other side continued to come out strongly, this side had no choice but to respond equally. Since it is already a situation that cannot be avoided, it was better to make Renard tired of it. The plan was changed to make him so uncomfortable that he wouldn’t want to appear in front of Liev. It seemed that giving in to Renard’s desires would only satisfy him. Ignoring Renard, Liev spoke to the attendant, who was trembling with anxiety behind him.
“Shall we go now? Should we move the room right away?”
“Oh, come this way, I’ll guide you!”
Liev’s harsh words left Renard unable to offer any further objections. He just watched Liev move away without saying anything. Though Renard’s expression seemed to want to say something, he remained silent. Liev turned away from Renard and walked along with the attendant.
Despite faithfully putting the plan into action, there was a strangely uncomfortable feeling in one corner of Liev’s heart. Continuing to be blunt and confrontational toward the person he had missed for a long time, who was still the most important thing to Liev.
‘Why are you making a hurt face?
Who was it that told him he would torment him to death the moment he was caught? Who said such nonsense? He would be in pain until I died. Did you know I thought I would welcome him with open arms? If Renard were still a ten-year-old dragon, he might have accepted some pampering, but not now. A power capable of influencing the fate of a whole nation shouldn’t be allowed to do as he pleases.
Yes, let’s continue to ignore it. As Liev resolved himself, the petals that hadn’t been completely cleared away from the door of the room where they spent the night were stepped on by the tip of his shoe.
Just great…
With an indifferent expression, Liev casually pushed the petals away with the tip of his shoe. The attendant, trying to smile, spoke.
“For now, you can stay here until today. Starting tomorrow, you’ll move to a private residence within the royal palace. The appointment ceremony will probably take place next week to avoid the king’s other schedules.”
Appointment ceremony. The fact that he had to go through such meaningless ceremonies was very discouraging. Everyone would have other things to do at that time. Though he grumbled internally, nothing would change, so Liev simply nodded.
After a while, when the attendant also left, Liev was alone again. Well, yesterday he behaved as if he wouldn’t let go for a moment, not giving a moment’s peace.
Liev lay down on the bed without energy, slowly recalling thoughts that could clear his mind. He thought about the appearance and names of the horses he had encountered at the Lobelia Research Institute, reflecting on the time he had spent with them. With a gentle closing of his eyelids, he let out a sigh. The restless night was due to the vivid memories that had kept him tossing and turning. Just before falling asleep, the last face that came to Liev’s mind was still precious, and the mere thought of it brought a tender smile to his face. The image of Renard transforming into a human for the first time flashed before his eyes and then disappeared.
“Liev, I’m so, so happy!”
The voice that shouted with a tight grip on the flower Liev had picked for him still rang in Liev’s ears.
***
Meanwhile, Renard, left alone in the place where Liev had left, soon found himself dragged into a separate hearing. As Renard entered the meeting room, not led by his own feet but pushed by Rowena’s hand, several voices rang out at the same time.
“What made you create this mess in the first place?”
“You said there wouldn’t be any backlash.”
Without even having time to respond to one person first. Renard answered bluntly, ignoring all the nagging comments that were coming at him in an instant.
“Isn’t it only natural that Liev was originally mine?
Albert, shocked by the unexpected response, exclaimed,
“You can’t just think that way! If you want us to do something, go ahead! But humans have laws and procedures.”
“Frankly, it’s a bit amusing that you say that.”
“No, really! We should point that out later.”
In an instant, the noisy meeting room became chaotic again, but Renard simply closed his ears and paid no attention. It didn’t matter what they said. If Liev were to ask why he considered him his own, there would be no logical answer. He was just his from the beginning. From the moment he broke out of the shell, he was in front of him. Liev had embraced him affectionately, fed him, put him to sleep, and taken care of him. It was only natural for Liev to be with him. Because he was always his from the beginning.
