TEB Ch 46

“Well, um… Do you also know there’s a rumor circulating among the people working in the palace these days?” 

Liev responded with disinterest in the unexpected topic. He had no interest in the gossip that people talked about. He didn’t care about whatever others were babbling about, it probably had nothing to do with him. 

He was ready to casually dismiss whatever the maid had to say. However, with the continuation of her sentence, Liev couldn’t help but doubt his ears. 

“Well, it’s a bit embarrassing, but it’s something mentioning Lord Renard. I thought it might be a good idea for you to hear the story.” 

“……?” 

Why is a rumor about Renard suddenly coming up? Liev instantly recalled the part he was most worried about. Could it be that Renard didn’t like the way he looked after other animals and went to visit them one by one and started a fight? The moment he raised his head, he imagined Renard growling at dogs and cats. But news that was even more shocking than that came from the maid. 

“What….” 

“Um… Lord Renard has been asking somewhat embarrassing questions to the knights around him these days. Everyone knows your newlyweds, but it seems the atmosphere is difficult.”   

“What?” 

What on earth is she talking about? Liev’s heart sank as he heard a completely unexpected story.

“Wait a minute, could you be more specific? I have no idea what’s going on.” 

When Liev couldn’t help but ask the maid, her reaction was more intense than he expected. She, too, seemed surprised. 

“Oh, didn’t you know? I thought you would definitely know. I didn’t hear it myself, so it might be better for you to talk to Lord Renard for more details.” 

Meanwhile, a colleague of the maid, who had finished her work, called her from outside the door. 

“What are you doing? We have to go in quickly. If we are late again, our fines will be deducted from our salary.” 

“Oh, um…! I’m coming! I’ll come again next time. Have a good day!” 

As the maid dropped the bombshell and disappeared, Liev was left with a devastated expression on his face. What on earth? What nonsense did he go around saying? “Everyone knows your newlyweds.” What kind of nonsense is that? Although Renard made a fuss about being a companion, everyone knew that it wouldn’t mean the literal dictionary definition of a spouse. 

Renard was still not entirely accustomed to human society. He had heard and seen enough to not be completely ignorant, but he seemed to misunderstand or mix up several concepts. The concept of a “companion” was no exception. When people generally referred to a partner, they meant a relationship where spouses fulfilled theirs as a couple, building an economic and social community together and accompanying each other through the tasks of life, such as raising children. However, Renard seemed to think of it as simply thinking of a person he had promised to spend the rest of his life with. 

So, regardless of whether they thought they were newlyweds or whatever, Liev knew that his relationship with Renard couldn’t be the same as what one would normally think of as a partner. The problem was, what was Renard talking about to the outside world? I was just confused because I couldn’t really make any sense of it.   

“What has he been talking about?” 

Tomorrow was the day Renard would return, so Liev decided to sit him down properly and ask. He didn’t want to become the center of unnecessary rumors and hear things he didn’t need to hear. As Liev pondered, time passed diligently, and he prepared to lie down alone on his bed. The relatively spacious bed, which was quite large for sleeping alone.  

“Lately, we’ve been sleeping together so much. It feels a bit strange not to feel the warmth next to me these days.” 

He wanted to see Renard soon. Seeing his unharmed face would bring back peace of mind. Liev lazily moved his body and, instead of Renard, hugged a pillow. This position might look funny, but who cares when there’s no one to see? Before he knew it, the night had deepened. 

*** 

Meanwhile, Renard was alert at the construction site, where scaffolding had been set up. Although the duty of monitoring, even at the level of a regular soldier or knight, could be entrusted to others, the useful advantage of not needing to sleep was no harm in utilizing it. It wasn’t too difficult, just standing there, so he willingly took up the nightwatch position. While guarding the position, Renard unexpectedly spoke to a soldier standing across from him. 

“Hey, have you gotten married?” 

“Huh?” 

As a local lord’s private soldier serving in such a high-ranking knight position, he had never dreamed that he would be working with mythical creatures like dragons and was bewildered by being asked such an unexpected question. Why is he asking this all of a sudden? Is he trying to recruit me? Did I do something well? Did I catch his fancy? Or is he trying to set me up with someone? Among the many reasons that came to mind, there was no clear answer. 

The soldier stammered, unable to give a proper answer, and blinked his eyes in confusion. Irritated, as if frustrated by the soldier’s flustered response, Renard asked sharply.   

“How many times do I have to ask you if you’re married?” 

Startled by the sharp question, the soldier, with his military spirit, answered.   

“Uh, yes, I am. But why…” 

As the soldier trailed off, Renard quickly interjected. 

“I heard you talking with another guy earlier. Something about your wife being pregnant?” 

Ah, was that why he asked? If his wife is pregnant, of course, they must be married. It still seemed like an absurd question, and the confusion remained. However, the person in front of him was not an ordinary human but a dragon who didn’t know much about human society. With a cough, the soldier replied hesitantly. 

“Yes, she is. I’m finally going to become a dad sometime this summer.” 

Perhaps he wanted to offer congratulations, but the facial expression he received was more lukewarm than expected. It didn’t seem like the dragon was particularly happy or pleased, and while the soldier was still trying to process everything, Renard opened his mouth. 

“Then, let me ask you something else.” 

“Oh, yes, please go ahead!” 

He wanted to ask something. What? To me, just an ordinary soldier, not even a knight? The soldier, still in a state of confusion, looked at Renard with many question marks above his head. At that moment, Renard opened his mouth. 

“How do you reproduce?” 

“Huh?” 

Instead of resolving the soldier’s confusion, the question plunged him deeper into a maze of bewilderment. 

*** 

The next morning, the atmosphere in the conference room of the White Eagle Knights, who had begun their regular meeting to prepare for Renard’s return, was incredibly awkward. They were all troubled by numerous complaints from the lower knight orders and internal grievances within the White Eagle Knights, wondering how to handle the situation. 

“Well, someone has to take the initiative and talk about it. We can’t just keep leaving it like that.” 

Albert was the first to speak, and with a deep sigh, Rowena responded. 

“Where did it all start? What went wrong with him to start asking such questions?” 

In response to Rowena’s straightforward question, Reinhart, who had been silent throughout, cleared his throat. 

“Well, it seems to be my fault. I made a slip of the tongue. I never thought I would suddenly be asked such a question.” 

Finally, Reinhart confessed. About two weeks ago, shortly after the appointment ceremony, Renard unexpectedly visited Reinhart and asked. 

“Commander, have you ever reproduced?” 

Naturally, the answer would be yes. Reinhart had two sons and two daughters, for a total of four children. Although one of them had unfortunately passed away in an accident, it was undeniable that he had an active marital relationship, just like most noble families. Yet, the sudden question about whether he had ever reproduced from a dragon shocked him so much that his response changed. 

“N-No, why do you ask?” 

And that became the root cause of all the commotion.