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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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In fact, when Rudrick initially grumbled about there being too many people due to the festival, Sylphia had been more worried than anything, but it didn’t take her long to realize that her concern had been unwarranted.
Whenever she glanced to the side, Rudrick, despite his words, had an excited expression on his face.
‘Come to think of it, he was always like this in the past too. And it was a constant.’
Sylphia became lost in thought.
She recalled the times when she tried to take Rudrick to simple social gatherings like tea parties or afternoon teas, and he would always make excuses to avoid them.
Even if she forcibly dragged him out, he would stick out his lips in displeasure, clearly showing his reluctance, but once the atmosphere was right, he would be enjoying himself as if the person who had been reluctant had disappeared somewhere. Unconsciously, she…
“Huhu.”
“…?”
Rudrick, who had been nibbling on cotton candy beside her, gave her a puzzled look at the quietly escaped laughter.
But it wasn’t so bad to just sit on the bench and spend time quietly like this.
No, it wasn’t just not bad, it was very good. After all, there was no other word besides “date” to define this act of enjoying the festival alone together.
Moreover, this situation was set up by none other than Princess Elena, who could be considered her rival and competitor, even if it wasn’t her intention.
It was like her competitor had personally prepared the table for her. If she didn’t take full advantage of this opportunity, that would be impolite.
“Rudrick, is there anywhere you want to go now? Anything you want to see?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
“Ahem, then there’s no choice.”
Sylphia, who had spoken in a deliberately lively tone, shrugged her shoulders as if there was no other way.
She quickly calculated that in this situation, she should skillfully lead and naturally appeal her charm.
Although it was a different species that she fundamentally recognized as inferior, she hadn’t spent hundreds of years living among humans in vain, even if she had never shared genuine friendship with them.
Even though her actions were calculated and intentional…
As the atmosphere was right for them to start moving again, Rudrick naturally held her hand once more, shattering the mature and skillful image she had intended to portray.
“…Ah.”
“Then shall we go over there?”
In an instant, her cheeks flushed red again. Contrary to her determination just moments ago, as Rudrick pointed to a crowded area with an outstretched hand, Sylphia could only nod.
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Today was a day with a relatively high level of satisfaction.
In fact, it was a bit uncomfortable because there were more people than expected, but that was only for a moment. I had spent twenty years living in the Weiss County.
Sometimes, while reminiscing about the memories of my previous life, I would be surprised to realize that so much time had passed, but fundamentally, the fact that it was a distant past remained unchanged.
In other words, it meant that it had been nearly twenty years since I had been to a crowded place like this.
‘There are so many people because of the festival.’
On the way back after watching even the fireworks display, which could be considered the highlight of the festival… The streets that had been as crowded as reminding me of the busy streets in my previous life had become noticeably less crowded as the festival ended and the night grew late.
Sylphia, who had been quite talkative at first, had also noticeably grown quieter, like the dwindling crowd.
As we were walking along the promenade that we had passed by earlier, Sylphia, who had been fidgeting beside me as if she had something to say, finally opened her mouth.
“Um, Rudrick…”
“Yes?”
“Well… Since there are fewer people now, you can let go of my hand…”
“Ah.”
The hand that I had been holding tightly in case we got separated in the crowd…
I didn’t have any particular thoughts. If we got separated here and she got lost, that would be a problem in itself. It’s not like I could use some kind of voice amplification magic to make a lost child announcement, saying, “We’re looking for Sylphia~ Rudrick, who got lost, is anxiously searching for her~.”
Come to think of it, I had been walking while holding her hand the whole time, as if we were on a date or something.
Tsk.
It would be quite burdensome to keep holding hands like this.
Thinking it was my mistake, I let go of her hand, and Sylphia let out a sigh. I wasn’t sure if it was a sigh of relief or something else.
“Sylphia.”
“Yes?”
“Thanks to you, I had fun today.”
Even though she had to put up with taking me around all day when I didn’t know anything, I should at least express my gratitude. If I don’t, I’d be no better than an animal, right?
Since the world was in this state anyway, I couldn’t bring myself to boldly demand, “Do it for me,” as my inner masculinity couldn’t tolerate it yet.
“…”
But this dragon in human disguise in front of me didn’t understand the culture of the civilized East, where one would politely respond with “You’re welcome” when thanked. I didn’t know what she was dissatisfied with, but she kept her mouth shut.
If she reacted like that, what would I, who had expressed my gratitude, become? It would be awkward for me.
As I inwardly grumbled, Sylphia finally replied in a voice as small as a mosquito.
“…No, I had a good time too.”
“You had a good time?”
“That! That! I don’t mean it in a strange way! I just meant that I enjoyed going out after a long time too!”
I didn’t really ask with any particular meaning in mind.
Seeing her suddenly getting flustered on her own, I just nodded my head.
“…Anyway! So I had fun today too!”
“I had fun too. I didn’t have much expectation even though it was a festival, but I didn’t expect there to be fireworks.”
It was certainly surprising to see fireworks in a medieval setting. Theoretically, it could be done similarly by using magic, but…
Anyway, as I was thinking that today had been a fulfilling day and we had reached the front of the Imperial Palace…
Meow.
A soft meow was heard.
Turning my head towards the sudden sound, I saw a familiar-looking cat that I had seen many times before, staring intently at me and Sylphia from somewhere.
Silver fur and amethyst eyes.
With that unique combination, I knew there was only one such cat.
In fact, just like the dragon in human disguise beside me, it was ambiguous to call her a cat since she was just wearing a cat disguise.
The cat, or rather Arwen, approached me with quick steps and raised her front paws.
“…Hand?”
Meow.
A low meow, as if to say that wasn’t it. In the midst of confusion, not knowing what her intention was, Arwen bared her teeth at Sylphia.
Haaah!
“…Aha, I had wanted to see it at least once, but I didn’t expect to see it like this.”
With a cold expression I had never seen before, unlike her previous demeanor, Sylphia added frigidly.
“Rudrick, you go in first. It seems this cat has some business with me. I’ll play with her a bit and send her off.”
“…Uh, so that cat is…”
“You know, right?”
“…Yes.”
In fact, considering Sylphia was a dragon, wouldn’t she already know that the cat wasn’t really a cat but Arwen…? I thought about it but wasn’t sure.
Faced with Sylphia’s resolute attitude, although I wondered if this was the right thing to do, I began to walk away for now.
The two of them would probably come to an amicable agreement on their own.
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A secluded rear garden of the Imperial Palace, devoid of people.
During the day, there were gardeners stationed to manage it, but late at night like this, it was often used as a place for secret meetings, just as it was now.
And only after coming to a place completely devoid of people did Arwen return to her original form, tidying her clothes as she opened her mouth.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“If you suddenly ask if I enjoyed it without any context, how am I supposed to answer?”
“I asked if you were having fun deceiving Rudrick like that while hiding your identity… But it seems you didn’t quite understand.”
“Ha.”
Sylphia scoffed at Arwen’s rebuke.
“You’re not one to talk. Where did you leave your pride as a True Ancestor? You’re the one clinging to him, pretending to be a cat.”
“Phew…”
“If other vampires saw you, they would lament. Ah, so this is our progenitor. Because of a progenitor like this, we became vampires. You know you have nothing to say even if you hear such words, right?”
“I’m sorry, but Rudrick already knows my identity.”
“Well, of course. Every time he leaves saying it’s time to feed the cat, the scent of blood lingers. You think I wouldn’t know?”
“And the fact that I have regressed… Rudrick already knows that too.”
“…What did you say?”
At Arwen’s sudden bombshell declaration, Sylphia’s eyes widened like lanterns.
Calmly observing Sylphia’s expression, which was filled with surprise, Arwen quietly added.
“I haven’t mentioned anything about the others besides myself yet… But Rudrick must already have an inkling, don’t you think?”
“…”
“Rudrick is different from other noble scions. His way of thinking is different from the start, and his thoughts are far from those of ordinary people. You already know how perceptive he is, having experienced it yourself.”
“…If you say so, he probably has a rough idea. Even if he doesn’t know the details.”
Sylphia’s muttering was close to a soliloquy. Arwen nodded.
In reality, the five of them had no idea that Rudrick was already fully aware of everything, but based on the given information, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that there were other regressors besides Arwen.
It wasn’t hard to guess who the other regressors were either.
Sylphia, who had been restlessly biting her innocent lips, turned her arrow back to Arwen.
“…What were you thinking, telling him everything? If you were in your right mind, you wouldn’t have done that.”
“Your words are inappropriate.”
“Why should others suffer because of your irresponsible actions…?”
“Isn’t it better than hiding everything like you do?”
Sylphia’s words were cut off.
It was a fact she had known but deliberately ignored. And the guilt of deceiving Rudrick that had been subtly lingering in a corner of her heart.
There was no reason for her to tell Rudrick that she had regressed, but in other words, it also meant there was no reason to hide it.
The fact that she was hiding it didn’t cause any harm to Rudrick. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that Sylphia had shown favor to Rudrick with the mere fact that she had regressed.
She simply lacked the courage to reveal everything.
“A dragon becoming a disciple of a human mage… What a ridiculous story. Even if you gained fame as a mage, I’ve never heard of a dragon enjoying the game of becoming a disciple of a mage from the Magic Tower in my entire life.”
“…”
“Aren’t you dragons the ones who take so much pride in your race? And who is the one throwing away even that pride and clinging to him while saying such things?”
The gentle tone was in contrast to the sharp criticism that felt like a needle piercing her heart.
Each and every point was a valid argument, so she had no choice but to refute it. At least Arwen wasn’t making up lies to disparage her.
Contempt glinted in the amethyst eyes observing Sylphia, who was at a loss for words.
“You don’t even have the courage to face him directly.”
“…Don’t speak so recklessly. You know nothing.”
Crunch.
Sylphia gritted her teeth.
[T/N: Letssss jump to the Arwen ship boissssss!!!]
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Awawawa Arwen coin went brrrrr
Yeah Arwen is going strong