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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A salty breeze swept across the coastline.
A young woman sat perched on a railing overlooking the vast expanse of the Mediterranean Sea.
She gazed into the distance, her eyes unfocused, as if looking at the sea, or the sky, or perhaps nothing at all.
After a long while, she slowly leaned forward, her center of gravity shifting, her body tilting precariously over the railing.
“Princess! Dodging Tata again and napping here?”
“I wasn’t napping.”
Just before she tumbled over the edge, she caught herself with one hand, regaining her balance, and replied flatly.
“Don’t lie! I saw you dozing off and rushed over here.”
“You’re mistaken, Tata.”
She denied it calmly, but the woman called Tata wasn’t fooled.
“Don’t give me that with your sleepy eyes!”
“I sleep with my eyes open. No eye boogers.”
“So you were sleeping!”
The young woman, her poker face faltering, averted her gaze, muttering,
“Tata lied. Deceived the Princess. A grave offense. Deserves execution.”
“Go ahead and execute me. But then you’ll never have another one of my special crembos.”
“…Taking crembos hostage is cowardly. Tata is cruel and ruthless, just like the Black Dragon Clan.”
“Didn’t you know? I vowed to be even more ruthless than the Black Dragon Clan the moment I became your nanny.”
Tata grinned, unfazed by the insult. The young woman slumped, defeated. Her words were no match for Tata’s shameless pronouncements.
“I finished all my work. I even postponed the tour. I deserve some rest.”
“Don’t whine. Tata did most of the work anyway.”
“Managing the clan is also a princess’s duty.”
“You have an answer for everything.”
Tata shook her head, then said reassuringly,
“Don’t be sulky. I’m not here to give you more work.”
“Tata is a habitual liar. I find that hard to believe.”
“I swear on my dead sister’s grave, it’s true.”
“…Then I believe you.”
The young woman nodded, her suspicion vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Tata presented her with a small box and a letter.
“Here. Just read this, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“You worry too much, Tata. As if I can’t even read a letter.”
She confidently took the letter, and Tata held out a hand.
“It’s from the Black Dragon Princess.”
Fling!
The young woman instantly threw the letter away and tried to run.
Tata caught her by the scruff of her neck.
“Where do you think you’re going without even reading it?”
“I’m not here. I wasn’t here. Therefore, I didn’t receive the letter. Return to sender.”
“At least read it before you run. Such unbecoming behavior for a princess of our clan.”
“It’s not just a letter. It’s a letter from the devil. It’s cursed. I’m sure of it.”
She struggled in Tata’s grasp, trying to get away from the letter as if it were contaminated.
“Behave yourself, Princess!”
Tata scolded her.
“The Black Dragon Clan is the weakest of the Seven Dragons Association. What are you so afraid of?”
“Assassination.”
“Don’t worry. If you die, I’ll avenge you.”
“Why don’t you guarantee my safety instead?”
Tata replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world,
“There’s no such thing as a 100% guarantee of safety when dealing with the Black Dragon Clan.”
“…I wish I had just died peacefully in my sleep.”
The young woman slumped, her limbs going limp, resigned to her fate. Tata set her down.
“Don’t worry too much. I checked it several times. It should be safe.”
“That makes me even more worried.”
The young woman, despite her protest, cautiously took the letter with trembling hands. She opened it.
No explosions. No poisonous gas. No sudden loss of consciousness.
She sighed in relief.
“See? I told you nothing would happen.”
“…Then why are you standing so far away?”
“Just being cautious. You never know what kind of traps they might have set.”
“…”
Why wasn’t this woman born into the Black Dragon Clan?
The young woman suppressed the thought and carefully read the letter, then tilted her head in confusion.
“…?”
She flipped the letter over, held it up to the light, even licked her finger and rubbed it on the paper.
“Princess? What’s so confusing about the letter?”
“It’s an invitation.”
“An invitation?”
“Yes, just an invitation.”
Tata, puzzled, took the letter and read it.
Then she fell silent.
She read aloud. It was so simple it was almost meaningless.
“…Is that all?”
“I don’t see any hidden messages.”
“If it were that obvious, it wouldn’t be a hidden message… but this really seems to be it.”
As Tata pondered the Black Dragon Princess’s intentions, the young woman opened the box that had accompanied the letter. She took out the tablet inside, tilting her head again.
Ding!
“…!”
The tablet turned on by itself. She almost dropped it in surprise, then paused, staring at the video that automatically started playing, drawn in by the sound of a guitar and a voice.
The video quality was poor, the audio faint, and there was background noise. It was clearly a hastily recorded video on a smartphone.
Yet, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“Princess? What’s wrong?”
Tata, concerned, called out to her several times. Finally, the young woman spoke, her voice flat.
“Tata, I need to teleport. Prepare for departure.”
“You’re accepting the invitation? Knowing where the Black Dragon Princess is?”
“Yes.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
Tata, wondering if she had been hypnotized by the video, suddenly frowned.
“You saw something, didn’t you?”
The young woman didn’t answer. Her silence was confirmation enough.
“What did you see?”
“The one I’ve been searching for.”
“…What?”
“If I miss this chance, I’ll have to spend years wandering the world, searching again.”
She replied flatly, her expression unchanged. Tata, after a long silence, sighed.
“Then you must go.”
“I need a strong escort.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t send you to that demon’s country without proper protection.”
Tata replied confidently, leaving to prepare for their departure.
The young woman walked back to the railing and tossed the letter over the edge.
Flutter.
The letter, caught by the wind, soared upwards, carried far out over the sea. But she knew it would eventually fall, dissolving into the waves, leaving no trace.
She turned away from the railing, murmuring softly,
“I’d rather…”
Ainsha, the white-haired princess, stood atop the royal palace in Jerusalem, surrounded by thirty-three spires, her words trailing off.
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“Hmm…”
[What’s wrong?]
‘I feel like someone’s talking about me behind my back.’
[That’s nothing new. People have been badmouthing you since my PAB days.]
‘Those were criminals I caught.’
Limon scratched his ear, then stepped outside, asking Kim Seung-jun,
“How did it go?”
“…”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
Kim Seung-jun, frozen like a statue, finally blinked, as if snapping out of a trance.
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“That… just now.”
“You heard it. What are you talking about? Were you asleep?”
“I’m asking because I heard it!”
Kim Seung-jun yelled, then yelped as Limon flicked him on the forehead, sending him sprawling.
“Don’t raise your voice at your elders.”
“S-sorry. I was just… surprised.”
Despite looking younger, Limon’s aura was undeniable. Kim Seung-jun was still stunned by what he had just witnessed. And he wasn’t the only one.
Yeonhwa and everyone else in the room were staring at Limon with wide eyes.
“Why are you all so surprised? It’s not like you’ve never heard me play before.”
Kim Seung-jun, still bewildered, asked,
“Was that really… music?”
“What else would it be?”
“That’s…”
Limon chuckled at his inability to articulate his thoughts, then turned to Yeonhwa, who was still frozen in place.
“I’ve kept my promise. What do you think?”
“…I understand why Moon Cheon-yeop was so desperate to recruit you.”
“So, you’re ready?”
[I wonder what that asshole’s face will look like when he realizes Team Leader did all this just to screw him over.]
Na-kyung muttered, looking at the stunned Yeonhwa, who nodded slowly. Kim Seung-jun, flinching for some reason, spoke hesitantly,
“Um, about the preparations… there’s something I need to discuss.”
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