Chapter 227

The bluntness of the words—and the cruelty buried inside them—made Morpha’s eyes narrow.

They held Varen’s gaze for a long moment, as though trying to discern his true intentions. A low hum escaped them while they silently weighed the costs and benefits.

A short while later, after finishing their brief deliberation, Morpha finally spoke.

“We may be placing ourselves in an even worse position if we kidnap the king.”

“It could just as easily make things easier.”

Varen answered immediately, without even a trace of hesitation. The attitude radiating from him made it clear he had no intention of compromising, and Morpha eventually relented.

“Well... understood. If that is your will, Lord Varen.”

I could tell they weren’t pleased, but Morpha did not argue against their lord’s decision.

Even while the entire building shook around us, they strode forward with utterly steady footsteps.

And as I watched Morpha’s retreating back, I finally released the breath that had been trapped in my chest. Even sitting still, I was breathing hard, like something invisible was chasing me.

“It’s becoming chaotic outside. I should go.”

Morpha opened the bedroom door just a crack to check the corridor before returning. In that brief instant, their appearance had completely changed into that of a man I had never seen before.

The long silver hair had vanished, replaced by wavy black hair and a thick mustache. Their clothes had transformed as well, no longer noble attire but the same uniform worn by the collapsed royal guards.

Standing before Varen, Morpha expressionlessly explained the revised plan.

“I’ll locate Kaldrok’s child and bring them out. It seems they’ve become extremely agitated after whatever happened down there.”

“Fine.”

“Lord Varen, use the confusion to escape.”

All my attention had been fixed on Berius, so I only belatedly focused on the commotion around us.

Just as Morpha said, I could hear the roar of a dragon echoing up from underground. People’s screams rang out without pause.

And that wasn’t all. Frantic footsteps thundered in every direction. The explosions that still hadn’t stopped were unmistakably magical in nature.

Snapping back to my senses, I hurriedly grabbed Morpha before they could leave.

“Morpha! Are you going to be okay?”

They stopped abruptly, then slowly turned around. Their eyes, filled with pure confusion, settled on me.

“What exactly do you mean?”

“You. The situation underground sounds dangerous right now.”

At my words, Morpha’s brows drew together. Beside me, Varen swallowed back a laugh.

“...Surely you aren’t worrying about me?”

“......”

“Surely you, Ceryl, are not worrying about me?”

Morpha was still speaking with perfect politeness, but the meaning beneath it came through loud and clear.

Who do you think you are to worry about me?

For some reason, that realization suddenly made me feel oddly sheepish, and I smacked my lips awkwardly.

Well. They did have a point. Every single time I’d nearly died, Morpha had been the one saving me. I wasn’t exactly in a position to worry about that dragon.

“Surely you’re not—”

“Okay, I get it! I get it already! Stop!”

Only after I finally snapped and shouted did Morpha let out a snort and drop the matter.

Even during that utterly pointless exchange, the building continued trembling relentlessly. Judging by the thunderous crashes of massive stones collapsing, part of the palace’s stone walls had likely caved in.

The underground dragon hatchling escape incident and the kidnapping of King Laskar.

The situation had spiraled so far away from the original plan it was almost absurd.

At this point, even I—someone who usually barreled ahead relying entirely on improvisation—was starting to feel overwhelmed. But now that the decision had been made, all we could do was escape this place as safely as possible.

“Morpha, change everyone’s appearances. And Varen, how long until the unconscious people wake up?”

“They won’t regain consciousness for at least half a day.”

“That’s enough.”

Morpha immediately transformed the rebels into entirely different people.

In the blink of an eye, they became palace attendants and royal guards who originally belonged here.

At last, Morpha approached to alter my appearance and Varen’s as well. They gestured toward the unconscious guards, telling us to pick whichever appearance we preferred.

But Varen simply pulled out a transparent cloak from his pocket and shook it open.

Clicking their tongue in disappointment, Morpha restored both of us to our original appearances instead.

Having returned to his massive blond form for the first time in half a day, Varen finally smiled in satisfaction. He tilted his chin up arrogantly, settling back into his usual self-assured posture.

Morpha shook their head and immediately began lecturing him.

“You can manage to escape safely even without me, correct?”

“Morpha, what exactly do you take me for?”

“What else would I take you for?”

“If you don’t answer, how am I supposed to know?”

Even beneath the usual bickering, concern for Varen dripped from every word.

I snorted softly and inserted myself into their conversation.

“Morpha, one more favor. We need someone who looks like the king.”

“You mean King Laskar’s appearance?”

“Yeah. The moment they realize the king’s disappeared, they’ll start pursuing us immediately. It won’t be easy for them to find us, but just in case, we should have insurance.”

Even without a detailed explanation, Morpha immediately understood what I meant.

They flicked a hand toward one of the collapsed guards, and the bearded man transformed into an eighteen-year-old boy.

Only then did I finally smile in relief.

“As long as the king remains here, we’ll be safe for a while. Let’s get as far away as possible before half a day passes.”

“We may be safe, but the Litmus family will become the prime suspects instead.”

The moment Berius’s stand-in woke up, the royal palace would descend into utter chaos.

And naturally, the Litmus family—who had been the last people to visit the king’s bedroom—would become the first suspects.

Those nobles, who had been quietly remaining within their territory, would suddenly find themselves cornered.

“I do feel a little bad about it, but we don’t really have a choice.”

“A little bad? That doesn’t sound sincere at all.”

Varen chimed in with a teasing grin.

After glancing back and forth between us, Morpha gave their final farewell.

“Then let’s meet again where we left the carriages after we escape safely.”

After Morpha vanished like the wind, the rebels disguised as palace servants also rose from their spots.

Varen handed me two transparent cloaks.

Now that the immediate chaos had settled, all that remained was escaping with everything we had.

But there was still something lingering in my mind, and I hesitated before cautiously studying Varen’s expression.

It was something I hadn’t been able to ask in front of Morpha.

“Varen, about what you asked earlier...”

“You seemed to know him.”

I pressed my lips tightly together.

Could I really say Berius and I knew each other?

It was still nothing more than instinct. I had no proof whatsoever.

And besides, to Varen, the king was his father’s murderer. Even if he burned King Laskar alive right in front of me, I wouldn’t have had the right to stop him.

Yet instead of killing him, Varen had chosen to abduct him and take him away. Maybe he had other motives, but regardless, Berius’s lifespan had been extended, even if only briefly...

“You looked extremely close to him. Almost like family.”

“What do you mean?”

I jerked my head up in shock at the unexpected words.

Varen remained crouched in front of me, staring blankly into the air. His blue eyes had grown strangely clouded, the same look he always had whenever he was sifting through distant memories.

“You were happily walking around with your arm slung over his shoulders.”

“...Me?”

“And I was watching the two of you with a smile. Normally, there’s no way I’d quietly tolerate you touching another male.”

“......”

“So I assumed he was family. Even I wouldn’t get jealous of family.”

Even as I listened, none of it made any sense to me. My expression gradually twisted deeper and deeper into confusion.

To begin with, the very first sentence sounded utterly impossible. Me casually throwing an arm around King Laskar while laughing with him? When the hell would that ever happen...?

“...Did you see the future?”

The thought struck me suddenly, and I asked in an excited voice.

Varen finally turned his gaze from the empty air back toward me.

Perhaps the memory had been pleasant, because his eyes looked noticeably softer and warmer now.

“Yes. I saw it at our wedding.”

“......”

“I don’t know the process that led there, but in that future, the king was blessing us.”

For Ordin’s revenge.

For the complete liberation of the magical creatures in this world.

Killing King Laskar and dragging him down from humanity’s throne was the shared goal binding all of us together.

So how could he possibly survive long enough to attend our wedding? And more than that, how could he be standing there blessing us?

I couldn’t understand Varen’s words at all.

“First, let’s take him back and search through his mind. Revenge can wait until later.”

“...Y-Yeah. Okay. Let’s do that. That sounds better.”

I was still dazed, but I nodded quickly.

Everything was still uncertain.

But there was one thing I knew for sure.

For my sake, Varen had shown mercy to King Laskar.

Because of that, I now had a chance to confirm the identity of the boy in my arms.

Overwhelmed by an inexplicable surge of emotion, I pulled Berius tightly against my chest. His soft hair brushed against my lips.

When I buried my face in Berry’s fur, he always smelled warm and toasty.

Berius smelled warm and sweet instead.

The scent was completely different, yet somehow it made me feel exactly the same.

“Varen... thank you.”

The moment I spoke in a trembling voice, Varen’s eyes narrowed. His dark brows twitched before he answered casually.

“I don’t know what you’re thanking me for. He’s only alive because he’s still useful.”

“Even so. You must want to kill him immediately, but you’re holding yourself back.”

“...Ceryl, ever since I made that promise to you, I haven’t slaughtered people so recklessly.”

That was true.

The adolescent dragon who once burned everything in sight whenever his rage exploded had now become a fully grown adult.

Now he supported me with a maturity that often surpassed even my own.

I pressed my lips into a straight line and stared at Varen.

Didn’t they say love bloomed even in the middle of war?

At that moment, I desperately wanted to pull that grumbling, dissatisfied dragon into my arms and kiss him.