Chapter 80 : Overseas Travel (1)

“Wow…!”

“Are you excited?”

Lying in bed, I eagerly nodded toward my dad.

It was my first time traveling abroad, but more than anything, I was excited because it would be just me, Mom, and Dad on this trip.

A journey with just the three of us—without my older sisters.

It wasn’t that I disliked my sisters, but the thought of having Mom and Dad all to myself made me so thrilled.

As I kept nodding, I started to feel a little dizzy. Dad chuckled and said,

“Then get some sleep early. It’ll take quite a while to get there.”

“Can’t we just fly?”

“If a dragon suddenly flies into another empire, that’s basically a declaration of war.”

Ah, so we’re taking a carriage out of consideration?

“And by showing how magnificent our carriage is, we can also demonstrate the strength of our kingdom.”

“Ohh…!”

A great ruler has to think about things like this, huh?

Well, appearances do matter in diplomacy between nations.

“Anyway, our little princess should get some good rest today.”

“…Okay!”

Listening to Dad’s words, I lay down comfortably and stared at the spinning mobile above me.

‘…This is more fun than I expected…’

I think I finally understand why babies laugh so much when they look at mobiles.

…This is actually really fun!

Every time the wind blew, the mobile would slowly start turning.

The jingling sound of the tiny bells made me smile unconsciously.

“…Hehe.”

“I’m glad I made it.”

“…This is… fun…”

My consciousness started to fade.

‘…Is it already nap time?’

It seemed like my nap time had arrived.

I should’ve slept with Mom.

If I fall asleep while Dad is working, I might be a distraction.

I tried my best to keep my eyelids open, but it was no use.

When you’re sleepy, your eyelids feel like the heaviest thing in the world.

Even a dragon wouldn’t be able to lift them.

I decided not to resist.

Letting myself drift off with the wind, I listened to the sound of Dad’s pen scratching against paper.

It was a pleasant sound.

The soft jingling of the mobile also made me feel even sleepier.

‘…Having such a young body is a struggle…’

My mind didn’t feel that young, but my body was always exhausted.

The moment I truly realized I had become a one-year-old baby was during nap time.

For some reason, I always got so incredibly sleepy.

“Daddy… I’m sleepy…”

“Are you?”

Dad paused his work and looked at me with a warm smile.

Seeing his face, I smiled back.

“…Yeah…”

“Then have a good, deep sleep, and when you wake up, we’ll pack together, okay?”

“…Hehe…”

At some point, Dad had moved next to me, gently patting my round little belly.

That comforting feeling was so nice.

“…I love you, Daddy…”

“I love you too, my little princess.”

Hearing those words, I smiled softly and drifted into a sweet dream.

Unlike last time, when I had a nightmare in Dad’s room, this time I had a peaceful and happy dream.

“…So cute.”

Albinus couldn’t concentrate on his work at all.

“Ugh…”

And the reason was his daughter.

Minho, lying on her back with her tiny arms stretched above her head, breathing softly in her sleep.

Minho’s round little baby belly, characteristic of infants, moved up and down with each breath.

Albinus, who had been staring blankly at her, slowly placed his hand on her belly.

“…Ppoklong.”

“…Ehehe.”

Each time he stroked her belly, Minho let out an adorably ticklish giggle.

“…!!”

That overwhelming cuteness sent a fresh wave of emotion through Albinus.

It was like a burst of excitement in a slightly drowsy afternoon.

“Ppoklong, ppoklong, ppoklong, ppoklong.”

“…Hehehing.”

“…Too cute…”

The expression on his face melted to the point where one might question if he was truly the king of a nation.

Albinus was so overwhelmed with happiness that he forgot all about maintaining his dignity.

‘They say when a father has a child, his perspective on the world changes, and his heart overflows with joy… So this is what that meant.’

He recalled the words his father once said to him and his brother, laughing.

Of course, his older brother’s reckless actions had led to the birth of half-dragon Emilia, which ultimately shattered their relationship with their father.

Now, both of them were gone from this world.

“Brother, I’m taking good care of Emilia. Don’t worry—I think of her as my own daughter.”

“…Father, couldn’t you have stayed just a little longer to see Minho’s face? What was so urgent that you had to leave first?”

Feeling a bit melancholic, Albinus spoke to his late father and brother.

There was no answer, of course, but it still made him feel a little better.

“Sigh… Father was so overjoyed when he heard El was pregnant.”

Albinus could still clearly remember his father’s face when he heard the news—beaming with joy despite his frail condition.

Even as he battled illness, he had smiled so brightly.

‘…I’ll raise her well. I promise.’

For his father’s sake as well, Albinus vowed to raise Minho properly and wisely.

“Ppoklong.”

“…Hnghihi…”

Of course, to soothe his gloomy mood, he pressed Minho’s belly once more.

Minho responded with an angelic smile, and seeing that, Albinus found himself smiling too.

“…Now, you’re all I have left.”

For a dragon, ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

With school breaks happening twice a year, he’d likely see Emilia and Yuri often.

And just like that, time would fly, and Minho would eventually enter school.

She wouldn’t look much different by then, but…

“…She’ll start growing rapidly after that.”

It saddened him to think he wouldn’t get to witness Minho’s sudden growth spurts firsthand.

Dragons aged very slowly until they turned ten—mentally developing while their bodies remained small.

After ten, however, their bodies would begin to grow at an incredible pace.

By twenty, they would reach adulthood, appearing no different from other species.

By dragon standards, they were still considered babies at that age, but that was when they could drink alcohol and take on legal responsibilities.

Of course, drinking required a guardian’s supervision—after all, even at twenty, they were still newborns in the grand scheme of a dragon’s lifespan.

But from that point on, Minho would start growing up day by day.

“…A parent wants to capture every single moment.”

Maybe each school break, she’d return, visibly taller every time.

Maybe one day, she’d come back a full-grown lady, nearly unrecognizable.

Would she go through a rebellious phase, becoming easily irritated and reluctant to visit home?

Albinus was already lost in these worries.

His own father must have felt the same way when he sent him off to the academy.

Realizing this, Albinus let out a soft chuckle.

“Hmm… I guess it’s fine if she gets a boyfriend, but… hopefully, not too soon.”

“I should assign Hazel to keep an eye on her.”

The head maid of the kingdom, leaving her duties to personally watch over the princess—what a ridiculous thought.

Hazel would surely consider it an honor.

“It’s not a demotion, and Minho will be king someday, so we have to line things up properly.”

El would undoubtedly insist on going along.

“…Stopping her from doing that will be a challenge in itself…”

Despite all these worries, they were all happy ones.

“Alright, time to work!”

Having finished playing around with Minho, Albinus stretched and sat back down at his office desk.

There was a stack of documents waiting, but that was fine.

“…Honey…”

“You’re here?”

“Hehe, I had such a good nap~”

After all, his beloved wife had come to help.

“…Oh! Minho’s here too. What did I just call Albi?”

“You called him ‘honey’.”

“…W-We have to be careful!”

After getting married, Erses had come up with a cute little rule—avoiding pet names in front of their child.

They had agreed to only use them when they were alone, thinking it might not be good otherwise.

Seeing how seriously she upheld this promise, Albinus let out a soft chuckle.

‘Not that I think it makes much of a difference… Where did she even get that idea?’

He doubted it would have much impact, but since his wife had suggested it, and since he found her so endearing, he decided to go along with it.

Besides, using pet names brought back the sweet, fresh feeling of their early romance.

“Yawn… Should I start with this?”

“Yeah, that one first.”

“Got it…”

Rubbing her eyes, Erses began sorting through the documents.

“…El, I just read through this and stamp it, right?”

“Hm? Hehe, of course!”

Whenever he asked about the contents, she would answer with eerie precision.

Seeing that, Albinus felt both admiration and guilt.

“…You’re seriously amazing, but I feel bad about it.”

“About what?”

“…You only developed this skill because I made your life difficult.”

“Pfft… You’re bringing that up again?”

El chuckled, brushing it off as she moved on to the next document.

“Enough with that, Albi. If you keep saying it, I’ll really get mad.”

“Still…”

“If you feel bad, then… well…”

El looked up at him with a bright smile, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She fidgeted for a moment before finally pointing at her own cheek.

“Y-You could, you know… give me a kiss here…”

“…Where did you even pick up something like that?”

“N-Never mind that! So, are you going to do it or not?!”

Flustered, she suddenly raised her voice before quickly lowering it, afraid of waking Minho.

Albinus couldn’t help but find the sight amusing.

‘Of course, I’m going to do it…!’

“Kyaa!”

Smooch!

“I love you, El.”

“Mm, I love you too.”

Grinning at each other, the two dragons swiftly finished the remaining work.

And while Minho was still asleep, they managed to pack everything.

Of course, they had only been able to do so thanks to the help of the head maid.

“…I… I think I’m going to die.”

“You say things like that?”

El turned to Hazel, startled.

“…I’m still a living being, after all.”

“What do you usually think I am…?”

“M-My bad.”

“…Pfft… Ahem.”

Hazel stared at El for a long moment.

“…You’re so mean, Sis.”

Pouting slightly, Hazel left the room.

“She’s sulking.”

“Oh no, what do I do, Albi?”

“She’ll be fine. I’m not cold-hearted, you know.”

“…Hey!!”

It was truly a heartwarming scene.