Chapter 152

After the kiss ended.

Banryong trembled, looking up at me with tearful, resentful eyes.

“…I’m sorry, it’s because of me.”

In his strong voice and slightly navy-tinted blue eyes, I realized his true identity.

It was the ‘Black Snake,’ the dragon energy within Guhae that I had heard about before.

Mixing the dragon’s instincts with Guhae’s rationality, it was startled by Mantian’s forceful kiss and emerged for the first time, speaking human language.

“You passionately kissed—no, clashed lips with me, the one you hate.”

I calmly looked at the Black Snake, glaring at me with reddened eyes.

“You seem to be mistaken about one thing. I don’t particularly hate you.”

“…What?”

I released the horn I was holding and gently stroked Banryong’s earlobe and cheek.

“On the contrary, I love you.”

The Black Snake, caught off guard by my unexpected words, froze in surprise as I kissed him again.

Unlike the aggressive, tongue-chasing kiss from before, this was a gentle, affectionate touch of lips without any tongue.

“I don’t kiss someone I hate.”

I emphasized the kiss with a sly voice and a raised eyebrow, causing the Black Snake’s eyes to widen in shock.

“You… you…! What is this!?”

I gently placed my hand on Banryong’s waist, pulling him closer.

“Let me say it again. I don’t hate you.”

I whispered my love to the adorable dragon, whose face was now completely red.

It’s only natural.

“Whether it’s the human part or the dragon part, it doesn’t matter. I love you.”

Because both are Guhae.

“Loving Guhae means loving all of you.”

Banryong’s ears turned red from Mantian’s confession. He tried to push Mantian away, but his hands lacked strength.

His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was burning.

Ironically, what tamed the mighty dragon wasn’t greater strength.

It was embarrassingly warm love.

“Y-you hit me with a stick the first time we met…”

Banryong, trying to protect his dragon pride, avoided Mantian’s gaze and clenched his sharp teeth.

The Black Snake—another part of Guhae—made me inwardly exclaim, “Ah!”

Back when we were kids, Guhae was ten, and I was thirteen.

The day I used the Dog Chasing Stick Technique to stop Guhae’s rampage.

Is that what he considers our first meeting? Well, technically, it is, but…

Isn’t it childish to bring that up now?

I almost died that day, and back then, unlike now, I only knew the Dog Chasing Stick Technique and the Empty Clarity Fist.

But seeing his red face and hesitating was so cute that I decided to let it go.

“If it hurt, I’m sorry. But well… we’ll make up for it later in bed when the mood is right.”

With a playful smile on my lips.

“I’ll play with my other ‘stick,’ okay?”

I pulled Guhae closer, our bodies pressing together.

As our bodies touched.

Unable to avoid my gaze any longer.

“What, what are you saying!?”

The Black Snake looked up, his face red, biting his lip as he glared at Mantian.

“You crazy… dragon brat.”

He quietly cursed and retreated into his inner world.

…Well, he didn’t say he hated it.

As the dragon energy gradually faded, the deer antlers and tailbone on Guhae’s head disappeared like a mirage.

And then.

Guhae’s arms wrapped around me, embracing my back.

The precious blue-eyed princess awoke.

“Awake?”

“…Yeah.”

Guhae nodded in response to my question but.

“……….”

She buried her face in my chest, not showing it. From the glimpse of her cute ears peeking through her black hair, they were red.

‘Is she too embarrassed to show her face?’

It seems she remembers everything that happened.

As Mantian thought, Guhae was deeply embarrassed right now.

‘…My face is burning.’

Suddenly going berserk, causing a scene, and hurting Mantian.

Guhae’s tongue ran over her teeth.

The warmth of Mantian, the sensation of that passionate kiss, came to mind.

And more…

Guhae cautiously lifted her head and looked up at Mantian, who was smiling softly at her.

From the inner world, watching from the outside, she realized just how much she loved Mantian. Seeing how she reacted objectively…

And.

‘Whether it’s the human part or the dragon part, it doesn’t matter. I love you.’

Having the part she had been avoiding affirmed by the person she loved made her happy but also so embarrassed that she didn’t know what expression to make.

But one thing was certain.

“…One more time.”

Guhae fully lifted her head, looking at Mantian with a slightly resentful face.

Whether it’s the human part or the dragon part, it doesn’t matter.

Guhae loved Mantian.

“Of course, princess.”

With Mantian’s laughter-filled response, their lips met once more.

The rain had completely stopped.

Sunlight poured through the clouds, illuminating the two sharing a long kiss.

As if the eyes of others didn’t matter.

Under the sky, standing in a puddle, Mantian and Guhae embraced each other.

“Uh… something… I can’t interrupt.”

Jiegal Yeon covered her mouth with both hands, her face red, while Jiegal Yang, who had expected more fighting, snorted in disappointment.

“If that’s a move, it’s definitely a move.”

The ‘Ear-Reddening Move’—a move so sharp and unexpected it makes the opponent’s ears turn red.

Who would have thought a confession could tame a dragon?

Perhaps, like ‘more is better’ and ‘too much is not enough,’

In the future, the opposite of ‘Lord Shep loves dragons’ (Lord Shep pretends to love dragons but doesn’t actually) might emerge.

‘Mantian loves dragons’—Sima Mantian loves dragons. He courts them and loves them enough to hit them.

What a foolish story.

Jiegal Yang shook his head side to side.

Meanwhile, Jiegal So-Bong, who couldn’t understand what was happening, stood with his mouth open as the acting family head, Jiegal So-Bong, spoke.

“So-Bong, have the servants prepare a bath, meal, and bedding.”

“…Huh?”

“The Jiegal family can’t send their son-in-law off looking like a drowned rat.”

And so.

Mantian naturally spent the night at the Jiegal family’s estate.

***

A warm bath, a delicious meal, and a cozy bed.

Three situations that naturally ease tension. A situation where one can sleep peacefully.

There’s no reason to be tense.

…But right now, I was tense.

In the room with soft bedding laid out.

“……….”

On that bedding, Guhae sat in a thin nightgown.

Ziiii-.

With a slightly red face, she stared straight at me.

“……….”

Though I didn’t mean to look, the glimpse of Guhae’s chest and her pale legs through the nightgown clouded my vision.

“Guhae.”

“…Yeah.”

Perhaps it was the lingering heat from the kiss, or maybe the strange atmosphere in the room.

Seeing Guhae’s shy response.

I also felt a heat rising in my body.

“So- are you sleeping here?”

“…The wall is broken.”

Right, I shattered it.

Even if it weren’t broken, Guhae would have come to my room anyway.

“……Mantian.”

Then, after hesitating, Guhae bit her lip slightly and made her move.

“Hold me.”

With a red face, she spread her arms, wanting Mantian’s warmth.

“Like… when we were kids…”

As I stared blankly at the adorable scene, Guhae cautiously added.

“…Please, hold me.”

The tension naturally eased.

I tightly embraced Guhae. The soft, squishy feel of her cheek touched mine.

Like when we were kids.

For the first time in a long time, we shared warmth under the same blanket.

Feeling the relief spreading through my body.

Guhae’s eyes naturally closed. She quickly fell asleep.

“Zzz… zzz…”

“…She’s asleep.”

Seeing Guhae sleeping peacefully, a smile naturally formed on my face.

Well, today was a tiring day for both Guhae and me.

“Sleep well, Guhae.”

I gently stroked Guhae’s back, who was lying on top of me.

…The slight weight wasn’t bad.

****

A blue ocean stretched out, and stars so bright they covered the night sky filled the space.

Guhae’s inner world.

There, Guhae saw the back of ‘someone.’

No, not someone.

Unlike the usual giant snake or dragon form.

“…Why are you here?”

The ‘Black Snake,’ who had taken Guhae’s form, sat crouched with arms around his knees, greeting Guhae with a sullen voice.

“……….”

Guhae walked forward.

The Black Snake hadn’t become her. Her perception of the Black Snake had changed.

Because the Black Snake had always been Guhae, herself.

But she had denied it until now.

Not wanting to admit the bad feelings rising in her heart and that she had hurt the person she loved, Mantian. She blamed it all on the dragon.

The dragon energy went berserk… it’s not me…

The Black Snake is bad… the dragon hurt Mantian.

She blamed it on the bad Guhae, the ‘Black Snake.’

Guhae approached the other ‘Guhae.’

“…I’m sorry.”

“Huh!?”

A strange sound escaped the other ‘Guhae’s’ throat, completely unexpected.

Guhae thought about hugging the other ‘Guhae’ from behind like Mantian did but didn’t have the confidence to do it as warmly, so she stopped.

Instead, she sat down beside ‘Guhae,’ wrapping her arms around her knees.

“I always denied you. I didn’t try to see you properly.”

She turned her eyes away from the dragon part.

Mantian loved her, whether it was the human part or the dragon part.

Because it was Guhae.

But I didn’t try to accept the other me.

And yet…

“I relied on you when I needed strength. I used the dragon’s energy.”

I suppressed and ignored it, but in a crisis, I took its power.

“After all… if you die, I die too.”

At the other ‘Guhae’s’ muttering, Guhae carefully turned her head.

“Still, I’m sorry.”

She faced the other herself.

“What’s that…”

The other ‘Guhae’ bit her lip and muttered but didn’t avoid Guhae’s gaze.

There was no further conversation. But the atmosphere wasn’t awkward.

The blue and navy eyes together looked at the stars so bright they covered the night sky.