DMHS 27

Kian realized a point he had not thought of before and he apologized again.

“I am sorry for everything. I was careless.”

“But if that is the path given to you, then it cannot be helped.”

Whether he was timid or bold, Kian could not tell from those words. Together, they entered the palace.

When the door opened, Ibrahim was on the floor at the entrance, bowing with his head down. In a desperate voice he said,

“I have committed an unforgivable sin against you both! Please cut off this tactless and thoughtless tongue of mine and take it! Do not forgive me, who ruined a wedding that will be remembered in history!”

Behind him, Walter greeted Kian with a smiling face.

“He would not listen even when I told him to stop. Earlier at the wedding, we committed great discourtesy. Please punish us however you wish. Even death I will accept, Master.”

The words themselves were grim. Kian looked at Lucien in confusion.

‘Is this what the atmosphere of this estate is normally like?’

Lucien misunderstood the look in Kian’s eyes.

“Do I have to kill them?”

Without thinking, Kian grabbed Lucien’s arm.

“No. I will handle this myself.”

“Then I will go up first.”

Once Lucien went up the stairs, Kian stood over Ibrahim’s bowed head.

“Ibrahim.”

“I was wrong. Someone like me does not deserve forgiveness. Uhh…”

“That is right. You should not be forgiven easily.”

“Huh?”

Unable to raise his head, Ibrahim lifted only his eyes.

“If you were me, what would you do? You cannot let false rumors spread.”

“T-that…”

“If something is wrong, it must be corrected. When tonight passes, spread the rumor widely that Lord Lucien and his mate are getting along very, very well.”

“Yes! Understood!”

Kian folded his arms and thought for a moment.

It was better to check on what troubled his mind.

“And tomorrow, bring me as many materials as you can from the library related to ‘dragons.’ Your clearance has risen, so you should be able to access B-rank records now.”

“I will obey your order!”

After patting Ibrahim’s shoulder, Kian walked toward Walter.

“Head butler.”

“Call me Walter, Master.”

“Walter. Look after Ibrahim. He is still young and ignorant, but with your help he will become a useful attendant.”

Kian passed him by.

Startled, Walter grabbed his sleeve.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Hmm? Ah, since I am asking you for a favor, I should add mine as well. I will be in your care for a while.”

Walter’s eyes wavered slightly. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he bowed deeply.

“I too will be in your care, Master. Since it is late, shall I prepare dinner?”

“I am tired today, so I wish to sleep. Please show me to my room.”

“Of course.”

Walter turned smoothly and went up the stairs. Following behind him, Kian stopped at the door on the third floor.

“Then, I wish you a good night.”

Kian entered through the door Walter opened.

‘What is all this?’

A dark room. From the door to the bed, a path was marked by small candles.

Since the flames did not go out even in the draft of the opening door, they must have been lit by magic.

Kian stepped aside to avoid walking on the candle path. But the surprises did not end there.

‘What is this now?!’

On the bed, connected to the line of candles, a large heart was made with scattered red rose petals.

Kian rubbed away the goosebumps on his arm and picked up something placed inside the heart.

‘A bottle?’

It was the finest perfumed oil.

‘A bathrobe?’

No, that was wrong too. When unfolded, the neatly folded garment would be adult sleepwear with only the private parts cut open.

‘A hair tie?’

Of course not.

‘A tub stopper?’

Even less.

Kian placed the items, whose use he could not even guess, on the table by the bed.

At that moment, the sound of running water from the bathroom stopped.

Gulp.

‘Why am I getting nervous for no reason?’

Kian turned his eyes toward the door he thought led to the bathroom.

‘He is just a brat.’

A boy dull for a dragon, and clearly still childish.

‘First night, what first night? When he comes out, I go in to wash. After washing, I lie down and sleep. That is all.’

Kian made up his mind and sat at on the bed and stared at the bathroom door.

Click.

The doorknob turned, and the door opened. And of all the things that had happened today, the most unbelievable happened.

“……?”

From the bathroom came a grown man nearly 190 cm tall. His age looked to be in his late twenties. Broad shoulders, long limbs, and not a trace of childishness left.

The man drying his damp blond hair with a towel curved his eyes in a smile at Kian.

“I came out quickly.”

His low voice sounded intimidate. His green eyes looking at Kian were sweet, as if coated with honey.

Kian looked at the smiling man once, at the bed once, and finally at the window leading outside.

“Are you planning to run away?”

The man’s voice was composed. At the very least, he was no intruder in another’s bedroom.

Kian nearly cursed for the first time in ages.

“Are you really Lord Lucien?”

“Yes.”

“How did this happen?”

“It was about time I grew, don’t you think?”

Come to think of it, the strange thing was not Lucien’s growth now, but the fact that at twenty-nine he still had a boy’s appearance. This form suited his age.

Even so, Kian was left stunned that what had been abnormal was now normal again.

“What did you do?”

“Well. I was thinking of you while showering, and my body just grew.”

Kian finally said the words he had been holding back.

“Shit.”

Even if you thought of someone, only one thing on your body got bigger. Growing twenty centimeters in an instant was nonsense.

And Lucien had not only grown taller.

The body lines visible through the thin bathrobe were those of a fully grown man. His hands were thick, his feet large. At this rate his groin would be covered with dense golden hair as well.

“Do you not like it?”

Kian pulled himself together and looked at Lucien. But when his eyes met the boy’s face – still smiling pleasantly – he lowered his gaze.

‘If this continues, it will really be dangerous.’

Feeling his purity threatened, Kian rose from the bed.

“I will wash up.”

Lucien lightly caught his wrist. Kian’s wrist fit completely into that cursedly large hand.

“So what is your answer?”

“What did you say?”

“I asked if you did not like it.”

Kian glanced over the larger Lucien.

Aside from suddenly growing, he was not very different from his original form. That was why Kian had recognized him immediately.

The blond hair, still damp, shone even in the dark room. The unusual spark in his eyes was the same.

His double-lidded eyes, still looked pretty as they watched Kian. The words left before Kian thought them.

“It’s pretty?”

“Then good.”

Lucien kissed the back of Kian’s hand briefly.

“Go wash.”

Kian could not hide his stiff expression as he hurried to the bathroom. When he stripped and looked in the mirror, a man in the crisis of his life stared back.

Kian clutched his hair.

‘Since his face is pretty, maybe I should just be the one to push him down?’

He already knew the answer.

‘What would I use to defeat a man who grew that much?’

Yes. Size.

If Kian’s body grew too, he might have a chance. But no matter how he turned mana through his body, it only made him sturdier, not larger.

‘He said he thought of me.’

This time Kian thought of Lucien. His arms and legs showed no reaction. But…

‘Wet hair does look sexy though.’

Unfortunately, there was a slight reaction below his waist.

Kian shoved himself under the faucet and turned on the water. Warm water heated by a magic stone poured down on his head.

‘To hell with it.’

Since they had married, he had already expected physical contact. A dragon was not a fool, and no dragon would lie in bed beside a mate he liked and only watch.

The only trick left to Kian was to drag out time washing. If enough passed, maybe the one waiting would fall asleep.

But that too was a futile hope.

When he came out in a bathrobe, Lucien was reclining against the bed headboard, reading a book.

Lucien closed the book, placed it on the table, and stood. Kian quickly read the title written on the cover.

‘The Strongest Swordsman Who Stole an Identity Plaque.’

At this rate, Kian thought, he might need to read that novel too.

“Come here.”

Kian forced himself not to show timidity as he stepped toward the bed. Whatever else, he was a human who lived an immortal life. He had experienced most things ordinary humans did. That included sexual experience. He too had lain with someone before, though it was so long ago he could barely remember.

‘Unlike the virgin confirmed by the king’s own mouth.’

He tried to calm himself with that thought as he climbed onto the bed. But it lasted only three seconds. When Lucien pulled at his wrist, his heart dropped to his stomach.