Chapter 89 : Peep (1)

From the moment we got on the carriage until we arrived home, I never let go of the griffin egg I held in my arms.

It kind of felt like I had become a mother.

“Grow up fast~”

I whispered softly to the egg, wrapping my whole body around it as I lay in bed.

“Your Highness, it’s time for lunch.”

“Just a moment.”

The head maid looked at me struggling to move while hugging the egg and gave a small chuckle.

She then said she’d bring the food to me and disappeared.

I felt a bit embarrassed at that moment, but then Mom, who was beside me, gently patted my head and murmured:

“Just a few months ago, I was doing the same thing.”

“You were?”

“Yeah, you’re supposed to keep it close for about a week after giving birth.”

Apparently, for about a week after birth, the mother needs to keep the egg close and infuse it with magic.

“It was tough, but I wanted to meet my daughter so badly that I kept holding you~”

Now that I think about it, Mom had been sleeping a lot not too long ago.

Even after some time had passed since giving birth, her stats hadn’t fully recovered.

I couldn’t even imagine how hard it must have been right after giving birth.

Thinking about that made me feel so grateful for the mom who was now smiling beside me.

Even though I wasn’t infusing it with magic, just holding the egg was exhausting.

Thinking about what she went through made my heart ache.

“…Thank you, Mom.”

“Hmm?”

“Just… thank you.”

Feeling the overwhelming love of a mother, I rolled over to snuggle into Mom’s arms.

Because of the griffin egg, I couldn’t move easily, so I ended up awkwardly rolling over.

Watching me, Mom chuckled and gently lifted me into her embrace.

“Why are you so thankful?”

“Even though it was so hard, you still took care of me.”

Hearing that, Mom gave a complex smile, as if her heart was touched.

“I’m glad I met you. I want to be your daughter in my next life too.”

I truly meant it.

I was really glad I got to meet her.

In this world where I didn’t know anyone, I was so fortunate to meet kind people like Mom and Dad.

“…Thank you too, Minho.”

“For what?”

“For being born as my daughter.”

Saying that, she even used her tail to gently pull me into a warm hug.

I giggled and wrapped my own tail around hers.

“Hehe.”

I felt happy—just pure happiness.

Noticing that our conversation had ended, the head maid who had been quietly waiting outside the door finally entered.

“Please enjoy your lunch.”

“Thank you, Head Maid.”

“You’ve worked hard, Hazel.”

“Of course.”

She gave a light bow to both Mom and me, then placed a golden bell-shaped magical device on the desk next to the bed and left.

Ring that once you’re done eating, and someone will come.

I was about to reach for the food in front of me when—

“Princess? You need to keep holding the egg.”

“…Ah.”

“Minho, when you become a mom someday, you can’t let go of the egg~”

Mom laughed softly and reminded me to keep holding it.

She smiled brightly, saying it was like a rehearsal for when I become a mom someday.

“But it’s so hard…”

I muttered under my breath.

Then Mom gently pushed my head and patted it.

“It’ll be even harder later, you know?”

“…I’m not having a baby.”

Without realizing it, I puffed out my cheeks as I said that, and Mom poked them gently.

“Minho, you might be too young to understand, but if you say something like that in the Dragon Kingdom right now, it’d cause a big stir.”

“…?”

“It’s a whole thing~”

When I looked at her, clearly confused, Mom just chuckled.

Suddenly, I remembered a book I read not long ago about the serious low birth rate among dragons.

‘…Do I really have to have kids?’

A terrifying vision of my future flashed before my eyes.

Noticing my gloom, Mom chuckled and lifted her spoon to feed me.

“Ah~”

“…Ah.”

“Yum, so good.”

“…Iff’s delifus. (It’s delicious.)”

“Ah! Sorry, was it too hot?”

“It’s fine.”

Even if it was a little hot, the head maid’s cooking was still exquisite.

I’d realized it back in the Empire, but our head maid’s cooking really is the best.

The simple dishes we’d sneak off to eat together in the early mornings were amazing too, but they couldn’t compare to her serious, properly plated meals.

It’s not like there are no chefs in the palace, but their food is usually for the staff.

The royal family eats meals personally prepared by the head maid.

Originally, even royalty used to eat food made by the chefs.

But after Dad stole the lunchbox of the Captain of the Guard during his academy days, the head maid was assigned to cook for the royal family.

Turns out Dad sweet-talked the maid—who had graduated from the academy—into becoming a new maid just for that.

At the time, she’d thought it’d be nice to work somewhere her brother also worked, but now… it seems like she regrets that decision a little.

Nom nom.

Munch munch.

While thinking about all that, I kept chewing diligently.

I could see myself in the mirror, hugging the griffin egg in my arms like it was the most precious thing in the world.

My little mouth, chewing away, looked so cute.

‘…No wonder everyone who meets me falls for me.’

Anyway, I continued munching away while snuggled in Mom’s arms.

Every so often, Mom couldn’t resist and gently poked my cheek with her finger, making me almost burst out laughing.

‘…Boing.’

Apparently unsatisfied with the lack of sound effects, Mom whispered the sound herself.

That was still fine, but…

‘Ugh… Every time I swallow a broccoli, another one takes its place…’

I swallowed one broccoli, and another immediately came at me.

I’d already endured three, but when Mom’s fork once again moved toward the broccoli, I called out to her.

“Mom.”

“Huh? Yes?”

“Um… I’d like to eat some meat now.”

“Oh! Sorry, sorry. Hehe…”

Mom laughed sheepishly, as if she had just returned from another world, and finally gave me some meat.

When I smiled in satisfaction, Mom smiled faintly too and patted my head.

After finishing my meal, I lay down and wrapped my whole body—tail included—around the griffin egg.

“I hope it hatches soon.”

“Is my daughter going to keep being this adorable?”

I mumbled while holding the egg, and Mom looked at me with a slightly pouty expression.

Saying “Are you going to keep being this cute?” like she wasn’t the one who made me this way…

“I take after you, so I can’t help it.”

I said that while giving her a side-eye, and Mom squealed with joy, flailing slightly.

“My daughter even speaks so sweetly!”

“She’s just too cute…

Thank you, and I love you~”

I simply nodded in response.

Mom looked so happy to have me around.

Dad had said something similar when I had a nightmare, so I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

“When do you think it’ll hatch?”

“Hmm… It’s been about seven days, so probably within the week. If Minho keeps holding it warmly and taking care of it, it might come out even sooner.”

“I see.”

I looked down at the griffin egg nestled snugly in my arms.

‘Come out soon so we can play together.’

Even in my previous life, I always wanted to raise animals.

I couldn’t wait to play with this little one.

‘I couldn’t have one back then though…’

Because of Yuri unni’s severe allergies.

Because her allergy was so severe, she couldn’t even sleep properly.

So I couldn’t easily bring myself to say I wanted to raise a pet.

But recently, when I was with Bell, I was able to hug him and even play ball with him—so it seems I’ve fully recovered after becoming a hero.

I remember Yuri unni used to say that if it weren’t for her allergies, she would’ve wanted to raise animals too.

‘…She’d probably like the griffin, right?’

Emila unni, with her love for unusual things, would definitely love it.

And Yuri unni, who used to look up all kinds of animals in my previous life, would probably like it too.

When I go home for break, I should introduce our griffin to my sisters.

“Hehe, Peep~ come out soon, I want to see you~”

“Peep?”

Mom tilted her head as I whispered into the egg and giggled.

I smiled back at her and said,

“It’s a name.”

“The griffin’s name is Peep?”

“Yup.”

Peep was the name of the Lv. 105 griffin I raised in Hero Fantasy.

It was a powerful companion and one I had a deep bond with.

I gave the name “Peep” to this egg, hoping it would grow strong and loyal like the Peep I knew.

Sure, it might be a little silly for a man in his mid-20s to have named it that back then…

But hey, I’m a 1-year-old now.

With the pure soul I have now, it’s basically a brand new name.

“That’s a cute name.”

“Right?”

I giggled, and Mom, laughing along, gently patted the egg.

“I hope Peep hatches soon too.”

“Me too. It’s harder to hold onto this egg all the time than I expected.”

“Right~?”

As we lay there idly chatting—

“…!!”

“Minho?”

“The egg… it just moved a little!”

Maybe Peep had shifted a bit—it wobbled slightly.

“W-What? Is it hatching?!”

My heart leapt with hope that it was finally coming into the world.

But… maybe not.

“Maybe it just rolled over in its sleep?”

“Ugh… yeah, maybe.”

Looks like we’d need to wait a little longer.

They did say it would take around 15 days when I first got the egg, after all.

So it seemed like I’d be nurturing this egg for a little while longer.

“Let’s just be patient a bit more, so Peep can come out healthy.”

“Okay!”

And then, on the 14th day of caring for Peep with all my heart—

“Ohhh…!!”

“Peep?”

Peep finally hatched.