Chapter 104: Iris (3)

One day, a letter arrived.

– Iris, are you well? His Highness recently made a large donation to the orphanage. Thanks to that, we’ve started treatment for Lendy’s illness. All the children have new clothes and are able to eat meat every day. Everyone misses you. Serina insists on sleeping next to your bed every night. She firmly believes you will return. Yesterday, she was telling the other children, “Big sister is going to get rich and come pick us up.” – Karina

Hot tears streamed down my cheeks.

Director… Serina… Lendy…

They were all doing well.

I hugged the letter tightly to my chest.

Thank you, Your Highness…

Yes, I have to succeed at this job.

For the children.

To repay His Highness.

Betty patted my shoulder.

“Are you okay? You seem to be missing home.”

“Yes, a little. But I’m okay. My work here is helping them.”

Betty smiled warmly and wiped away my tears.

“We’re all here for each other. You’re not alone, Iris.”

Entering the third week, we grew even closer.

The initial anxiety and tension gradually eased.

The routine of waking up every morning to clean, eating together, and taking care of the lair became natural.

Lily taught me how to handle a simple weapon.

“You look too naive. You need to get a little stronger,” she had said.

Daren taught me how to read people’s expressions.

“If you can read your opponent’s expression, you can survive,” was his advice.

Walter, saying I had mastered common knowledge and etiquette well, began to teach me history, and Betty taught me how to cook.

Everyone helped me in their own way.

***

Before I knew it, a month had passed.

Life in the lair was now completely familiar.

Licorice’s room was no longer a frightening space for me.

In fact, it had become my favorite place.

The fantastical crystal bed, the red flowers, and the beautiful scenery visible from the window…

Everything was like magic.

“She won’t be coming today either, right?”

We exchanged the same question every day.

And every day, the same answer returned.

“Of course not.”

As time went on, fear gradually turned into curiosity.

What did Frostia and Licorice really look like?

Were they as terrifying as the rumors said?

Or were they different from what we knew?

One night, Lily asked me.

“If you had a wish, what would it be?”

Under the star-filled sky, we sat together on the spire of the lair.

“A wish?”

“Yes, a wish. What you truly desire.”

I was lost in thought for a moment.

“I want to live with the children. In a home where everyone can be happy. No longer hungry, no longer cold.”

Lily smiled softly.

“Yes…”

“I think you’ll survive. There’s something special in your eyes.”

Lily’s words warmed my heart.

Surviving in this place.

That was my only goal.

And finally, that day came.

The peaceful morning was suddenly shattered.

“Lady Frostia has arrived! Everyone, prepare yourselves!”

At the guard’s shout, the entire lair began to stir.

Everyone moved quickly, just as they had practiced.

My heart pounded as if it would burst, and my breath became ragged.

“Iris, it’s okay. We’re all in this together.”

Clara grabbed my shoulder.

Her hand was trembling too.

“Don’t worry, just do as we practiced,” Walter’s words were of little help.

Together with Clara, I stood in front of the main gate, holding a basket filled with white flower petals.

Her mission and mine was to create a path by scattering the white petals.

I gripped the basket tightly with trembling hands.

Suddenly, the entire lair darkened.

The surroundings became dim, as if night had fallen.

Slowly, I lifted my head and looked up at the sky.

My breath stopped.

In the sky was a silver dragon of a size I could never have imagined.

Its scale was unbelievable.

It was so massive that its shadow could cover the entire lair.

Its silver scales shone dazzlingly in the sunlight, and a strong wind rose with each flap of its wings.

Is that…

Frostia…?

A being that should only exist in myths was right before my eyes.

The ice dragon landed in the garden.

The moment it did, the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.

The water in the ice garden froze in an instant, and frost bloomed on the ground.

It was a phenomenon created by the cold energy surrounding the dragon’s body.

Just then, a bright light bloomed, enveloping the ice dragon’s body.

When the light faded, the most beautiful woman stood in its place.

Her silver hair scattered in the wind, and her white eyes shone coldly.

She had skin as pale as ice and an elegant figure, and she wore a dress embroidered with silver.

Her appearance transcended human beauty.

And behind her…

Was a girl in a black dress.

Her blood-red eyes that seemed to pierce through me and her black hair, the ends of which were stained blood-red, were impressive.

Could she be Licorice?

She looked much younger than I had thought.

She seemed to be around Lendy’s age.

But in her eyes, there was a powerful energy that could not be found in a child.

But surprisingly, there were more people behind her.

A child sitting on a giant hornet was the first to catch my eye.

A hornet…?

Its giant body, as if carved from ice, and its blade-like stinger exuded an intimidating presence.

Normally, I would have screamed and run away, but now, I didn’t even have the luxury to do so.

Sitting on the hornet was a young child wrapped in a black cloak.

Her fiery red hair and large, round eyes were impressive.

Flames were truly dancing in those eyes.

“Mommy! This place is so pretty!”

The child’s clear voice rang out.

Mommy…?

Did she just call the girl in the black dress, who looked to be around Lendy’s age, mommy?

Did I hear that wrong?

But the girl in the black dress soon replied with a smile.

“Right! Hehe. The king did a good job!”

Honestly, I didn’t understand.

How could a girl who looked younger than me be that child’s mother?

Ah, right…

They were monsters.

Monsters in human form.

Beings completely different from us.

But strangely, that little child… was so cute.

Her small body wrapped in a cloak, her flame-like hair, and that pure smile…

A monster’s child, I couldn’t believe it.

In my eyes right now, she was as lovely as a fairy.

I also saw a blue butterfly floating in the air, and a strange ball-like entity also floating.

In the distance stood a beautiful woman with red eyes who exuded a dangerous feeling.

She was slowly scanning the lair, repeating “Oh my, oh my.”

Could that woman be Nis…

And there were also two people who looked human.

One looked like an archer, and the other like a mage.

“Prepare yourselves…” Walter said in a small voice.

He gave a signal with his hand, and all the servants bowed deeply.

“We welcome the glorious descent of the great Lady Frostia!” everyone shouted in unison.

My voice trembled, but it was probably drowned out by the others.

The silver-haired woman looked at us with a surprised expression.

The girl in the black dress behind her was smiling contentedly.

She looked around with a satisfied expression and glanced at Frostia as if to boast.

Frostia looked at us with her icy gaze.

My heart pounded.

“What is all this…”

Frostia’s voice sounded like a cold wind.

Surprise and bewilderment flickered in her white eyes, and then they were tinged with deep emotion.

I could see her icy expression soften slightly as she looked around the lair.

And then she looked at the girl behind her.

Affection was woven into her gaze.

Dragons feel emotions like people do…

And the girl in the black dress must be Licorice.

I couldn’t hide my surprise.

Unlike the terrifying ice dragon of the rumors, Frostia’s gaze as she looked at someone was so very human.

That gaze, tangled with complex emotions, was no different from ours.

In that moment, the fear that had been weighing down on my chest began to melt away little by little.

Just then, Licorice’s eyes sparkled as she looked around the lair.

“But… this is seriously f*cking sick…” she muttered softly, but in the breathless silence, it was heard clearly.

F*cking sick…?

It was a word I had never heard before.

Was it the language of the nobles?

Or a slang term used by monsters?

It was an unfamiliar word, but the joy and excitement it contained were conveyed perfectly.

Licorice started to scamper into the lair.

Behind her, the fire child on the hornet performed acrobatics in the air.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the sight, a mixture of fear and wonder.

“Lady Licorice, wait a moment! Not yet…” The man who looked like a mage chased after her hastily, but it was already too late.

The hem of her black dress had disappeared around a corner.

Frostia smiled and slowly took a step.

Frost formed wherever she passed.

I clutched the flower basket with trembling hands.

I needed to make the flower path quickly…

But my feet wouldn’t move.

It seemed Clara, standing next to me, was in the same predicament.

In that moment, the child on the hornet stopped in front of me.

She looked at me with eyes full of curiosity.

Her eyes, in which flames danced, were so fascinating.

“Unni! The fwowers are pwetty!” she said to me with a smile.

At her innocent smile, a smile spread across my face without me realizing it.

She was so pure that I even forgot she was a monster’s child.

“Thank you.”

Gathering my courage, I began to create a white flower path with Clara.

Frostia looked at us with a subtle gaze, but she didn’t seem to mind much.

‘Thank goodness…’

I let out a sigh of relief, stroking my chest.

And so, I had my first encounter with beings from myth.

As the white flower petals of the lair scattered in the wind, Frostia’s frosty footprints and the hem of her silver dress brushed past.

As I followed her inside, I suddenly realized.

This flower path I was walking on was a line I could not return from.