Chapter 87 : Overseas Travel (8)

The tea time with the Emperor successfully ended.

“Puhuh, Minho’s belly is so full!”

“Hehe.”

This is what’s great about being a dragon.

I can eat sweet things until my belly is about to burst, without ever worrying about diabetes.

What a convenient body to have.

‘A body that doesn’t need to worry about balancing meals…!!’

It was truly a miraculous body.

Especially for someone like me, who couldn’t eat many delicious things in my past life due to illness, this privilege felt even more precious!

Anyway, after leaving the beautifully maintained garden, we returned to the imperial palace.

Instead of sitting on the throne, the Emperor met our gaze at the same level.

“Originally, I should be the one lowering myself.”

“There’s no need for that.”

The Emperor scratched his cheek awkwardly and smiled, while my father bluntly dismissed the idea.

At that, the Emperor nodded with a faint smile.

“If Your Majesty says so.”

“Take care of yourself. As for Silvadir’s independence, it will happen after Ramir Silvadir graduates from the academy. That should be around the right time, don’t you think?”

“…Isn’t that too long? I heard the academy lasts for ten years.”

“Sorry, my sense of time is different from humans’.”

Even as he said that, my father didn’t suggest changing the timeline.

“…Alright then, ten years it is.”

“I’m glad we understand each other.”

“How could I possibly argue with a dragon?”

“If only your father had been half as reasonable as you.”

“…If that had been the case, the Empire wouldn’t have rotted this much.”

My father patted the Emperor’s shoulder as she looked slightly somber.

“From now on, you can change things. While it may be too late for your brother, from now on, there should be fewer wars, and you can build friendly relations.”

“…That’s true.”

The Emperor, seeming a bit more composed, smiled as she saw us off.

“Thank you for coming all this way.”

“Alright, take care.”

“I have prepared the best accommodations in the Empire for you. Rose… was it? In any case, Rose’s room has also been arranged in the same lodging, so please rest comfortably.”

Hearing this, Sister Sado was startled and expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you.”

“You are immigrating to that side, correct? I hope you will prosper and elevate the status of both the Empire and the Unified Kingdom.”

“I will do my best.”

And so, we finally left the gleaming golden fortress and were free at last.

“Phew…”

“You can relax now.”

“Yeah, I should.”

My father let go of the tension in his shoulders.

Since Sister Sado was with us, I expected him to maintain his dignity the whole time, but surprisingly, he didn’t.

Did he think it didn’t matter now that Sister Sado was one of our people?

“Minho, you’re… not hungry, right?”

“Nope, I ate a lot of macarons, so I’m not hungry.”

My mother gently patted my full belly.

A soft, pleasant sound could be heard.

“Shall we go to our lodging and unpack first?”

“That sounds good.”

“Let’s do that.”

The three adults clapped in agreement as they decided on where to go.

Meanwhile, the baby and I just stared at each other blankly, sharing a silent understanding.

After all, neither the baby nor I had any say in the decision-making.

As I turned my head in my mother’s embrace, the baby, cradled in Sister Sado’s arms, also turned in the same direction.

For some reason, the baby found it hilarious and burst into laughter.

That warm, innocent laughter made my heart feel full, and I smiled genuinely.

“…Hehe.”

“Minho, you really like babies, don’t you?”

Noticing my smile, my mother grinned as well.

I simply nodded.

“Because it’s cute.”

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I liked the baby.

There was something else—something difficult to explain, something that seemed to fill an empty space in my heart.

Thinking that, I stared at the baby who was looking at me.

‘…It is cute. But aside from this strange, bittersweet feeling, there’s nothing particularly special about it. Even that feeling fades when I just keep looking.’

‘I don’t know.’

I decided not to overthink it.

Maybe it was just because it was cute.

After all, when something adorable leaves your arms, you naturally feel a sense of loss.

What I was feeling was slightly different, but since I couldn’t explain it any other way, I let it go.

Lost in thought like that, we finally arrived at our lodging.

“U-Uwaaah…!”

“Isn’t this… bigger than expected?”

“Alby, is this really the right place?”

“…The map says it is.”

The building was absurdly massive for a simple lodging.

Honestly, I thought no place could be more impressive than our castle, no matter how grand a hotel was.

But this was overwhelming.

The sign read “Cria Hotel.”

It seemed they were confident enough to use the name of the former imperial princess—who was now the Emperor.

And true to its name, the exterior was spectacular.

It wasn’t quite on the same level as our castle, but it seemed only slightly smaller than the imperial palace itself.

Of course, if you excluded the gardens and additional structures of the palace, the actual space occupied by the hotel was smaller.

“…Looks like the Empire really went all out for this event. It seems they expanded the building recently…”

Hearing Sister Sado’s comment, I simply nodded.

She knew the Empire better than anyone among us.

As we stood in front of the hotel, staring up at it like country folk seeing a city for the first time—

“Ah, you’ve arrived. Welcome to Cria Hotel.”

“You must be the royal family of Laskaris, as well as Saint Rose and her son?”

When we nodded, the hotel staff greeted us with a smile and led us inside.

A luxurious red carpet, grand chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, glittering crystal torchlights—

Even the room’s security was ensured by a magical locking mechanism that recognized the owner’s magic.

The staff, still smiling, assured us that the lock could withstand dragon breath.

Curious, I decided to test it with a sneeze.

Boom!

…It shattered effortlessly.

I hadn’t expected that to happen, so I turned pale and looked at the staff.

Tremble, tremble, tremble.

The staff member was sweating profusely, their legs shaking uncontrollably.

I quickly apologized.

“Your Highness, perhaps it would be best to be more careful next time.”

“…Yes.”

Thankfully, Sister Sado restored the hole in the wall.

My parents had wanted to fix it, but since Sister Sado insisted on handling the aftermath herself, they let her.

“…I-I’m so sorry! I deeply apologize for offending the esteemed dragons!”

But the staff member, still trembling, kept bowing in apology—even though I was the one who caused the accident.

I approached her and gently patted her shoulder, offering some encouragement.

“It’s okay. You’re human, so mistakes happen.”

“…T-Thank you.”

“As long as you don’t make them again! Never make a mistake next time!”

“…Y-Yes!”

She looked relieved at first but then had an uncertain expression as she hurried away.

Still, I was happy to see her spirits lifted, so I smiled as I watched her leave.

“…Our daughter is going to be an excellent diplomat someday.”

“Dragons are truly terrifying…”

My father grinned in satisfaction, while Sister Sado’s eyes sparkled with intrigue.

“Alright, everyone? Let’s stop chatting and go inside to unpack.”

My mother placed her hand on the magic stone attached to the door.

It glowed with a brilliant blue light.

Then my father touched it, and it changed to a radiant pink hue.

“Wow… it’s so pretty…”

The colors were so mesmerizing that I couldn’t help but blurt it out.

Across the hall, Sister Sado placed her hand on the magic stone of her own room.

At first, it glowed white, then gradually took on a soft purple hue.

A beautiful color, just like the others—almost like a pastel tone.

Then, the baby reached out and touched the stone as well.

A beautiful, vivid sky-blue light.

“Wow!”

“Hehehe!”

“Aww, do you like it~?”

The baby giggled at the sight of its own magical glow.

Sister Sado, clearly delighted, rubbed her cheek against the baby’s plump face.

Watching her with a hint of envy, my mother suddenly lifted me up into the air.

“Uh—?!”

“Hehe, my precious daughter!”

She held me up and eagerly rubbed her cheek against mine.

I didn’t resist—after all, it didn’t feel bad.

“Alright, Minho, why don’t you try putting your hand on the stone too? Eldo, that’s enough for now.”

“Oh, okay!”

“Hehe…”

Somehow, I felt really happy.

It was like I had just recharged my “Mom Energy,” filling me with warmth and motherly affection.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

“I wonder what Minho’s magic color will be?”

“I’m excited…!!”

At my words, Mom, Dad, and Sister Sado all smiled warmly.

Feeling confident, I proudly stretched out my hand and pressed it against the magic stone.

And then—

The stone shone with a brilliant golden light.

“Ooooh…!!”

The glow was incredibly bright.

As the initial burst of light faded, a soft, moonlit yellow remained—gentle and soothing, like the radiance of a full moon.

“Wow…”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Our Minho’s magic is even more dazzling than I expected!”

Dad and Mom both spoke in admiration.

“A holy magic affinity, it seems?”

Sister Sado murmured, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

Of course, since they were all compliments, I couldn’t help but grin happily.

‘So my magic is really pretty, huh?’

Well, it made sense.

I was blessed by both the Golden Queen and the Father of the Night Sky.

Naturally, my magic would be beautiful too.

‘The first glow must have been from Golden Sister, and the second… GM, maybe?’

With that thought, I pushed open the door to our room.

And the moment I stepped inside, I couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.