How to Survive as a terminally-ill Dragon

Chapter 22. The White Stork (3)

Lois, visibly restless and unable to relax, drew the twins’ attention.

“Lois, what’s wrong?”

“Are you upset because you have to poop?”

Watching the twins leisurely sucking on the candies the Duchess had given them, Lois felt a wave of irritation flood through him.

“Does that candy even go down your throat right now?”

“Yeah, it goes down.”

“It’s yummy! Do you want to trade with mine, Lois?”

“…Let’s not talk about this.”

Lois sighed at the sight of the saliva-dripping candy Kani offered him. Seeing the twins so carefree made him feel foolish, as if he was the only one with too many concerns.

“We need to get going…”

It was a journey that would take at least a decade to diligently travel. But the twins appeared completely relaxed, showing no intention of leaving the castle.

‘Maybe I should just grab them by the scruff of their necks and leave…’

Easily slipping past the tight security with the twins in tow wasn’t a challenge for someone like Lois. Stuck in internal conflict, Lois finally asked the twins,

“Don’t you want to go home?”

“But it’s nice here,”

“Yeah, and the maids are so nice, the ladies are nice… everyone’s just nice.”

Lois looked at the twins incredulously.

‘Do you not realize that the land of these nice people might get destroyed because of you two?’

Carlos, the twins’ father, had been recommended by Genelocer as an elder of Silver Lotus Castle. This signified that Carlos had reached the zone of zero, too. If two zero-level dragons looking for hatchlings went on a rampage, not only would the Duke’s castle be in jeopardy, but also the entire Winter Continent.

“Argh!”

Lois grunted, the only one frustrated on behalf of the oblivious nuisance twins.

“Sigh… I know we need to leave, but…”

After a long struggle, Lois shook his head, as if admitting his helplessness.

“Ah, forget it! I’m not going to think about it anymore!”

Why wouldn’t he understand the twins’ perspective? Everyone in the castle, from the Duchess and Duke to the guards and maids, had been nothing but kind.

‘But their kindness might be the problem…’

Being overly kind might have been too much. Both the twins and even Lois were hesitant to leave without a word. Adding to Lois’s dilemma was an incident that had happened just a few days before. His memory rewound to that day.

* * *

It was an event that happened three days prior. Loosely roaming the castle corridors, Lois couldn’t help but marvel.

‘The Duke’s domain is certainly different from any commoner’s abode.’

Admiring the ancient allure, distinct from modern architecture, Lois’s eyes gleamed at the opulent surroundings.

‘Everything looks so expensive!’

Walking aimlessly among the invaluable ornaments sprinkled throughout the historic castle, Lois stumbled on a real problem.

“…Where am I?”

In the labyrinthine Duke’s castle, he had gotten lost.

“Should I have stayed in the room instead?”

Scratching his cheek in bemusement, he could not make heads or tails of the path back.

‘Well… if I keep walking, I’ll eventually come across somewhere familiar.’

As he walked past an armor stand clad in full plate armor, it suddenly toppled over, about to crush him. Two maids nearby screamed at the sight.

“Aaaaah!”

The weight of the metal could seriously injure even an adult man, but Lois was quick on his feet.

‘I sensed too much quiet around here.’

Easily sidestepping, he dodged the heavy armor that crashed with a loud clang.

The maid approached hurriedly.

“Are you okay?! You’re not hurt, are you?”

Answering the concerned maids with a nod, Lois replied,

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Phew… thank goodness.”

One maid petted his head—a gesture Lois had grown resigned to from so many similar encounters recently.

“Why were you wandering around here? What if something happened?”

“Out of boredom…”

Lois replied, and the maids, well aware of his and the twins’ cloistered life, pitied him. One patted his shoulder and advised,

“Don’t wander too late. Head back to your room soon.”

“…Okay.”

Resigned, Lois answered and the maids, after petting his head a few more times, gave him a piece of candy and went on their way. As Lois was about to leave after watching the maids leave, a conversation drifted to his acute dragon hearing.

“That’s one of the kids the lady brought in, right?”

“Yeah. Heard about them, but they’re really pretty.”

“Indeed. No wonder the lady’s so fond of them.”

Their voices faded into the distance, and that’s when it clicked for Lois.

“So that’s why they’ve been so good to us?”

The Duchess had been awash with sorrow at their first encounter. He realized her sadness held the grief of a parent who had lost a child. Perhaps in Lois and the twins, the Duchess saw her lost child’s shadow.

‘Time to make a move.’

It would be better to leave before the Duchess grew even more attached to them, he rationalized. But as that thought sowed seeds of confusion, another event occurred.

“Hmm?”

Lois, on his way back to his room after exploring, heard a familiar voice as he passed an exceptionally large door.

“My lady… how long do you intend to keep those children?”

“Your Grace.”

“Those children are not our lost Rinu.”

“I know. But only when I’m with them, I can’t hear Rinu’s voice. The voice of our son that I used to hear… it’s silent when they’re with me!”

The Duchess’s voice was laced with desperation. The Duke sighed heavily.

“I understand your pain. How could I not? But to project Rinu onto these children… it’s unfair to both them and Rinu.”

“Your Grace…”

“Let us… let Rinu go.”

“How can you ask a mother to forget her child!”

“Lady!”

Behind the door, a soft sob was audible. After a pause, the Duchess continued with resolve.

“Your Grace, no, Kanta.”

Her voice, using his name for the first time since marriage, momentarily perplexed the Duke. The next plea truly took him by surprise.

“Kanta… please accept these children as our adoptive son and daughter.”

“Madam!”

The Duke’s voice spiked with shock. But his wife’s determination was unshakable.

“Since Rinu’s death, every day has been hell. Only with these children can I breathe. If they were to leave… then I…”

The Duchess’s heartfelt confession was met by the Duke with nothing but a sigh.

“Let’s… give it more thought. The matter of adoption isn’t one to be taken lightly.”

“Yes. I’m not asking you to decide right now. You too know just how good these children are. After observation… Then, at that time, you can make a decision… I will wait.”

“…Very well.”

An answer neither affirming nor denying. It was the best the Duke could offer under the circumstances. Lois, having overheard the exchange, swiftly retreated from the door, and thus, his dilemma began.

* * *

“I should leave… but I can’t shake this uncomfortable feeling.”

Aware of the Duchess’s fondness but not expecting her to consider adoption, Lois was perplexed.

‘How can they talk of adoption after knowing us for barely ten days?’

It could mean that the wound from losing a son was deep enough to consider adopting children so quickly.

“Hmm…”

As far as Lois could tell, the Duke was more impressive than expected. He was royalty in a kingdom that was one of the strongest factions within the Winter Continent. Becoming the Duke’s adopted child would mean carving out a significant place in this powerful nation.

‘I have to leave before we get entangled any further. But…’

The problem was the lingering discomfort.

‘What becomes of the Duchess if we leave?’

Without them, she would once again face the deep sorrow of loss; the outcome was clear without much thought.

“It’s a dilemma. I know we should go, but it feels so wrong to leave like this…”

Lois’s gaze then fell on the twins, sprawled carelessly in the middle of the room.

‘You two have it easy, no worries at all.’

The troubles always seemed to fall on him. Not that asking the twins would yield any sensible answers.

‘If only Finn were here…’

And that was another reason Lois felt trapped in the Duke’s castle—Finn. Had he not been separated from her, he would’ve had a conversational partner. If he left now, it might complicate things further with Finn, who was still missing. So Lois had been waiting in the castle for her, but for some reason, Finn had not shown up.

“Where could you be…”

Just as Lois longed for Finn’s presence, a tapping sound broke the silence.

Tap tap—

Lois felt a familiar presence by the window, despite seeing nothing there. Suddenly, a small figure appeared from the empty air.

“Finn!”

Happier than ever, Lois rushed to greet Finn, chastising her arrival.

“You dummy! That’s why you should have stayed beside me using your camouflage! Why hide and make me wait? Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? Next time something happens, stay close and use your invisibility!”

“Waaaah! I’m sorry! I’ll make sure to next time!”

Happily reunited after days apart, Finn thought of the hardships endured while searching for Lois, and Lois was simply relieved to have someone sane to talk to once again. The commotion woke up the twins.

“Huh? It’s Finn!”

“Finn!”

The twins joyfully rushed to greet Finn.

“Twins! Whee!”

Even the twins, who normally tormented Finn, were precious companions at this moment. Now that the group was complete, Lois half-jokingly scolded the latecomer.

“What took you so long?”

“Well, about that…”

Finn began to share her story with Lois.