Sitting around the dining table, his parents' faces changed from moment to moment as they listened to Lucas's school life.

"No, so! You're saying those people weren't the culprits?!"

"Yes. They weren't."

The rumors about the immigrants had already spread far and wide outside the imperial palace, and his father, Cibie, listened to Lucas's words with a surprised face.

"Son, where did you hear such a story?"

"Professor Aman, who was investigating it, told me in confidence."

"Ha! This is... again, these poor people..."

"Honey, this isn't the first or second time this has happened..."

"No, but still! How could they pin such a grave crime on the immigrants!"

The Count, who had stopped eating and was fuming, snorted, and Blaine held his hand tightly.

Blaine also bit her lower lip, as if she remembered what had happened to them in the past.

"Right. But it's okay since you weren't harmed."

The Count, who let out a small sigh, nodded his head and smiled slightly.

"Yes. I'm fine. Ah, and a ghoul appeared in the square."

"A ghoul?!"

The surprised Count finally shot up from his seat.

"Oh my, this person. How unseemly..."

Blaine, who took his hand, made him sit down again.

"A-ahem... I'm sorry. I was just so surprised."

He, who seemed embarrassed, let out a small cough and his lips twitched.

"Yes. A ghoul. The imperial palace and the academy were all turned upside down because of the ghoul that appeared in the middle of the city."

"Ha! The country is going crazy."

The Count, who seemed thirsty, downed the wine in front of him in one gulp.

"So, was the ghoul dealt with?"

"Yes. Professor Aman came just in time and dealt with it."

"He came and dealt with it?! Then you're saying you were there!"

The enraged Count wiggled his bottom as if to get up from his seat again. Lucas, who saw that, thought, 'Oops'.

"I was... there, but well, ghouls are so slow..."

"T-this!!! I'll go to the imperial palace right now and!!!"

"Honey!!!"

A smile came out for some reason at the sight of the Count, who was about to rush to the imperial palace, and Blaine, who was stopping him.

"Hahaha!"

"What's so funny! This father is serious!"

The Count, whose lips were pouting at Lucas's sudden laughter, stomped his foot.

"No. It's just..."

He swallowed the words that were to come next. The peace that came from having a family and the feeling that welled up from the bottom of his heart. He briefly chose the words to express that feeling in his head.

"It's because I'm happy."

The Count's anger subsided like melting snow at his words. What more could be needed when his son was happy.

And so, a pleasant meal continued.

***

Lucas, who had returned home, was exhausted from his parents and servants who had been feeding him all day.

Of course, the food was excellent.

"Ugh... I'm going to burst."

When he was a dragon, he didn't feel particularly full even when he ate.

It was just the delicious food of humans that he tasted during his excursions, but after becoming a human, it had become something he needed very much.

But there was no way to deal with the discomfort that came after overeating like this.

-Knock, knock, knock

"Young master, have some fruit."

Lucas screamed inwardly when he saw the basket of fruit in the hands of the nanny who opened the door and came in.

"No... nanny, stop..."

"Oh my, fruit doesn't make you full. It's also good for digestion!"

'Please... please stop!'

After he had even eaten the fruit that the nanny had stuffed into him, he couldn't move anymore.

Lucas, who was lying in his room and stroking his bloated stomach, felt a ticklish feeling in a corner of his heart.

The words 'I'm happy' that he had uttered during the meal seemed to be ringing in his ears.

'Happiness... right...'

The moment the words he had swallowed were uttered, he felt a sense of liberation and his stomach felt clear.

He had been denying it without realizing it.

It felt as if the half-millennium he had lived as a noble dragon, the top predator, was being denied.

Of course, it wasn't that he hadn't felt happiness while living as a dragon.

But the happiness he had felt then was what he had felt when he had completed a successful excursion or when he had collected a precious artifact.

The happiness he had felt when he had gone on an excursion as a human was of a different quality from the happiness he was feeling now.

The happiness he was feeling now was...

'Real happiness. This was real.'

He was finally beginning to understand. Why humans, who lived for a fleeting moment, lived so desperately, and why humans would risk their lives for their families.

When a child cried and laughed, when a parent laughed and was happy.

Why they were so obsessed with that small joy and sorrow. Why they all tried so hard for it.

'...It's good.'

He didn't want to lose this happiness he felt now that he was living a fleeting moment like other humans.

***

"Lucas-nim~? Lucas-nim~"

Someone was gently calling Lucas, who had fallen asleep while lying down and patting his full stomach.

"Mmm... huh?!"

He, who had tossed and turned slightly at the voice calling him, shot up from his seat.

"Who..."

He, who had gathered magic at his fingertips without realizing it, looked at the place where the sound had come from.

"Uh-oh? That's a bad thing, you know?"

That sly face, pointing at Lucas's hand and pretending to be surprised, was...

"Aman. Ha, what is that now?"

He, who had recognized Aman by his tone and his bluish hair, let out a hollow laugh at the new appearance he was seeing now.

"This is a different appearance from Aman."

"...I'm at a loss for words."

"It would be troublesome if someone saw my appearance that should be at the academy."

The corner of Aman's eyes curved playfully.

"Right. Why are you here... no, more importantly, why are you secretly in my sleeping room... no, never mind."

"Well, seeing as your words are not organized, you must not be fully awake... ugh!"

Aman let out a small groan as he was hit in the abdomen by the magic that was suddenly shot at him.

"Just tell me. Why did you come."

"Isn't this a foul? Oh, it hurts..."

Just as he was about to shoot mana at Aman again, who was rubbing his beaten abdomen instead of answering.

"Ah, I understand. Why do you think I came! I wanted to see if you had arrived safely... and, uh-oh! Don't shoot!"

"The main point."

"I've caught a lackey."

"A lackey?"

"Yes. A lackey of Lakmer. I think I'll be able to figure out what these people are up to this time."

"Hmm..."

The tail of those who had not been caught no matter how hard he had tried to find out had just been caught now that the vacation had begun.

'This is something strange...'

His suspicion turned into certainty as he looked at Aman's excited face, who had come to find him as soon as he had caught the lackey.

"Just watch. Don't reveal yourself to them just because you've caught evidence."

"Pardon? No, but this is a certain..."

"No. There's a high possibility that it's a trap."

"Ha! I'm not a fool!"

The word that would immediately shut the mouth of Aman, who was rushing in and protesting at Lucas's words.

"The secret warehouse."

"Yes, sir. I will do so!"

As always, training the simple and cheerful dragon was easier than a dog in someone's house.

Aman, who winked one eye and even waved his hand, teleported away, and Lucas's head throbbed.

'There won't be a dragon foolish enough to be played by your tricks...'

Such a dragon had just left.

"Ha! How in the world did Hasel raise that bastard?"

***

Lucas, who had gone to the breakfast table after Aman had left, frowned at the face he was seeing for the first time.

"Lucas. You're here?"

"Yes. Did you sleep well."

Lucas, who greeted him first, went to his seat and sat down.

The girl sitting next to his seat. The child, who seemed to be a couple of years younger than him, was staring blankly at the tableware.

'What is this now? They didn't give birth to her while I was gone...'

As he sat down and stared at the girl, his mother, Blaine, opened her mouth.

"Lucas. I have something to tell you."

"When I went to the academy to see you this time... I met this child on my way back. It seems she was separated from her family during the immigrant... incident."

"..."

"She said she's ten. Unfortunately, she lost both her parents in that incident."

Blaine, who had spared her words in case it might hurt the child, looked at Lucas.

Lucas, who nodded his head slightly as a sign that he understood, smiled slightly, and she continued.

"So we want to hear your opinion. Is it okay if we... make this child our family..."

"If you don't want to, we will never, never! make a decision easily."

As the word 'family' came out of his mother's mouth, Lucas felt a slight pang in a corner of his heart.

He didn't know what to do with this. The emotion that was messing with his head right now was, albeit faint, 'jealousy'.

He had just decided to live properly, and now a dazed little brat like this was suddenly becoming his family. For some reason, it felt like he had given up a part of his place.

'I should probably let them.'

Lucas, who bit the inside of his lip slightly, took a shallow breath without showing it.

"Yes. I would be happy to have a younger sibling."

His parents smiled brightly at Lucas's answer.

"Lucas..."

His father, Cibie's, voice trembled. Blaine was already shedding tears like chicken droppings.

"Don't cry."

And for good reason, the two had a hard time having children.

They had raised him like a precious treasure, saying he was a child sent by God. How could he not know the look in his mother's eyes when she had looked at Pola when she had come to the academy.

He also knew that they had not adopted a child because of the unfavorable circumstances of the county.

But they couldn't have turned a blind eye to the pitiful child they had met on their way home.

'But why is she so dazed?'

No matter what his parents said, whether they cried or not in front of her, the child's eyes were still dazed and fixed on the tableware.

As if her soul had left her.

"Let's eat."

Lucas, who smiled gently, reassured his parents.

"Hi? I'm Lucas. Let's eat quickly."

He carefully placed a spoon in the child's hand.

Then the child looked at her hand once and at Lucas once, and then smiled faintly.

"S-she smiled!"

"Oh my! Nella!"

And so, another family was born.

***

"Young master! Young master! A guest has arrived!"

"Huh? What guest?"

Laila, who had run to Lucas who was sitting in the garden and reading a book, was panting and couldn't finish her words, and Lucas got up from his seat and looked at the main gate.

"What is that... huh!?"

A carriage was entering.

The huge carriage of the great O'Neil Duchy, which they had been talking about so much, was passing through the main gate.

"O-someone from the O'Neil Duchy has come!"

Laila, who seemed to have caught her breath a little, continued her words in a hurry.

"I know. I'm looking at it right now."

Lucas's brow furrowed into a grimace.

'Those things...'

He had told them to contact him before coming, but they had come just three days after he had arrived at the county estate.

That meant that they had also left the day after he had left.

'Those crazy things!'

He hadn't even asked his parents the formal question of whether a friend from the O'Neil family could come and visit.

Lucas, who was staring blankly at the entering carriage, turned his head towards the mansion.

'Haa...'

As expected, his parents, who had recognized the carriage's crest, were looking at the main gate with a stiff expression.

"Thank you for letting me know, Laila. It seems my friend has come."

Lucas's heart began to pound as he tried to speak as calmly as possible.

'Those crazy foal-like brats!'

Lucas, who glanced at his parents' stiff expressions once more, quickly walked towards the mansion.

As he got closer to the county estate, his parents' expressions became clearer.

Blaine was so surprised that her hands were even trembling slightly.

"Mother, Father. I'm sorry if you were surprised. They're probably my friends."

"...Friends? From the O'Neil family?"

"Ah, is it that friend you saw then?"

"Yes. I told them to come and visit once... but I didn't know they would come without contacting me."

The Count, who had closed his slightly open mouth at Lucas's words, forced a smile.

"R-right. A friend of my son's..."

Lucas's eyes, which were looking at the Count's slightly twitching face, turned to the stopped carriage.

The carriage door opened, and Lucas let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the faces that got out.

"Rookie!!!"

"Lucas!!!"

The little brats, who didn't even know how he felt, were waving their hands excitedly.

'What a mess, what a mess...!'

(End of Chapter)