NOVEL NEXT Chapter 110
“What? The polymorph spell broke?”
“A dragon?!”
Oh no.
Why is a dragon here, of all places?
“Yes, indeed! I am none other than a passionate fan of CherryCherry! I never miss a live show, and I record every single one to watch again and again. I am a true, devoted fan!”
The dragon stood proudly, chest puffed, as if declaring an achievement to the world. I stared at it with my jaw practically hitting the floor.
No, no, no! This can’t happen!
If this goes on, my double life is going to be exposed!
“Should I just kill this thing? It keeps spouting nonsense,” Gergys muttered coldly.
“No!!! No, everyone out!” I screamed.
“We worked so hard to catch that thing after it kept running away! And now you want us to leave?” Gergys protested, his tone indignant.
“I’ll thank you later! Just get out now!”
Grumbling but obedient, Gergys and the others reluctantly shuffled out. The dragon tilted its head, watching me intently, and then let out an understanding “Aha!” before nodding vigorously.
“So, CherryCherry being a universal superstar was a secret, huh? I didn’t know I was causing trouble. In times like these…”
**Snap!**
The dragon snapped its fingers, and suddenly, the entire room froze.
Gergys, Sophia, Shami—everyone was immobilized, caught mid-motion.
“What… magic?” I stammered, looking between the frozen figures and the dragon in bewilderment.
“It’s a time-freezing spell! I don’t want CherryCherry to be in trouble. Did I do well?”
“Uh, yeah… sure,” I replied hesitantly.
This dragon was completely unhinged.
A dragon showing respect to a human? That was unheard of. And to top it off…
“Wait, you know I’m human, right? How can you still call yourself a fan?”
“Because I’m a dragon, and I can read your mind!” the dragon exclaimed smugly.
My heart sank.
“So you can read my thoughts?”
“Exactly! I may seem quirky, but I’m still a dragon!”
“Dangerous dragon!” I exclaimed instinctively.
“That’s so mean! Don’t say that—I’ll get hurt. I’m just a true fan who genuinely wants to protect my favorite idol’s daily life!”
I decided not to argue. It seemed pointless.
Instead, I sighed and asked, “What’s your name?”
“You’re asking my name?! Oh no, I’m so happy I might faint!”
“Don’t faint. Just tell me your name.”
“My name is Koskanialdente! You can call me Kos for short!”
“Alright, Koska… Koskanialdente,” I said, trying not to trip over the absurdly long name.
Koskanialdente, with green hair and matching eyes, was the most eccentric dragon I had ever encountered. After just a few exchanges, I already felt mentally drained.
“So, to summarize, you thought selling these things would eventually bring you closer to me?” I asked, holding up a card.
“Exactly!” Kos beamed.
“You’re obsessed with me, so your so-called fangirling led you to figure out my identity?”
“Yes, that’s it!”
“And you ended up drawing portraits of my family too, just because you thought they looked great?”
“Oh, absolutely!”
“What about Sihat?”
“I saw him too! He’s quite stunning, so I included him in the drawings. But sneaking into the Holy See is getting harder and harder.”
Kos sighed dramatically, looking like a sad puppy.
I shook my head in disbelief and pointed to the frozen people in the room.
“Did you only stop time in this room?”
“That’s right! I’m not strong enough to freeze time across the whole palace or anything like that.”
Honesty—I appreciated that.
I tapped on the glass card Kos had been fiddling with.
“This… this is the dress I wore to my birthday party.”
“Cough—uh, yes,” Kos stammered.
“Did you follow me onto the cruise ship?”
“Well, if I’d been invited, I’d have attended openly! But since I wasn’t….”
“You snuck aboard?”
“I’m sorry! But when I realized someone was looking for me, I quickly hid in my lair and waited, wondering when I’d be caught….”
Kos’s shoulders slumped as they let out a small whimper.
This dragon was clearly enamored with me, but it was becoming dangerous.
‘Could I employ this dragon somehow? Put them to work?’
They seemed eager to please and likely capable, but still…
“Next time, don’t do anything sneaky like this,” I warned.
“Of course!” Kos exclaimed.
“You’ll work for the Imperial Health Department. No pay. Deal?”
“Deal! Human money means nothing to me anyway! In fact, I’d be so grateful to work for you that I’d even pay in gems—”
“Stop right there,” I interjected as Kos began rummaging through their pockets. This dragon was almost too easy to manipulate.
Feeling a pang of guilt, I shook my head.
“No, keep your gems. You’ll be working for the department until I die anyway.”
“Wow, amazing! I never imagined such a miracle would happen to me, not being human and all!”
… Someone please teach this dragon about self-preservation.
—
In the end, Koskanialdente joined the Imperial Health Department.
Of course, we couldn’t reveal they were a dragon. Instead, we tweaked everyone’s memories slightly to make Kos seem like an eccentric herbalist.
Since Kos was a green dragon, their expertise in plants impressed even Myerden, who nodded in satisfaction.
Using their dragon abilities, Kos subtly adjusted everyone’s perception, ensuring no one questioned their presence.
‘And in exchange, Kos agreed to spend an hour a day drawing cards for me, while enjoying snacks together.’
I planned to sell those cards through
‘Chaotic as it was, this might be a stroke of good luck.’
Being a dragon, Kos didn’t need to pay entry fees to Dragon Shop Street. This could streamline my entire operation.
As I pondered my future plans, South Emperor Rikraz spoke up at the dining table, where we were all gathered.
“So, is this Kienna’s daughter?”
He gestured toward me while speaking to Dad.
Though I wasn’t expected to respond, I paused mid-bite and glanced at Dad.
“She is. But now, she’s my daughter,” Dad said curtly.
“She’s quite cute—she looks just like Kienna.”
“In appearance, perhaps. In all else, entirely different.”
“Ah, so she takes after her father, then.”
Was that a jab?
Dad’s eyebrow twitched.
The exchange continued, subtle barbs flying back and forth, but I ignored it and focused on my food. The grilled fish was delicious, and there was no way anyone would poison a meal at a diplomatic gathering like this.
—
“Ah, let me introduce my son.”
The doors swung open, and a small boy darted inside.
“Did you call for me, Dad?”
“Indeed.”
This was **Luon Jen Castalia**, a ten-year-old boy with striking red hair and light green eyes, just like his father’s. He wore a round hat and an innocent smile, looking like a cheerful little marigold.
“These are your cousins.”
“Ah, I see! I know who everyone is—I’ve been studying hard!”
The next generation of the imperial family numbered 14 in total, or 12 if you excluded the House of Orjena. And now, with Luon out of the succession race, only 11 remained in contention.
“Hello, brothers!” Luon greeted cheerfully.
“Hello, Luon,” Idsys responded politely.
“Hello, sister!”
How could I ignore such an innocent greeting? Luon hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.
But then Luon’s sparkling eyes landed on me, and he said something that made my blood run cold.
“Wow, you look just like Alice!”
Alice? Who’s Alice?
Confused, I froze. But Luon beamed and continued in a bright voice.
“Cherishe, you’re so mean! Alice suffered while you were happy all on your own!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Wasn’t it great, being happy all by yourself? Even though you’re twins!”
What? This kid was off. His energy was oddly high, and his words made no sense.
Before I could respond, Gergys stepped in front of me, shielding me.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“It’s true, though! Right, Dad?” Luon asked innocently, turning to his father.
Rikraz smiled faintly, his expression hard to read.
“I planned to explain slowly, but you’ve gone ahead and spilled the secret.”
“But Alice is so pitiful! I swore to protect her, so I had to say something!” Luon clasped his hands together, smiling sweetly.
Gergys scowled and tapped his temple, muttering, “Crazy kid.”
“…Explain. Now,” I demanded, my voice trembling slightly.