The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

The Royal Wing is composed of a total of 6 floors.

My room is located at the far left of the 2nd floor, and the place where Brian and I are currently located is in the direction of the right side of the 3rd floor corridor.

If someone asks who lives there, I could say it’s a princess from some country whom I just encountered at the physical training ground.

Yeah, that’s not really important but…

“Papa!”

Why on earth are you here?

Nana, upon spotting me, let out a cheer and sprinted down the corridor.

“Papa…?”

At the word “Papa,” the two ladies wore puzzled expressions.

Ah, I was hoping she wouldn’t say that…

I quickly assessed Nana’s condition as she ran towards me.

A neatly wrapped cloak.

Folded wings.

Even the tail cleverly hidden inside her clothes.

To anyone, she looked like a typical child with nothing amiss.

It’s not exactly a relief, but can I say we’ve avoided the worst?

It didn’t seem like she was caught in the appearance of a dragon.

I hastily signaled to Brian next to me.

“……!”

Receiving the signal, Brian promptly scooped up the approaching Nana in his arms.

“Come on, Nana, let’s go back to your room now!”

“Why? I still want to play more!”

After securing Nana, he bowed to the princess and hurried down the stairs.

I approached the princess with a nonchalant face.

Princess Airen, without waiting, strode towards me.

“What are you doing, Cyan?”

She seemed somewhat angry about Nana being taken away so abruptly.

“Why suddenly take a child who was playing nicely… Don’t tell me, is she your child?”

“How could that be? She’s my cousin’s younger sister.”

Resimus, who had rushed over as well, asked me.

“But she called you ‘Papa’ when she saw you…”

“It’s just a nickname. She often calls other people ‘Papa’ as well.”

After all, thinking that I, an eleven-year-old, could be her father is strange, isn’t it?

Come to think of it, they are also only eleven years old.

It’s an age where on is not yet fully aware of certain concepts, so perhaps it’s not too far-fetched…?

I shook my head internally at the unnecessary thought.

“Cousin’s younger sister, you say…?”

“Yes. My cousin’s family had business in Luwen, so I was taking care of her for a while. Could you tell me where you found her?”

“Well, you see… She appeared before us not long after you left the training ground. She was looking for ‘Papa,’ so thinking she was a lost child, we took her in…”

Has this little one already learned teleportation magic?

Anyway, it seems she didn’t really come into contact with anyone else.

Judging by their reactions, it doesn’t seem like they saw the body of a dragonkin, they just took care of her appropriately.

“Well, anyway, it’s good that she found her family. I had no idea she was related to Cyan. You seem to like the child more than I thought?”

“What do you mean?”

“Nana was bragging quite a bit about you! She said you cherish and take good care of her. I thought she was talking about her dad when she said ‘Papa,’ but it must have been about you, right?”

What am I supposed to say…

I brushed it off, saying I just took care of her as much as I could.

“So, when is this child, I mean Nana, leaving?”

“She’s leaving today. In fact, we were just preparing for that.”

At the mention of leaving today, perhaps she felt a sense of loss.

A longing emotion seemed to be visible in her eyes.

“Is that so? It’s a shame she’s leaving without saying goodbye. Could we possibly say our last goodbyes?”

Blocking a farewell after having claimed she was my cousin might invite more suspicion.

I guess showing her face briefly before taking her away should suffice.

Just as I was about to answer,

“Papa!”

Suddenly, a cute voice came shooting up from the bottom of the stairs, striking my ears.

My eyes, instantly wide open, turned towards the bottom of the stairs.

The first thing my gaze fell upon was a pair of crimson wings poking out from the cloak.

“……!”

With her arms spread wide, the bold little one was running, no, flying towards me.

Following her was Brian, his face full of utter despair, rushing desperately.

Without a moment to think of a response, Nana’s cheerful face burrowed into my embrace.

And then, at that moment,

As if a ghost being whisked away by the wind, the hood covering Nana’s head gently slipped off.

-Swish

Two horns peeking out adorably among her pale pink hair.

These were parts of the body that should not and could not exist on a human.

I quickly raised my hand, covering Nana’s head with the hood again in a swift motion as if to cut off a target’s neck.

Breathlessly returning to the 3rd floor, Brian apologized,

“My apologies, young master! Nana suddenly insisted on going to you and ran off…!”

At this moment, Brian’s words weren’t the main concern.

The crucial matter was how many people had seen this impossible, not to be seen scene.

I slowly lifted my gaze to look at Princess Airen and Resimus.

“……!”

Even a risen corpse wouldn’t make such a face.

Their eyes and mouths were wide open, as if time had stopped, hardly able to close.

Amidst the silent flow of the moment among the four individuals,

Nana, in the midst, blinked her bright eyes as if wondering what the issue was.

* * *

“So, you mean… this child has nothing to do with Cyan, and was just found by chance before coming to the academy?”

“Yes. In fact, until she woke up, I really didn’t know she would.”

I responded with a natural look on my face.

“The more I look, the more fascinating it seems. A hybrid of dragon and human, she looks no different from us, with everything else aside…”

The same rooms, the same furniture, the same structure.

The Royal Wing dormitory, indistinguishable from the space where I live.

However, this is not my room.

The right end room of the 3rd floor of the Royal Wing.

The space where the 5th Princess of the Ushif Empire lives with a commoner-born noble of honor.

In other words, it was Princess Airen’s room.

I never thought I would enter her room in this manner, though it was necessary for explanation.

Meanwhile, Brian, as if he had become a mannequin, maintained a composed posture with a tense face.

It’s understandable he would be nervous, being a commoner entering the room of a royal family member.

However, no one was paying attention to Brian.

Airen and Resimus still couldn’t believe the situation, looking at Nana’s ears and tail with curious eyes.

Amidst this, Nana seemed to have exhausted her energy and was softly sleeping on the sofa.

“So, this child is now being raised in your room, Cyan?”

“Yes, well, that’s right. She’s an orphan, and it felt too lonely in the large room by myself, so I’m raising her with my knight.”

“I see, so that’s why you haven’t been attending classes much. It was to take care of Nana.”

It wasn’t exactly for that reason, but it seemed harmless to agree if they thought so.

“Such a pitiful child.”

Seemingly moved by compassion, Airen gently stroked the sleeping Nana’s head.

“A dragon and a human… A child that belongs to neither side, right? One that won’t be accepted by anyone…”

Did she see her own situation reflected in Nana’s?

Without needing an explanation, Princess Airen seemed to have already foreseen the sorrow Nana would face in the future.

“Really, Cyan is doing something good…”

I’m not sure if this can be called a good deed.

I just did what I wanted to do.

How to judge that action is up to each individual…

“Cyan, you don’t want Nana’s existence to be known to others, right?”

“That’s correct. There’s nothing good in it being known.”

“Then, I too, swear on my title as a princess, I will not speak of Nana’s existence to anyone. Resimus will do the same, right?”

“Of course, Princess Airen! I don’t see why I’d need to tell anyone anyway.”

After a brief pause, she asked quietly.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. It’s too sad for someone to become unhappy just by existing. I don’t want Nana to be unhappy either…”

Did she develop some affection in that brief moment?

It didn’t seem like she was lying.

Nor did she seem like a woman with ulterior motives.

“But, in exchange…”

“…?”

“Can I occasionally visit your room?”

“Excuse me?”

I thought I misheard and immediately asked again.

“Don’t get me wrong! I have no bad intentions! I just want to see Nana’s face from time to time!”

Her hands neatly together and her face flushed red.

The way she cautiously asked for permission reminded me of a pure young girl.

Well, that shouldn’t be a problem.

I sighed softly and said.

“However, I would appreciate it if you could limit frequent visits. The fact that a princess is entering and exiting the room of another noble could be seen in a negative light by others.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind…”

She looked at the peacefully sleeping Nana and smiled brightly.

Seeing that smile, I couldn’t help but think she was truly an unpredictable woman.

* * *

After finishing their conversation, Cyan returned to his room with Nana.

The sun had already set beyond the western sky seen through the window.

“It’s already getting dark? I guess I’ll have to do my training in the room today.”

Resimus, who had been gazing at Airen’s face, asked with a smile.

“You seem to be in a good mood?”

“Hm? Does it look like that?”

A bit flustered, Airen touched her flushed face.

“Your face is full of smiles. Did you enjoy talking with Lord Cyan that much?”

Resimus had been aware of Airen’s feelings towards Cyan for quite some time.

“What are you talking about? It’s not like that, Resimus!”

The person in question was unaware of her own feelings.

“It’s just… I feel like we’ve established at least a small connection now, and that makes me happy…”

A secret connection known only to themselves.

Thinking that she shared this with Cyan, it felt as if the invisible wall that had been between them had been slightly dismantled.

‘Maybe we’ve gotten a bit closer…?’

Airen hoped in her heart that this distance could become even closer.

* * *

[What? Something interesting happened while I was asleep?]

Interesting my foot.

It’s a relief we didn’t have to turn the entire academy upside down.

[Isn’t this little one impressive? Already mastering walking, eating, and now even escaping? Is it because she’s like her dad that she’ll grow up to be something big?]

That dad thing, she’s not talking about me, is she?

[But as for a hush payment, isn’t it too obvious? Do you really think that young princess would come to your room just to see this little one? Why not say you’re also hiding an enchanting magic sword while you’re at it?]

“Aren’t you embarrassed to say such things with your own mouth?”

Kaeram just smiled seductively as if wondering what the problem was.

[Anyhow, you do know you were lucky, right? This little one, she’s going to keep growing day by day. That means there’s even more chance of getting caught.]

I know.

Nana’s rapid growth has already exceeded my expectations,

And at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before her secret spreads beyond the Royal Wing.

What should I really do with her?

Knowing my complicated feelings or not,
Nana was just deeply engrossed in the snack Brian had brought.

“Perhaps taking her for a walk at times like this could be an option?”

Brian spoke to me, lost in thought.

“A walk?”

“Staying indoors all the time could stress Nana too. Maybe it’s better to take her outside for a look around during times when everyone’s asleep, like now?”

I stared at Brian’s face for a moment.

“Why… why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sometimes, you seem really smart, you know?”

“……?”

Brian scratched his head, not understanding what I meant.

(To be continued)