The Baby Isn’t Yours

Clang! Crash!

Sounds of something breaking and shattering could be heard from the bedroom of the King and Queen.

The startled Royal Guards instinctively tightened their grip on their swords at their waist and stared at the closed door with sharp eyes.

“Intruders?”

“How dare someone target His Majesty and Her Majesty…!”

It was the place where the most powerful individuals on the continent resided.

Although it was concerning to hear the sound of destruction from such a place, the guards, who were just ordinary knights, hesitated to intervene in a potential fight.

Nevertheless, they were loyal knights who had sworn to protect their liege.

‘Let’s go and check.’

The two determined guards met eyes and were about to draw their swords from their scabbards when suddenly,

“Uh, uh, uh! Uh, uh! Oh, no, no, it’s not… No. It’s not!”

Hemmie, who was patrolling the castle, hurriedly ran over to them and stopped them.

“It’s not what you think. Put it back. Oh, really, it’s not like that!”

Hemmie, who had been rapidly promoted to senior knight, had just been assigned to the palace guard.

She was a knight loved enough by Kalia to personally teach her swordsmanship. In that sense, she was well-known, and the knights couldn’t help but hesitate when they saw her.

“You both haven’t been here for long, have you? From what I see, you seem like newcomers…”

“What do you mean?”

“Ah, Isaac is such a troublemaker. Playing pranks again…”

Isaac was currently the deputy commander of the palace guard.

It was Isaac who ordered them to guard this position, so the two guards looked at each other with bewildered eyes upon hearing Hemmie’s words.

“Whenever a newcomer arrives, he always tells them to guard the King and Queen’s bedroom. By guarding that place, you can develop the composure to face any situation and so on… But it’s nonsense. You two are probably the least necessary people to guard them in the world.”

The knights were inwardly taken aback by Hemmie’s blunt words, but they couldn’t stop her words from pouring out like a torrent.

At that moment, as Hemmie paused, as if hearing something, she pushed the two knights forward.

“Go quickly. Hurry. Before you hear any worse sounds. If you want to guard, then guard from the end of that corridor.”

“No, even if that’s the case, we received the orders from the Deputy Commander. We cannot move without permission.”

“Our mission is to guard this place.”

‘Huh.’

Hemmie touched her forehead.

Ah, I don’t know either. There are some things you only learn by experiencing them.

“…Well, do as you please. Oh, but even if you hear any sounds from inside, don’t go in! It’s probably locked anyway. And remember, inside, master Simon has set up multiple barriers and defensive magic circles, so no one can invade. Got it? I’m going now!”

Hemmie didn’t wait for them to respond and quickly left.

Her footsteps running away were urgent.

She knew that soon strange sounds would start coming from inside.

‘I warned you! I don’t know!’

Based on her experience, whenever she heard something breaking, it was usually accompanied by a tremendous force and noise.

Later, when she entered, something in the bedroom would inevitably be broken.

And sure enough, the sounds that soon reached their ears caused the knights’ faces to gradually redden.

‘What did I say? Ugh.’

Grumbling, Hemmie hurriedly ran to the outdoor table at the gazebo in the northern garden, where Allen and Derek were untangling the ropes.

“Allen, Derek!”

“Hemmie!”

Allen and Derek, who were sitting in a place overlooking the fairy forest, greeted Hemmie with open arms as she ran towards them.

Allen and Hemmie, who were as close as siblings, hugged each other tightly with joy as soon as they met.

“It’s been so long! Have you been well during this time? Were you healthy?”

In response to Hemmie’s greeting, Allen smiled affectionately as usual and replied:

“I’m always healthy.”

“Derek, you’ve lost a lot of weight, haven’t you?”

“Don’t say that. If I keep going like this, I won’t be able to live up to my name.”

“Why don’t you take it easy? How about taking a break for about a year?”

“Master Simon isn’t the type to let me take a break. I have to take responsibility for my abilities.”

The three of them, who had just untangled the ropes, looked at the sparkling fairy forest and shared the wine they had brought.

Hemmie, who had come of age, swallowed the wine as if it were water, refreshing herself.

Thanks to that, five more wine bottles appeared around the three of them.

However, Derek looked at Hemmie, who still had a youthful face, and grumbled, “You should stay young. Why doesn’t magic work for rejuvenation?” as he shook his head.

“Oh, by the way, I heard that His Majesty’s engagement ceremony is scheduled for early next month. So His Majesty also mentioned that we should hurry.”

“Hmm, they said it was a little earlier because they had to adjust the date with Nathan.”

They said they would wait a month before holding the wedding ceremony…

“Oh, how wonderful! How grand and magnificent it will be!”

“Are you going too, Hemmie?”

“No, I can’t. I have little children to take care of and I have to protect this palace.”

“Oh, I heard you’re sponsoring an orphanage?”

“Yes, there are many children left behind after that day. That’s the part that His Majesty is most concerned about.”

“I see. In many ways, he’s a good person.”

The three of them laughed warmly and raised their glasses once again.

It was a peaceful moment that seemed unbelievable compared to the horrific sight of that day.

The grasshoppers sang cheerfully, the wine had a pleasant sweetness, and when they turned their heads, the fairy forest shimmered with a mysterious light.

Perhaps because they had witnessed a tragedy.

Just being able to freely enjoy the night air without any worries filled them with happiness.

“Now, let’s see each other often.”

“Yes, let’s see each other often. From now on.”

“Sounds good, I like it. Whether it’s alcohol or honey, I don’t know. Let tomorrow be just like today. Please.”

Derek flopped down and gazed up at the sky filled with countless stars.

Living a normal daily life, feeling the tranquility, meeting friends, and laughing without pretense.

He felt anew that happiness was found in the simple things.

It was a night flowing with the rhythm of everyday life.

* * *

Paaa!

Fairy energy gathered in the air.

Drea and the mole spirit, who were engrossed in a fairy tale told by a maid with a melodious voice, were the first to react.

The mole hid under the bed, and with a flutter of her wings, Drea quickly clung to Shaik’s side.

It was a response to a natural enemy.

And in the meantime, a blue bird appeared in the sky, chirping, and a gate opened.

The maid, who had been reading the fairy tale, calmly got up, as if it wasn’t surprising, and moved away from her position.

At the same time, Kalexia appeared beyond the gate.

“Gwandpa!”

When Shaik called out to him happily, Kalexia smiled and reached out his hand towards Shaik.

But then he noticed Drea, who was clinging to Shaik’s shoulder with a frightened look in her eyes, and stopped.

With a smirk, Kalexia made eye contact with the baby and spoke.

“A white dragon has come.”

In response, Drea wrinkled her cute little brow and pursed her lips, retorting.

“…Drea is not a white dragon, Drea is Drea!”

Even though she had a fearful look in her eyes, her desire to speak with a firm grip on Shaik’s shoulder was adorable.

Despite her instinctual fear of the Fairy King, her confident and upright personality was quite appealing.

Kalexia smiled and gently stroked Drea’s white hair.

The young dragon shrunk her body at his large touch but didn’t lower her gaze, staring intently at him.

The soft, violet sheen of her hair slid smoothly through his fingers.

She was still a baby, so her head was small, and her hair was thin.

A tiny body, not much different from Shaik’s.

There was an innate aversion to dragons, but it seemed to be an exception with this young dragon.

Moreover, watching her grow alongside Shaik, he couldn’t help but develop a fondness for her, albeit unknowingly.

And on top of that, this young dragon had the audacity to imprint on his grandnephew right after being born.

Since the connection of an imprint couldn’t be easily broken, these two had to have a positive influence on each other.

It was fortunate that the white dragon seemed to like Shaik so much.

Kalexia raised one eyebrow mischievously and responded with a playful smile.

“Alright, I got it. White dragon.”

“…!”

‘…But I’m Drea, Dre-a!’

If it were someone else, she would cry and thrash around, denying that she was anyone else but herself. But she couldn’t do that to Shaik’s great-grandfather.

It wasn’t like he would do anything to her, but for some reason, he felt strangely scary.

‘Just wait and see, when I grow up, I’ll definitely…! Definitely…!’

Drea, who was earnestly rolling her small head, felt frustrated.

‘But there’s nothing I can do even if I grow up!’

What could a child really do in front of Shaik’s great-grandfather?

The baby pouted and clung to Shaik’s back, looking gloomy.

Kalexia chuckled and tousled Drea’s hair before lifting Shaik up in his arms.

“Shaik, I think I need to tell you something unfortunate. It’s about the sword I was supposed to give you.”

It was the story of the sword that Shaik used in his previous life, the one that was buried in the Shrine of the Divine Dragon.

Shaik blinked and looked at Kalexia.

The image of the sword appeared vividly before his eyes.

However, the sensation of holding that swung sword didn’t come to mind.

His memories were gradually fading even in this moment.

Shaik exclaimed anxiously:

“The sword…”

“Oh… I guess there were high expectations. What should I do about this apology? That sword isn’t the one I was looking for. It was one of the two swords he used at the time, but the one I was searching for was the divine sword he held in his right hand. But it’s gone. Even though the land’s children searched everywhere, they said it couldn’t be found. It’s probably sealed somewhere…”

“A… Ah…”

Kalexia looked at Shaik’s noticeably shaking pupils with regret.

He rummaged through his embrace and took out Leah’s gift.

“Fortunately, I safely retrieved Leah’s gift. Your Grandpa will definitely want to see the divine sword, so can you wait a little longer?”

Shaik felt disappointed but accepted that there was nothing he could do.

In fact, even if he received the divine sword in his current baby body, he wouldn’t have any use for it right away.

He would need to grow up for at least another ten years before he could wield it, wouldn’t he?

The problem was whether his memories would still be intact within those ten years or not.

Nevertheless, he considered himself fortunate that there was at least a record, so he smiled warmly as if he knew nothing.

“Thank you!”

“You know how to say thank you now. You’ve grown up. You’ve all grown up.”

Kalexia kissed Shaik’s forehead, who held Leah’s gift tightly, and then gently stroked Drea’s head as she stared at the two of them intently. After that, he returned to the fairy village.

Left behind, Shaik held the record that Kalexia had given him, cherishing it.

This massive book, sealed by Leah’s power, was said to be the only record of that day on the continent.

It was written by the elder of the forest, who was Leah’s confidant, and Leah herself had finished reviewing it.

It was Leah who found and brought back what had momentarily disappeared when the elder died.

However, she didn’t know how much it would preserve Shaik’s memories, as it wasn’t an item from his past life.

Still, it was much better than having nothing, and with that thought in mind, Shaik lightly touched the edge of the large book with his fidgeting hand.

‘If only I had the sword, especially that divine sword…’

Nevertheless, the lingering disappointment didn’t easily fade away.

Drea, who had been silently watching Shaik slumping down, spread her wings and flew towards him.

Whack!

Shaik’s small body wobbled as he was hit by the flying attack of the baby dragon.

“Drea…!”

Surprised, Shaik turned his head abruptly, calling out the name of the baby dragon in anger.

At that moment, Drea opened her arms wide and pulled him into a tight embrace, saying, “Sasha, love.”

“For Drea, Sasha is the most lovable in the world. Sasha, I love you so much. Good. Good.”

With an even cuter face, Drea smiled brightly, lightly patting her cheek against Shaik’s shoulder, continuously expressing how much she liked him.

‘…Sigh.’

Shaik, feeling helpless and disappointed, hung his head dejectedly.

“What…”

“Sasha makes Drea happy!”

“Drea, do you see me like that?”

“Uh-huh! Of course. Sasha is the best for Drea!”

“But I can’t be with you.”

“…What do you mean we can’t?”

“…Uhh, forget it! Forget it! Why should I bother a baby like this!”

It was an annoying and bothersome but utterly irresistible white dragon.

Shaik lay down flat on his back, pretending not to care.

Following Shaik, Drea also flopped down beside him.

“…Well, whatever. Mm, sleepy. I don’t care anymore.”

Muttering incomprehensible words to himself, Shaik shook his head wearily.

Drea played with Shaik’s hair, tickling it, but Shaik had no energy to push away her touch.

‘I’m sleepy.’

Drowsiness appeared in Shaik’s eyes.

As his baby eyes slowly closed, the maid who had been reading them a bedtime story entered the room to check on them.

A smile appeared on the maid’s face as she looked at their faces while scanning the bed.

“…How can they be so adorable?”

The two babies, who had been tossing and turning, were fast asleep, holding each other’s hands.

It was an endearing sight that would bring a smile to anyone’s face.

“Have sweet dreams, our little babies.”

The maid adjusted the room’s lighting, covered Shaik and Drea with a blanket, and quietly closed the door after leaving.

On that affectionate and peaceful night, Shaik’s lively birthday came to an end.