The carriage was parked right in front of the restaurant. Mikhail paused beside it, taking a few steadying breaths. He glanced at his reflection in the carriage window to confirm his expression was composed before opening the door. He was certain the dragon would have something to say about his tardiness, so Mikhail spoke up first.
“I’m a little la—”
The communication had taken longer than expected, and the dragon had probably been stuck waiting, bored out of his mind. Mikhail was just about to step in and apologize when—
“—te?”
His eyes widened the moment he saw Luce asleep inside the carriage. As his voice trailed off, it softened into barely more than a whisper. That was the end of his sentence, and Mikhail promptly shut his mouth.
Carefully, he closed the carriage door, trying not to make any sound that might wake Luce. The soft rhythm of Luce’s breathing filled the sun-warmed interior of the carriage.
Click. Even the smallest noise made Mikhail glance nervously at Luce. Fortunately, he didn’t stir.
“……”
Was he that tired?
Mikhail silently took the seat across from him. The moment he looked at Luce’s sleeping face, it felt as though he had been transported back to his days with Adrian at Basamiel.
Birdsong filtered in from outside, peaceful and serene. Sunlight poured through the window, bathing Luce’s face in a golden glow. Even in sleep, he furrowed his brow slightly against the brightness. Mikhail watched him quietly for a moment, then slowly reached out a hand.
Unconsciously, he mouthed something, his lips moving ever so slightly. It would be a problem if Luce woke up from the motion, but Mikhail couldn’t stop himself from asking—at least silently—the question that had been gnawing at him.
…What is your real name?
As Mikhail’s hand blocked the sunlight, Luce’s creased brow gradually smoothed out. He slept on, face peaceful, as if he knew nothing.
“Luce Fennigan? Or…”
Mikhail bit the inside of his cheek, swallowing down the rest of his words. If this dragon’s name wasn’t Luce Fennigan…
He gazed intently at the man’s sleeping face. Ever since taking on a human body, Luce had experienced hunger for the first time, and it seemed he hadn’t been sleeping properly either. Wasn’t it uncomfortable to sleep inside a carriage? Mikhail wondered silently but didn’t want to wake him.
The coachman wouldn’t move until Mikhail gave the signal, and they had more than enough time to let Luce rest like this.
***
Golden eyelashes fluttered, then slowly lifted. Beneath the eyelids, his eyes gradually came into view, and Luce Fennigan—who had been still as a meticulously crafted sculpture—finally stirred.
Ah, I must’ve dozed off for a bit in the carriage. I figured this might happen.
Luce ran a hand through his tousled hair, smoothing it out roughly, and lifted his cheek from where it had been pressed against the window.
The sunlight had been blazing, and yet he’d slept just fine. He rubbed his cheek lightly with the back of his hand, thinking this to himself. Despite the sun beating down on him for who knows how long, the warmth he felt on his skin wasn’t all that strong.
Opening his eyes slightly, he spotted Mikhail sitting directly across from him, reading a book.
“…When did you get here? Didn’t even make a sound.”
Luce stretched, grumbling. In this frail human body of his, he’d apparently been so exhausted that not even the creak of the carriage door could wake him.
Mikhail turned a page calmly, replying with a neutral expression. “I arrived just a moment ago.”
“That so?”
The scenery outside the carriage hadn’t changed—it was still parked in the exact same spot as when he fell asleep. Huh? Luce noticed this and raised an eyebrow.
“Then why haven’t we left yet?”
“The coachman stepped away for a bit. And… if you’re tired, feel free to lie down and rest properly.”
That’s what the carriage is for, after all.
Mikhail spoke without even glancing up at him. Luce gave a soft snort and replied with a crooked smile.
“No need. I slept plenty.”
He wasn’t exactly sure how long he’d been out, but it wasn’t so little that he felt like lying down again.
Mikhail seemed to pick up on the sincerity behind his words and gave a nod.
“In that case, we can depart immediately.”
He lightly tapped the back wall of the carriage with his hand. At that signal, the coachman, who had been waiting, announced their departure and urged the horses forward. Didn’t Mikhail just say the coachman had stepped away for a moment? Luce caught the contradiction in Mikhail’s words and froze mid-motion, his hand still tangled in his hair. But Mikhail had already fixed his gaze on the book in his hands, making it clear he had no intention of answering any questions.
There must be a reason. Luce turned his head toward the window instead.
For a while, neither of them spoke. Luce gazed out the window while Mikhail continued reading. The rhythmic clatter of hooves against the firm ground filled the silence, accompanied by the gentle creak and sway of the carriage.
“By the way.”
Just before the silence could stretch any further, Mikhail’s voice cut through it. He turned a page in his book, still not looking up.
“Do you know why I’m looking for Adrian Heather’s body?”
That had been the very first thing he’d said after being summoned through the dragon’s scale and asked what his wish was. It was the reason for this whole ordeal, so of course Luce already knew.
“You said you wanted to give him a proper funeral, didn’t you?”
His tone was blunt.
Mikhail tilted his head slightly, as if dissatisfied with that answer. His sharp gaze bore into Luce, who maintained a casual expression.
“But I never told you why I want to give him a funeral, did I?”
“…No, you didn’t.”
Luce replied honestly—he’d never been curious in the first place.
“I’m granting your wish. Why should I care about every little detail?”
“‘Little detail’?”
Mikhail’s eyes gleamed sharply at his choice of words.
“The reason I’m searching for his body is not a minor detail.”
Ah… maybe that wording was off. Just as Luce opened his mouth to amend it, Mikhail’s quiet voice filled the entire carriage.
“I liked Adrian.”
“……”
Just like that?
Luce clamped his mouth shut. He glanced sideways at Mikhail, who still wore a perfectly neutral expression. Luce scratched his temple with his index finger, then finally spoke again.
“…And?”
Of course he already knew that, but he couldn’t exactly admit it.
“And Adrian knew that I liked him.”
“……”
“That’s why I’m looking for him.”
To the dragon, this was a thoroughly uninteresting story.
“Ahh. I see.”
Luce’s flat, lukewarm response made Mikhail’s eyes narrow.
Seated across from him, Mikhail didn’t look away for even a second, watching Luce’s every twitch and expression like he was trying to read the truth from them.
“I used to imagine it sometimes. If Adrian knew I was out here searching for his body… I wonder how he’d react.”
Mikhail didn’t pause to give Luce time to respond. He kept going.
“Would he be moved? Knowing that at least I gave him a proper farewell? Or maybe…”
His red eyes locked straight onto Luce’s. That gaze was intense—like a hunter staring down prey, relentless enough to track it across the entire continent. If Luce had been just a normal human, that stare alone might’ve pried the truth from him without his even realizing it. But Luce wasn’t human. His body might be, but inside, he was still a dragon. That kind of stare had no power over him.
“Or, if he really was a dragon… he’d probably just be annoyed at me for making such a mess of things. What do you think?”
“Why ask me that?”
With the indifference built up over eons of life, Luce deflected the question again. Mikhail stared at him for a moment, then gave a faint, wry smile.
“I’ve tried imagining every possible reaction, but I could never figure out what he’d really say. That’s why I’m curious what you think.”
“…Why me, though?”
“Hm. Who knows.”
Still smiling faintly, Mikhail folded his arms.
“Just because?”
“So vague.”
Luce finally let out a silent sigh of relief, thinking that strange conversation had come to an end.
But it hadn’t. Mikhail kept speaking, his expression still perfectly composed. But this was the real reason he had brought up Adrian in the first place.
“Well, either way, Adrian was expelled… Even if he were still alive, he wouldn’t have been able to keep attending Basamiel with us.”
Huh?
Luce’s brow rose at Mikhail’s odd statement.
“…Expelled?”
I got expelled? From the academy? And I was only in my first year?
But that wasn’t something he could just ask Mikhail outright.
