Chapter 54 : Aurina and Sophia

“You’re lying! I just want to be with you!”

When the dragon said this, her golden eyes sparkled brightly as they locked onto Richard.

In that moment, her gaze held only him—as if he were the entire world.

Richard’s heart skipped a beat.

Then a wave of guilt surged up within him.

The looks from everyone else were no longer just strange—they were appalled.

Even Sophia, who had always spoken up for him, now wore a bewildered expression.

His first instinct was to push Aurina out of his arms, as if she were a seductive demon tempting him to fall.

Aurina tumbled to the ground, landing lightly.

But the next instant, she lunged forward again and wrapped herself tightly around Richard’s legs like an octopus, clinging to him with all four limbs.

Gasps filled the room.

Slamming the table, the father-in-law roared, “Richard! What in the world have you done?!”

Sophia quickly tried to defuse the situation.

“She must just be attached to him, that’s all.”

In the end, Richard had to pry Aurina’s fingers off one by one just to free himself.

“Richard!”

Aurina shouted at his retreating back.

“Don’t leave! You beast of burden!”

And with that, Richard bolted, practically fleeing the scene at a jog.

“Hmph.”

Pumanni crossed his arms in discontent.

“Seems like the rumors were true. Richard’s into kids after all. I really thought he was a decent guy.”

A flurry of hushed whispers followed, with the word “pedophile” tossed around more than once.

Sophia held Aurina in her arms and said, “Daddy, maybe she just sees Richard as a father figure. You know, like those baby birds who treat the first moving thing they see as their parent. Isn’t that right, Aurina?”

“Family? No way,” Aurina huffed from the warmth of Sophia’s chest, clearly frustrated her prey had escaped. “He’s just a little bug to me.”

“There, see?”

Pumanni said.

“If he really is a pervert, you better watch that marriage.”

Aurina ended up staying at Sophia’s place without any objections.

The two even shared the same bedroom—and were supposed to share the same bed.

But Aurina ran her hand over her dragon tail, reminiscing about her once-glorious, thick and mighty little brother from her past life, and decided to forgo the arrangement.

Without that precious thing, there was no joy to be had.

Aurina wasn’t about to lower herself to sleep in the same bed as a female bug.

Not even a single gold coin in it.

How pitiful.

So she found the highest, flattest spot in Sophia’s room—the top of the wardrobe—lined it with gold coins, and curled up to sleep there instead.

Time passed.

The sun sank beyond the window, light fading into darkness, and stars filled the sky.

“Aurina? Aurina?”

Sophia, fresh from her bath and wearing a robe, returned to the room calling out for her.

“Where are you?”

Aurina didn’t stir, still sprawled atop the pile of gold, fast asleep.

Sophia’s gaze swept around the room until it landed on something blue atop the wardrobe.

She squinted—was that…?

She fetched a chair, climbed up, and sure enough, found Aurina snuggled beneath a sky-blue cloak, snoring peacefully atop the glittering coins.

She poked her through the cloak a few times, calling her name over and over.

Finally, a small, adorable face emerged from under the blue cloth.

With a puff of sparks from her nostrils, Aurina muttered, “Bug, how dare you disturb this king’s slumber?”

Sophia couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Aren’t you going to sleep with me?”

“No.”

Teasing, Sophia said, “I thought you liked me.”

Aurina sighed, missing her once-magnificent dragon body.

“I do like you.”

“Then why not sleep with your big sis?”

“Your bed is pitiful. Not a single gold coin. This king would never stoop so low.”

Sophia laughed again.

Her eyes drifted toward the cloak wrapped around Aurina—it looked familiar.

“Where did you get that cloak?”

Aurina beamed with pride.

“It used to belong to Richard. But now it’s mine!”

Being able to steal even the smallest treasure from the strongest little bug made Aurina feel endlessly triumphant.

“You seem very happy.”

“Of course! It was Richard’s, after all.”

“Can I take a look?”

“Sure thing!”

Aurina hopped down from the wardrobe, the cloak flaring around her and sending gold coins clattering to the floor.

She opened her mouth and gave a single mighty inhale—every last coin vanished into her mouth.

Sophia stood stunned.

But as she watched Aurina proudly wave the sky-blue cloak, her expression stiffened.

This was the birthday gift she had made for Richard with her own hands.

“Can I look at it closely?” she asked.

“Looking is fine.”

Aurina flared the cloak out proudly, showing it in its entirety.

Sophia was certain now.

She had sewn every thread of the gilded embroidery by hand.

She still remembered Richard giving her a warhorse in return for the cloak.

“You really like that gift Richard got?”

“Of course!”

Aurina was practically glowing.

Only she, the greatest of all red dragons—the reigning champion ten times over—could claim such a prize from the strongest little bug while still in her youth.

“Can I trade you for it?”

Sophia asked.

“The embroidery is really meaningful to me. I sewed every stitch myself.”

“No.”

“I’ll give you ten gold coins.”

“No means no.”

Aurina sensed something and quickly opened her mouth wide, swallowing the entire cloak in one gulp.

Sophia forced a smile.

“Why not?”

“Because it belonged to Richard.”

A treasure taken from a powerful opponent was far more valuable.

Sophia took a deep breath.

Looking at Aurina, she reminded herself this was just a child—so she said nothing more.

“All right. You should go to sleep now,” she said, turning to sit at her desk and read from a scripture.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t focus.

Her mind kept drifting back to the sky-blue cloak. She had sewn it herself.

She still remembered pricking her finger from fatigue.

Had Richard given it to her?

That was plausible.

But… why that cloak specifically?

Could it be… did Richard like her after all?

A head appeared just above the table, startling Sophia.

She jumped, her chest rising.

“Aurina? When did you get here? Weren’t you sleeping?”

“Eight minutes ago,” Aurina replied with her head resting on the desk.

“I thought you were writing in your diary.”

Aurina wore the sky-blue cloak, which now looked enormous on her tiny frame.

Sophia could clearly see the golden embroidery—it was her handiwork, stitch by stitch.

Richard loved that cloak.

He said he’d wear it over his armor from then on.

But now, it wasn’t Richard who wore it.

It was Aurina.