Living My Fourth Life as the Dragon's Daughter

This life is not far off yet.

When the last day of this year comes, Hyazelki would be 6 years old. Yeah, she’s only six years old.

So she thought it would be okay to run away in this situation.

Tap.Tap!



“Oh, My Lady!”



Albert was heard calling for her in a hurry, but Hyazelki ran toward the castle with all her might.

Even if she ran away anyway, she will soon return to the castle, so it will be useless.

Still, Hyazelki thought it would be best to avoid it for now.

Because it wasn’t a great atmosphere in the prison-like room.

Moreover, Albert’s expression was so fierce that it was even scarier than Kael’s own expression.

After jumping into the castle, Hyazelki quickly ran into her room.

Yuri, who was preparing cookies and tea in the room, opened the door and welcomed her as she jumped in.

“Oh, welcome Miss. I was just about to pick you up.”



She did run away.



‘Yuri… I feel like I’ve been peeking at something unbelievable…… Will it be okay?’



Instead of saying the word out of her mouth, Hyazelki ran and hugged Yuri.



“Miss?”



‘What if I’m hated, what if I can’t stay here anymore, what if I can’t live with everyone?’

‘I’ve already adjusted to the life in this castle.’

The thought of living alone again apart from them made her mood turn dark.

As she was worried with such a down face, she felt Yuri’s soft touch.

The fragrant of the golden baked cookies brushed the tip of her nose, as Yuri’s hand gently swept her back.

So Hyazelki felt more at ease.

‘…oh, it smells delicious.’



Even though she was distracted by the sweet scent, Yuri looked at the child with an anxious face, wondering what might have happened.

Kael and Albert should have returned to the castle by now, but Hyazelki was bothered and anxious for them not showing up.

It would be difficult if they appeared, but she was also anxious because they still did not appear.



“Did something happen?”

“No.”



When asked by Yuri, who was stroking her head, Hyazelki replied immediately. It was rather suspicious because it was an overly quick answer.

As Yuri squinted her eyes, Hyazelki turned her head and avoided her gaze.

Knock, knock.

Then, they heard a knock on the door.

Turning her head, Hyazelki was relieved and troubled at the same time to think that it might be Kael and Albert.

She stared at the slowly opening door with a complex face.

“Are you here? My Lady….”



Hyazelki found Albert stepping inside, and closed her mouth while trying to say something.

She wanted to apologize for sneaking after them, but her face was still white.

So the child quickly hid behind Yuri.



“Miss?”



Albert’s face turned whiter in response.



“Miss…… for a moment…….”



Albert’s outstretched fingertips trembled.



‘What if I can’t even say sorry and I can’t live in this castle anymore?’



A prickly voice rose in her heart. For a moment, voices from the past passed by her ears.

‘How many times do I have to tell you to understand? Do you want to be kicked out of this house?’

‘We don’t have time for you. We’re busy!’



Hiazelky, who flinched her shoulders, curled up tightly holding Yuri’s skirt.

She looked as if he were trembling with fear.

Seeing the reaction, Albert dropped his hand helplessly.



“Hey, this is…… What am I supposed to do about this?….”



The butler touched his forehead with a tired look.

Yuri, who became more confused and couldn’t grasp the situation, asked Albert with a questioning face.



“What’s the matter? What’s wrong with you?….”

“……what happens in the judgement room…… she must have seen it.”

“What?”



Yuri opened her mouth wide and looked back at Hyazelki, who was hanging on her leg.

‘Oh, I shouldn’t have seen it.… Am I going to be kicked out?….’



The worry about not being able to stay here any longer, rose again. Hyazelki was about to cry.

Tears welled up in the eyes of the child who grabbed Yuri’s skirt.

Surprised, Yuri hurriedly knelt on one knee, lowered her posture, and held Hyazelki in her arms.



“It’s all right, Miss.”



The child dug into Yuri’s arms even more with the pat on the back.



“……Then the Master…….”

“I think he’s very shocked too. He didn’t come this way but went to the study. I’m here to see how Miss is doing.….”



Hyazelki, who was in Yuri’s arms, looked up with a surprised face.



‘He is unhappy?’

Hyazelki was worried that she might be hated. Maybe he would be angry.

But when Albert said he was very sad, she got confused.

Hiazelky, who blinked her big bell-like eyes a couple of times, soon plucked up courage and escaped from Yuri’s arms.

The butler, who found her coming to him, quickly lowered his posture like Yuri and adjusted his eye level with the child.



“Miss, you must have been very surprised, but that was…….”



Albert, who opened his mouth to explain the situation earlier, finally blurred the end of his words.

He had no idea how to explain it to the soon-to-be six-year-old.



“So…”

“Did Papa go to the study?”

“Yes? Oh, yes. Master has gone to the study.”

“Why?”

“It’s…”

“Does Papa hate me now?”

“What?”

Looking at Hyazelki dropping her eyebrows and crying, the butler waved his hands urgently.



“No, no, never!”

“Then?”

“He, My lady…… My lord, you’re afraid, you are afraid…… right?



Albert wanted to cover his mouth, for spitting out the questions over and over again for fear of the answer he knew would return even if he didn’t ask.

Recently, their Master has changed to the point where the atmosphere has softened.

Master, who always looked up at the sky with a cold face, now sometimes laughed and read books in the study with the child.

If Hyazelki is afraid of Kael…… Perhaps he judged that they would not be able to see such images anymore.

But contrary to the butler’s concern, Hyazelki shook her head slowly.



“What Papa does is…… It’s my first time seeing it with my own eyes, but I knew it.”

“Huh? How…….”

She didn’t answer the question and looked away.

But Albert didn’t bother to question that part.

The white dragon, the Dragon Ciel, who brought the child. So even if she didn’t know, she could understand.

When Albert found out that Hyazelki was not afraid of Kael, his face turned bright.



“Then Miss…why did you run away earlier?”



Albert, who held her hand tightly, asked almost at the verge of tears.

Hyazelki, who was thinking for a moment about what to answer, secretly avoided the butler’s gaze.



“…… Albert…… had a scary face.”

“…….”

“I ran away because I was afraid of being hated…….”

“…….”



Albert, who had been hardened for a while, jerked his head around, feeling chills down his spine.

There was no one behind him.

The butler, who looked around a few more times, confirmed that no one was there and swept his chest.



“………Yuri, this is…….”

“I won’t say anything.”



Yuri replied before Albert could finish his sentence.



“If the Master knows, I may die…….”

“Yes, perhaps…….”



He was devastated by Hyazelki’s escape, which was actually because of himself.

Just imagining what would happen when Kael found out about it gave them goosebumps.

Hyazelki, who was just listening to the conversation between the two, pulled Albert’s sleeve.



“Can I go to Papa?”

“What? Of course! You can go…….”

The butler, who wanted to send the child to his Master, nodded and grabbed her again urgently.



“Oh, My lady.”

“What?”

“That, thank you…… Please don’t tell Master that you ran away because you were scared of my face…….”

“……I’ll be back!”



Hyazelki, who was rolling her eyes away from Albert’s gaze, ran away with a powerful greeting instead of answering.



“Miss, Miss!”

“It’s not something she can do without saying anything.”

“If I die, Yuri, please send all the books in the butler’s room to Humphrey family…….”

“…… is there the record you keep on Master?”

“…….”

“I think it’ll be dangerous even if it gets caught.”



It was like a diary he had been keeping for a long time on Kael. It’s been a thing for generations in the Humphrey family.

Since Hyazelki came to the castle, there have been many things to write about and the amount has increased considerably.

Albert, who buried his face in both hands, murmured that he still could not give up the record.



* * *



The sound of patting and running rang the long hallway.

Through the slightly open door, Hyazelki tucked himself in.

In the quiet atmosphere of the study, the child raised her heels and walked carefully.

Hyazelki, who inhaled the air of the library full of the smell of books, found Kael among the rows of bookshelves.

Black hair was tied up and sticking out here and there.

He always ties his hair roughly like that whenever he comes to the study.

The child peeking out of the bookcase sang quietly.



“Papa.”



Kael, who had a profound face with his fingers on the book, was startled by the small voice.

Then he checked Hyazelki and took a couple of steps back.

It was like a reaction when he first saw her.

Hyazelki, who recalled their first meeting, ran to Kael and grabbed Kael’s hem at once.



“Hi, Hia….”



Normally, he would have held her hand, but Kael made an unnatural move.

When Hyazelki heard that he was very sad, she bowed her head because she didn’t know how to make him happy.

Even though she was hated all the time, she couldn’t figure out why she wanted him to be happy.

She doesn’t know how to make him feel better, and she only knows how to apologize.

Hyazelki said with a feeling full of guilt.



“Master?”



Then Kael freaked out and hugged the child tightly.



“Hia, I told you not to call me Master.”

“But that’s what everyone calls it.”

Hyazelki said with a face pretending to know everything.



“Never mind. You can’t call me that.”

“Yes, Papa.”

“That…”



Even though it was his usual title called by Hyazelki alone, Kael still looked a little dissatisfied.

Kael seemed a little worried, and then said in a voice that seemed to be softened even more.



“You can call me whatever you want.”

“What?”

“………You can call me by my name like Jiel, or dad…….”

“Can I do that?”

“Yes, if it’s you, it’s fine.”



Somehow, Kael didn’t like being called by humans. But he thought it would be okay for Hyazelki to call him anything.

Of course, it was an excuse to call his name, and somehow the name he wanted to hear a little was added later.

Hyazelki seemed a little hesitant, but soon opened her small lips.



“……Yes, but I like Papa.”



Unable to bear the courage to call him Dad, Hyazelki hugged Kael’s neck and hid her face in his wide shoulders .



“I’m sorry… I will never go to see Papa work again. So……… So, please don’t hate me.”