Bringar's Grand Palace.
The girl, still lying on the bed after being treated, gasped for breath, unable to regain consciousness.
"..."
Day Bringar sat by the girl's bedside, looking at her condition with a dark expression.
Just then, the captain who entered the room, Leighton, reported to Day Bringar.
"The investigation shows that not only is there no family register, but no registered personal details at all... She likely comes from the slums."
"...Why is she so injured?"
"It is common for children from the slums to get hurt and die, your majesty."
"Common?"
Day Bringar raised his voice in anger and turned around, to which Leighton coldly replied without changing his expression."Your Majesty. A nation without poverty and crime does not exist. You know this, don't you?"
"..."
"Even with your benevolent rule, someone in the shadows is starving or getting stabbed. You are a great person, but not a god. These things happen."
"...I know, Captain Leighton. I am a flawed queen, and this country is not perfect. But still."
Day Bringar quietly looked at the girl's unconscious face.
"While there are festivals in the sunlight of my country, children like this are dying in the shadows."
"..."
Leighton, glancing at the girl on the bed, sighed softly.
"It's too late for this child. She has been hurt too much in her weakened state. She probably won't survive the night."
"..."
"Leave it to me, Your Majesty. I will ensure she is buried well..."
"No."
Day Bringar rejected the idea outright and slowly got up.
"This child starving and getting hurt to death is my... and this country's responsibility."
Day Bringar's calloused hand moved towards her mouth. Her dragonblood lineage's distinctive sharp teeth were visible.
"I have misruled the nation; it is my responsibility."
"Your Majesty, surely..."
"I will save her."
Leighton opened his mouth in shock. Day Bringar declared earnestly.
"I will make this child my vassal... my dragon knight, Captain Leighton."
Day Bringar bit her little finger, drawing blood, and brought the dripping droplet to the girl's lips.
"No objections."
"Your Majesty! That's not poss...!"
Leighton had no time to intervene.
The droplet of dragonblood lady's essence fell into the girl's lips.
***
When she opened her eyes, the girl thought she had died and gone to heaven.
Sunlight poured through a gap in the curtains. The feather pillow was soft, and the blanket was warm. Her body, freshly washed, smelled of nice soap.
The girl truly believed she had died.
Could she now live in a world without pain or hunger?
Gurgle-
"...?"
But it wasn't so.
This was reality, and though clean, her body was still hungry. The girl groaned, sitting up.
'I'm starving...'
As she clutched her aching stomach and looked up, she noticed something.
"...!"
On the small plate on the bedside table were bread and fruit.
Unconsciously swallowing her saliva, a voice came from the other side of the bed.
"It's alright. It's yours, eat up."
Startled, the girl looked in that direction, seeing a woman in uniform dealing with paperwork, wearing reading glasses.
The woman—Day Bringar—smiled kindly at her.
"You must be very hungry? Eat comfortably."
"..."
Hesitantly, the girl reached out her trembling hand and picked up the bread. She bit into it desperately.
The scent of the grains she hadn't eaten in so long filled her mouth.
Tears unknowingly flowed down the girl's cheeks.
She couldn't even think about swallowing as the tears streamed down.
"I guess, I must be dead, huh...?"
She murmured.
"If it’s not the afterlife, no one would treat me this warmly..."
"This is certainly reality. And."
Day Bringar grinned slightly.
"From now on, many people will treat you warmly, my child."
The queen gently stroked the girl's hair. Then, the girl finally managed to swallow the bread in her mouth.
The tear-soaked bread tasted incredibly sweet.
***
The girl's name was Soot. It meant 'soot'. (TL Note: The first one was 수트 (su-teu).)
"It's what I've been called, though I don't know since when..."
When she was an infant, the girl who was found in a mining village and grew up roaming the back alleys spent her life amidst soot, ashes, filth, and trash.
Thus, wearing such clean clothes and getting dressed up was a first in her life. The tightening ribbon around her neck made her feel uncomfortable, causing her to twitch repeatedly.
"Soot, Soot... That's a good name."
Day Bringar, who had personally adjusted the girl's clothes, smiled with her full lips.
"Let me say this first, Soot. From now on, you must live with me."
Although it was a joyful and surprising thing to say, Soot could not understand.
She had realized it late, but surely, the other person was the Dragon Lady, the queen of this country.
Why would she want to live with someone as insignificant as herself?
"I have fed you my blood... the dragonblood, and transfused it to you. Now, dragon's blood flows in your body."
Startled, Soot watched as Day Bringar, as if making excuses, scratched the back of her head.
"Surprised? But you were so weak, I had no choice but to save you. Even then, you lost consciousness for a few more days. How fortunate it is that you have woken up like this."
What shocked Soot was not understanding why Day Bringar would do such a thing for someone like her.
She no longer had the courage to ask.
Afraid that if she asked, and Day Bringar couldn't find a reason, she might be driven away...
"So, am I becoming a dragon now?"
Thus, she changed the subject. Day Bringar kindly explained.
"You've acquired 'part' of the qualifications, but no. To become a dragon, you need the dragon's heart, the dragonblood, and... one more crucial thing."
One crucial thing?
Not having any idea what that could be, Soot cocked her head.
Day Bringar, finding Soot's reaction adorable, stroked her head, then led her deeper into the palace.
The Audience Hall.
The place, large but modest without a single jewel on the throne, was where Day Bringar entered.
She sat on the throne, and Soot hesitantly stood beside her.
Then, she noticed something a beat later.
"...!"
In front of the throne, two people were bound and kneeling.
A young woman with tattoos all over her body, and an old veteran with one of his legs replaced by a prosthetic.
"Following the great Dragon Lady's command, we have caught the culprits," reported Leighton, Day Bringar's loyal captain, who had scoured the city like hunting rats for days to find the perpetrators who had brought Soot to death's door.
"Please dictate their punishment."
"Hmm."
Day Bringar's eyes emitted a cold light.
"Since they dared to touch my vassal and dragon knight, they deserve a proper punishment."
Both the woman and the veteran shook like aspen trees.
It was nothing new in the slums for a poor kid to be beaten to death, a common occurrence day in and day out.
But unfortunately, they had caught the queen's eye.
If they had remained unseen, it might have been ignored, but once noticed, they must be dealt with. That was the queen's duty, and the two criminals knew it well.
"Now, Soot."
Day Bringar turned to Soot and said,
"These are the people who did this to you."
"..."
"I have received the investigation results. They exploited you and beat you to near death. What punishment do you wish for them? I will dispose of them as you desire."
Day Bringar was anticipating how harshly Soot would respond.
Dragonblood turns its recipient aggressive. This is why dragon knights are also called berserkers.
Regardless of their previous personalities, those who receive dragonblood come to enjoy fighting and become more aggressive.
Soot too had been bestowed with dragonblood, and with it, she was destined to become a dragon knight raised by Day Bringar herself. She would have to take up arms and slay enemies in due time.
Day Bringar wanted to observe how Soot would exact revenge.
Depending on this, she could guess what kind of dragon knight this girl would become.
"..."
And after hesitating for a long time, Soot finally spoke.
"...I can dispose of them as I wish, Your Majesty?"
"Yes. What do you wish?"
"Then, could you... release them?"
Surprised by the unexpected response, Day Bringar blinked.
"That woman has exploited you for years, and on the day you almost died, she brutally beat you."
"..."
"And that man punched you until you were almost dead. A few more hits from him, and you would have died on the spot."
"..."
"And yet you say to just let them go?"
Soot spoke with a trembling, stuttering voice.
"But... my big sister here provided me a place to stay all this time. And, and that soldier, I stole his wallet first."
"..."
"If you're going to punish these two... please punish me too for pickpocketing..."
Speaking clearly but with a trembling voice, Soot tightly closed her eyes.
Silence fell in the audience hall.
After a moment, Day Bringar let out a long sigh.
"...It seems I am the one who should be punished."
Day Bringar looked deeply at the people gathered in the audience hall.
"Leaving a child like you to survive only by pickpocketing, letting children gather in the slums to exploit each other... and allowing a veteran who served our country to struggle through life. I, as the queen, am the greatest sinner."
Then, Day Bringar gestured.
"Release them."
"Yes."
The soldiers untied the woman and the retired veteran. They stood up, bewildered.
"Keep in mind that my knights and sheriffs will be watching. Make sure I don't see your faces here again for this reason... There won't be a second time."
The two people walked away the way they had come.
They kept bowing repeatedly to the queen and Soot. Soot couldn't bear to meet their eyes and kept her head bowed low.
Day Bringar turned to Leighton.
"Captain Leighton."
"At your command."
"Have the knights, sheriffs, and the treasurer patrol the slums to assess the situation, and organize both short-term and long-term welfare for the poor. Look into the welfare of the veterans again too. Not just pensions, but in multiple aspects."
"Your command is received."
"Also, strengthen the reporting system to reduce areas outside the law. Make sure there are no children in my city starving or being beaten to death. Understood?"
"Yes."
After issuing several other commands to Leighton.
Day Bringar turned to Soot.
"...It seems you might not make a good knight after all."
At Day Bringar's words, Soot flinched, but then took a deep breath and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry for disappointing you... Are you going to send me away now?"
"What? Hahaha, what are you talking about?"
Day Bringar laughed heartily and stood up from the throne.
"The essence of a person can't be hidden, even if it's covered in soot."
She then bent down in front of Soot, meeting her eyes.
"You are a good child, Soot. And I have always been waiting for someone as good as you."
Soot blinked her large eyes in confusion as Day Bringar smiled warmly at her.
"Let's live together."
Soot stared blankly at that smile, as warm and dazzling as the midday sun.
At that moment, the girl did not know.
That she would long for this kind, warm smile for over a hundred years to come.
And that it would be over a hundred years before she would meet a boy who wore a smile of the same warmth.
At that time, the girl had no idea.
--TL Notes--
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