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Chapter 188
Whether his wish had been granted, time flew by and at last the long-awaited day arrived.
“Kinain, you look so beautiful!” Ramu’s eyes glistened with tears at the sight of Kinain in his wedding clothes.
Chirp! Chirp!
Jjaekjjaegi chirped, circling Kinain as if imitating Ramu.
The moment Kinain’s breath had stopped, the obedience spell placed on Jjaekjjaegi had also broken. It was now free to leave anywhere it pleased. But the spirit beast had stayed at the dragon palace, waiting only for Kinain’s return.
“Do you like it too, Jjaekjjaegi?”
Chirp!
Indeed, if not this human, who else would call its name so kindly?
“How can you be so beautiful?”
“Asad will fall for you all over again when he sees you today!”
“Imagine how much more you’ll shine with the ornaments added!” Kinain stood before the mirror, leaving behind the attendants competing in praise.
“…”
Kinain, who had thought Ramu and the attendants were exaggerating a bit, couldn’t help revising his opinion at the sight of himself in the mirror.
The man in the mirror wore a mysterious silver wedding garment that looked cut from moonlight. Gold thread embroidered scale-patterns on the silver cloth. The fabric, flowing softly like waves, sparkled like stars with every movement. It was a beauty truly not of this world, yet it didn’t overwhelm the wearer — it blended with him naturally.
Kinain gazed at his reflection. It was clearly Hasan’s body, yet strangely he no longer looked like Hasan. Rather, he resembled the doll Maira had made. His eyes had softened and the corners of his mouth lifted in a slight smile. It had been nearly ten years, so of course his impression had changed, but it was strange to see his old self in himself.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind.
“The cloth has found its owner.”
Kinain turned to find the speaker. Joy rose on his face.
“Kor.”
Kinain had the odd feeling that Kor’s eyes, gazing at him, were sparkling; Kor seemed aware of it too and cleared his throat.
“…Wing Clan likes shiny things. You can tell just by looking at that one.” By “that one,” Kor meant Rahu, standing by the door. Rahu, who had been staring at Kinain in a daze, belatedly noticed the eyes on him and hurriedly stood beside Kor. Then, without a word, he began sneaking glances at Kinain from the corner of his eye.
With the black magic lifted, Rahu no longer felt unconditional obedience toward Kinain. But he clearly remembered Kinain trying to save him. He wanted to say thank you, but the words wouldn’t come easily.
“Rahu, it’s been a while.”
“Yes…”
“…”
As an awkward mood settled, Ramu cut in.
“Don’t mind Rahu. He’s just being shy.”
“Ramu, be quiet!”
Rahu’s earlobes flushed bright red. But Ramu was right. Rahu felt as though he were meeting Kinain for the first time. The figure in his memory was completely different.
The body that had been thin as a branch had filled out, and color had returned to his pale skin. The walking corpse was nowhere to be found. In his place was only a man thrilling at the thought of a happy future with his lover.
“Hmm…”
Amid the gazes full of various emotions, Kinain scratched his cheek, embarrassed. If it had been his old self, he would have taken such kind reactions as naturally as breathing, but now they felt awkward, like clothes worn after a long time.
Fiddling with his sleeve, Kinain changed the subject.
“This is the cloth you gave me, Kor. I ended up wearing it.” Kinain’s wedding garment had been made from the cloth Kor had gifted at Asad’s birthday banquet. To be precise, Kor had gifted it to Asad, and Asad had gifted it to Kinain.
Just as Kor had said at the birthday banquet, clothes made from this cloth made the wearer look most beautiful. With Ramu’s handiwork added, it was perfection itself.
“As I said, it found its owner. But one thing is missing.” With a low murmur, a light weight settled on his head. Kor smiled in satisfaction.
“Now it’s perfect.”
The Kinain in the mirror now wore a beautiful feather-shaped hair ornament, different from a moment ago.
At the unexpected gift, Kinain went blank for a moment, then smiled brightly.
“Thank you.”
“I should be the one saying thank you. For the chosen one to become the dragon’s bride is the greatest honor of the spirit clans. Different clan or not, you are the bride candidate I chose, and a benefactor of our Wing Clan.” Kor bowed his head.
“The Wing Clan will never forget the debt we owe you. Take this ornament as a token of the promise.” Kinain felt a mysterious wind blow between him and Kor. A covenant had been sealed. Knowing what a spirit’s covenant meant, Kinain couldn’t hide his fluster. Kor, sensing his heart, spoke.
“If it’s a burden, think of it as a wedding gift.”
“Still… it’s too much.”
“If you think this is too much, you’d be shocked to see the others.”
Instead of answering the question, Kor stepped aside. Then the new guests, hidden behind Kor, came into Kinain’s view.
The first to approach was a woman with flame-like hair.
“His mate.”
Before Kinain could acknowledge her, Igni knelt on one knee and bowed her head. Kinain tried to stop her in surprise, but Igni didn’t budge, as if turned to stone on the spot.
“I sincerely apologize for my past rudeness.”
“…I’ll accept the apology, so please get up. This makes me uncomfortable.” When Kinain spoke firmly, Igni no longer insisted and rose. Inwardly, Kinain was a little flustered. The way Igni looked at him was completely different from before.
“We will repay the debt of returning the guardian spirit to the Horn Clan. And from this day, our Horn Clan swears to always stand by your side.”
The moment Igni finished, a warm energy wrapped around Kinain. Following Kor, Igni had sealed a covenant of her own accord, and embarrassment crossed Kinain’s face.
He’d saved the guardian spirit because he couldn’t ignore someone in trouble — not to be repaid like this. If it were a gift he could return, he would have…
In the end, what Kinain could say was fixed.
“Thank you.”
“And this is the Horn Clan’s gift.”
Igni’s hand touched his ear. Before Kinain could even check the mirror, someone else approached.
The face cast in deep shadow was hard to recognize at once, different from memory. But the moment he met the beautiful blue eyes like the sea, Kinain realized the man’s identity.
“Biche.”
It was Biche, the Scale Clan’s bride candidate.
Biche, who had been imprisoned, had only realized he’d been brainwashed after Sinsuriel’s death, he’d said. Kinain hadn’t heard how he’d been since, but his haggard face made it clear he hadn’t been at peace.
“There is currently no chief of the Scale Clan, so I’ve come. Actually, I asked to come myself. It weighed on me that I’d never properly apologized to you for that day. I’m truly sorry. And thank you for helping the dragon set aside his anger toward the Scale Clan.”
“That was Sinsuriel’s fault, not the Scale Clan’s. And you were Sinsuriel’s victim too, Biche. You don’t need to apologize to me.” At Kinain’s calm answer, Biche’s blue eyes rippled.
Kinain had only said something perfectly sensible, but the dragon surely wouldn’t have thought so. And yet the reason the dragon had set aside his anger was only one: his mate had wished it.
A dragon could become a miracle or a calamity at his mate’s will.
Sinsuriel had thought Asad had chosen the wrong mate, but the human before his eyes proved that Asad’s choice was right and Sinsuriel’s was wrong.
“Thanks to your mercy, Kinain, the Scale Clan escaped calamity. We will never forget this debt. This is the Scale Clan’s oath-gift.”
Before Kinain could refuse, saying no, it was all over. A wave-like ripple passed beneath his feet, and a light weight settled on his neck.
By then, Kinain decided to stop refusing these grand, heavy gifts. Instead, he turned to look at the last one remaining.
A sincere smile spread across Kinain’s face.
“Illiya, come here.”
“Kin…?”
Illiya, who for some reason couldn’t come closer and only made a tearful face, approached Kinain hesitantly.
Kinain had expected Illiya to run to him before anyone else, so he was puzzled.
Is he being shy, like Rahu?
When Kinain had just woken, many had come to see him. Illiya had been among them. But back then, Kinain could barely move and kept falling asleep, so he couldn’t talk with anyone for long. When he’d recovered, wedding preparations had been too busy to meet, so it wouldn’t have been strange if Illiya found him unfamiliar.
But if that’s really it, I’d be a little hurt.
Thinking that he’d grown more attached to Illiya than he’d thought, Kinain noticed something.
Illiya’s tails, wagging so fast they were nearly invisible.
It wasn’t shyness, as Kinain had thought.
“…I tried to marry Asad only to save you. It was never because I had any feelings for him. …But if seeing me bothers you because of it, I’ll never appear before you again!”
So that’s what this was about.
It was a story Kinain already knew.
In fact, today’s wedding had started right there.
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