Black Killer Whale Baby [EN]: Chapter 265

265

* * *

A week later.

We arrived in the capital. Before heading straight to the Imperial Palace, we met someone we were happy to see.

“Duke…!”

It was the leader of the land turtles. He shed tears meeting Ekion after so many years.

Not a figurative expression, he really shed tears.

He cried so much that it embarrassed the onlookers more than moving them, to the point where I had to step in and stop him.

“To see you grow up so wonderfully like this, this old retainer has no regrets even if he dies now…”

In fact, considering the land turtle leader’s age, it wouldn’t be strange if he passed away tomorrow.

It was no wonder the turtle Suins [a race of aquatic humanoids] who came with him had strange expressions.

Ekion didn’t stare blankly like he did when he was young, and he took the land turtle leader’s hand.

I also felt a sense of pride, seeing Ekion’s growth at a glance.

“What’s with that creepy face?”

“What about me?”

“You were looking at him with the face of someone who raised him.”

“Is that so? But… honestly, isn’t this enough to say I raised him?”

Atlan, who started the argument, couldn’t find a rebuttal and grumbled, saying, ‘Isn’t it weird to look at your lover like a son?’

When did I ever look at him like a son? I just felt like a caretaker.

“It’s been a while, young leader of the Orcas.”

“Yes, it’s nice to see you.”

The old man, who had stopped crying, greeted me.

“Now, you look more like a young leader than a young one.”

I was quite young when we last met.

“The fact that you called us as soon as we arrived in the capital means you’re no longer hiding the Dragon Duke’s existence.”

I smiled.

Certainly, from the moment we left Aquasieldel, or rather, just before that, we no longer hid the fact that the Dragon Duke was in the land of the aquatic Suins.

Because the distance was so far, it took some time for the news to reach the capital and the City of Dragons.

Even if the Imperial Family tried to stop it, the rumors would have spread.

And the first thing we did upon arriving in the capital was to solidify these rumors as truth.

“The fact that the Dragon Duke is by my side is the most certain way to prove that the Dragon is no longer on the Imperial Family’s side.”

The land turtle leader nodded.

He looked more wrinkled and older, but his eyes, shining with wisdom, were the same as ever.

“The City of Dragons will support where the Dragon Duke is.”

“Ah, come to think of it, I forgot to mention this.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Not only the land turtle Suin were here, but also Dana from the Elephant family and Ampilla, a hippo Suin, were present to be introduced as allies.

They already implicitly knew about Ekion, so they didn’t show much surprise.

I glanced at the land turtle leader and opened my mouth.

“I have become the Dragon Duke’s mate.”

Then, Dana and Ampilla, who had been watching, also looked surprised.

They must have been surprised because they hadn’t seen me and Ekion properly together since we arrived in the capital separately.

From their perspective, they would know better than anyone that a Dragon only takes one mate in their lifetime.

That’s why I couldn’t help but bring up the story in front of the land turtle Suin’s ‘What’s next?’ gaze.

It was a story I had only thought about in my heart and never told anyone.

Not even the person involved.

“We will hold an engagement ceremony when this is over.”

“…”

While the turtle Suins were very surprised from the moment the word ‘mate’ came out, the land turtle leader was silent alone.

As if he knew it would happen, he simply nodded with a wise face.

“I see. I have a request, would that be alright?”

“Instead of being surprised by the news, you’re making a request, I’m curious. What is it?”

“Please hold the engagement ceremony in the City of Dragons as well.”

Rather than being surprised, the land turtle leader immediately became polite and showed an attitude of treating a superior.

“…Even if you didn’t ask, I was planning to hold it once in the City of Dragons and once in Aquasieldel.”

Ekion was staring at me with sparkling eyes, to the point where it was burdensome.

I know how you feel, so stop staring. I’m here too, Ekion…!

I laughed, feeling a tingling gaze on the back of my head.

So, the place where I was going to introduce Dana and Ampilla to the land turtle leader suddenly turned into a place to announce my engagement.

* * *

“I didn’t know you would say that there.”

With a straightforward fastball that poked me, I laughed, poked in the side.

Turning my gaze, I saw Whale being dressed. A large frame, long limbs.

The beige suit on his balanced body suited him very well, but my gaze stayed on his face, which was staring intently rather than on the clothes.

“Well, to be honest, I wasn’t planning on talking about it.”

“Ekion was surprised too. Very much so.”

“That’s right. Because it was a fact that even the person involved didn’t know.”

I didn’t tell him. Then Whale made a surprised expression while being dressed.

Then, he laughed softly, “Puhut.”

“Ah, so that’s why he had such a surprised face. I thought I was the only one who didn’t know a fact that everyone else knew.”

“There’s no way that would happen.”

The main figures from our Aquasieldel side were also participating in the meeting to introduce the elephant, hippo, and land turtle Suins to each other.

That means everyone heard the engagement announcement in real time.

“The second one already gave me so much nagging, saying, ‘Why are you making such an announcement in a neighborhood bar?'”

“Hahaha.”

“I don’t know why he’s nagging me when he lives as if he’s given etiquette and manners to the dogs.”

“Isn’t it because he cares about you?”

“No, he’s just enjoying it. Because he found something to nag about. What surprised me was that Velos said something, even more than Atlan.”

That’s right, it seemed like Atlan was just venting his disappointment that he didn’t know in advance.

Velos, on the other hand, had a serious face and was upset that I hadn’t told him such a fact in advance.

I was so surprised by the firstborn’s first grumbling that I had never experienced before.

“Sir Velos couldn’t help it. He must have been surprised, upset, and embarrassed that the plan was disrupted.”

“You talk like you know Velos well?”

“Of course.”

Was Whale close to Velos?

Certainly, Whale had many opportunities to run into Velos, who was taking care of internal affairs while in charge of research on treatment.

However, Velos, who resembled his father’s personality more than any other brother, was a type that was difficult to get close to.

“Fortunately, Sir Velos likes me.”

It was an unexpected story.

“More than that, what is the plan?”

If the two had become close, there was no reason for me not to welcome it.

I was just curious about the plan that came out of nowhere.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Whale smiled kindly.

A voice as low as a cave soon revealed an unexpected fact.

“Because Sir Velos was going to arrange a place for you and me to be alone soon to discuss the engagement?”

“What?”

Sometimes, when you hear too shocking stories, you feel like your voice flows out of the opposite ear.

That’s exactly what it was like now.

Velos is arranging a place?!

My firstborn, who has no interest in his own love life and has been one step away from whatever I’ve been doing with Ekion, is doing what?

“You look surprised.”

“…How can I not be surprised?”

Whale scratched his cheek with a hand wearing a white glove. It was a faint but embarrassed expression.

“Is it that surprising that Sir Velos wants me to get along with you?”

“…I’m sorry, but the fact that he’s interested in other people’s love lives is shocking.”

“Why is that? She’s your precious younger sister.”

I’m shocked to hear that from you.

I was about to say something like this, but I closed my mouth tightly.

Soon, I shifted my gaze and gestured to the Suins who had been silently organizing the clothes until now, and they bowed their heads as if they understood and all left the room.

Currently, this place was the capital’s clothing store.

Whale and I came to get proper formal wear that Misa had strongly insisted on.

This place was run by the older sister of Reit, a rabbit Suin and Loreil’s colleague who we fought together in Madrum.

This clothing store was the most famous in the capital, and anyone would have to wait about a year to get clothes made.

Reit’s older sister shed tears at the news of her sister’s survival, whom she thought was dead, and was fully cooperating with us.

The reason why we got to make clothes together was simple.

The Crown Prince sent me a letter, in which he wrote that he wanted to see the ‘healer’ in our land as well.

In other words, we were in a situation where we were acting as bait together.

Whale was the partner participating in this event.

“I’m going out as your partner this time.”

Everyone agreed that it would be better to have two people instead of one to attract attention.

“I hope you’ll be a little 신경 [Korean for ‘mindful’ or ‘considerate’] if I say this.”