RHFTY chapter 47

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The first ones Chaeyi recognized were Duke Delion and Leonard.

Beside Delion was Kukuf, who hadn’t been seen in a while. In front of them stood a woman with silver hair.

She was a stranger to Chaeyi.

“Mum. That’s my mom.”

At that moment, Silviet, who was nestled in Chaeyi’s arms, pointed to the woman with his front claws.

For a moment, Chaeyi, forgetting that Silviet was in his Dragon form, was startled and looked back and forth between the woman and Silviet.

Just then, the woman noticed them and their eyes met.

“Oh.”

She immediately recognized Silviet, who was nestled in Chaeyi’s arms, and let out a gasp before striding towards them.

Though this was likely their first time seeing each other, they seemed to instinctively sense the same scent they shared.

The three people accompanying the woman also followed his towards Chaeyi.

As she exchanged a glance with Leonard, the woman smiled when she saw Silviet.

“Yes, I am your mother.”

“Why did you come now?”

“Oh, did you miss your mother?”

Silviet’s mother squinted her eyes and teased with a mischievous expression, causing Silviet to frown in displeasure.

Chaeyi watched cautiously, having expected a more emotional reunion… but it was different from what he had anticipated.

Then, Silviet suddenly turned his head and muttered a bombshell statement.

“Humph. You should have just stayed away forever.”

Chaeyi was shocked by Silviet’s rebellious attitude, but his mother burst into hearty laughter.

The conversation was quite frosty, and Chaeyi couldn’t understand what he found so amusing.

However, his next words gave Chaeyi a clue.

“Honestly, I was worried because I heard you were raised among humans, but it seems you’ve grown up smart. You’ve even learned the Imperial language well. You must be the human who took care of him all this time, right?”

Her gaze turned towards Chaeyi.

When Chaeyi nodded, the woman extended his hand to him.

“I see, nice to meet you. My name is Lemuel. What’s your name? Did you give his a name?”

“Oh. My name is Chaeyi. And… I named him Silviet.”

As Chaeyi answered, he looked down at Silviet, who was still in his arms.

Lemuel repeated the name, nodded, and then smiled broadly.

“That’s a beautiful name. Thank you.”

Her gratitude seemed sincere, and it made Chaeyi feel a sudden swell of emotion.

Perhaps it was because memories of his time with Silviet—though short, yet long—began to flood his mind.

While Chaeyi was lost in these warm feelings, Lemuel couldn’t resist making a sly comment.

“Thanks to you, I’ve been able to handle this child without lifting a finger.”

She spoke with a mischievous tone, revealing her playful nature.

Silviet clung to Chaeyi and began to cry loudly.

Lemuel, however, pretended not to notice.

“I don’t want to go! I like Chaeyi!”

It was a difficult situation.

As Chaeyi gently patted Silviet’s back to comfort him, Enoch and Leonard came to help.

“Silviet, I understand how you feel, but….”

“No!”

“Don’t be stubborn. Are you going to keep bothering Chaeyi? Staying among humans isn’t good for you, and it’s not good for us either.”

“Waah! I don’t like Leonard either!”

It turned out that Leonard wasn’t helping Chaeyi; he was just adding fuel to the fire.

Kukuf, watching this unfold, stroked his beard and chuckled, while Delion let out a small sigh.

Just then, as if she had teased enough, Lemuel stopped her idle behavior and gently placed a hand on Silviet’s head.

“After losing you, your father cried nonstop until yesterday. He cherished you so much.”

“….”

“When he heard the news that you might have been found, he was so excited… So, wouldn’t you like to go and show him how well you’ve grown?”

“….”

Silviet didn’t respond, but his tantrum ceased.

He seemed to be lost in thought.

To encourage him, Chaeyi added softly.

“Don’t be afraid. We’ll always be here, so whenever you miss us, you can come visit.”

Hearing this, Silviet slowly lifted his head. Lemuel added as well.

“Or you can visit our nest. Normally, we don’t allow humans, but I think we can make an exception for you, Chaeyi.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ll let you know the location of our nest so you can visit anytime.”

“Okay.”

Finally, Silviet, his eyes bright with determination, climbed out of Chaeyi’s arms.

As his warmth faded, Chaeyi felt a pang of emotion but held back his tears, forcing a smile.

The problem was that Silviet couldn’t hold back his sadness and started to sob.

“Chaeyi… Wuwu. I’ll definitely come visit.”

“Alright. Make sure to eat well and sleep well.”

“Mm.”

Silviet flapped his wings and clung to Lemuel’s back as if he were getting a piggyback ride.

Lemuel, who chuckled, reached out and touched Chaeyi’s forehead with her finger before stepping back.

Strangely, in that moment, the path to the nest became vividly clear in Chaeyi’s mind.

“Well then, we’ll be going now.”

Lemuel’s form began to change. his snout elongated like that of a beast, taking on the full form of a dragon.

Her now massive body was covered in scales like those of a reptile.

With a white body and golden eyes… she truly resembled Silviet.

Lemuel looked down at the people. When she opened her mouth, a telepathic voice flowed out after a moment.

“Kukuf, would you like a ride?”

“Hohong. If you take me to the Dwarf village, there’ll be a commotion, so I’ll pass. Take care on your journey.”

Lemuel snorted briefly at Kukuf’s refusal and then beat her magnificent wings, lifting off.

A powerful wind swept through the area with just one flap.

The overwhelming presence of an adult dragon was on a completely different level from that of a hatchling.

Lemuel gave Chaeyi one last glance, then circled in the air before flying off into the distance.

After watching Lemuel and Silviet disappear from view, Kukuf turned to the others.

“I’m glad everything worked out. I’ll be on my way now. If you ever need my help again, just call for me, Duke Delion.”

“If you need help, feel free to call on us at Lancaster. We’ll always be there to assist. Until next time.”

“Hohong. Take care, little ones.”

“Ah, take care, Kukuf.”

Chaeyi nodded in acknowledgment of Kukuf’s thoughtful gesture of mentioning everyone.

With that, Kukuf departed… and a heavy silence settled between Chaeyi, Leonard, Enoch, and Duke Delion.

Chaeyi felt a mix of relief and melancholy as he chased the traces of the vanished Silviet.

‘…He’s really gone.’

It hadn’t fully sunk in until just now that Silviet had left… but now, it was beginning to feel real.

Of course, he could visit his whenever he wanted, but still.

At that moment, Delion turned toward Chaeyi.

He broke the silence with a few words.

“Chaeyi. You’ve worked hard until now.”

Honestly, it was unexpected.

“…Not at all.”

“And it seems Hallard has been bothering you. If any problems arise, don’t hesitate to speak up, even if it’s through Leonard.”

His tone was firm, yet there was an underlying gentleness.

That peculiar kindness left Chaeyi feeling a bit dazed, and by the time he managed a nod, Duke Delion glanced at Leonard and left without any hesitation.

“…Now that I think about it, Lord Hallard didn’t even get to say goodbye to Silviet.”

“Oh. That’s true.”

Enoch agreed with Chaeyi’s murmur, sharing his sentiment.

It was regrettable, but there was nothing they could do—Silviet had already gone.

Shaking off the last of his lingering feelings, Chaeyi turned to Leonard with his usual expression.

“Leo, are you heading back to work?”

“Yeah. I’ll probably be back by evening.”

Leonard, now looking more relaxed, answered and gave Chaeyi a light kiss on the forehead.

Surprised, Chaeyi’s eyes widened.

It was just a normal gesture, so why did it feel so ticklish and uncomfortable?

To hide his feelings, Chaeyi lowered his head, suddenly remembering something.

“Oh, right, Leo.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you been in contact with Ben?”

It was just a question to confirm, given how much had changed from the original story.

There was a chance Leonard had developed feelings for Bennex first.

However… as he somewhat expected, Leonard’s reaction was cold and indifferent.

“No. Why would I?”

The answer was so curt and detached that it left the questioner feeling awkward.

It was a response that showed no interest in the other person.

Chaeyi sighed inwardly.

He felt guilty for possibly interfering with an easy path.

If the two of them didn’t end up together, he worried that Leonard’s life, which should be filled with happiness, might go astray.

‘I need to find a way to fix this….’

Chaeyi realized that he had been too busy looking after Silviet to focus on this issue, but now it was time to address it seriously.

“…Chaeyi? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Chaeyi pushed Leonard’s back, urging him to hurry along.

Though Leonard eyed him suspiciously, he eventually left without figuring anything out.

Once Leonard was gone, Chaeyi sank into deep thought.

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