Chapter 118 - The Omerta family’s paranoid conspiracy theories about the ice dragon

Chapter 118 – The Omerta family’s paranoid conspiracy theories about the ice dragon

The relaxing atmosphere made breakfast time pass quickly and it was soon followed by dessert.

Rich, sweet cocoa with floating marshmallows along with a snow-white cream cake were desserts perfect for a snowy morning.

But it seemed that I was the only one who thought so.

Even Elenia seemed to be distracted by something.

“Are these desserts father’s taste?”

“What are you suddenly unhappy about? The daughter-in-law likes it.”

“Since when did you start liking them...”

“Didn’t I like them back then as well?”

“What are you talking about when you say ‘back then’?”

“I had the same taste back then but there are some desserts that I only recently started liking.”

The Duke, who responded slowly, sipped a glass of wine and gracefully gestured towards the attendants.

The pale faced attendants that had been actively moving about left their positions.

I was a little worried that Izek, who was staring at my cup of hot cocoa as if it was poisoned, might overturn the table as it is, but fortunately that didn’t happen.

However, the veins bulging from his forehead were unsettling.

“Are you enjoying this...?” (Izek)

“Am I the only one? Besides that, tell me why your superior has been making such a commotion since this morning.” (Duke)

“Do I need to report it to my father?” (Izek)

“Who told you not to do it?” (Duke)

What is this?

My eyes widened at the sight of the pair of siblings’ cold eyes and quietly took a bite of my cake.

“What happened?” (Duke)

“Rather than something happening...damn it. I was going to bring it up myself so why are you pestering me about this now?” (Izek)

“I don’t want to be involved but you have to tell me in detail so that I can relay the information to his majesty”. (Duke)

“You can find out from Sir Barons (knight commander). Actually, you probably already know about it.” (Izek)

“Your superior has a tendency to exaggerate since long ago so his words are unreliable. Fu... Lately, I’ve been hearing peculiar noises coming from the direction of Rom’s cave since last night, Ruby.” (Duke)

If it’s Rom’s cave, isn’t that where our dragon cub’s hiding place is?

(T/N: ‘Rom’ is supposed to be a place but I am not sure what it is since I don’t remember a location sounding similar to it when the novel talks about Erendil or the North and I’m sure it’s not referring to Romagna)

Izek rubbed his temples in annoyance then glanced at me with an imperturbable expression.

“I’ve been monitoring the area since the attack on the palace and I heard someone whining all of a sudden last night. Should I say that it sounds more like wailing? The commander is arguing that it clearly sounds more like wailing.” (Izek)

“Could the dragon be in ill health?” (Ruby)

“It could be the case but the timing of when they started wailing doesn’t coincide with when they sustained injuries from the incident····Anyway, the first thing to do is to figure out the next steps. I will first do a sweep of the area today and then escort you to the location. They’ve been acting out and you’re the only one who has entered their dwelling. (Izek)

“Isn’t there a possibility that they’re purposely pretending to be unwell? Maybe they’re trying to make Ruby come to them.” (Elenia)

(T/N: I don’t think the novel has ever clearly specified the gender of the dragon since Korean just frivolously switches between he/she whenever it’s MTL’d, so I’m using gender neutral pronouns from now on to refer to them)

I gaped at Elenia for a moment.

Elenia rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Ruby, they’re much smarter than they seem. Don’t let this go so easily” (Elenia)

“I also share the same sentiment. No matter how I look at it, it’s clear that he’s feigning, but Sir Barons is concerned...What are your thoughts about this father?” (Izek)

“Your rationale makes sense. If you consider the circumstances, that bast*rd could just be putting on an act·····.” (Duke)

Should I feel comforted by the scene of a family simply nodding their heads together?

Since when did they get along so well?

What if that ill tempered rascal is genuinely sick?!

Well, it’s not unreasonable to be one of the few people concerned, after all, dragons are quite rare right?

To make matters worse, my beautiful sister-in-law took it further.

“If the knights are struggling to watch over them and the dragon cub is indeed sick, why don’t the knights just release them outside?” (Elenia)

“I want to do that too, but it’s also difficult because they’re rare. There are concerns that they will rampage again under the pretext of being sick.” (Izek)

“That’s a good point. But what the hell was the commander complaining about?” (Duke)

“I don’t know what they’re doing there, but two young, golden beasts from somewhere are guarding the entrance closely so it’s impossible to get near the dragon. In other words, they are preventing other beasts from looting the dragon’s vast pile of riches while they’re still out of commission. It’s suspicious and that’s why I’m questioning whether that dragon is actually sick or not.” (Izek)

(T/N: the location of where the “two young, golden beasts” came from is specified as ‘somewhere’ in the TL as the raws are unclear about the location)

“They were guarding the entrance? It didn’t seem like that.” (Duke)

“I’m not entirely sure, maybe the three of them are conspiring with one another. I was going to give them a chance to make contact on their own even if I wasn’t monitoring the situation, but this is my plan now.....” (Izek)

“You know.” (Ruby)

They were strangely interested in the bizarre conversation, but when I openly sighed, it ended in an instant.

Then, not only was my smug, arrogant husband smiling at me, but my poker-faced sister-in-law and stern father-in-law were also doing that as well.

At least, it seemed like they were.

“...Oh, of course I’m kidding. Wasn’t I?” (Izek)

“Of course it was just a joke. Wasn’t it, father? (Elenia)

“Yea, I was just saying that because I was a bit troubled about the damage caused by the dragon.” (Duke)

They didn’t seem like they were being honest, but I pretended to not have noticed anything.

Instead, I smiled at Izek, who appeared to have been somewhat clenching his cup.

“Then are we going there today? Are you going to Rom’s cave with me?” (Ruby)

“Huh? Yeah, of course I am. It might be dangerous so I don’t want you to meet them by yourself.” (Izek)

(T/N: A reminder to myself that I’m still using they/them pronouns to refer to the dragon or any beast/monsters)

“That’s nice, it’s like a married couple’s joint operation. I was internally worried that you would be going alone. Isn’t it likely that they’re on high alert at the moment?” (Duke)

Izek’s eyes flickered for a moment and then he looked at me, but he didn’t say anything.

I thought, ‘Who cares about that?’ Isn’t it similar to a child moaning from having a high fever?

But what’s with this atmosphere?

I was at a loss for words.

My father-in-law clicked his tongue and shook his head while Izek, whose blood sugar had risen sharply, pounded his head on the table.

“You haven’t said anything yet?” (Duke)

“...... [Cough]! Oh, damn it....” (Izek)

“So noisy, noisy, [cough]! Great... It’s just great...!” (Izek)

“Iz, are you okay?” (Ruby)

Instead of answering my question, Izek’s sullen figure suddenly jerked out of his seat.

Then, covering his face with his large hands, he averted his eyes and groaned as he spat out.

“Anyway, I’m going to go and clean up first.....” (Izek)

“I should go to the palace now. I hope that thoughtless, stupid bast*rd is faking their illness. If that’s the case, approach with caution for the moment...” (Duke)

“Didn’t you say you’d go now?” (Izek)

“Why aren’t you leaving? Did you want to eat more food?” (Duke)

Elenia and I stared at each other for a while and at the same time opened our mouths at the attractive, wide backs of the bickering father and son.

“Have a safe trip. See you later”.

“Have a safe trip.”

The father and son duo looked back at us for the last time with similar expressions, but right afterwards, in the process of leaving, they caused a disturbance and coughed up a storm, leaving us wondering what else was wrong with their heads.

“...Ruby, would you like to eat mine too?”

“What about you Ellen?”

“I’ll ask him to bring me some other desserts.”

Just like that, the first breakfast the family had gathered for ended peacefully.

***

“You need to get new winter clothes.” (Elenia)

“Let’s do it gradually. By the way, does winter come this early for Erendil?” (Ruby)

“This year it came particularly fast. Come to think of it, how is winter in Romagna?” (Elenia)

“It hardly snows, I guess. I lived in the northern part, so I thought it snowed too early compared to the rest of Romagna.” (Ruby)

“It seems that we have to get used to donning cold weather attire soon. I don’t know if the ice dragon has anything to do with the weather, but...” (Elenia)

I really don’t know either.

Among the dragons that inhabit the North, weren’t the ice dragons the most prominent and rarest of its kind?

Ronya, dressed in her cold weather attire, had been holding on to me tightly before taking her leave at our request.

I smiled at Elenia without looking in the mirror.

“Ellen, am I not strange?”

“What are you talking about...?”

“I’m probably the first one who can interact with beasts without trouble. Admittedly, I am a little scared of being misunderstood even though I can’t help it. It wouldn’t be weird if I was mistaken as a witch.”

Elenia bowed her head for a moment and looked at her hands that had been resting on her lap. She got up from the armchair she had been sitting in and came closer.

“Well, first of all, I’m an Omerta and I can’t help but accept it as is. If my father or brother can calmly accept it, then I’m no different. Reality is too tiring for people to have time to believe in the superstition of witches.”

“·······”

“Of course, I was really surprised at the time, but oddly enough, I didn’t find the situation to be all that ridiculous.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe it’s because anything beyond common sense is possible in this domain.”

“Furthermore, it seems that I felt that the impossible was somehow possible with Ruby. I’ve felt like that all along.”

“Have the things I’ve done been so absurd?“

“Didn’t you know? If you looked at it this morning, you’d realize it too.”

My charming sister-in-law tied the laces of my hooded cloak into the shape of a ribbon.

I silently smiled during this brief moment in time.

Unexpectedly, the sound of someone knocking on the door could be heard.

“Madam, Lady, are you there?” (Madam – Ruby, Lady – Elenia)

(T/N: Lady is used when referring to women who hold certain titles – marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness; it can also be used for the wife of a lower ranking noble. Lady is also the courtesy title for daughters of higher ranking nobles – duke, marquis, or earl.)

Isn’t this voice the butler? I wondered if something was urgent...

“What’s going on?”

“My apologies, Miss. Actually, Lady Furiana has made a visit.”

Somehow, he sounded hesitant.

No, I think he’s flustered. I don’t know why he is.

After a moment of silence, Elenia looked at me once and coolly announced.

“Tell her we’re busy and send her back. I’m sure I previously informed you of this.”

“I apologize. With all due respect, I have to report this since you didn’t meet with her last time..”

“What?”

“Lady Furiana asked to see Madam (Ruby).”

What does she want?

Elenia and I stared at each other with vacant expressions.

To be honest, I haven’t thought of Freya at all as of recently.

I didn’t avoid it on purpose, my mind was just distracted with other things. If I thought about her, it would’ve just made me feel upset.

The problems with Freya and the Temple were topics I wanted to avoid making judgments on my own.

But why did Freya suddenly visit me at this specific time of day?