MISTERLP
I'm Ruby, a dragon who formed a dragon knight contract with Halbert,
an officer of the Kingdom of Friedonia.
It's unusual for a dragon of the Star Dragon Mountain Range to marry
into any country other than the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, but
when it came to being an exception, that black girl who'd married the king
had me beat.
Now, as for today, I had come to Hal's family home, the House of
Magna, but...
"You big idiot!" a man shouted.
"Gwah!"
The moment the door to the mansion opened, Hal was suddenly sent
flying. In front of me, fist outstretched, there was a dapper old man who
looked a lot like Hal. The old man had a red beard, and his macho body
made him look like an experienced warrior.
"Owww, what do you think you're doing, out of nowhere, Dad?" Hal
cried, rubbing his cheek.
Did this mean the elderly gentleman was Hal's father?
Hal's father... whose name I was later told was Glaive... pointed his
clenched fist towards Hal as he said, "I've heard the reports. About
everything you did in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. I'll recognize it
was a time of crisis, and even that you were vital to solving the problem
there. That said, don't you feel bad for what you did to Kaede? You two
were engaged to be married! The same goes for this girl, too. Your
thoughtless actions decided her future for her!"
"Guh..."
Hal got unsteadily to his feet, but he must have had something on his
mind, because he didn't say anything in return. This was terrible, seeing
Hal chastised for forming a contract with me.
"Stop this! I'm the one who was wrong!" I hurriedly interposed myself
between them. "I imposed on them because I wanted to be able to do
something. Hal and Kaede simply accepted that! So, please, punish me
instead!"
When I appealed to him like that, Glaive blinked. It was as if he was
surprised by something he hadn't expected to happen.
Huh? Why was that his reaction? Wasn't he upset about us forming a
contract?
There was an awkward silence, and then...
"Okay, okay. You come over here."
There was a sudden pull on my arm, moving me out from between the
two of them. When I turned back, there was a lady with a gentle look on
her face. The lady let go of my arm, then placed her index finger on my
lips.
"No getting in their way. That's how those two communicate as father
and son."
"C-Communicate?" I stuttered. "Like that?"
It looked to me like Hal got punched, though!
The lady placed a hand on her cheek and made a troubled smile. "Oh,
men are such idiots. When he heard his son had become the first dragon
knight in this country since the first hero king, he was happy, saying, 'That
idiot's a dragon knight, huh!'"
"That's what he says when he's happy?!"
"But if he were only to act happy, that wouldn't be fair to Kaede, who
Hal had just gotten engaged to, or to the people of the House of Foxia,
now would it? The situation being what it was, Kaede and the House of
Foxia won't blame Hal for what he did. That's why he's getting angry on
their behalf."
"Wh-What an awkward father and son..." I said in exasperation, and
the lady giggled.
"They're going to be your family now. By the way, I'm Hal's mother
Elba."
"Y-You're his mother?!"
"Oh, my, how lovely. Your red hair looks just like my husband's and
Hal's, so it will be like having a real daughter," Lady Elba said with a
nonchalant smile. It was relieving to see that she seemed like a very warm
person.
Meanwhile, now that Lady Elba had spilled his true feelings for all to
hear, Sir Glaive turned red with embarrassment.
"You lucky man!" Glaive exclaimed, beating his son.
"Gwah...! Wait, I'm not going to accept getting punched for that, you
jerk!"
Oh, this time Hal was hitting back.
"Ngh... Kaede wasn't enough for you, so you went and seduced a nice
girl like this, too!"
"Urgh... I didn't seduce anyone!"
The red-haired father and son started a slugging match. On a closer
look, they both seemed full of life, so Lady Elba must have been right, and
this was just how the Magnas communicated.
By the way, their communication ended with a victory for Sir Glaive.
That was because Hal, who probably did feel a little guilty, couldn't help
but pull his punches. While dragging the bloodied Hal behind him, Sir
Glaive said to Lady Elba, "Sorry, we're going to go apologize to the
House of Foxia."
She giggled. "Come back soon."
Glaive set off in high spirits, dragging Hal with him, and Lady Elba
watched them go with a gentle smile on her face. When I asked her about
it, I was told Hal had disrespected the king once before and received that
sort of punishment before being dragged to the castle to apologize. Was
this how apologies were done in the House of Magna?
...Was I going to be able to make it in this house?
While I was worrying about that...
"I told this to Kaede, too, but the most important thing in married life is
'getting used to it,' okay?" said Lady Elba.
"...I'll take that to heart, Mother Elba."
All I could do was nod.
Some days later, Hal and Kaede accompanied the king south to the
Republic of Turgis.
However, I ended up staying behind and watching the home front at the
House of Magna. Dragons and ryuus were weak against the cold, and I
would just be in the way if I accompanied the to the frigid lands of the
republic.
And so, for the time being, I was enjoying the first family I had ever
had.
"What do you think, Father Glaive?" I asked, giving him a shoulder
rub.
"U-Ungh... Not bad."
Glaive had a gruff face, and he could be curt, but his ears were turning
red, so I could easily tell he felt embarrassed. I'd thought he was a dapper
old man, but he had a pretty cute side to him, too.
"Ruby, dear, I'm going to be getting dinner ready," said Lady Elba.
"Could you help?"
"Yes, Mother Elba!"
And I cheerily went over to the kitchen.