“It’s okay.”
With that single sentence, Lucis fell silent.
What does he mean by “okay”?
What does this child know? How much does he understand to be able to say something like that?
Or maybe, like his earlier whining, am I just overanalyzing words that mean nothing?
Yeah. That must be it.
I smiled softly.
It was more of a hollow smile, but it was enough to lift my mood a little.
“By the way, Lucis… did you just… kiss me?”
We hadn’t shared our first kiss yet.
Lucis didn’t answer with words, only shaping his eyes into crescents.
“This little rascal…”
In retaliation, I pressed my lips against Lucis’s cheek.
He giggled, covering his mouth with both hands at my sudden kiss.
After several kisses on his marshmallow-like cheeks, I held Lucis tightly in my arms and kissed the top of his head.
I will protect you, no matter what.
Even if the whole world wished for your death, I would keep you alive.
I would give you a happy life.
No matter whether it means turning your father, God, or anyone else into an enemy—I will do it.
Lucis hugged me back just as tightly.
I held that small warmth in my arms for a long time.
Alfred was frozen, capturing the scene with his camera.
He had initially taken out the camera to record Lucis while coloring, thinking of showing Seymour Lucis’s daughterly diligence as he waited in the hall.
Clatter!
The door opened, and Seymour entered the room.
Alfred froze, unable to even greet him, for two reasons.
The first was the black mist flowing around Seymour like a shroud.
Alfred knew all too well that the mist, which Seymour had gained after making some contract in the mausoleum, appeared when his emotions were unstable—and that it was extremely dangerous.
The second reason was Seymour’s gaze. It was ferocious—almost murderous.
In over twenty years of seeing Seymour, Alfred had never witnessed such a complete failure of emotional control.
“Wassaa?”
But Lucis behaved as if Seymour’s appearance was nothing to fear. He even acted cute, asking to be held.
Then, when Seymour held Lucis in his arms, something amazing happened.
The black mist…
It instantly thinned and vanished, like darkness meeting morning sunlight.
Perhaps that’s why it felt almost as if light radiated from Lucis’s white hair.
When Seymour calmed himself and kissed the top of Lucis’s head, Alfred even felt a faint shiver.
It was a sacred feeling, like witnessing a religious painting.
Is this paternal love?
The emotion God wished humans to have, that humans longed for—love was truly instinctual.
Seeing Seymour, who had never truly experienced love, cherish Lucis so deeply proved that.
Alfred, still in awe, recorded the scene with his camera, unaware of what legend this footage might one day create.
“Contracts are absolute.”
I sat in the bathroom, water dripping from my hair, lost in thought.
The muffled sounds of the bathroom made it a perfect place to think quietly.
The only unusual thing was that I had covered the full-length mirror, which I usually gazed into daily, with a towel.
Today, I didn’t want to see my own face.
If it’s a contract in which the God of Contracts is involved, that’s another story.
From now until my last breath, From would surely rush to see this contract fulfilled.
Normally, in cases like this, the contract’s time limit lasts until my lifespan ends.
Within that time… Lucis…
I ground my teeth.
I didn’t even want to think about the content of the contract.
I scratched my head nervously, exhaling roughly.
I could somehow understand why Seymour accepted a contract to… kill Lucis.
Seymour was that kind of person. He would even harm his own sibling.
But why would Mausoleum order someone to kill his own daughter?
I couldn’t understand. Even after calming my rising anger and trying to think rationally, the reason eluded me.
He sealed the child himself. If he intended to harm her from the start, why seal her?
Did he not want to soil his hands?
A mass murderer who had already wiped out hundreds of thousands?
I recalled a man from a dream.
A man crying while watching a star rise over the sea.
Could that man have been Mausoleum?
Why would he, after arranging for his daughter to be killed, whimper about it?
I clenched my fists tightly and exhaled deeply.
Otherwise, my uncontrollable anger might surge again.
“Hoo…”
A hot breath escaped my lips.
In the original story, Lucis was killed by Seymour.
But her death occurred one year after the contract, once Seymour had learned how to implant a Dragon Heart.
There was never a command about when to kill her, so he studied, researched, and waited until her death could benefit him most.
For Seymour, it must have felt like a windfall.
With the power granted by the Mausoleum contract and the even greater power of the Hetzling in hand, he had everything.
But now, it was up to me to uphold that contract.
I need to figure out how to break a contract in which God is involved.
Obviously, I had no intention of fulfilling it.
No matter who I would have to kill, I would never allow Lucis to die.
I didn’t come to this world just to repeat Lucis’s fate.
A handsome face, a perfect body, wealth, and power.
If the cost was the life of a pure child, I was ready to give it all up.
No—it wasn’t readiness.
It was conscience.
I clenched my fists even tighter.
Outside Andre’s tailor shop, a crowd had gathered.
It hasn’t even opened yet, and there’s already this many people?
Servants sent by nobles, hoping to buy clothes first, were the reason.
Seeing me step down from the carriage, they hesitated and split aside.
They had wanted to speak for their noble masters but gave up, intimidated by my reputation.
I was pleased, ignoring them as I entered the shop.
“Welcome!”
Andre greeted me with a bright smile.
“Are preparations going well?”
“Of course! If all goes according to plan, we can launch next week!”
I nodded and glanced around.
A grand runway had been built on the first floor.
I had no intention of making this just a tailor shop.
Fashion shows to introduce new designs periodically would be held here to establish it as a luxury brand.
The runway can also double as a table for party refreshments.
The key to branding was ensuring celebrities and influencers wore our clothes frequently.
I planned to hold regular parties targeting high-ranking nobles and the wealthy.
“Are the tailors being recruited well?”
“Absolutely! Every day, new tailors come, eager to join you in ushering in a new era of fashion!”
Andre was excited. His enthusiasm pleased me—it meant he appreciated my fashion.
“Oh, Count, what will the shop be called?”
I looked up at the runway.
Luxurious silk covered it, glittering beneath a grand chandelier.
A name…
I had an initial idea: since it was the Mausoleum family fashion brand, I considered using “Mau” or “Sol.”
But I changed my mind.
I no longer wanted my first business associated with the name of that terrible dragon.
I handed Andre a paper with the name I had chosen.
He accepted it politely and read aloud:
“‘Lux’…?”
He nodded as if approving the sound and asked,
“May I ask what it means?”
I smiled faintly, saying nothing.
“Dragons have always treated humans as playthings! A thousand years ago, they even had a culture called ‘Yoohee,’ where they toyed with human lives for amusement!”
The Empress’s voice rose with indignation.
“Moreover, they hoarded gold they neither used nor needed, and kidnapped humans they fancied to serve as guardians for their naps until death!”
She paced, unable to calm herself, yet continued speaking.
“Even the Mausoleum family dragon? The descendant of that void dragon who slaughtered hundreds of thousands with a single breath?”
She shook her head in disbelief.
“To befriend such a being is akin to betraying the church! The person destined to sit at the highest seat, cooperating and contending with the church, must never get close to such a creature!”
She turned to the boy at the tea table.
“Do you understand, Prince?”
Seven-year-old Prince Erad nodded vigorously.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Good. I’m glad you understand.”
Relieved by her son’s obedience, the Empress sipped her tea.
“Your Majesty, may I request permission for something?”
“What is it, Prince?”
Her tone softened, ready to accommodate him.
With sparkling eyes, he said,
“I heard there will be a fashion show this afternoon to celebrate the launch of the Mausoleum family fashion brand.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I heard both Your Majesty and His Majesty will attend.”
“Yes.”
Regardless of her personal feelings toward the dragon, the Empress was deeply interested in the family’s new fashion.
To show her prestige in society, she knew she had to excel in fashion.
“May I attend as well?”
“The Prince?”
She tilted her head.
Did he want to study fashion of future value? Or was he trying to build ties with the noble Mausoleum family?
“That’s fine, but there may not be other children of your age there. It might be boring…”
The Empress flinched slightly at the mention of peers and glanced at her son.
Sure enough, his cheeks were flushed.
“…Prince, let me remind you again. Dragons—”
But Erad heard nothing. His eyes were already distant.
The small hand that once held his, white hair fluttering in the wind, rosy cheeks, sunlight-like sparkling eyes—thinking of that little angel made his cheeks redden again.
“Do you hear me? Being involved with dragons is a sure path to ruin!”
Birds chirped, flowers bloomed—on a spring day for a seven-year-old boy.
The boy had fallen in love for the first time.
That afternoon,
The Mausoleum family’s fashion brand “Lux” launched.
A day later celebrated as the dawn of modern fashion by industry professionals—a truly monumental
