In the room.
Kaya lay sideways on the soft large bed, her cheeks flushed like she'd been drinking, with a few strands of hair at her forehead damp with sweat, clinging to her warm skin.
She had just broken free from a prolonged kiss, her chest still heaving violently as she gasped for air.
Her closed eyelids trembled slightly as Kaya slowly opened her eyes. Her brown pupils were veiled with moisture in the dim light, her gaze shifting to land on the figure swallowing clouds and spitting mist.
Ryan was smoking a cigar, the ember glowing and fading between his fingers, casting the contours of his profile in shifting shades. Smoke rings dissipated around his nose, creating an indescribable sense of detachment.
Kaya clenched the sheets beneath her. Silence spread through the room, interrupted only by the intermittent sound of waves from outside washing against the rocks, also beating against her suspended heart.
Finally, Kaya spoke, her voice slightly hoarse from having just caught her breath, thin like a taut thread: "Mr. Ryan... are you thinking of leaving?"
Ryan's hand holding the cigar paused. He turned to look at Kaya. Moonlight happened to filter through the window, falling on Kaya's face, clearly revealing the tension she couldn't hide in her eyes.
"Why ask this suddenly?" His voice carried the bitterness of tobacco, betraying little emotion.
"You said before..." Kaya shrank deeper into the blankets, her fingers digging hard into the corner of the quilt. "The world is so big, you wanted to travel everywhere."
She paused, gently biting her lower lip. "If you want to leave, don't worry about me. I know... someone like you shouldn't be confined to one place."
Seeing Kaya like this, Ryan suddenly didn't know what to say.
After all, he did have thoughts of leaving in his heart, but seeing Kaya putting on that forced understanding expression made the words that had reached his lips impossible to utter.
"What about you?" Ryan extinguished his cigar, his gaze heavy as he looked at Kaya, his voice lower than before. "Do you want to come with me?"
Kaya's head snapped up, a flash of light instantly appearing in her eyes, but that brightness soon slowly faded. She gently shook her head, her brown pupils clear yet lonely. "My health is weak, I can't endure long journeys. And..."
She glanced out the window where the castle's silhouette stood silently in the night. "This is the place my parents left behind, with all my memories. If I leave, there will be no one to guard it."
Then, as if having made some resolution, Kaya looked at Ryan with a stubborn seriousness, her voice even steadier. "I plan to study medicine with the town doctor. I'll wait here, for you to return... If you ever get injured, I'll treat you."
Her words were spoken softly, yet like a stone thrown into a lake, they created ripples in Ryan's heart.
He had thought this stay was merely a chance occurrence during his sea wanderings, never expecting that this flower grown in a greenhouse, seemingly fragile, would take root in his heart in such a gentle yet firm way.
Ryan didn't say anything more, simply leaning forward and extending his arm to gently pull Kaya into his embrace. As his nose brushed against her slender neck, the unique warmth of a young girl mixed with a faint floral scent washed over him, stirring something inexplicably tight within.
Kaya's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, even the roots of her ears turning transparent red.
"W-wait..."
She certainly understood what Ryan intended to do. The lingering sensation from their prolonged kiss hadn't yet faded, and most of her strength seemed drained from her body. She could only weakly clutch his collar, her voice trembling as she pleaded, "...Let me rest... just for a moment..."
Ryan paused his movements, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe as he whispered two soft sentences.
Kaya's eyes widened abruptly, her brown pupils filled with panic. Her lips quivered, but no words emerged for a long moment.
Instinctively, she wanted to turn her head away, but the thought that he might set sail tomorrow made her heart feel hollowed out, aching with a sour tenderness.
Her resolve softened, and all resistance melted away.
Kaya lowered her eyelids, her long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings, concealing the shimmering tears welling in her eyes. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum: "I... I don't know how..."
"I'll teach you." Ryan's fingertips gently traced the side of Kaya's face.
Kaya bit her lower lip, her teeth sinking into the soft flesh as she recalled his restraint over the past half month—the kisses he halted when she frowned, the hands that hovered at her waist but never descended, the movements that carried clear intent yet always softened at the last moment.
Hadn't he been accommodating her all along?
Kaya closed her eyes, as if making a momentous decision. The next second, she cautiously slid deeper under the covers, revealing only her damp eyes gazing at Ryan. Her clear pupils reflected his image, tinged with a resigned docility.
Seeing her like this, a triumphant smile curled at the corner of Ryan's lips. Moonlight fell upon her flushed cheeks, making her eyes appear even more dewy, exuding a pitiable shyness.
This pure little flower raised in a greenhouse had finally been marked by his unique imprint.
From now on, no matter where she went, she would never be able to shake it off.
How had he become so wicked? It was all the Golden Lion's fault!
....
The next day.
Kaya stood on the shore, her pale golden short hair slightly tousled by the wind, the tips damp with fine mist. Behind her stood the sheep head-shaped butler, Merry.
"Mr. Ryan, won't you need a ship?" Kaya asked softly, gazing at the empty sea, her voice carrying a barely perceptible reluctance.
"No need." Ryan turned to Merry, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "Merry, I entrust Kaya to your care."
"Rest assured, sir." Merry bowed respectfully, his voice steady and reliable.
Before the words fully faded, Ryan had already strode over to Kaya. Before she could react, he pulled her tightly into his embrace. A kiss carrying the scent of the sea swept over her, more fervent and urgent than any before, brimming with unmistakable possessiveness.
Kaya's toes barely touched the ground as she instinctively clutched Ryan's clothes, her heart pounding like a drum.
"I'm leaving." When Ryan released her, he pressed his forehead against the tip of her nose and murmured, "Wait for me. I will come back to see you."
Kaya's cheeks were flushed, her breath still unsteady. Before she could nod in response, Ryan's figure was suddenly enveloped in a blaze of crimson light.
In the blinding light, the sound of cracking bones was clearly audible. Ryan's figure rapidly grew taller, transforming in the blink of an eye into a massive peach-pink giant dragon. Fine sparks sprayed from its nostrils as it breathed, falling onto the beach and scorching small black dots into the sand.
"Roar—"
The giant dragon let out a low roar, its sound waves causing ripples across the sea surface. Beneath it, rolling Flame Clouds rose, steadily supporting its massive body.
"A dragon... it's a dragon!" Merry gasped with a distorted exclamation, his mouth agape in shock.
Kaya was also stunned. She had always known Ryan was no ordinary man, but she never imagined Mr. Ryan would be the legendary giant dragon that only existed in ancient tales.
But her astonishment lasted only a moment before being replaced by certainty in her heart.
What did it matter if he was a dragon? What did it matter if he was ordinary? He was Ryan—the one who would tuck her in late at night, soften his tone when she frowned, and kiss her with all his might when they parted.
That was enough.
The sea breeze grew stronger, lifting her white skirt and blowing her golden short hair against her cheeks.
Kaya watched as the giant dragon, wrapped in Flame Clouds, soared into the sky. That vivid peach-pink gradually shrank into a speck of starlight on the horizon, eventually piercing through the clouds and disappearing into the vast sky.
"My god... he was actually a dragon..." Merry was still muttering to himself nearby, his voice full of disbelief. "Miss Kaya, M-Mr. Ryan was actually a dragon..."
"Merry, let's go back." Yet a faint smile graced Kaya's face as she turned to walk toward the manor. Sunlight broke through the thin mist and fell upon her, casting a long shadow.
It's fine. I'll keep waiting—waiting for him to traverse countless cloud layers, cross the boundless sea, and return to this shore, bearing the winds, waves, and starlight.
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