How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 160

A languid feeling as if my whole body is submerged in warm water. 

 

Or perhaps a cozy warmth, like being wrapped in a thick blanket?

 

That languid sensation made my consciousness fade, as if I were about to fall asleep.

 

‘I can’t do this. I have to wake up now.’

 

But that thought only lasted for a moment.

 

I need to sleep just a little bit more, just a little bit more….

 

– Wake up now.

 

“Mm, just five more minutes…”

 

– I’m pretty sure you said that earlier too.

 

“When did I say that…..”

 

The best kind of sleeping in is when you extend it by saying ‘just five more minutes’ about five times.

 

‘I could swear on my hair tie that at least this time, it was the first time I’d said it!’

 

– Then you should give me that hair tie.

 

The voice, as if gently scolding me, carried a faint trace of laughter.

 

‘It sounds exactly like my late mother’s voice.…’

 

As I was thinking about that, an idea came to my mind.

 

‘Wait….Did I just say that out loud? I think I just thought about it?’

 

– That’s because the distinction between thoughts and words is meaningless here.

 

“What do you mea—Huh?!”

 

I was rubbing my heavy eyes hard with my hand when I turned my head in the direction of the sound and opened my eyes wide.

 

“Uh, uh, uh…!”

 

First of all, the place where I slept was not my bedroom.

 

It wasn’t the bedroom in Ajas Castle, which had become my home. It wasn’t the capital mansion or the room I had used in Howard’s estate either.

 

All I could see was a blank, white space, like an endless snowfield.

 

‘Where on earth am I?’

 

No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find the answer to my question.

 

But more important than that was the being right in front of me.

 

That being, who spoke to me so casually and could read my thoughts—

 

– I shall introduce myself again. I am Hiyela Mos Granteus, a dragon whose vessel was made of perennial snow.

 

A dragon, several dozen times—no, not just bigger than me, but even larger than Ajas Castle itself, lifted its long neck and bowed its head toward me.

 

The way it lowered its head gracefully while keeping its front claws together was almost elegant, but that wasn’t the issue here.

 

‘Why am I not scared?’

 

The dragon’s appearance looked similar to what I had always imagined.

 

The only difference was that its scales shimmered with a mystical sky-blue hue, like ice.

 

A sharp horn jutting out from its triangular head, large membrane wings folded neatly over its body, and a long tail that wraps around its large body.

 

If even one of those enormous limbs moved the wrong way, I could be crushed in an instant.

 

‘But why don’t I feel like I should run away?’

 

– That’s because of the blood in your body and the contract we made.

 

“Blood and contract?”

 

I had no idea what either of those meant.

 

‘Could the “blood” be related to what Felix had mentioned—that I carried Sesto’s lineage?’

 

‘But the contract we made?’

 

That sounded like…

 

“Have we met before?”

 

If I had ever seen such a large creature, especially a dragon, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember it.

 

– Looks like you don’t remember.

 

“What do you mean, I don’t remember?”

 

– This is going to take some time to explain. Perhaps I should change into a form more familiar to you.

 

The pale blue pupils disappeared beneath the eyelids that were like shards of ice. At the same time, the body of the huge dragon flashed and shone.

 

“Ah! Oh my god!”

 

I instinctively closed my eyes against the dazzling light that burst out so brightly.

 

Then, when I carefully opened my eyes, a completely different space was spread out in front of me.

 

“Living room?”

 

‘Had I returned to Ajas Castle? Or has everything until now been just a dream?’

 

As I was looking around, pinching my cheek with my hand, my eyes landed on something atop a tea table, surrounded by delicious-looking desserts—

 

Something incredibly familiar.

 

“Rake!”

 

A small bird with a round body. The one who had swallowed a dragon’s heart and fell into a deep sleep without waking up.

 

Wait.

 

“That dragon before, was that you, Rake?”

 

– Yes, that dragon was me, but I’m not Rake.

 

“Huh?”

 

– I never foresaw that my daughter’s first form would be this small and adorable. I can’t remember the last time I felt such joy.

 

Rake—or rather, the dragon who had just referred to Rake as its daughter—hopped across the table and settled on the other side.

 

As if by magic, a chair slid back on its own, making it easier for me to sit.

 

The teapot floated into the air, pouring tea into a cup, while a teaspoon scooped sugar from the sugar bowl and dropped it in.

 

Still bewildered, I sat down and hesitantly scooped a spoonful of fondant au chocolat into my mouth.

 

“Hm…” 

 

The intense sweetness stung my tongue, jolting my brain into motion.

 

“So….the Rake I thought was a bird until now is actually a dragon, and that’s your daughter?”

 

– Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Hiyela. Unlike the other dragons who were worshiped as gods upon awakening, I am the only dragon recorded in history. All the information you know about dragons is based on me.

 

“Wait, hold on. I feel like I just heard something insane.”

 

My brain was overloaded after hearing just a few words. I replayed Hiyela’s words in my head over and over again.

 

“The other dragons were called gods? You mean like the god of peace and prosperity, to whom the emperor of the empire held a ritual every New Year, or the war god who struck down his axe and created the Anild Canyon…?”

 

– Yes. They were my kin, and those were their deeds.

 

“All gods are dragons? Are you saying gods never existed in the first place? How is that possible?”

 

– The only beings ever called ‘gods’ in this land were my kin. They wielded power so immense that it was only natural for them to be revered as gods. Moreover, enough time has passed for history to be distorted.

 

“How powerful are we talking about? Does that mean Rake has that kind of power too?”

 

– Haha. You must have many questions. I shall explain them one by one.

 

The tiny bird hopped closer and tapped my coffee cup with its wing.

 

I lifted the glass to my lips almost reflexively, feeling a little calmer as the warm liquid ran down my throat.

 

“Alright, so… Hiyela? Should I call you that?”

 

– Call me whatever you want. You have made a contract with me, so you and I are equals.

 

“What do you mean we made a contract? If I’ve seen you before, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember you.”

 

– That was unexpected, even for me. I never imagined your memories would be sealed.

 

“My memories were sealed?”

 

– Yes. The moment we made our contract.

 

A cookie from one dish floated over to another, landing with a soft thunk before breaking into small pieces.

 

Hiyela pecked at the crumbs, just like Rake always did.

 

– Even if I tell you this, you wouldn’t be able to recall the exact moment. Raenel… That name of yours has changed multiple times, hasn’t it? So tell me, how much do you remember from Before you were called Raenel?

 

“Before I was called Raenel….”

 

– Yes. From a world different from this one.

 

“A… different wo—”

 

For a moment, the hairs on my entire body stood on end. I instinctively shivered and covered my mouth with both hands as I stared at the tiny bird.

 

I couldn’t even finish the sentence. The words caught in my throat, refusing to escape.

 

While I was frozen in shock, Hiyela casually flew onto the rim of the teacup and began pecking at the liquid inside.

 

– You probably don’t remember the name you used in that world. It’s only natural that those memories have faded. You are Raenel now.

 

“I…I don’t understand anything you’re saying.”

 

– Ask one by one. There’s plenty of time.

 

Hiyela now flew over to the strawberry tart and started pecking at the strawberry that was shining with syrup.

 

Watching the utterly carefree way Hiyela moved, I wished I could gather my thoughts and sort everything out.

 

‘If only it were that easy…’

 

Half in a daze, I leaned back in my chair and stared into empty space, struggling to find the right words.

 

“So, does that mean my reincarnation into this book—no, into this world has something to do with that contract?”

 

– That’s right. To be exact, I was the one who called you here.

 

“You called me? Why?”

 

– It must have been… about a thousand years ago now. Even then, my kin and I had already lived through countless ages.

 

‘A thousand years seemed like a distant memory to me, and I couldn’t even guess how long that time had been.’

 

– During that endless time, we fell into a bottomless state of boredom. Can you imagine what it’s like to be so weary that even the act of breathing becomes tiresome and miserable?

 

“No….Not at all.”

 

I shook my head firmly, and the small bird let out a quick chirp from its beak.

 

It sounded like, ‘Of course, how could you understand that feeling?’—but there was no mockery in its tone.

 

– In the end, many of my kin returned to nature. Some abandoned their identity as dragons entirely, choosing to become humans or other species, while others left for different worlds.

 

“Different worlds? Do you mean… Earth?”

 

– Yes. That planet was one of the destinations my kin traveled to. Those who arrived there left traces behind, so that any others who chose to journey there in the future could follow their path. I retraced those traces…and found the contractor.

 

‘So, there were dragons on Earth, after all?’

 

Maybe that was why I had been able to adapt so quickly to the culture of this world—because, in some way, I had already been exposed to it before.

 

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