The royal capital was more lively than usual.
Colorful banners hung from every tower of the palace walls, fluttering in the warm wind.
Music echoed through the streets.
Laughter filled the air.
Today was the Royal Festival.
A grand celebration held once every few years when nobles and delegates from other kingdoms gathered in the capital.
The palace courtyard had been transformed into a massive market.
Rows of stalls stretched across the grounds.
Merchants shouted their offers.
Exotic food sizzled over open flames.
Foreign traders displayed strange artifacts from distant lands.
Even some royals walked casually among the crowd, enjoying the festivities.
And among them…
Mia walked quietly beside Leo and Vinson.
Today, she wasn't in her dragon form.
For once.
She was human.
A long black dress flowed around her legs as she walked.
The maids had spent nearly an hour brushing and arranging her hair until it fell smoothly over her shoulders.
Around her neck was a simple black choker, something the maids insisted would "complete the look."
They had practically worked themselves to exhaustion for the sake of their "beautiful lady."
Mia still wasn't sure how she felt about all of it.
She tugged slightly at the choker.
"…This feels weird."
Leo glanced at her.
Then immediately froze.
"…God."
Mia looked at him.
"What?"
Leo shook his head slowly.
"You look… beautiful."
Mia blinked.
"…That's a weird thing to say to your sister."
Leo waved his hands quickly.
"You know what I mean!"
"I mean you don't look like the grumpy dragon that headbutts people anymore!"
Mia narrowed her eyes.
"…Careful."
Leo raised his hands defensively.
"I take it back!"
Vinson, walking beside them, simply chuckled quietly.
"You do look very elegant today, Mia."
Mia scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"…Thanks."
It still felt strange.
Last life, she had been a 22-year-old guy.
Now she was walking through a royal festival as a beautiful dragon girl.
(What kind of plot twist is this life…)
Leo suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Come on!"
"Let's check the food stalls first!"
Mia sighed but allowed herself to be dragged along.
The smell of grilled meat and sweet pastries filled the air.
Mia stood near the edge of the palace plaza, quietly looking over the massive festival.
The view stretched far across the courtyard.
Colorful tents.
Merchants shouting their deals.
Children running between stalls.
Music drifting through the air.
Her eyes widened slightly.
(God damn…)
(This is way bigger than the biggest festival back in my old world.)
Even the busiest events she remembered from her past life didn't feel this lively.
Back then it had been lights and speakers.
Here it was magic, music, and people from different kingdoms.
Earlier, Vinson had handed both of them a small pouch of coins.
"Enjoy yourselves," he had said.
Then he disappeared into the noble gathering areas, leaving them free to wander.
And wander they did.
Leo walked beside her with the energy of someone who had just been released into a giant playground.
"Woah… look at that!"
He dragged Mia toward a merchant stall.
Strange devices were laid across the table.
Weapons.
Crystals.
Odd magical trinkets.
One merchant demonstrated a wooden bird.
Inside its body, tiny gears spun as the wings flapped realistically.
The bird hopped across the table like it was alive.
Another stall had a small device projecting holographic birds that fluttered in glowing blue light.
Street performers juggled flames nearby while musicians played lively tunes.
Paintings hung across wooden displays.
Everything felt… alive.
"Okay," Leo muttered.
"This festival is insane."
They continued deeper into the crowd.
That's when Mia noticed something strange.
A man walked past them wearing a bright yellow smiling mask.
His clothing was unusual.
Dark but stylish, almost theatrical.
Beside him walked a woman dressed in flowing white robes.
The two of them moved calmly through the crowd, buying small items from different merchants.
The woman casually placed everything into a magic storage inventory.
But something about her made Mia stop walking.
Her senses sharpened.
She could feel it.
A faint…
Dragon mana signature.
It was the same kind of presence she sometimes felt near Ebruhan.
Mia's eyes narrowed slightly.
Another dragon…?
Beside her, Leo laughed.
"Woah… that's a weird outfit."
He pointed toward the masked man.
"Look at that guy."
"Who even dresses like that?"
At that moment, the masked man briefly turned his head.
The smiling mask faced Mia for a single second.
Even though his expression was fixed…
Something about the gaze behind it felt very aware.
Then he simply turned back and continued walking.
Within moments, the pair disappeared into the moving crowd.
Mia kept staring at the spot where they vanished.
(That… was strange.)
Before she could think about it further—
Two young royals approached them.
A girl in elegant royal attire bowed politely.
"Greetings, Lady Mia."
"My name is Princess Amelia."
"It's a pleasure to see the kingdom's protector dragon attending our festival."
Beside her stood a tall young man who gave a friendly nod.
"And I am Prince George."
He smiled.
"How are you today, Miss Dark Flame?"
Leo immediately straightened up like someone who had just realized he was talking to royalty.
Mia blinked for a moment before answering.
"…I'm doing well."
"Nice to meet you both."
Though part of her mind was still thinking about the masked man who had just vanished into the crowd.
And the strange dragon aura she had felt.
After nearly half a day wandering through the festival, Mia and Leo had practically turned the event into a food tour.
They had eaten.
A lot.
One stall sold crushed fruits served in wooden cups.
The vendor smashed colorful berries and tropical fruits together, added sweet syrup, then dropped pieces of shaved ice on top.
Mia stared at it suspiciously.
"…Wait."
"They have ice here?"
Leo was already drinking his.
"Yeah?"
"How else would they make cold drinks?"
Mia took a sip.
Her eyes widened.
(Okay… that's actually amazing.)
The drink was sweet, cold, and refreshing.
(Whoever invented this deserves a medal.)
They continued moving from stall to stall.
Grilled meats.
Sweet pastries.
Strange foreign snacks.
Then Mia spotted something interesting.
A wooden table with small clay cups.
Behind it stood a merchant proudly presenting bottles filled with clear liquid.
A sign read:
Rice Wine
Mia's eyes lit up.
(Alcohol??)
Her past-life brain immediately activated.
She stepped toward the stall.
Leo grabbed the back of her collar.
"No."
Mia turned.
"…What?"
Leo crossed his arms.
"Absolutely not."
"You're too young."
Mia frowned.
(I'm literally a grown man…)
Then she remembered.
(…Well. In my past life.)
"I'm just curious about the flavor," she argued.
Leo shook his head.
"Nope."
"It tastes bitter and hot."
"And it can make people lose control."
Mia sighed internally.
(That's the whole point of alcohol!!)
"…Fine."
Leo nodded proudly like he had just prevented a national disaster.
They kept wandering after that.
By the time the sun began setting, the festival lights slowly started glowing across the palace courtyard.
The sky turned orange.
And their coin pouch…
Was completely empty.
But their hands were full of strange purchases.
Wooden gadgets.
Tiny mechanical toys.
A glowing crystal deer.
Random festival souvenirs.
Leo stretched his arms as they finally walked back toward the estate.
"Best. Festival. Ever."
Mia nodded.
"Yeah… not bad."
When they returned home, Mia suddenly rushed ahead.
She ran straight toward Leo's bedroom.
Leo blinked.
"Hey—!"
The door slammed shut behind her.
"Give me a minute!" Mia shouted from inside.
"I gotta remove this dress!"
Leo stood outside his own room.
"…Excuse me?"
"You kicked me out of my own room."
Inside the room, Mia quickly removed the black dress and the choker.
The moment they came off—
A faint shimmer of magic flashed.
Her original clothing reappeared instantly.
She stretched her arms.
Then opened the door.
"Okay. You can come in now."
Leo walked inside slowly.
Mia flopped dramatically onto the bed.
"Finally!!!"
"Freedom!!!"
Leo looked at her, unimpressed.
"I can't believe I had to leave my own room."
He sighed.
"Just so a dragon could change clothes."
Mia grinned lazily.
"Hey."
"Fashion sacrifices must be made."
Leo rolled his eyes.
But despite the complaining…
Both of them were still smiling from the festival.
Night settled quietly over the estate.
The barn was dim, lit only by faint moonlight slipping through the wooden gaps in the walls.
Mia rested in her dragon form, her large body curled comfortably on a bed of hay.
Everything was peaceful.
But her mind wasn't.
Her thoughts drifted far away…
To another world.
(My old life…)
Images slowly surfaced in her mind.
Crowded streets filled with bright lights.
Tall buildings stretching toward the sky.
The sound of traffic.
Her workplace.
Her friends.
Riko's friends.
She wondered about them sometimes.
(Do they miss me…?)
(Did they ever find out what happened…?)
(Or did I just disappear from their lives…)
A quiet sigh escaped her nose.
(I kinda miss them…)
Just then—
The barn door creaked softly.
Mia's head lifted immediately.
Her senses sharpened.
But before she could react—
The air shimmered.
A familiar figure appeared as if stepping out of thin air.
Ebruhan.
He had just dropped his invisibility spell.
"Hello, Mia."
"How was the festival?"
Mia blinked in surprise.
"Oh."
"Hey, Ebruhan."
She relaxed slightly.
"It was fun."
Her tail flicked lazily.
"I almost tried rice wine."
"But Leo stopped me."
Ebruhan chuckled.
"Well… to him, you're still just a kid."
Mia groaned.
"Yeah."
"That makes things awkward sometimes."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I didn't see you there though."
Ebruhan leaned casually against one of the wooden posts.
"Well… I was there."
"Just in a different human form."
He shrugged.
"I didn't want to attract too much attention."
Mia nodded slowly.
Then looked at him curiously.
"This is the first time you've visited this late."
"Is there a reason?"
Ebruhan shook his head lightly.
"I was patrolling."
"And I thought I'd stop by."
His eyes softened slightly as he studied her.
"You looked… thoughtful tonight."
Mia looked down at the hay beneath her claws.
"…Yeah."
She hesitated.
Then spoke quietly.
"I was just thinking about my old life."
"My old friends."
Her voice became softer.
"I kind of miss them."
Ebruhan didn't interrupt.
Instead, he simply sat down beside her in his human form.
"…What was your world like?"
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
Mia blinked.
Then smiled faintly.
"Well…"
"It's very different from here."
And slowly…
She began describing it.
Cities filled with towering buildings.
Vehicles moving along endless roads.
Machines doing the work of hundreds of people.
And a world where dragons only existed in myths and stories.
Ebruhan listened quietly.
Completely fascinated.
"So dragons were only legends?"
"Pretty much."
Mia laughed softly.
"If people from my world saw you flying around, the internet would explode."
"I… have no idea what that means," Ebruhan admitted.
"Fair."
After a moment, Ebruhan reached into his magic inventory.
He pulled out a small bottle filled with clear liquid.
Then set it down beside her.
Mia immediately recognized it.
"…Wait."
"Is that—"
"Rice wine," Ebruhan said calmly.
He gave a small smile.
"So?"
"You still curious?"
Mia stared at the bottle.
Ebruhan raised one finger.
"Not too much."
"Your mind may be older, but your body isn't."
"Just a little."
Mia thought for a moment.
Then she shifted.
A shimmer of magic surrounded her body.
Her dragon form shrank—
Until she stood there in her human form.
She stretched her arms slightly.
"…Alright."
She held up two fingers.
"Just two cups."
She scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
"I didn't drink that much in my past life either."
Ebruhan laughed softly as he prepared the cups.