Time flies like an arrow.
Happy memories, painful memories, joyful memories, sad memories. Using all those memories as footholds, I move forward.
They say ten years can change a river, right?
A hundred years changes a generation, and a thousand years changes the land.
And in five thousand years… the world changes.
Some people asked how I knew that.
And the answer came easily.
Because I have lived for five thousand years.
“….I miss them.”
I recalled the time I spent with them.
That unforgettable, blissful time.
A time I can no longer return to.
But rather than sadness, I felt a deeper longing.
We smiled together, cried together, and finally had a beautiful farewell. It wouldn’t be respectful to wallow in sorrow for them.
How sad I was when I let go of my first love.
I probably cried every day for years.
Then came another one, and another one.
I cried as if the world were ending, and each of them left my side with happy smiles.
As they gradually departed, I experienced a bittersweet beauty in our farewells.
Yeah. It was beautiful.
Our time was.
They say time heals all wounds.
It’s been almost three thousand years since our last farewell.
I took those lovely memories of them and lived on with renewed vigor.
No. Actually, it was because of just one person. I could conquer the sadness of parting and live to this day thanks to her.
With her who vowed never to leave my side for eternity and in our unchanging nest, we continue to be together.
Thanks to that, I can proudly say I’m still happy.
“Master! The Young Mistress has arrived!”
“Really?!”
Hearing the head maid’s words, I jumped up and raced out.
I opened the door and strolled down the mansion’s hall, rushing ahead as fast as I could.
To see her as quickly as possible.
As I went down the stairs and faced the main entrance, I finally saw her.
“Mom! I’m home!”
No longer just the cute girl from before, she had grown into a dazzlingly beautiful beauty.
Her blue eyes seemed like they would freeze everything around them, as if they contained the beautiful sky within.
My daughter, my wife, my entire world—her.
Mari.
Her once adorable appearance had blossomed into something even more magnificent.
Whether because of her color or her sharp gaze, Mari now exuded a chilly and striking aura.
The cuteness of her baby days had slightly faded, and she had grown into a cold and beautiful ice princess.
I dashed forward and leapt into her arms. Mari effortlessly lifted me up as if I were a feather.
“Mari!! I missed you..!”
As I repeatedly kissed her cheek, Mari let out a soft giggle and gazed at me with her blue eyes.
“Mom, honestly. Don’t you get tired of seeing me every day?”
“…Does that mean you’re tired of me, Mari?”
As my eyebrows furrowed at her blunt tone, she made a strange expression, mumbled a bit, and then planted a deep kiss on my cheek.
“Of course not.”
“Hehe.”
I brought my nose close to Mari’s body, inhaling her fragrant scent to recharge my energy for the day, before stepping back and intertwining our fingers.
“You worked hard today.. Aren’t you hungry? I prepared dinner, let’s eat together.”
I cheerfully tried to engage, but Mari frowned, as if something didn’t sit right with her.
“I told you to leave dinner to the maids. I don’t want Mom to get her hands dirty.”
I muttered under my breath at her sharp voice.
“But I want to cook for Mari myself…”
“…..H.”
Naturally, I shrank back as Mari approached like a predator.
But contrary to my fear, she…
whoosh—
Wrapped her tail around me and pulled me close for a brief kiss.
As soon as she pulled away, she licked her lips enticingly and whispered into my ear.
“Dessert comes after dinner, just so you know.”
“Ugh..!”
Her blatant whispering made my face flush a bright red.
“W-wait, Mari! There are people around…!”
I exclaimed loudly while looking at Mari, but she only stroked my head with a seductive smile on her face.
I’m pretty sure Mari used to be the shy one… When did she change like this?
Recently, Mari seemed fearless. She thought of my body at every opportunity…
Sometimes I felt like she cared more for my body than I did myself.
“I’ll go wash up, let’s eat dinner together. I have some good news too.”
“Hmm..? Good news?”
As I tilted my head in confusion, Mari gazed at me intently, her eyes burning with excitement.
“Yeah. Really good news for us.”
With that ambiguous statement, Mari turned her back and walked to the bathroom.
What followed was the sight of her large tail bouncing up and down as if she were excited.
*
In the middle of a desolate forest stood a giant Daejeotak.
For thousands of years, it was our own nest where Mari and I spent our time together.
A lot had happened aside from that.
Mari’s fully grown power was absolutely strong. Even when compared to other dragons.
Ultimately, no other dragons could compete with Mari, leading her to earn the title of Dragon Lord, making her one of the strongest beings in this world.
Now, Mari’s words had become law.
This Daejeotak was built by people racing around for ten days, spurred on by a lighthearted joke from Mari.
And now officially married to her, I bore the awkward title of the Lord’s Wife.
Yeah.
I married my beloved daughter.
How shocked I was when I learned that Mari had feelings for me.
Was that why I rejected her for a while?
I awkwardly distanced myself from her…
I had always thought of her as my daughter, so I was quite flustered by her feelings.
But truly, time changes everything.
Eventually, after hundreds of years of passionate pursuit, I couldn’t help but fall for her.
Though it felt like a sin, I could no longer refuse her, and we became lovers, only for Mari to propose shortly after.
When I accepted her confession, the happiness on Mari’s face was truly like she had the world.
After that, I spent intensely passionate times with her that would be embarrassing to mention.
Every time we engaged, Mari’s burning desire made it hard for me to recall anything clearly as I often fainted first.
“Wow… you used to be so cute. When did you grow up like this…”
I patted Mari’s head as she ate beside me.
Mari snuggled closer to me, continuing her meal.
‘..It’s alright to sit a bit further apart while eating, right?’
Her old habits clearly hadn’t changed.
Mari liked being close to me, and since I didn’t mind, we naturally lived this way.
They say love cools over time. Who said that?
Even after five thousand years, my love for Mari hasn’t faltered even a bit.
“Oh, right, Mari. What’s this good news?”
At my question, Mari wiped her mouth with a tissue and looked at me with a dreamy expression.
“Mom. The world has gotten really better. Now humans can even fly like us dragons and reach the depths of the sea like the deep-sea tribes.”
“Yeah… It seems they’ve advanced a lot.”
As Mari mentioned, humanity had made unprecedented progress over the millennia.
It’s almost forgotten now, but compared to the science of Earth, which I once inhabited, this place seemed magical.
Thankfully, life had become much more convenient in many ways.
“And today. The organization I’ve been supporting finally completed the research!”
“Really? Congratulations, Mari..!”
Now that I think about it, it’s been about a hundred years since I heard Mari had started some research.
But whenever I asked, she merely said it was a secret and she’d let me know once the research was completed.
“Can you tell me what the experiment is now?”
As I looked at Mari with sparkling eyes, she raised her large tail and presented it before me.
“Mom. Doesn’t my tail seem different?”
“Huh..? Are you talking about your tail?”
As Mari nodded, I examined her tail closely.
Then, as I touched her blue tail, I instantly understood what had changed.
For some reason, it felt…
Much larger and…
Was it just me, or was it denser?
“The world has significantly improved. Now, even women can have children together.”
“…….Huh?”
A deflated sound escaped my lips as Mari caressed my cheek with her burning gaze.
“Mom. I still remember. Our first promise.”
“W-wait a second…?”
“When you said, if you could breastfeed, you’d be sure to feed me first, do you remember?”
“M-mari, wait! What are you saying…”
“Yeah. It’s okay if you don’t remember.”
After finishing her meal, Mari gently picked me up with both hands, smiling sweetly as her tail stroked my belly.
“I know better than anyone. You’ll be a wonderful mother.”
“I-I’m not ready to have a child—”
“No. You need to fulfill your duties as my wife, Mom.”
With those words, I suddenly came to my senses.
I was now on the bed with Mari.
Today. No, more precisely, this moment.
Would become a monumental event deeply etched into history.
The birth of a new and powerful race, surpassing dragons.
The day a great race known as the Dragonkin would be born in history.
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