There’s No Way I Can Raise a Dragon Daughter

“Aunt.”

“Why, Tia?”

While fixing her makeup, Irina giggled occasionally in response to the ticklish sensation in her ears.

In the mirror, Tia could be seen climbing up with her legs draped over Irina’s shoulder and playing with her aunt’s ear.

“Why are your ears so big?”

“So I can hear Tia’s voice better.”

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t a satisfactory answer.

Out of frustration, Tia began vigorously rubbing the inside of Irina’s ear.

“Hyaaaahhh…”

A large shriek escaped Irina, her body trembling violently.

With the rustling sound filling her ear entirely, she couldn’t hear anything else.

Tia, intrigued by the trembling ear, continued tormenting her before being stopped.

“Enough… please…”

Tears brimming in her eyes, Irina turned around and caught Tia’s arm, ceasing her actions. She couldn’t take it anymore.

Tia sulked, grabbing Irina’s hair tightly as she rested her chin on the crown of Irina’s head. Irina’s ears were still trembling from the earlier assault.

“Ahhh!”

“What?”

The urgent sound of footsteps approached and, suddenly, the waiting room door frame appeared to have sprouted thorns.

From the other side, a sound of painful groaning could be heard for a brief moment before the thorns disappeared.

The door creaked open, revealing Sasha, who was frowning as she fiddled with her horn.

Seeing Sasha’s face, Tia beamed with joy.

“Shasha!”

“Did you bump your horn into the door again?”

“Yes… But did you hear something earlier? It sounded like a scream.”

“Ah, oh… that was probably me accidentally stepping on something. It echoed outside. Hahaha.”

Irina avoided Sasha’s gaze; explaining that the sound had come from Tia messing with her ears would be too embarrassing.

“It didn’t just echo outside. People in the waiting room are wondering if someone is partying upstairs.”

“…”

Irina’s face turned bright red in an instant.

Blushing fiercely, she couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.

“Shasha, sister!”

“Ugh, Tia, want a hug from your sister?”

“Mu! Sister, hug me!”

Tia flailed her arms and leaned backward, dangerously tipping over. Irina had no choice but to tightly hold onto her legs.

Sasha effortlessly scooped Tia up with practiced hands.

Tia, nestled in Sasha’s arms, happily rubbed her head against Sasha’s chest, emitting an adorable giggling sound. Watching this, Irina…

“Sister…?”

Realization hit Irina like a cold wind, leaving her frozen.

“Sis… sister? I’ve never heard that before.”

“Tia, Tia…”

“Muh?”

“Who did you just call?”

“Shasha!”

“I mean the next word.”

“Sister!”

“What about me?”

“Aunt Irina!”

“…”

The world seemed to collapse around Irina as her legs gave out, leaving her crumpled to the floor.

I’m an aunt, and Sasha’s a sister?…

Though heartbroken, Irina couldn’t muster the energy to be angry at Tia’s bright and innocent smile.

Her eyes welled up with tears.

This felt worse than when she’d been teased for looking old by a difficult customer.

“Hmph…”

Sasha struggled to hide her smug expression, desperately turning her head elsewhere.

Youth is truly precious, Sasha realized anew.

“Shasha, where’s Mom?”

“Julia’s probably working right now?”

“She’s always working.”

“Julia’s a bit busy. Do you want to go upstairs?”

“Eh? No, I want to go out.”

“I can’t go with you this time, Tia.”

“What about Aunt Irina?”

“She’s upset with you. Tia’s a bad girl.”

“Mh…?”

Tia’s cheeks puffed up in frustration.

Being unable to go out on her own without someone holding her hand would make anyone feel trapped.

Not that she wanted to stay in this tavern with its loud noises and aching ears.

Feeling thoroughly bored and cooped up in the motel room all day, Tia couldn’t take it anymore.

“Let’s go upstairs, Tia?”

“…”

Sasha carried the unenthusiastic Tia upstairs to the motel room.

Resisting, Tia flung her arms and legs out, forcing Sasha to lift her by her armpits.

Once left alone, Tia threw herself onto the bed with bare feet, sighing heavily.

As she lay there silently, the bed began creaking loudly and moans could be faintly heard through the walls.

The unpleasant sounds.

Tia grew irritated and started kicking the wall, which momentarily quieted the noise, only for even louder sounds to follow shortly after.

Kicking the wall again proved useless.

Crawling over to the window, Tia rested her chin on her hands and gazed outside.

Alone in the room, she had no distractions or entertainment besides mindlessly watching the outside scenery.

“Mh…”

People bustled about on the streets, among them kids holding their mothers’ hands, their faces beaming with happiness.

How many times had Tia gone out with her mom, apart from trips to the market?

Counting on her fingers, Tia couldn’t even manage to fold all the fingers of one hand.

Her mom was always either busy or tired.

“Mh. I’m so bored… Uh?”

Tia gasped, her eyes widening.

In the distance, atop a building rooftop, something had just flown by quickly.

Though a split-second moment, Tia didn’t miss it.

A slim person, entirely shrouded in black, had darted past.

Tia’s eyes darted back and forth as she followed the figure’s inhuman speed.

Finally, the person halted atop a chimney and removed their deeply pressed hood, revealing their face.

Tia gasped in surprise.

It wasn’t the enigmatic face with green short hair that made Tia exclaim, but the pair of large horns jutting out from the head—much bigger, at least two to three times, than Tia’s own.

Tia instinctively touched her horns and was suddenly confident.

This was the person who could answer all her questions.

“What, what is that?”

“Why, what flew past?”

“Didn’t something just fly up there?”

“It was probably a bird.”

In an instant, Tia’s body leaped forward.

She launched herself from the windowsill, landing on the roof of the building across the street with a dull thud.

“Mh!”

Almost slipping down the slope, Tia fought with all her might to regain her balance.

Soon, she grew accustomed to walking on the roof and scurried, her small legs moving as fast as they could, towards the chimney.

At that moment, the black-clad figure turned around, making eye contact with Tia.

Despite the great distance, the two were clearly aware of each other’s presence.

The figure clicked his tongue, replaced the hood, and began leaping off the chimney.

“Mhaah! Stop!”

No way was Tia going to stop now.

She pursued with her most desperate effort, chasing the person who kept appearing closer then farther, closer then farther.

Just as Tia thought she was about to get within arm’s reach, the figure suddenly disappeared in a flash.

He had jumped down to the ground below.

“Mh!”

Hanging off the roof, Tia couldn’t help but make a sad face.

Below her, the bustling crowd looked overwhelming enough to make her dizzy.

Scanning each person desperately, there was no trace of the black-clad individual anywhere.

She had lost him.

Frustrated, Tia sighed and decided to turn back.

‘Who on earth is that kid?’

Meanwhile, the black-clad assassin crouched behind a trash can, catching his breath quietly.

He was astonished.

What kind of child was this to leap across rooftops yet move with such incredible speed?

No one should have been able to keep up with him—someone who prided himself on his unmatched speed.

The thought crossed his mind that the kid might have been using an illusion to change appearance.

Finally, when the searching face vanished from the rooftop, he let out a sigh of relief.

That adorable face had unexpectedly frightened him deeply.

‘Could this kid be an assassin hired to track me? If so, then who’s the mastermind…?’

He meticulously reviewed his recent actions.

He couldn’t pinpoint who he might have offended, save perhaps for mildly warning a certain dim-witted priestess.

The priestess might feel a little annoyed by him, but there’s no way she’d betray the grace of her mentor.

Even if she wanted to attack him directly, she certainly wouldn’t have hired someone.

There were no leads at all.

‘Am I losing my mind? Who’s trying to mess with me?’

Someone was chasing him.

Perhaps the identity concealed beneath his long-used mask had been exposed.

Gritting his teeth, the thought troubled him deeply.

“Mu…”

Returning the way she came, Tia lay on the roof groaning for a bit.

Across the street, she could see the motel room window still wide open.

But no matter how much she thought about it, she didn’t think she could leap back through that small window from this distance.

One wrong move would leave her with a battered head and a fall.

She had leapt without thinking before, but she had no idea how to return now.

Suppressing the temptation to just jump, Tia descended to the ground carefully via a pipe located in a secluded alley.

‘If I’m caught, Mom will definitely be mad…’

She had no choice but to sneak back in through the tavern’s back door.

All she could do was pray fervently that she wouldn’t run into Julia on her way.

If she met Irina or Sasha, she could charm her way out of it, so it wasn’t an issue.

Wobbling carefully across the street, Tia opened the creaking back door as slowly as she could.

“Mu…”

Was Mom watching from inside?

Tia cautiously peeked her head in and stiffened immediately.

“Why does all the alcohol here taste so bland! Bring me something else!”

A handsome customer had furiously thrown his glass and was shouting.

Next to him sat Julia, looking flustered.

The moment the customer wrapped his arm around Julia’s waist, Tia felt a surge of the strongest anger she had ever felt.

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