Han Yuri rubbed her eyes, gazing at the child cradled in her stepmother Erses Lascaris’s arms.
This child was now her younger sibling.
She had only considered them a child whose name coincidentally resembled her deceased younger sibling’s, yet Han Yuri had distinctly heard something.
As if confirming her ears had not deceived her, Erses Lascaris spoke to the child.
“You shouldn’t say Noona; you should say Unnie.” (TL Note: ‘Noona’ is a term used by a male for an older sister, while ‘Unnie’ is used by a female for an older sister. Erses is correcting Mino, implying Mino used ‘Noona’.)
Despite her mother clearly addressing her, the child’s eyes remained fixed on Han Yuri.
It was a similar reaction to what she had witnessed in the dungeon.
The similar name and the intense stare whenever their paths crossed.
Even the words the child had unconsciously uttered moments ago.
Han Yuri retrieved the suspicion she had pushed to the back of her mind.
“Your mother needs to rest, so Mino, could you help Unnie with the house tour?”
“Yuri is still unfamiliar with dragons, so you two should get to know each other.”
Noticing Yuri’s grave expression, Erses Lascaris inquired.
“…Are you alright, dear?”
“Oh! I’m-I’m fine.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear that.”
Han Yuri received the child from Erses Lascaris, who, still half-asleep, seemed almost to be glaring at her.
“They’re usually a very lively child, but it seems they’re still drowsy.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes, aren’t they adorable?”
At her words, Han Yuri looked down at the child diligently rubbing their eyes in her arms.
They were certainly adorable.
With pristine, clear skin, golden eyes, and brilliantly shining golden horns and tail.
Their hair was pure white.
How could anyone possibly say this child wasn’t lovable?
Yet, Han Yuri felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
“Then off you go.”
“Yes.”
As Han Yuri, filled with worry, was about to step out the door, Erses Lascaris called out to her from behind.
“Yuri.”
“Yes?”
“It feels as though I haven’t met you for the first time, Yuri. You keep coming to mind.”
“…Yes.”
“It means I feel as if I bore you myself.”
The word ‘mother’.
It had been a very long time since she had heard that word.
Hearing the word ‘mother’ from a woman claiming to be her own mother was enough to stir Han Yuri’s tear ducts.
“…Mo-mother.”
“Yes, I am your mother.”
Seeing Erses Lascaris smile with her eyes, Han Yuri offered a faint smile in return.
Then, the tears that had welled in her eyes streamed down her cheeks.
“Oh dear, don’t cry.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s alright.”
Han Yuri made a vow.
She would not lose this new family she had gained.
The same vow applied to her younger sibling nestled in her arms.
“Off you go now.”
“Yes!”
Han Yuri’s slightly more forceful reply echoed through the room.
****
What exactly was I doing right now?
“Th-this is where the elders reside.”
“Aha~ I see~!”
A woman who resembled my Noona responded with a bright, beaming smile.
I hadn’t heard her name yet.
“…Ho. No, Mino?”
“Yes?!”
I spun around, startled.
Even after turning, the woman simply smiled brightly and spoke to me.
They were truly similar.
However, no matter how closely I looked, there were many distinct differences from my Noona.
Rough, long, greyish hair, and eyes with a reddish tint.
The last time I saw Noona before I died, her hair was medium-length.
Unless several years had passed, it made no sense for her hair to be that long.
I considered opening my status window, hoping her name might appear, but.
[The King says absolutely not.]
‘Old man, stop interfering and open it.’
[He says it’s for your safety.]
‘Where’s the GM! Bring me your supervisor!!’
[…He’s not a supervisor, but a colleague, and the □■ you call GM is currently very ill.]
What was that supposed to mean?
Since the status window had a will of its own, opening it wasn’t easy.
“…*Sigh*.”
“Mi-Mino?”
Ah, a sigh had escaped me without my realizing it.
“No-no, Unnie. I’m going somewhere else now. I’m busy.”
“U-Uh, okay!”
I had almost made a slip of the tongue.
Flustered, I began to move my feet quickly.
“Mino! It’s dangerous to run!”
“I’m fine.”
I saw people greeting me as I dashed past.
“Princess!”
“Hello.”
“Hoho, how do you do?”
As I continued to run.
-Crash.
“Ow!”
“…?”
I bumped into someone, and my bottom hit the ground.
“…It hurts.”
“Are you alright? I distinctly warned you not to run.”
Lifting my head, I saw the Maid Commander with red eyes.
Black hair and red eyes. I felt like I had seen them somewhere before.
“Your Royal Highness, are you running through the corridors again?”
“W-Well.”
Having been sharply reprimanded for running in the hallways just recently, my head drooped low.
-Wriggle, wriggle.
“Don’t move. I might actually drop you.”
As I wriggled to escape, the woman resembling Noona hurried over from behind.
“I-I’m sorry! The child is still immature.”
“Ah. Good day.”
“Yes…….”
“A baby watching over a child. What a heartwarming sight.”
“Ah, ahaha.”
The woman resembling Noona gave an awkward ‘ahaha’ laugh.
Perhaps being treated as a baby felt awkward because, by human age, she wasn’t one.
Indeed, if I had been treated this way in my body before reincarnation, I probably would have gone mad by now.
As I hung suspended, looking at the woman before me with a slightly pitiful expression.
A shocking name escaped the Maid Commander’s lips.
“…Han, Yuri-nim, was it?”
“Welcome. The wicked custom of discriminating against Half-Dragons disappeared long ago.”
“…Though no Half-Dragons remain. Ah, I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t originally a Half-Dragon anyway.”
Han Yuri.
Just three insignificant syllables.
Yet, those three syllables sent my pupils and my sanity into a frantic tremor.
‘Han Yuri?’
‘…Even the name is the same?’
Something was wrong here.
How on earth did Noona get here?
How could I explain that hair length, color, and those eyes?
And why was my Noona a Half-Dragon?
Information swirled frantically in my mind.
‘…I need to bring this up.’
I might appear a little—no, a lot—like a madman, but if I didn’t ask now, I would probably regret it for the rest of my life.
“We need to go now. I have to show Unnie around the house.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Ahaha…Mino, shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
I had to confirm.
Whether that person was my Noona or not.
****
Han Yuri and Mino—no, Han Mino—were descending into the deserted underground dungeon.
Into the very space where Han Yuri and Damian had stayed, and where Void had resided.
They were supposed to be shown new places, so why were they going down here?
Han Yuri wondered, looking at the empty spaces that seemed as though torches once illuminated them.
“Mi-Mino? Why are we going down here?”
“…To look.”
“To look?”
“Yeah.”
Mino was slowly descending the stairs, her brow furrowed as if deeply contemplating something, which made Han Yuri hesitate to speak further.
Slowly, deliberately, the two descended the stairs.
Was it due to the chilling, stagnant air, or Mino’s somber mood?
Just as Han Yuri felt goosebumps prickling her skin.
“Mi-Mino?”
…….
Mino stopped.
“Unnie…….”
“Hm?”
Mino, turning to speak, her eyes held a look of profound resolution.
“No, Noona.” (TL Note: Mino, though now physically female, uses ‘Noona’ (a term typically used by a male for an older sister) to address Han Yuri, revealing her past gender identity.)
“What?!”
Han Yuri, greatly flustered, stared at Mino standing below her, her eyes wide with shock.
“…Are you really Noona?”
…….
Han Yuri remained silent despite Han Mino’s words.
She merely gazed at Han Mino with a blank expression.
Honestly, Han Yuri was utterly bewildered.
A tiny baby in front of her suddenly asking if she was Noona.
The question that had surfaced in the dungeon, and again this morning.
The doubt she had dismissed as mere coincidence and pushed away now resurfaced vividly before her eyes.
“…Mino?”
Han Mino, somehow hearing Han Yuri’s faint whisper.
Wiggled her hands and nodded.
Her eyes were not looking at Han Yuri.
Her tail hung limply, making her seem dispirited.
“Mino…!”
“U-Uh, yes?!”
Han Yuri tightly embraced the dispirited, drooping Mino.
“No-Noona?”
“Is it really Mino? I-Is it really our Mino?”
Sobbing, Han Yuri held Mino tightly, unwilling to let go.
Ultimately, Han Yuri’s tear ducts burst.
“No-Noona, Noona really waited for our Mino for a long, long time.”
“Because you said you’d come! So…….”
“It was so hard. I was so lonely.”
Han Yuri poured out all the sorrowful experiences she had endured.
Han Mino simply patted Han Yuri’s back.
“I missed you, so very much…….”
Seeing Han Yuri sniffle as she spoke, Han Mino smiled.
“I’m sorry, and thank you for coming to see me.”
“…Yeah.”
“Noona, when did you grow your hair out? I didn’t recognize you.”
“Me? In the three years since you died. I’d be a little upset if that’s why you didn’t recognize me.”
“Three years?! That much time has passed?”
“Yeah, I’m practically an old lady now, aren’t I?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, you little brat, wanna die?”
Han Yuri grinned, her face still streaked with tears.
“I, well, I made a promise to myself every time I drank.”
“What did you promise?”
“That I’d be your Noona again in the next life.”
Han Mino understood exactly what Han Yuri’s words meant.
“And it really happened?”
“Yeah, it did.”
“Noona, I was going to get married before I came here.”
“What?!”
Han Mino was shocked.
“That guy?”
“Hm?”
“You know, that new employee you always talked about who came to the hospital. His name was…Seungho?”
“…Yes, that’s right. Hehe, how did you remember? Though I won’t be able to see him now.”
“Noona, are you okay?”
“It would be a lie to say I’m alright.”
Han Yuri offered a bitter smile.
Then, she immediately changed the subject.
“Didn’t you say you’d become a bird?”
“W-Well, I don’t know, it granted my wish in a strange way.”
“Pfft, what’s that about?”
“D-Don’t laugh!”
“Still, it’s a relief we can talk to each other.”
Han Yuri, who had been laughing for a long time, poked Mino’s forehead and said.
“Now, you should call me Unnie~?”
“You didn’t come, so I came to you.”
“You can do that much for me, right? I wanted to hear it too.”
To Han Yuri, who spoke with a grin, Han Mino—no, Mino—replied.
“I’ll…try.”
“Good.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Shall we go up?”
“Yeah.”
Though there were still so many untold stories and so many things they wished to say to each other.
For now, they decided to save them.
Because now, they had all the time in the world.
