Chapter 9: CRY YOUR HEART OUT
"GREETINGS to the Great Edur," Gypsy respectfully said as she kneeled and bowed in front of the ice dragon. "My name is Gypsy Woolsey, and I'm here to take your trial."
<"But you are not a Woolsey, child.">
She flinched.
[Oops. I'm already busted?]
She looked up at the ice dragon.
Her plan was to beg for mercy, but she was suddenly distracted when she realized that the majestic adult dragon she saw earlier had turned into a cute baby white dragon.
[So cute!]
Edur looked like the baby version of Light Fury, T*othless' mate from the animated movie H*w To Tr*in Your Dr*gon. The only difference between the two was the eye color.
[Edur has golden eyes.]
<"Child, you finally stopped shaking.">
"I'm still shaking, Great Edur," she said shyly. "It's cold here, after all."
<"What I mean is you finally stopped shaking from fear.">
Oh.
She was always walking on eggshells around everyone and everything in this world. In short, she was often more scared than not. It was like her second nature to be scared now, so she didn't notice when she finally calmed down.
[My life sounds pathetic.]
"I was afraid when I saw your majestic appearance earlier, Great Edur," she confessed shyly. "But when I saw your baby form, you reminded me of one of the cutest characters I've seen in an animated movie back in my world…" she trailed off, then she covered her mouth with her hands when she gasped. "Oops."
<"Fear not, child,"> Edur said in an amused voice. <"I already know you came from another world.">
She blinked in surprise. "But how…"
<"Because your soul doesn't match the vessel.">
By "vessel," did the ice dragon mean her physical body?
[It makes sense, though. After all, this body doesn't belong to me.]
"Great Edur, do you know how I could return to my world?"
<"You want to return to your world?">
She nodded politely. "My brother is there. I need to return for him."
<"Then are you going to leave your brother in this world?">
She laughed softly while shaking her head. "I never saw Young Master Yvo as a brother. This may sound cruel, but I've only ever seen him as my lifeline in this world." She smiled shyly while scratching her cheek. "To be fair, I don't mean that much to him, too. I know he finds me amusing, but I can't say it's enough for us to develop some sort of attachment to each other."
<"But if you form a deep bond with him, would you still choose to return to your world?">
"It depends on my situation by then," she said with a shrug. It wasn't like she was taking it lightly. She just didn't want to think of something that may or may not happen in the future. "Right now, I'm not happy in this world, so I want to return home."
<"I understand what you're saying, and I can tell you really want to return to your world. But right now, you can't.">
She saw a glimmer of hope in that remark. "I can't right now? Does it mean I still can return home, but not at the moment?"
<"You entered this world through a game, didn't you?">
She gasped. "You even know that?"
<"I don't know the details. But the Spirits that rule this world asked me to relay a message for you.">
She thought the ice dragon was the one who ruled this world.
But then, she remembered that the real Edur had passed away a long time ago. The Edur in front of her right now was just like an after-image. If she remembered it correctly from the story, Edur left a portion of their soul to continue guiding the Woolseys.
<"Child.">
She gulped before responding. "Y-Yes?"
<"The Spirits wanted to let you know it was your own choice to enter this world.">
She almost choked on her saliva. "Excuse me?"
<"They also said the closer you get to Yvo Woolsey, the more you'd learn about the truth. In order to understand how you arrived in this world, you must play the game properly.">
She was confused.
Play the game properly?
How?
Could it be…?
"By buttering up Young Master Yvo until we get close?" she asked, then she tilted her head to one side. "But the instructions are unclear…"
<"The Spirits said it's your fault for skipping the manual.">
She covered her face with her hands and screamed internally.
[WAAAH! WHY DID I HAVE TO SKIP THE MANUAL? I'M SO DUMB I WANT TO BURY MYSELF ALIVE!]
Yeah, she was screaming in her head in Caps Lock.
<"Child, out of all the Woolsey head candidates that have come into my lair to take the test, you're the most interesting one.">
"But I'm not a real Woolsey," she said, then she pulled her hands away from her face.
That was when she saw the mysterious smile on Edur's face.
[Huh? What does that smile mean?]
<"Child, congratulations. I'm now giving you the right to lead the Woolseys as the temporary Head of the family.">
Hearing those words instantly washed away her worries.
She clapped her hands in excitement. "Really? Thank you so much, Great Edur!"
<"Come here, child,"> Edur said, then they extended their 'hands' to her. <"I will put a mark on your body as proof of your victory.">
She beamed at that, relieved that her mission was a success. "Whew," she said, then she gently put her hands on Edur's 'hands.' Their hands felt cold, but for some reason, she felt a warm feeling in her chest. "I thought you'd pick a fight with me since I heard that's how the previous heads earned their rights to lead the Woolsey family."
<"I didn't pick a fight with them– they just attacked me as soon as they saw me. Since I hate fighting violence with violence, I just lost on purpose and gave them what they wanted to get rid of them fast.">
Oh, she could see that happening since the Woolseys were known for their nasty temper.
<"You were the first person to greet me politely, and have a calm conversation with me.">
She smiled awkwardly. "But it's only because I'm too afraid of you."
The ice dragon laughed softly. <"I like your honesty, child. For the first time after a long while, my heart is at ease. If it's you and Yvo Woolsey, I'm certain our family will be in good hands from now on."
Huh?
[Me and Yvo? I mean, I get why it has to be Yvo since he's the main character. But me, on the other hand, will just be the temporary head…]
"Great Edur, what do you mean by…" she trailed off, then she flinched when Edur's 'hands' suddenly turned so cold they began piercing her skin. She tried to pull her hands away, but the ice dragon didn't let go. "Great Edur, my hands hurt…"
<"Oh, poor child. I'm so sorry, but things will only get more painful hereon,"> Edur said in a sympathetic voice. <"Gypsy Woolsey, endure it.">
Gypsy endured, but she cried a lot.
***
"YOUNG MASTER, how long are you going to wait here?"
Yvo ignored Killian's nagging.
He didn't take his eyes off of the Glass House's door, expecting it to open anytime.
And it wasn't like he was the only one still waiting outside, even though it was already late at night. The chilliness of the night could literally freeze an unprepared person. But he endured, since his body temperature could handle the cold, anyway.
"Young Master, we all know it takes days or even weeks before the last trial ends," Killian continued nagging at him. "Why don't you return to the mansion first and wait there–"
"Do you think I could leave when the representatives of the vassal families are still here?" Yvo cut Killian off, then he turned to his knight with a cold look on his face. "My uncle, Marquis Allen Scott, and Count Ford Watson are still here."
The three older noblemen didn't have the same body temperature as he did.
But Count Woolsey, Marquis Scott, and Count Watson wore clothes decorated with premium Fire Stones that kept them warm.
"Young Master, the representatives are still here because you haven't left yet."
"So what?" he snapped at Killian. "If I hear another word from you, I'll cut off your tongue."
That effectively shut Killian's mouth.
And since it was now silent, he clearly heard the sound of the door opening.
[Noonim…?]
Gypsy came out of the Glass House in one piece. She looked exhausted and her eyes were swollen, as if she just cried. But it wasn't the strangest thing about her.
[Dragon wings?]
Yes, his noonim grew white dragon wings. But the white dragon wings looked like they belonged to a baby dragon.
[But those were indeed dragon wings, which means Noonim succeeded.]
He took a peek at the reaction of the representatives.
As expected, Count Woolsey, Marquis Scott, and Count Watson looked like they were in disbelief.
It was completely understandable, though.
[This is the first time a head candidate finished the trial in less than twenty-four hours.]
"Noonim, congratulations," Yvo said as he approached his fake sister, turning away from the representatives who still looked shocked. "Your wings– Noonim!"
Gypsy's legs gave up on her suddenly, her baby dragon wings turning translucent before they completely disappeared.
Thankfully, he was able to catch her before she hit the cold ground.
He knew his fake sister didn't have any strength left in her body anymore, so he carried her bridal style. It was an emergency, so he would just apologize to her later for touching her without consent.
"Noonim, you're safe now."
"Yvo, it hurts," Gypsy said in a hoarse voice, teary-eyed. Then she grabbed the lapel of his suit when she buried her face against his chest. "My whole body hurts."
Oh?
This was the first time his fake sister acted like a spoiled child. Scratch that– this was the first time he heard her openly complain that she was hurt. After all, Gypsy would just usually bottle up her feelings and endure.
But instead of getting annoyed by his noonim's whining, he actually found it endearing.
[Noonim is cuter when she's being honest with herself.]
"Let's keep you warm first, Noonim," Yvo said, a faint smile on his face only visible and available for his noonim. "Your Ladyship did well."
***
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
sola_cola
sola_cola Congrats, Noonim. And belated Happy Luna New Year, everyone!
***
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