As I held the citrine in my hand and began to sing the song of Jueri, I felt a pulse that hadn’t been there before. Thump. Thump. Thump. There were no visible changes—no light or shift in colour—, but it felt like I was face to face with a living being. The citrine had been activated.

Even though I held the stone in my hand without adding any energy, I could feel vitality rising. At the same time, I sensed that the energy inherent in the citrine was gradually diminishing. 

‘Could this work on plants too?’ I suddenly wondered and pulled over the vase sitting on the table. In it was a zinnia that Jenny had brought in yesterday. I carefully brought the citrine close to the flower’s stem, and the slightly wilted petals revived, blooming vibrantly once more. 

“Oh, it works.” 

“What works?”  

“Ah!” Startled by the sudden voice, I flinched, only for Edwin to swoop me up and place me onto his lap. 

“What’s got you so jumpy? Are you still scared of me? I already promised I wouldn’t kill you.” Edwin pouted, his eyebrows drooping, making him look like a puppy caught in the rain. It was a comparison that didn’t suit a dragon, but his striking beauty made it work. 

“I’m not scared. It’s just that I was alone, and your voice came out of nowhere. It startled me.” 

“You didn’t notice me coming in?” 

“I didn’t hear a thing. So please, knock next time.” 

Though Edwin usually barged in, there were times, like today, when he slipped in silently, like a cat burglar. It wasn’t good for my heart either, so I asked him to knock. 

“Why should I knock to enter my bride’s room? It feels so... distant.” Edwin pouted, displeased. 

“If you do, I won’t get startled.” 

“Alright, alright. Since my bride’s heart is as small as a pea, I must protect it.” 

I grew suspicious at his easygoing response, but his following words left me speechless.  

“I won’t knock, but I’ll shout as I enter, ‘I’m here!’ instead.” 

Of course. There was no convincing a dragon. A sigh of resignation escaped me. 

“So, what were you so focused on?”  

“Oh, this citrine. It not only restores energy to people but also to plants. Look.” I showed him the zinnia, which is now fully revived. Edwin narrowed his eyes, gazing at the flower before suddenly leaning against me with a soft thud. 

“I’m tired. I had so much work today but worked hard just to see you, Lina.” 

Lina? I stared at Edwin, dumbfounded. In the original story, the Crawford family was known for their extraordinary physical abilities, so they never got tired. What nonsense was this? 

“Hurry, restore my energy too.” 

Though it was ridiculous, Edwin’s whining and the way he wriggled against me left me with no choice.  

“Strange. It feels like all my fatigue is gone,” he said. 

Liar. You’ve never even felt tired before. I glared at him suspiciously, but Edwin, holding me in his arms, suddenly stood up, sat down, and stood up again. 

“Look, I’m bursting with energy now!” 

Sure, sure. You’re always so full of energy you don’t know what to do with it.  

When I reluctantly nodded, he beamed with satisfaction.  

“Have you checked all the jewels I gave you?” he asked, nodding toward the table where a collection of gems was spread out. 

“Yes, I’ve looked through almost all of them.” 

“Pick out the ones you need the most.” 

“Why? What for?” 

Was he going to take the rest back? Even though they all technically belonged to Edwin, I felt a pang of regret at the thought of losing them. 

“You can’t carry all of them around.” 

“Well, that’s true...”  

So, he *was* going to take them back. Goodbye, jewels. It was nice knowing you, even if just for a short while. 

I sighed wistfully as I selected a few for emergencies and those that hadn’t been appraised yet. 

“Is this enough?” I had thought I’d picked out quite a few, but when Edwin asked, it suddenly felt like I hadn’t chosen enough. Awkwardly, I picked out a few more and quietly pulled them toward me.

I thought I saw Edwin’s thick eyebrows twitch momentarily, but I convinced myself it was just my imagination and shamelessly lifted my head.  

“I’ve picked them all out.”  

“Got it.”  

With a cryptic smile, Edwin called for Seth.  

“Take these.”  

Naturally, I assumed Seth would take the leftover jewels from the table, but instead, he picked up the ones I had chosen.  

“Wait, those are...”  

I looked at Edwin, thinking Seth had misunderstood something, but he was calmly smiling.  

‘I deliberately picked the most expensive ones.’  

I wouldn’t have added so many if I had known this would happen. I gazed mournfully at the jewels as they left in Seth’s hands. I thought I heard Edwin chuckling beside me, but I was too heartbroken over losing the precious gems to pay attention to it.