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Cale had noticed that Raon had gained weight and his cheeks were chubbier. Cale agreed that children should be this chubby and that it wasn't good for them to go hungry. Although he still thought he could start feeding him healthier foods, because of all the problems, he decided to leave it for later.
Raon was always a very happy eater, whatever he was given he would eat, especially if it was meat or candys, especially cookies.
However, the little dragon was happily gobbling down the many apple pies he had gotten, when as he was sinking his teeth into the fifth pie, he felt a terrible pain that made him stop.
Cale was not at his side because he was talking to the crown prince at the time, only his brothers and Choi Han were with him.
Raon touched the sore area and this time he let out a small squeak that alerted Choi Han.
“Raon, what's wrong?” asked the swordsman.
“Nothing, good Choi Han, I'm just full.”
Choi Han said nothing, but then looked at the tray containing the apple pies and then back at Raon who, with effort, was trying to finish the one in his paw.
“But you didn't finish all your pies, you still left half of them, are you sure nothing is wrong?” insisted the swordsman.
“Choi Han, the human says that sometimes we get bored with things too.”
“Since when did you get bored of the cakes?”
“Since today.” Raon answered firmly and turned his back on the dark-haired man.
Choi Han didn't believe what he said but didn't continue asking as he saw the dragon turn away, he guessed he felt annoyed at being questioned, he looked like a real child now. The kittens who had also been watching the conversation simply looked at each other blankly.
However, when Cale was back, Choi Han secretly informed him of his suspicion.
“Cale-nim, I think Raon has dental problems and is hiding it,” he whispered.
Cale looked at him in astonishment. He hadn't expected a dragon to go through such common problems as a toothache. That's why he thought Raon wouldn't say anything, after all a dragon was proud, of course a child wouldn't make a difference.
Cale thought that and then with a look he confirmed to Choi Han that he understood what he meant. They both nodded and Cale quickly set off to discover Raon. With one hand he took the plate containing a cupcake that was on the children's table and went to sit down as he poked it with a fork and took a bite. Raon watched his every move.
Then Cale called out to him, “Look, Raon, try this, I'm sure you'll like it,” he tempted him by holding out a piece of the cake. The dragon looked at him suspiciously. “You don't want it? Then I'll give it to Hong.”
Cale kept wiggling his fork, telling him he was going to feed him. Seeing that the child dragon was still refusing, he spoke to Choi Han who was standing next to him.
“Choi Han, when something bothers you, you always take it up with others so that they can help you solve it, don't you?”
The swordsman didn't understand why he was asking such a question at that moment, but he answered the question sincerely.
“If it's something I can't solve on my own, then I ask for someone else's advice.”
“And if that discomfort has to do with the physical, you would always tell me, wouldn't you? Because that's what someone with common sense would do.”
“Hm, if I can hide it, I wouldn't tell you so as not to worr-”
Choi Han had felt Cale's hand pinch his leg almost imperceptibly, so he immediately shut up without understanding what he'd done wrong.
“You'd tell me if something hurts, wouldn't you?” Cale insisted again without giving the other a glance.
The dark-haired man now understood the purpose of the question and answered as he thought he should have done at first.
“Hm, of course, Cale-nim.”
As Cale tried to continue to convince Raon with that talk, Choi Han began to think that his master should take his own advice and stop pretending that he wasn't in pain. Now he understood the little dragon's attitude a little too.
Raon, who had moved closer to his human to get a good look at the cake, had understood the point they were trying to make. But the kid was still reluctant to admit his pain.
“Raon, do you want to keep eating good cookies? I can ask for more.”
The little dragon finally gave in. He flew over to Cale and sat on his lap with his wings folded.
“Human, I think my tooth hurts, but only a little.”
Cale smiled with satisfaction and stroked Raon's head. Then he told Choi Han to go get Eruhaben to check on the child. Minutes later, the ancient dragon had immediately checked Raon.
“It's a tooth cavity,” Eruhaben told the other two, but they looked at him strangely. “It is strange for this to happen if a dragon always keeps itself clean with its magic, but in Raon's case, it seems he has neglected his own cleanliness.”
“Then he should just clean himself,” said Cale.
“And you should be more vigilant about how you feed the children,” he chided them.
“What should we do now?”
“To wait. Raon, you must not eat any sweets this whole time.”
The little boy who was watching the discussion between the adults immediately turned to the old dragon as soon as he heard him say that. For the first time the kid could feel fear about something unrelated to his guardian.
“That's not fair, I want to keep eating sweets, I'm a dragon, I can do whatever I want.”
“If you want to be cured soon, you must obey me this once. Or do you want to continue to feel pain when you eat?”
“I am strong, I can resist it.”
With a swift movement of magic, Eruhaben made a popsicle appear out of nowhere. He held it up to the little dragon's mouth.
“Can you bite this?”
Raon looked at him blankly but obeyed, wanting to prove to him that he didn't really feel much pain. However, as soon as his teeth bit into the popsicle, his eyes became watery and he quickly moved away from the ice.
“It's not pretty, is it? Now obey.”
Raon had no choice but to follow the former dragon's orders.
Cale placed a small bandage around his mouth, which by now was noticeably swollen. Eruhaben told them that he could not help the wound to heal quickly because it was not something ordinary or that could be treated like humans, but he left them some medicine to avoid severe pain.
Only a day had passed and Raon looked sad and listless, similar to when he got sick from his growth phase. But the difference with that time was that Cale was accompanying him and concentrated on making him happy.
“Again, the big me is not a big dragon.”
Cale had been sitting in an armchair for a long time reading books. Raon was curled up on his lap, watching Hong and On who were having fun with some peculiar toys. The little dragon was in no mood to join them.
“Raon, you're still a big, brave dragon, the cavities are no small thing.”
“Human, did you have cavities as a child too?”
Cale turned his attention away for a moment and stroked the boy's round head as he answered.
“Yes, that's why I understand your suffering so well, and I know you are still great and mighty for enduring it.”
The man's comment made Raon look at him curiously. He knew that Cale's soul had not grown up in this world and that he came from another. The little dragon couldn't resist and asked him a question that might sound unwise.
“Human, did you have someone to help ease the pain?”
Raon stared at Cale's reaction, fearing he had asked a question he shouldn't have. However, after a few seconds in which Cale seemed to remember something, he began to stroke Raon more gently. At the slight change, the dragon began to feel drowsy, but he still wanted to hear the human's answer.
“I didn't have it.”
He couldn't identify the feeling that accompanied that answer, but Raon didn't feel like he was happy. With his eyes almost closing, the child wanted to say something to make him feel happy.
“Thank you... for taking care of me... human.”
He wanted to say more but sleep overcame him and he fell asleep on Cale's lap. The young nobleman listened to him sleep and watched him.
“Rest...”
He whispered and a slight smile appeared on his face, anyone who saw him would know that there was a lot of warmth in the way he was treating the little dragon.
Cale also sensed a strange desire within him to protect Raon and not want him to suffer. He had cared for him since he was almost a baby. He felt nostalgic at how much he had grown. At the same time, he also felt proud that the child who had followed him was growing up well. Not only the dragon, his other children, On and Hong also made him feel that way.
During his childhood, he had never had a stable father figure or someone to look up to as a good reference for what it meant to be a good father. So he couldn't be sure that what he felt was that kind of familiarity, yet he wanted to express it for a moment.
The cat children, who had been distracted all this time, quickly turned their attention after hearing the next words that came out of Cale's mouth in a tone full of affection.
“My son...”
On and Hong met each other's eyes and their gazes were shining with happiness. Without hesitation, they approached Cale's seat and began to purr and almost jump around him but avoiding making noise so as not to wake Raon. The man realised that he had been overheard, and for a moment he felt embarrassed.
Choi Han, who had also been reading in another armchair a little away from the fireplace and Cale, looked up at the children when he saw that they were doing a sort of cat dance around Cale, who seemed to be ignoring them while concentrating on Raon's horns. He didn't understand what the children's sudden celebration was all about.
But the kids had been waiting for the moment when Cale would finally get to see them as his children. Maybe he had only told Raon at the time, but they were sure they were seen that way by Cale too. After all, no one doubted that they were his children. They looked forward to calling him father in front of everyone.
Days after that breakthrough in the family's relationship, Raon was finally on the mend. He was very happy to eat sweets things again.
“Remember to take better care of your health, use more magic on yourself,” Cale had told him after handing him the cookies the crown prince had just sent.
“I will not forget, human. Now I'm going to check that these cookies are of good quality.”
After what he declared, Raon began to eat the delicious cookies without even worrying about the crumbs he dropped. On and Hong had also received a box of cookies.
Cale just smiled in satisfaction as he watched them eat with enthusiasm.
“I guess On and Hong should also go to the dentist sometimes,” he commented.
The cat children shivered slightly. After what had happened with Raon, they had asked about oral care and learned that there was a special place to take care of teeth.
However, the stories they heard about how painful it could be at times had made them wish they never had to go. So they began to meow at Cale.
“We don't need it, nya!”
“We take good care of our teeth, nya!”
Cale at the sudden squeals looked at them quizzically at their reactions. He decided not to press the issue... for the time being.