[Colorful Night Short Story Collection] The Dragon King's Favor

"You little worm." This is the constant refrain from Yeon’s master, the Azure Dragon and esteemed guardian of the East. As a water snake with a natural lifespan of merely a decade, Yeon has miraculously survived for over a century solely because the pure-blooded dragon—who fiercely values lineage and station—shares his vital life force with her. Bound by this absolute dependency, Yeon has no choice but to serve him dutifully, regardless of her own feelings. However, her precarious existence is upended one evening while she is undressing her heavily intoxicated master, leading to an unexpected one-night stand. The next morning, the inebriated dragon remembers nothing of the encounter. Soon after, Yeon discovers she is pregnant. Knowing that the haughty, pure-blooded guardian would surely execute them both if he learned a lowly water snake was carrying his child, Yeon realizes she must conceal both the tryst and the pregnancy at all costs. Despite her desperate efforts to keep her condition a secret, her evasive behavior only breeds suspicion in the Azure Dragon, culminating in the inevitable discovery of her pregnancy and the chilling demand: "Whose child are you carrying?"