Frostsilver exuded an aura of authoritative expertise from head to toe.
The ancient book cushioning her hand, the single dragon horn, the dragon blood surging in her veins, the ancient dragon-vein family…
Aurina stared at her blankly.
Frostsilver was full of confidence, confident she could subdue Aurina—everything was within her plan.
Aurina opened her mouth.
“But you look like you’re still a virgin—the kind who hasn’t even married, or done it, or been in love. Can you still understand the marriage ceremony?”
Frostsilver’s several knights beside her couldn’t help laughing out loud.
How many gentlemen pursued the Countess of Champagne?
How many young knights claimed to be her most ardent suitors, willing to spill their hot blood for her?
Some came for her power and estate, some for love, most for both. But this young dragon had eyes but couldn’t recognize Mount Tai.
Everyone was laughing; the gnome hellknight’s expressionless face stood out, because he noticed that just as Aurina finished speaking.
Frostsilver’s facial lines tightened in an instant, her brows slightly furrowed, forming an almost invisible fine wrinkle.
Her eyes, usually calm as the depths of an icy lake, now flashed with waves of chill, like a cold edge that could pierce hearts.
Her mouth corners slightly downturned, her elegant pointed chin slightly raised—at this moment, like a dagger gleaming with cold light.
She maintained calm and elegance, yet revealed a suppressed anger.
But the dragon blood surging in her veins couldn’t be restrained.
The autumn wind grew colder; chilling frost spread from her as the source, rushing toward Aurina.
Frost began forming on the deck, inches thick, spreading across the deck like surging waves—yet it hit an invisible reef before Aurina’s stepladder, splitting in two.
The laughter gradually died down; as long as one wasn’t blind, they could sense Frostsilver’s anger.
“Has winter come?”
Aurina jumped down from the stepladder, stepping on the chill frost on the deck.
“If you want, I can take you to the pole right now; there are glaciers the size of continents.”
“Great—let’s go after dinner,” Aurina said. “Hurry up; I still need to go back to sleep tonight.”
Frostsilver took a deep breath and said, “Serve the food.”
A pristine white tablecloth covered the long table; Aurina got on the table to eat, because Frostsilver allowed her to eat on the table, saying it released a dragon’s nature.
After eating a bit on the table, Aurina got down and sat in the chair; she ate the dishes in small bites.
Completely without her previous voracious eating manner.
Her eyes also kept staring at the gradually disappearing food on the plate, not making a sound.
Frostsilver said, “Guess why I’ve been waiting for you?”
Aurina said, “Today’s food isn’t tasty.”
“Because your tears are dripping into the food.”
Aurina touched her cheek—dry; she said, “You’re tricking a dragon.”
“Your thing is about to be stolen, dragon.”
“No!” Aurina said. “It’s theft.”
She added, “No one can take this king’s treasure—no one.”
Frostsilver slowly placed her hand on the maid’s, letting the maid trim her nails; she said, “Then work hard yourself.”
“Tell me, whitey,” Aurina said. “Why? Why does the pack animal rebel against me when he gets married?”
“Because for humans… especially a paladin like Richard, marriage is exclusive; the married couple isn’t allowed to touch other opposite sexes.”
Aurina asked, “What does that have to do with this king?”
“Because you ride on his head, your legs are very close to his face,” Frostsilver said. “So everyone suspects he’s a pedophile.”
“What what what?”
“He’s a married man, so he must stay away from you.”
“Why?” Aurina said.
“He’s clearly the strongest little bug; why does a bunch of little bugs chattering there make him obey? Even if he’s a pedophile, the one who should be careful is this king.”
Frostsilver said, “Because he’s a paladin of Tyr.”
Aurina had a look of realization.
“Caused by being too dummy—clearly this king shared some wisdom with him… Sigh, if I’d known, I’d have persisted in sharing; always forgetting.”
“Sharing? Dragon, how do you share?”
“Like this.”
Aurina touched her head with one hand, like grabbing dandruff, sprinkling on the table—though she had no dandruff.
“Truly terrifying; Richard hasn’t become demented yet,” Frostsilver said. “That must be Tyr’s blessing, not letting your so-called wisdom seep into his brain; otherwise, he surely couldn’t count to ten.”
“The pack animal is so pitiful,” Aurina sighed. “Without this king as his master, what meaning is left in his life?”
“He will abandon you.”
“No one can steal the pack animal from this king’s hand.”
“It’s robbery.”
“Theft!”
The others listened in utter confusion.
Only the world’s most dragon-knowing Lady Frostsilver could understand a dragon’s logic and converse with her.
The gnome hellknight thought secretly, admiring Frostsilver even more.
Dinner was eaten very slowly today; Aurina didn’t eat much. After finishing.
“As a dragon, you should have your own treasure hoard,” Frostsilver said. Behind her, two maids laboriously lifted something like a stretcher, piled with glittering gold coins.
Aurina shook her head to see clearly it was gold; a greedy smile appeared on her face.
She looked left and right, assessing the situation, preparing to rob it directly.
Frostsilver said, “It’s yours.”
Before the words finished, Aurina pounced over, onto the gold coins.
The maids were scared and staggered, nearly falling; Aurina reached out to grab and steady her.
“Be careful,” Aurina said. “Young female.”
She bent down to hug the gold coins, happily rubbing them against her face.
Frostsilver said, “That’s a part.”
“There’s more?”
“After I raise you,” Frostsilver said. “In a few days, Richard will sign the fostering agreement, letting me raise you. If you don’t want to leave, he’ll drag you by the legs and pull you away. A dragon’s treasure will eventually be robbed—this is the first lesson of your dragon life; don’t take treasure you can’t guard.”
“Impossible—Richard can’t,” Aurina lifted her face from the gold coins.
“Because no one can rob this king’s things.”
“Unfortunately, not even your father could do it,” Frostsilver said. “Go back.”
Aurina ate the gold coins and left.
The gnome hellknight watched the dragon’s departing figure in the sky.
“My lady, how were you certain she would come?”
“There’s a saying in the East: A true wise one need only sit quietly by the river, and the corpses of enemies will float down the river, passing before him,” Frostsilver put on her gold-rimmed glasses again, spreading the book. “Everything is within my plan.”
The sky gradually darkened.
Aurina was late in returning.
Richard held the borrowed steel sword; this was a safe practice sword—not only unsharpened, the blade was thickened, like a flattened iron rod; such swords were usually called “feather swords.”
He had rushed on horseback to borrow it; he pushed open the door, one hand holding the feather sword, gazing at the darkening sky.
The sky was empty, no dragon’s figure. A few cats lay bored on the grass.
Richard wanted to shout Aurina’s name loudly—maybe she could hear.
But thinking, felt others hearing would be improper; his mouth opened and closed, then he retreated to the room.
As soon as the door closed, Aurina’s head popped from the grass.
“Worthy of the strongest little bug—this king’s seamless stealth almost got discovered.”
The orange dragon on her head meowed. “Meow~.”
Aurina continued burrowing into the grass, belly almost against the ground, crawling in the grass.
A few passing servants curiously looked at the moving red hair in the grass—especially conspicuous.
They said nothing, looked a few times, and left.
Arriving at what Aurina thought was a safe place, the orange dragon meowed a few times. Cats appeared from all directions; in no time, they surrounded Aurina, forming a large kitty gathering.
The cats meowed one after another.
After Aurina disappointedly discovered these useless descendants brought no gold coins, she heard the intelligence they provided.
“Sophia and her father are in secret talks?”
Aurina put down a cat she had shaken several times with no gold coins falling out.
With a light leap, she jumped to the wall top, flipping over the wall. The cats climbed onto her back, hiding in her red hair.
Quietly, she came under the lit window; the window wasn’t closed, and voices came out from inside.
It wasn’t Sophia’s father’s voice, but female little bugs’ voices.
“My poor cousin—even now still speaking for him; he doesn’t check himself, still wants to raise that dragon? She’s not an ordinary dragon; I’ve seen very cute ones. Men like that kind.”
Sophia said, “No way—she’s still a child.”
“Old enough—not an ordinary little kid; in some places, twelve can marry.”
“Think about it; you’ve followed Richard so long, accompanied him to the capital to fight, and went dragon-slaying with him,” the second female voice said. “You’re nineteen; what has he given you?”
The third female voice said, “Yeah, we’ve been talking about this. Heard he seized the capital emperor’s treasury? The empress rewarded it; treasures piled into mountains…”
That was this king’s credit; the whale only contributed an insignificant part.
“Has he been as generous as the legends? I’ll be honest, little aunt—don’t get mad. When we came, he only gave that little gift money; I’m embarrassed to tell others that marrying Sophia is the dragon-slaying hero; others laugh at me.”
Aurina was startled—what, the pack animal has to give gold? Is this also part of the ceremony?
Sophia said, “You say… the paladin shouldn’t cheat, right?”
“From experienced perspective, how to say? Men… heh, not divorced yet just for the family’s sake. Heard the owner of that big ship in the port, the Countess of Champagne, is also a beauty.”
“I trust Richard.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“Alright, stop scaring cousin; weddings should be happy.”
“I’m just feeling it’s not worth it for cousin; he grew up in an orphanage, no parents—climbing high, how can he still be like this? Have you seen that dragon girl? Wearing white stockings, exposing her little feet, just riding on his head, so close—he has the nerve not to blush.”