Richard shoved his helmet between Aurina’s legs, struggling to fit it onto his head.
The beast of burden had always had an odd fondness for the helmet, but today, Aurina chose to indulge this small quirk.
Even if she hadn’t managed to claim his betrothed, sitting high on Richard’s shoulders gave her a commanding view over the swarming little insects below.
Such a trifling annoyance was easily dismissed.
After all, the mightiest of these insects was right beneath her, and Sophia, in the end, was just another bug among the rest.
With that thought, Aurina let out a triumphant laugh.
Richard glanced up.
“Aurina, are all dragons as peculiar as you?”
“Gah?” she shot back.
“What’s so peculiar about me?”
“Well, one moment you’re brooding, the next you’re all giddy.”
Richard carried Aurina down from the rooftop, descending into the corridor.
Servants cast curious glances their way, their whispers buzzing like flies.
“I heard the dragon-slaying hero’s got something going with that young dragon. She rides him by day, and they switch at night.”
“Look at those white silk legs of hers, wrapped around his neck.”
To Aurina, the chatter of these insects was no different from their meaningless hum.
Did anyone care what a bug’s song meant?
At most, it added a bit of ambiance.
No helping it—her majesty was undeniable, even trapped in this frail, feminine form.
Her presence was magnetic, her dominance radiating outward.
Aurina planted her hands on her hips, chin tilted proudly upward.
They reached the hall’s entrance after a few steps.
Aurina sniffed the air, catching the scent of food.
Hmm, these insects aren’t entirely useless.
They know to offer tributes to the greatest of true dragons.
But Richard halted.
“Aurina, can you get off my shoulders now?”
Was he daring to defy her?
Her legs tensed.
“No.”
“We’re about to eat. You’ll have to get down anyway. Can’t you do it now?”
Richard said.
“I’m mostly worried about what people will think.”
“Insect chatter. Let them buzz.”
“I’m a man with a fiancée.”
Gah.
No question about it—this beast needed taming.
To think, after all she’d done on this journey, he still had the nerve to resist.
Without hesitation, Aurina hooked her strong little legs tighter, locking them around his neck.
“Aurina, let go—not with your feet!”
He reached up, grasping her slender calves.
“No.”
Aurina’s ankles intertwined, clamping his helmeted head.
“Richard! I’ll never get down!”
“Aurina, come down, or I’ll knock you on the head.”
“No!”
She’d already bid farewell to her mighty, majestic brother.
No matter what, Aurina would not tolerate this beast challenging her authority.
Richard raised a fist—thankfully ungloved, as they were about to dine.
Aurina ducked, wrapping her arms around his head.
The wooden doors of the hall swung open.
A one-eyed, black-haired man with a wooden leg hobbled in, his single eye widening at the sight of them.
Behind him sat Sophia at the dining table.
“Richard?” the man bellowed.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s not what you think—”
Oh, no doubt about it.
The beast was denying his conquest by her hand.
“It’s exactly what you think,” Aurina declared to the one-eyed man.
“He’s my beast now, gah gah gah!”
“Yuefu, please believe me.”
Yuefu?
What a strange name.
The one-eyed man’s gaunt face hardened.
“Just call me Mr. Pumanni.”
“Aurina!”
“Gah gah gah. Another victory for the dragon today.”
“What are you waiting for?”
Mr. Pumanni said.
“Dinner’s ready, dragon-slaying hero.”
Richard sighed.
How many times had Aurina bested him now?
It seemed, beyond the battlefield, she outmatched him in every way.
He stepped into the hall.
The table wasn’t just occupied by his fiancée, Sophia, but by her siblings, cousins, friends, and a gaggle of distant relatives temporarily housed here.
The mansion had rooms to spare, so hosting talkative kin was commonplace.
And when word spread that the famed Richard had returned, it was only natural for everyone to join the meal.
So, before Sophia’s aunts, uncles, cousins, and some thirty-odd relatives and friends, Richard entered,
Aurina perched atop his shoulders, her white silk legs still locked around his neck.
The room fell silent.
Forks paused midair, chunks of meat falling back onto plates.
A servant carrying a dish froze in place.
Sophia’s younger sister nudged her with an elbow.
“Told you. He’s… into kids.”
Sophia’s blue eyes fixed on Richard.
He stepped forward, addressing the crowd.
“Sorry for the spectacle. Aurina’s a dragon, and to her, riding my shoulders is a symbol of conquest. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
Aurina, hands on hips, gazed imperiously over the hall.
Eyes drifted to her sock-clad feet, locked together beneath Richard’s chin.
Sophia nodded slowly, a gentle smile forming.
“I believe you.”
The chatter and laughter resumed as people dug into their meal.
Having claimed her victory over Richard, Aurina leapt from his shoulders, lunging for the table.
Quick as a flash, Richard grabbed her tail, yanking her back.
“Aurina, don’t steal other people’s food!”
The room flinched.
“I want to eat! I need to eat!”
Aurina wailed.
“I’m still a child!”
All eyes turned to Richard, their stares practically screaming, We suspect you’re mistreating a child.
Sophia’s voice was soft.
“It’s fine, Aurina. There’s plenty of food. Eat as much as you like.”
Richard relented, and Aurina dove under the table, popping up beside Sophia’s feet to claim the empty seat—Richard’s seat.
Resigned, Richard sat beside his less-than-pleased future father-in-law.
At least he and his fiancée were at the same table.
Aurina grabbed a knife and fork, sampling the fish soup in front of Sophia.
Mediocre.
She tried the pies, cheese, and olive dishes next.
Only then did she recall why she’d been so eager to gorge—to bankrupt her enemy.
But this wasn’t even Richard’s food.
After a few bites, Aurina set down her utensils.
“Aurina, why’d you stop?”
Sophia asked.
“You’re still growing. Eat up.”
“It’s not Richard’s food, so I won’t eat it.”
A few guests exchanged glances.
From across the table, Mr. Pumanni’s voice cut through.
“Boy, are you dragging my daughter into your dangerous adventures?”
Richard bowed his head.
“I’m sorry, but I really need Sophia’s help.”
Aurina sniffed the air, her nose twitching.
Something was off.
Mr. Pumanni reeked of weakness, far feebler than Sophia beside her.
The strongest in the room was, without question, Richard, the mightiest insect.
So why was he lowering his head?
How peculiar.