REFDL 33

Prince of Denos.

If it’s the Emperor’s birthday celebration, then envoys or… well, something like that would come, right?

Something like that had happened in the south not long ago. It was ridiculous how shamelessly they had pushed their way in.

Politics, especially between nations, is never that simple…

I sighed inwardly. I was starting to get a sense of the situation.

They were probably formally invited to the mansion.

However, regarding the greenhouse, it was clearly trespassing.

The ensuing conversation confirmed it.

The knight who had been surveying the area near the fountain spoke.

“The cage is open. It seems they left it so the dragon could roam freely inside.”

“That’s strange. I distinctly heard it was only as big as a Pensilta adult.”

“That part is a bit odd.”

“Odd… in what sense?”

“Rumors about it being a small hatchling and rumors about it being only as big as a Pensilta adult were mixed together.”

“It is indeed confusing.”

The prince muttered, then struck the cage with his cane, sending it crashing to the floor.

A loud sound rang out. The knight beside him didn’t flinch. I startled, but fortunately didn’t react too strongly.

Thud.

Tapping the cage with his toe, the prince asked.

“Nothing?”

“Yes. It didn’t react. That means it’s watching us from somewhere. …It seems quite clever.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Their purpose had become clear from the conversation just now.

It was me.

Those intruders from another country knew I was in the greenhouse and came looking for me!

The tension I’d forgotten from the Sea of Trees seemed to resurface. I glared at the two of them with narrowed pupils.

If I fought them, I would obviously win.

The problem was that one of them was a member of the Denos royal family. And a member of the delegation representing the nation.

…But what if that envoy were to get injured by the dragon the duke raised?

Absolutely not.

It would become an uncontrollable situation.

Huh?

…Could they be aiming for that?

It occurred to me by chance, and it seemed quite plausible. The events in the south were similar. What if Denos was aiming for the chaos itself?

[……]

Let’s pretend to be dead.

Kaelus wouldn’t fall for such a shallow trick.

He’d surely understand the situation quickly and either come himself or send someone to handle it.

So if I just hide well until then…

“There you are.”

Kya?!

Grab!

A rough, calloused hand grabbed my torso. It was the knight.

He’d climbed the tree without a sound, but now he let go of the branch he was hanging onto.

…I’m done for.

After all that effort rebuilding the house, a hurricane that shouldn’t even exist in this climate came and swept it all away. The beaver was doubly disheartened.

After the disappointment, I naturally felt angry.

Grrr!

Blood rushed to my head. I hesitated just as I was about to bite down on the back of the hand that had dared to grab my body.

An international incident…!

“So the rumor about it being a hatchling was right. That’s a shame.”

The man licked his lips as he examined me from head to toe.

“I had my suspicions… but it was never a size that could hold a vessel in the first place.”

“…?!”

What the hell do you mean by that?

I cowered, curling my paws to shiel my body.

“Anyway, this is the famous Kremlis, huh? Definitely a color and form I’ve never seen in any guidebook.”

“It must have deliberately hidden nearby. To watch us. Remarkable intelligence. Nothing like a Knum’s.”

“Haha. Don’t be so harsh. If I get too jealous and end up taking this little thing with me, what will you do, provoking me like that?”

“…Don’t look too closely. It’s dangerous.”

“Hmm. Well. From this angle, it seems rather docile.”

The prince tilted his head, leaning his cane against the fountain. Then he waved his empty hands toward the knight.

“Hand it over.”

“Your Highness.”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

“……”

The knight hesitated briefly but ultimately handed me over to the prince. Not that I wanted to. Even though I was forcibly seized, my docile nature seemed to play a big part.

Thanks to that, an opportunity appeared.

I timed my move for the moment I was being handed over and struggled with all my might.

Kyaa!

Flap!

“You little thing. Stay still.”

My desperate escape attempt failed.

His grip was surprisingly strong…….

Though he was smaller than Kaelus or the knight beside him, the prince wasn’t objectively a weakling either.

Grrr.

I glared at the prince, growling threateningly.

“Just a kitten pretending to be a dragon, but you’ve got some temper.”

He smiled.

Then he slowly began to tighten his grip on my body.

Squeeze.

Kyaa…?!

My scales compressed, and my ribs tightened.

The knight, who had maintained composure and indifference, faltered.

“Your Highness. Your Highness, you mustn’t!”

Kyaa!

“Your Highness!!”

Kyaa…

“Hmm. How boring.”

His grip loosened.

It hurt, but nothing was broken or damaged.

If he had applied a little more force… my ribs would have broken.

Anyway, it didn’t get worse, and I endured it. Thanks to that, the prince’s interest in me seemed to have cooled off completely.

He threw me to the knight with a look of disgust. The knight, slightly flustered, caught me as I hung limply like a wet washcloth. Then he hurriedly checked my condition.

…His expression suggested he was thinking about ‘international issues’ too, much like me.

Serves you right.

Get even more flustered!

The spot where I’d been grabbed still throbbed, and I was so tense my body felt weak, but seeing the pallor drain from at least one of their faces made me feel a little better…

Crash!!

…What now?

The liberated beaver turned his head toward the source of the deafening roar.

“Your Highness, the Fourth Prince. What on earth is this?”

My senses snapped back into focus. He had finally arrived.

……But why did you take so long!

* * *

‘……Boring.’

It felt like watching a terribly dull play, Valita thought.

While the duke was away due to unavoidable circumstances (such as the horses pulling Valita’s carriage suddenly showing signs of poisoning and running wild), he calmly crossed the terrace, evading the duke’s knights guarding the door.

The knight who had followed him from the homeland wore a complex expression, but having received separate instructions from Emperor Denos, he quietly stood by.

Valita suddenly found it amusing.

Both the Emperor and the Crown Prince, the powerful heir apparent, were actually his puppets.

If the knight before him were to realize that, what reaction would he show?

‘Hmm.’

Perhaps lacking stimulation lately, his impulses surged up suddenly. Valita released them each time through sex bordering on violence. It wasn’t perfect, but it served as a temporary measure.

Some whispered behind Valita’s back, calling it ‘madness’. Valita laughed. Honestly, he thought they were right. But being right and being justified were different matters. He punished those who whispered, as they deserved.

Not by Denos’s law, but by his own.

“…Good thing I held back on the deck.”

Had he thrown that knight to the Aro, he might not have restrained his impulse and caused trouble in Firmus.

No. Had he already caused trouble?

Chuckling, Valita sought out the greenhouse with a noticeably lighter step.

He moved with unfettered strides.

Cutting the chains had even brought a sense of pleasure.

The greenhouse’s scenery was picturesque, heightening his exhilaration.

It felt like trespassing into the forbidden garden of a fairy king with an impure human body.

Amidst flowers and trees that had forgotten the seasons, he strolled leisurely.

But his target was far more disappointing than he’d imagined.

‘Even a baby Knum was fiercer than this.’

The knight kept marveling at how clever it was, but he didn’t understood it.

Maybe it was just young. Its eyes were innocent, its expression blank…

You could almost believe it was a dumb puppy, not a dragon.

“……”

Well, it was cute, at least.

Anyway, the excitement had fizzled out.

If there had been a vessel, he had planned to play a little ‘prank,’ but it seemed unnecessary.

However, the moment the duke smashed through the glass greenhouse door and appeared. Everything changed.

The Kremlis, who had been slumped like melted cheese, suddenly came back to life.

Then, it flew toward the duke, almost as if launched. Actually, ‘shot’ is the more accurate term.

It was almost arrow-like in speed.

Anyway, the young Kremlis thudded against the duke’s chest, making even his uniform buttons seem pitiful.

The surprise started there.

The duke naturally scooped up the Kremlis as it slid down his chest, claws scratching his skin. He didn’t push it away or throw him off. 

He simply supported its rear end, letting it cling to his chest.

“……!”

Valita could feel the knight beside him gaping in shock. For once, Valita understood the knight. Though he barely maintained his dignity, his feelings weren’t much different.

Especially since the dragon been like a wet rag between them.

Kyaaa!

Kyyaak!

……It was clinging to the duke and complaining. In dragon language hat wouldn’t even get through!

What was even more ridiculous was the duke’s reaction.

He stared at the squawking dragon, then looked at them with an even more subdued expression.