VBNWDW - Chapter 54
Chapter 54
The liveliness of Anthelia City would last for a long time. Travelers who had rushed to get here would stay for a while, selling their trinkets to fund the next leg of their journey.
Unfortunately, this excitement could not cross the palace walls. Inside, it remained as solemn and quiet as ever. The occasional conversations of passing servants were the only touch of color within.
The wind lifted a white gauze curtain. On a mountain of gold coins, the ink-black dragon rolled over, sending jewels tumbling down with a crisp clatter.
It lifted its eyelids, revealing gilded beast eyes that showed no sign of drowsiness from its recent slumber. After a moment, it asked, "How long has it been?"
The System's voice was unchanged as it replied directly, "Three days."
Yueqing nodded, then asked, "And Metis?"
System: "She came looking for you twice but left when she saw you were sleeping."
The dragon felt not a shred of guilt. "Where is she now?" it asked.
Judging by the situation that day, Metis should have needed its help. Why only twice in three days? Even if it wasn't by her side, she should have at least sent someone to stand guard.
Yueqing turned its head and looked around. The hot spring water was still steaming, and the brilliant sunlight cast layers of golden ripples across its surface. Within a twenty-meter radius, it was the only living creature.
Since this was within the System's detection range, and the target was a person of interest, it immediately provided an answer: "The study."
"Hm?" Yueqing's interest was inexplicably piqued. "Her Majesty the Queen has lessons? Shouldn't she be handling state affairs?"
Just as the words left its mouth, Yueqing suddenly understood. Its beastly eyes narrowed. "Let's go. We'll see what books Her Majesty the Queen is studying."
It stood up abruptly, and the gold coins clinging to its body fell away. Just as they were about to hit the ground, the surrounding space twisted for an instant, and all the gold and jewels on the floor vanished.
Although it doubted anyone would dare steal a dragon's treasure, it was better to be safe and store it in its hoard.
The ink-black dragon flapped its wings once. It didn't take flight, but its five-meter-long body suddenly blurred, as if the space around it had been folded. When it became clear again, it was hovering in the air next to a lavish castle.
Its claws hooked onto the stone balustrade of a balcony, leaving it hanging outside a room on the third floor. It was a convenient position; its entire body was hidden from view of the window, allowing it to see inside clearly while remaining unseen.
At that moment, a passing servant happened to glance up but saw only a blurred space where the wall of long stone blocks should have been. Without a second thought, he lowered his head and walked on.
If Metis had witnessed this, she would have surely concluded that the dragon was a rare spatial-type. But not only did she not see it, she was also vexed by the increasingly long-winded teacher sitting across from her desk.
Metis casually flipped a page in her book, her gaze sweeping her surroundings. As the Roy royal family that had ruled this country for a thousand years, their foundation remained strong even if their former power was gone.
From the center of the study, one could see rows of bookshelves made from sturdy, pest-resistant ironwood. The four walls were also lined with books. From magic and dragons to miscellaneous travelogues, everything was collected here for the master's perusal.
Seeing the teacher drift from ordinary politics to ethereal theology, and then spend ages praising the God of Light, Metis couldn't help but let her mind wander, trying to recall where she had seen a certain book before.
It was a collection of miscellaneous notes recording the habits of different dragon types. Although many of its contents had been disproven by the dragon she now knew, there were still some useful points.
As she was thinking, her back suddenly tensed.
The tip of a tail had pressed lightly against her spine, a gentle pressure, just like in the hot spring.
She glanced to the side. The mischievous dragon tail had already hastily retracted when the teacher turned back, but not before one of its gilded beast eyes gave her a wink.
It reminded Metis of a storybook about an evil dragon she had been reading these past two days.
Under the cover of night, a dragon as large as a castle clung to its walls, its eye, the size of a balcony, peering into the princess's bedroom. Upon seeing the sleeping princess, it treated the castle like a human playing with a dollhouse, reaching its sharp claws through the window until it held the princess in its grasp, then flew away satisfied.
However, the dragon before her had shrunk itself, making the scene from the storybook impossible. Its eyes even held a hint of cunning. It didn't look like an evil dragon planning to kidnap her, but more like a mischievous aunt trying to lead a diligent student astray.
Perhaps it was the royal family's innate talent for acting, but Metis's expression remained calm. She met her teacher's gaze without a hint of anything unusual, while in reality, she was listening to the voice coming through their contract link.
Even after sleeping for three days straight, the lazy dragon's tone was still languid. "Metis, are you bored?"
It clicked its tongue twice, as if it had seen the book on the desk. "A case from two hundred years ago. Did he dig this out of a garbage heap for you? How can he go on and on about this?"
"He's a believer in the God of Light… Let me think… My ancestral memories seem to contain some gossip about the God of Light."
Metis couldn't help but lean slightly toward the balcony. The dragon's gossip was clearly more interesting than the endless, brainwashing praise.
Less than half a minute later, a message came from the dragon. Its previous lethargy was gone, replaced by bubbling excitement. "The Dragon God once went to the God of Light for some holy water and happened to walk in on him and his Holy Son, his little apprentice, lying naked on the bed…"
"The most important thing is that his apprentice is a man! And by bloodline, he's his great-great-great-great-great-grandson."
Metis's mouth fell open. Looking at her devout teacher, she felt a pang of sympathy for the old man the Temple had sent to placate her. The next second, she shared a piece of recent gossip with the dragon without any psychological burden.
"Teacher Gail's nephew seems to be…"
Before she could finish, the dragon's tail poked her again. She looked up to see Teacher Gail turning to look at her.
Metis immediately straightened up, her expression serious.
Gail then continued speaking to her.
"What? What about his nephew?" With the crisis averted, the dragon eagerly pressed for more, even prodding her back with its tail again.
Metis paled in fright and instinctively reached a hand behind her back to grab it. But not only did she catch nothing, even Gail on the other side didn't seem to see anything. He just frowned slightly and reminded her, "Your Majesty, why did you suddenly put your hand behind your back?"
"My… my back was a little itchy," Metis said, forcing a smile and offering a clumsy lie.
But the next second, the dragon poked her lower back again. Whether intentional or not, it aimed right for the dimple of her waist.
Metis stared intently at Gail, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow.
But Teacher Gail truly seemed not to have seen it. He merely chided, "You must focus in class."
"Yes," Metis nodded, looking like a well-behaved student receiving a lecture, but her hand remained behind her back.
Metis even began to suspect she was hallucinating, until the dragon's wicked laughter echoed in her mind. "Don't worry, he can't see it."
If he couldn't see it, why did it always pull back so quickly? Metis suspected this creature was deliberately toying with her.
How malicious.
Metis silently judged.
The triumphant dragon began to poke and prod with abandon. It didn't hurt; it was lighter than the brush of a kitten's tail. It deliberately traced lines up her back through the thin fabric, more mischievous than an enchanting fox from the magical forest.
She clenched her teeth, trying to catch that wicked tail.
Meanwhile, the dragon in the study was having the time of its life, its beastly eyes narrowed, reflecting the scene inside.
The previous crown had been returned to the national treasury, to be worn only at the grandest ceremonies. The little queen now wore a floral circlet inlaid with sapphires, with matching sapphire pendants dangling from her earlobes, swaying with her subtle movements.
She frowned slightly, her youthful yet already bewitching face looking somewhat troubled. Yet she had to maintain a serious expression to answer the old man's sudden questions.
Besides their love for shiny things, dragons had another trait unknown to other races: they were absolute aesthetes. They were far more tolerant and generous toward the beautiful elves than they were toward the dwarves, who, despite their superb brewing skills, were not pleasing to the eye.
In fact, the king who had been rejected by a dragon was turned away simply because he was too plain-looking.
And Metis clearly fit the dragon's aesthetic perfectly, especially when adorned with sparkling accessories.
The dragon nodded in satisfaction, privately amending the partner contract to declare Metis its property. After all, its kind had always been that domineering and unreasonable.
On the other side, Metis finally caught the wicked tail while the dragon was distracted. She grabbed its tip and gave it a retaliatory squeeze.
The dragon was not one to suffer a loss. It deliberately raised its fine scales, creating a dense, ticklish sensation in the queen's palm.
"Why did you stop? What about his nephew?" the dragon asked, its voice back to normal, but to Metis, it was laced with a hint of amusement.
Metis tightened her grip on its tail, pausing for a moment before continuing, "A couple of years ago, his nephew declared he was in love with Teacher Gail's son. I originally thought he was just trying to avoid a family-arranged marriage, but now it seems…"
She added, "Teacher Gail's family is known for being devout followers of the Light."
"So they're just learning from their God of Light?" The dragon laughed nonchalantly, then praised, "How very devout indeed."
Having been raised as a puppet, this was the first time Her Majesty the Queen had so openly gossiped about her teacher during a lesson. It was inevitable that she would get a little distracted.
Sure enough, the teacher across from her noticed again. He rapped his knuckles on the desk, his tone stern. "Your Majesty, if you are feeling unwell today, we can end the lesson early."
This was meant as a threat, but the dragon outside the window couldn't help but get excited.
"Alright, Metis! Let's end class early and go out to play. Anthelia is so lively right now."
Metis squeezed the tail that kept hooking her palm. The dragon that had been a mischievous aunt just moments ago was now like a playful child.
She looked up at the annoyed Teacher Gail, then nodded and said, "Very well, Teacher."
Gail, who had been expecting an apology, was stunned. He then watched as Her Majesty the Queen, who had always been so obedient, closed her book, put away her pen, and gave him a slight bow. "Thank you for your hard work, Teacher. I am feeling unwell, so I will take my leave now."
As she finished speaking, the tail in her hand slipped away like flowing water. Metis walked out the door, leaving a dumbfounded Gail behind.
Outside the castle, the sky was a brilliant blue, dotted with soft clouds. The world beyond the tall stone walls was prosperous and bustling.
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