VBNWDW - Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Perhaps she had truly received the gods' blessing, for the little black dragon awoke in a daze the very next second Metis went to prepare a sobering soup.
It was now night. Outside, the stars dotted the sky. The Big Dipper, as bright as ever, pointed toward a distant direction.
The newly awakened little black dragon sat on the bed, the soft goose-down pillow sinking under her weight to form a large crater. Her tail swayed unconsciously behind her, her vacant, gilded eyes clear as glass.
Metis was sitting at the desk nearby. Her golden hair was casually pinned up, and a stray lock that had escaped was lifted and dropped by the breeze. An open book lay before her, but her gaze was fixed straight ahead.
The little black dragon raised a paw, rubbed the corner of her eye, then stopped, as if wrapped in confusion. Finally, she called out uncertainly, "Metis."
She turned and quickly spotted the person sitting there. Without waiting for a response, she flapped her wings and flew over, landing righteously on the open pages of the book.
Metis looked down at her. The dim light shrouded her in a half-lit, half-shadowed gloom, her expression unreadable.
"Metis," the little black dragon said, her cheeks puffed up in something of a pout.
Her Majesty the Queen looked down at her, her voice softening involuntarily. "Lord Yueqing."
Due to her small size, the black dragon could only look up at her, her tail wagging back and forth. She opened her mouth and said, "Did you kiss me?"
Metis was taken aback. The dragon's tone was off; it even sounded as if the wronged dragon was demanding justice.
She chose her words carefully before slowly saying, "You were drunk that day…"
The black dragon cut in swiftly, "So you took the opportunity to kiss me."
If Metis remembered correctly, she hadn't moved an inch. It was a certain dragon who had used her drunkenness to get close and initiate the kiss…
As the one who had truly been pinned down and even lost ownership of her own eyes, the queen watched her quietly, hoping the black dragon, whose memory had not vanished, would face the facts and not engage in such self-deceiving draconic behavior.
But she had underestimated the thick skin of a dragon. The creature even declared indignantly, "That was my first kiss."
It was common knowledge that dragon reproduction was extremely difficult, so their young were protected with extreme strictness. Unmatured dragons couldn't even leave Dragon Island and had to stay within areas protected by adults. Therefore, Yueqing had to be an adult dragon.
And it took six hundred years for a hatchling to reach adulthood.
A six-hundred-year-old first kiss…
"So?" Metis suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. After all, six hundred years was indeed a very long time for a human.
As the greediest of creatures, a black dragon who knew how to take a mile when given an inch keenly sensed the shift in the other's emotions. She immediately said, "But you stole it while a dragon was drunk!"
"Mm?"
"So, so you have to compensate me…" The black dragon's voice grew less confident as she spoke, her eyes darting downward.
So that was the reason for this whole roundabout accusation.
Metis found it rather amusing. She propped her head up with one hand, her pale gray-blue eyes curving into a smile.
The little black dragon, who had just been feeling guilty, was instantly angered. She lifted her head and scolded, "Metis!"
The audacious human seemed to have only just realized her mistake. How dare a human laugh at a dragon?
Metis replied softly, "Then how should I compensate you?"
Before the black dragon could think, Metis leaned down. The strands of hair by her ears swayed, and her lips, carrying a cool fragrance, pressed against the little black dragon's head. She said, "Is this alright?"
It was a brief and light kiss, lasting even shorter than the time a falling strand of hair rested on the dragon's body.
The black dragon froze for a moment before the realization dawned on her.
"No, it's not!"
Before Metis could fully straighten up, the space around them suddenly distorted. Her vision blurred, and in the next instant, she felt someone pressing down on her.
She instinctively grabbed the other's waist. It was deceptively slender but firm, and her fingers sank into the dimples, filling them completely.
Her hands moved defensively, a stark contrast to the black dragon's viciousness. The dragon clamped a hand around her neck, just below her subtle Adam's apple. It was a place that could not bear restraint; the slightest pressure was enough to make Metis tilt her chin up.
Kneeling on either side of Metis's thighs, the dragon squeezed them tightly, trapping her. Her other hand landed on the softness beneath the thin dress.
Though she was only a newly matured dragon, the instincts etched into a beast's very bones had already led her to the most correct answer.
Metis was uncomfortably pinned. Just as she was about to speak, the dragon seized the opportunity, leaning down and trapping her words between her lips.
Dragons were always violent. Even if they hid it behind a lazy facade, as the race most favored by the gods, beings of incomparable power, how could they possibly understand gentleness or humility?
To possess what they liked was the only truth they recognized.
Metis's thin lips were bitten, her overly soft tongue hooked and drawn out. The pulse in the dragon's palm beat ever more clearly, and her thick, curved eyelashes trembled.
At times like this, dragons were utterly devoid of empathy. As if bending one of her own gold coins, she pressed Metis firmly against the back of the chair, causing a sharp pain in her straight spine.
But still, she was relentless, determined to occupy every last inch of the other's space.
It wasn't until Metis tugged at her dress, shaking the thin fabric with a force that wasn't heavy—less like someone on the receiving end of an assault and more like a child acting spoiled—that the black dragon's conscience finally kicked in.
She slowed her movements slightly but remained pressed against Metis's lips, unwilling to let go for even a moment.
"Metis, you're very nice to kiss," the dragon praised, her tone direct and matter-of-fact.
"Did you eat candy? What kind? It's so sweet," she continued to mumble.
If a human had said these two lines, they would have been dragged onto a list of the worst pickup lines and criticized by countless people. What kind of idiot would say something so utterly devoid of romantic flair?
But when these words came from the mouth of a newly matured, innocent dragon, it was a different story.
Her gilded eyes were half-closed, veiled by a hazy layer of moisture that did nothing to hide the desire within. Her already bewitching features became even more stunning, like a datura flower blooming in fiery splendor.
She was more clear-headed than when she was drunk, and also more direct and unabashed.
Since it was compensation, then a tenfold, a hundredfold repayment was the only way to show sincerity.
Metis understood this principle well and took the initiative to press closer.
The silvery-white ends of her hair, curled into little ringlets, brushed against the fine skin of her shoulder and neck. The hand cupping her head applied a little force, pulling the dress downward.
The book on the desk rustled as the wind blew through, flipping page after page until it revealed the name written on the cover. It was the first queen's detailed notes on taming dragons, and the most important prerequisite within was to first learn how to feed a dragon until it was full.
How to feed it until it was full?
This was the one prerequisite that the descendants of the Roy royal family could never comprehend.
But now, the little queen—Metis—was beginning to understand.
Time stretched on infinitely, more lingering and entangled than in the carriage.
In a daze where there was no room for thought, a beast's intuition became all the more sensitive.
The black dragon could sense that the person before her had changed. Or rather, from their very first meeting, under her deliberate guidance, this little queen who had broken free from her cage had been constantly learning and changing.
But the black dragon didn't mind. After all, in a dragon's perception, humans were a tenacious race, like weeds. Though they possessed the weakest bodies, they had a learning ability that no other race could surpass. They were like sponges, expanding with all their might to become stronger the moment they encountered water.
After their lips parted once more, Yueqing asked in a low, husky voice, "Want to go out and play?"
Metis's mind was blank from a lack of oxygen. Before she could react, she nodded subconsciously.
The space around them distorted. Before Metis could even feel the sudden eruption of elemental power, the scene before her eyes changed.
It was the vast, boundless galaxy, tens of thousands of meters above the city of Anthelia. The plains that once seemed so immense now looked tiny, and the city-state that humans had spent millennia building was but a single glittering point on the plains.
Metis was held in an embrace. Though there was only empty space beneath her feet, it felt as solid as the ground, preventing any sense of helpless panic from taking root.
Yueqing, who had been in human form, now had large, bony wings sprouting from her back. Her silver hair floated, and her golden eyes looked down upon the world. Her skin, a shade darker than wheat, did not vanish into the night sky but instead seemed to glow with a mysterious light, much like a god from the legends.
Metis didn't know whether to let go or hold on tighter.
But Yueqing didn't let her struggle for long. She pulled her close and whispered, "Is it beautiful?"
How could anyone find it anything but beautiful? The yearning for the high heavens seemed etched into humanity's bones. From ancient times to the present, they had devised countless methods, willing to be dashed to pieces just to get higher, all for a glimpse of this very scene.
Metis pressed her lips together, only to find the dragon leaning in again with a soft chuckle. "Then… can the compensation be doubled?"
Metis didn't know whether to say her contract partner was truly one to abide by the rules of a transaction, or that dragons were indeed as greedy as they said.
To think of such a method to extend the time and demand more.
But before she had time to ponder it, her lips were sealed once more.
A person thousands of miles in the sky could not resist. She could only raise her hands and hook them around Yueqing's neck, as if clinging to a life-saving vine.
Their lips overlapped, a light touch before moving away. The brief exploration was a prelude to a more excessive process.
Her pale gray-blue eyes did not belong to any of the myriad stars. To the dragon, Metis was the most brilliant jewel she had ever seen.
A jubilant emotion transmitted through the contract chain.
The Queen of Roy Kingdom stood high above the sky. Below her lay her city-state, her subjects. The bustling streets were still noisy, and the lights in some family estates had not dimmed all night, filled with the endless sounds of arguments and weeping.
But these were not things Metis needed to think about. She was being kneaded into the dragon's embrace, her everything taken at will.
Three days later, inside the royal palace.
An old man in a mage's robe stood on the lawn, holding a staff inlaid with gems. His salt-and-pepper, medium-length hair was combed back, and his cloudy eyes looked at the group opposite him.
This was the new teacher sent by the Temple of Light. With the power of a Great Mage, he had once served as the Captain of the Holy Knights and was now one of the elders.
The children of the noble families opposite him, who had been full of arrogance just moments before, all showed expressions of timidity.
He, however, looked toward the queen standing to one side, raised a fist to his chest, and called out, "Your Majesty."
Metis nodded slightly and replied, "Teacher Cadmon."
Yesterday, the Council families and the Temple had submitted the lists of teachers and students to Metis, so she could call him by name without needing an introduction.
Cadmon lowered his hand. Seeing that Metis already knew who he was, he skipped even the most basic of introductions and said directly, "From now on, I will be in charge of your magic classes."
His eyes swept over the group. "In the future, please wear your magic robes and have your staves ready before class. I will not give you extra time to prepare."
"Now, get your things ready immediately."
The students opposite him were startled into hurriedly taking things out of their rings, while Metis, who was already prepared, turned to observe the people sent by the various families.
A boy who had deliberately taken a step forward to stand at the front of the group had looked displeased ever since he arrived. He ignored anyone who tried to speak to him, as if he were enduring some great injustice.
This was the youngest son of Duke Naist. He had awakened at sixteen and become a junior mage in just two years, hailed as the future of the Naist family. If he weren't the only one in the Naist family of a similar age to the queen, they would never have been willing to send him.
The relationships between the families also influenced the relationships between the students.
This boy was followed by the heirs of five other families, who did not leave even when met with his cold glares.
On the other side was a brown-haired, green-eyed boy from the Maple family. He was the one who had snatched Metis's magic core at the market. She hadn't expected to meet him here again today.
He clearly didn't remember Metis; after all, he hadn't paid any attention to anyone around him at the time.
As the most talented person of his generation among the Council families, he had been taken as a student by a Magister a few days ago. He was only here today out of obligation.
Duke Maple had repeatedly assured him that he only needed to go through the motions for a few days before he could leave and focus on studying with his teacher.
Thus, he wore an expression of indifference, even taking out his staff with deliberate slowness. A few people were gathered around him as well.
Metis's gaze, however, rested on a spot farther away, in the most remote corner. There stood a girl who looked very frail. The large mage's robe hung on her, giving the impression that a gust of wind could blow both her and the robe away. Her long black hair was draped over her shoulders like withered grass.
The gazes of those around her swept past, filled with undisguised disdain.
Her birth was a disgrace to the Iliana family. It was said that her mother had seduced the duke's son and, after secretly giving birth to her, had extorted a great deal of money from the duke. So, even though she had become one of the Gifted, she was still unwelcome.
Metis silently committed these details to memory. A low voice reminded her from behind, "Your Majesty, Teacher Cadmon is starting the class."
Metis turned and smiled at her before turning back to the teacher.
This person was the most talented and outstanding heir of the guardian family. Upon hearing that the queen wanted to form a guard, Julieta had unhesitatingly let her join.
When Metis had arrived just now, she had taken the initiative to approach and stand behind her.
Loyal and reliable, they were people the royal family could always trust.
As for the people from the Temple of Light, Metis had no intention of dealing with them for the time being.
As she was thinking, Teacher Cadmon had already begun to speak. "The gods love all people. Though they did not grant us the powerful bodies of the dragons, the forging skills of the dwarves, or the beauty and wisdom of the elves, they planted a Tree of Genes inside each of us, giving a select few the key to follow in the gods' footsteps…"
The others had heard all this before. After becoming one of the Gifted, their families would hire tutors to teach them, so they all looked bored.
Metis and the frail girl, however, listened with great interest.
A hot wind blew across the grass, carrying the voice far away.
The little black dragon, lying on a soft mattress, rolled over. She opened her eyes and glanced out the window to check the time, then sighed heavily.
The little queen had gone to class. Not only did she no longer want her as a teacher, but she wouldn't be back until evening.
Suppressing her frustration, the little black dragon rolled over again and buried her head in the bedding.
She really wanted to go find Metis, but Metis had said that these next two days were very important. She needed to concentrate on observing the heirs of the Council families.
At that thought, the little black dragon sighed heavily again.
What was there to observe about a bunch of kids who hadn't even grown all their feathers?
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