VBNWDW - Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Stars dotted the night sky like game pieces. The city, long asleep, was silent. In the bedroom, swallowed by darkness, only ragged gasps remained.
"Metis, did you have a nightmare?" a deliberately gentle voice spoke, soothing her agitated emotions.
The hand clutching her collar loosened slightly. Only then did Metis notice that her nightgown was soaked with sweat, her forehead and temples slick with moisture.
She took a deep breath, trying to regulate her breathing, but she couldn't stop the chill spreading from her fingertips.
"Metis?" the dragon asked again when she received no reply. The hand on Metis's waist tightened slightly, pulling her into an embrace to sit up against her. Yueqing continued in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Having regained her composure, Metis just shook her head and said instinctively, "It's nothing."
The words had barely left her lips when she remembered their conversation from earlier tonight. Her mouth moved faster than her mind: "I'm sor—"
She faltered again, forcing the last word back down.
Yueqing held her tighter, not minding it as she had before. She only said, "You're covered in sweat."
Her thin lips brushed across Metis's forehead and hairline. Everything was damp, as if she'd been doused with water. Yueqing touched her lightly, her gaze falling to the other woman's face, which looked fragile in its pallor.
"I'll be fine after sitting for a bit," Metis replied.
"Was it a nightmare?" the other woman pressed, giving her no chance to evade or hide.
Metis didn't want to lie, so she simply lowered her eyes in silence.
"You haven't been yourself all evening," the Black Dragon continued patiently. "What's it about?"
"Is it because I said I'd never met her?" Yueqing realized belatedly. The arm around Metis tightened, pressing her closer.
Metis didn't resist. Perhaps it was due to her original body, but even in human form, Yueqing maintained a cool body temperature. Leaning against her wasn't hot at all; in fact, it helped soothe the distress brought on by the nightmare.
Yueqing glanced casually to the side, and the candle on the bedside table suddenly flared to life, its gentle light pushing back the room's deep darkness.
Unprepared, Metis was forced to shut her eyes against the sudden brightness, instinctively hiding in Yueqing's embrace. Yueqing raised a hand to shield her eyes, blocking most of the light.
No one spoke. Only the chirping of insects outside the window remained.
The thin blanket that had been kicked away lay on the floor. Metis and Yueqing were both dressed in simple nightgowns, one black and one white. The unadorned silk hung loosely on their bodies. The bed was also strewn with gold coins and gems—all polished smooth so they wouldn't be uncomfortable to lie on.
Yueqing was silent for a moment. After Metis had calmed down, she spoke again. "It's true I never met her, but every dragon on Dragon Island knows of their love."
Without waiting for Metis to speak, she continued, "Do you know why, every time the royal family of Roy issues a summons, a dragon is willing to travel thousands of miles to form a contract with you?"
Yueqing chuckled, revealing her nature without reservation. "We are, after all, the laziest race on this continent. For a dragon, such a thing is an incredible hassle."
Metis pulled away the hand covering her eyes and looked up slightly, a hint of confusion on her face. Her collar, which had been pulled open at some point, revealed a length of straight collarbone.
"It's because she divided her inheritance into several parts and hid them in her cave."
"No dragon can refuse shiny things, especially not the lifelong collection of a dragon who lived for nearly thirty thousand years. There's always a dragon who can't resist the temptation, who steps into the cave she left behind and forms a contract with the sliver of soul she left there."
"I think you know what that contract is," Yueqing said, ruffling Metis's hair. The fluffy texture made the dragon narrow her eyes, a hint of pleasure on her face.
"Whenever the Roy royal family calls, a dragon will appear as promised to form an equal Partner Contract. And if the kingdom faces a crisis of destruction, the dragon must help. This promise is only erased from the dragon's soul upon the death of their contract partner."
Metis nodded slowly, catching another key point. "Her inheritance… so she's already dead?"
Her raised, pale gray-blue eyes were as clear as gemstones. Yueqing couldn't help but lean down and brush her red lips across them before answering, "Yes. Because of her lover's death, she resolutely gave up her own long life and chose to journey with her lover to the Agron River."
Legend says the Agron River is the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Only the deceased can cross it to enter the underworld.
The pale gray-blue eyes lost focus for a moment. For some reason, Metis's face grew even paler, as fragile as a flower stem that could snap with a single touch.
Yueqing knew what she was thinking. She seemed to sigh softly, pressing her cheek to Metis's forehead and holding her tight.
She said with emphasis, "Metis, they never gave up, not even at the very last moment of their lives."
"The dragon used many methods to extend her life. She even fought the Dragon Clan's patriarch, forcibly taking a drop of his blood. Then she kicked the patriarch into making a deal with the God of Fire in exchange for a fragment of his rules. But even that could only barely make her lover a demigod."
Because the rank of demigod was too foreign to humans, Yueqing explained, "After becoming a demigod, one has the chance to comprehend the rules. Only by mastering a rule can one become a god and attain eternal life."
Metis seemed to only half-understand. She asked in a hoarse voice, "She couldn't comprehend any of the rules?"
Since the death of the third king, no one had dared to bring up this question. Humans tended to deceive themselves in this regard; no answer meant she still existed. After all, every member of the royal family, every citizen of Roy, had grown up hearing the stories of the first queen.
She was brave, wise, drawing her sword in a time of chaos and leading the twelve families of the Council to establish the Roy Kingdom on the most fertile land of the plains.
Her beauty captivated even a dragon, who promised to protect the Roy royal family for generations in exchange for the queen's companionship for a lifetime.
Though long gone, she remained the spiritual leader of Roy Kingdom. Her statue still stood in the center of every city, and on her birthday, countless people would kneel before it with flowers.
Even she couldn't comprehend the so-called rules…
Metis bit her lower lip.
Yueqing continued, "In this matter alone, she couldn't give the queen any help. It's a very mysterious thing, decided entirely by the so-called rules."
"It's like that dragon who was so focused on helping her lover—she neglected her own cultivation, yet one night, she felt the rules. Then there are dragons who do nothing but sleep, only to wake up and find they've been acknowledged by the rules. And the patriarch of the Dragon Clan—he became a god the day he became patriarch."
Metis's brow furrowed. The thin layer of sweat turned sticky as the breeze blew over her. Normally, she would have gone to wash up immediately, but she was so captivated by the story that she temporarily ignored it.
"But the patriarch is a special case. Very few dragons would be willing to accept that."
Yueqing paused, then sighed softly, her voice so light it was scattered by the wind. "A dragon's life is too long, so long that even we grow weary of it. The ancestral memories grant us not only knowledge but also the loneliness accumulated over generations. It accompanies us for our entire lives."
"We are grains of sand submerged at the bottom of the sea. Even when we gather on Dragon Island, we feel that loneliness is everywhere. Only a few manage to escape it."
"She was a very lucky dragon, to have met a lover who captivated her heart. From the day she met her, she never again had a day of long, uninterrupted slumber. They never missed a single sunrise or sunset."
She said gravely, "Metis, though they have passed away, their story is still told on Dragon Island, and it is envied by all dragons."
She held the woman in her arms tighter and said in a low voice, "Don't be afraid, Metis."
The stars were brilliant. Not a single cloud was visible in the sky, as if one could see into the farthest reaches of the universe through their light.
The night wind continued to blow, pushing open the unlocked window and surging into the room. It lifted the hem of her scattered nightgown and dried the lingering traces of moisture on the sheets and pillows.
Metis leaned against her, her golden hair spilling around her. Her pale gray-blue eyes were half-closed. Her long legs, unintentionally imprinted with the pattern of the gold coins, were drawn up, making her look like a cat curled in a corner.
One of Yueqing's arms was wrapped around her waist, while the other hand stroked through her hair, smoothing it out again and again.
After a moment, Yueqing spoke again. "Do you remember Thorn? The fire dragon who had a contract with your father."
Hearing the familiar name, Metis suddenly looked up, a hint of anxiety on her face. "How is he?"
The first queen was, after all, a person from a story. Although Metis was moved, she wasn't overly saddened, as she had already been mentally prepared. But Thorn was a dragon she had known in her childhood. He had left without a word back then. Though Metis resented him for it, she still cared about him.
The Black Dragon didn't answer right away. Instead, she lowered her head, pressing her forehead against Metis's.
Gilded eyes met pale gray-blue ones, so close it seemed their eyelashes might brush at any moment.
Her tone was calm but direct. "Metis, don't show such concern for another dragon. I'll get jealous."
Compared to humans, who were always reserved and indirect, beasts were more direct and honest in this regard.
Metis instinctively tried to pull away, but the dragon held her fast.
She said with a radiant smile, "Metis, give me a kiss."
Saying exactly what she wanted had always been a characteristic of this thick-skinned dragon.
Metis pressed her lips together, the complex emotions finally dissipating. She tilted her head up and pressed her lips to Yueqing's, a kiss as light as a dragonfly skimming water—far shorter and lighter than their usual ones.
But Yueqing was still satisfied. She licked her thin lips and chuckled. "If you wanted to know so badly, why didn't you ask before?"
"I had it all figured out. The answer to that question should be worth ten gold coins. A pity the buyer wouldn't take the bait," she teased.
Metis didn't speak, only looked at her, her hand gripping her collar tightening slightly, wrinkling the fabric.
"He's fine. If you get the chance, he hopes you can go see his child."
Metis was visibly stunned. "Child?"
Yueqing nodded and smiled. "Yes."
"Thorn feels very sorry. He formed the contract after being tempted by the inheritance inside the cave, before he had a partner. He never expected to be summoned away just as his wife was pregnant and about to give birth."
Metis was completely dumbfounded. She had imagined many possibilities, but never this one.
Yueqing waited for her to process it before continuing the story.
The soul contract was unbreakable. As unwilling as he was, Thorn could only leave Dragon Island and form a Partner Contract with Metis's father, worrying about his wife from a human kingdom thousands of miles away.
It wasn't that he didn't think of leaving, but he was only a fire dragon. Sixth-tier spatial magic couldn't instantly cross thousands of miles; the previous summons had only worked because of the soul contract's power. So, no matter how frustrated he was, there was nothing he could do.
Because of this, however, he often slept lightly and could be easily awakened by Metis's father. He was also exceptionally patient with Metis as a child. Before this, the hot-tempered Thorn might have flicked Metis over the city walls with a snap of his fingers.
In the year of Metis's father's death, Thorn sensed his partner's unease—a sign that she was about to give birth. Unable to bear it any longer, he sought out his contract partner and said he needed to leave for a while. He would have Metis's father summon him back after his wife had given birth to their cub.
Metis's father naturally agreed, but he never expected that he would suddenly lead his troops out of the city with his wife, only to be ambushed and killed.
Before he died, he urgently summoned the red dragon. Even though his wife was in labor, Thorn rushed back desperately, but he still couldn't save their lives. He arrived to find only a field of corpses and enemies.
Overcome with guilt and rage, Thorn incinerated the enemies with his fire breath and then brought the bodies of the king and queen back to Roy.
The situation at the time was chaotic. Anxious and worried, he could only do what he could think of, such as verbally warning those ambitious humans not to harm Metis before he left. Then he rushed back to Dragon Island.
It wasn't until his partner successfully laid a dragon egg and it hatched that Thorn belatedly realized how poorly he had handled things, and he felt guilty for it.
"That's also why he hasn't dared to see you all these years. He feels he should have come and explained things clearly to you back then, instead of choosing to leave without a word because he couldn't face you," Yueqing said softly.
Metis was lost in thought, not speaking for a long while. She just snuggled deeper into the embrace, like a Persian cat seeking comfort.
Seeing this, Yueqing decided to say something lighter. She gently rocked the cat in her arms and smiled. "Do you know how Thorn coaxed the dragon he chose into the cave on Dragon Island?"
"He praised you for being lively and active, for having golden hair that shimmered like velvet, and eyes as moist and brilliant as sapphires. He said that when you smiled, the dimples on your cheeks were the sweetest grape wine, and that your chattering voice could drive away all loneliness."
Even in the human world, it was an exaggerated description.
Her Majesty the Queen's face suddenly flushed red, and her ears grew hot. She stammered, "What nonsense is he talking about? My dimples disappeared after I grew up."
"And Thorn also promised that he would give one-third of his own fortune to your contract dragon."
Metis knew better than anyone how much dragons valued their treasure. Even the dragon beside her was extremely stingy in this regard. She had to count her gold coins and gems every morning, afraid that a single one might be missing. Even though she had a mountain of gold and gems in her spatial storage, losing a single coin would make her hug her tail and howl for half a day.
Thorn was willing to give so much for her. Metis didn't know what to say, opening her mouth several times only to stop.
The Black Dragon added smugly, "They were all too weak. Only this dragon gained Uncle Thorn's approval and became your contract dragon."
In truth, there were many dragons in that group who were stronger than Yueqing, but because of what had happened back then, Thorn chose Yueqing, a space-element dragon.
And that was the beginning of everything.
In the original plot, the dragon also became extremely interested in Metis because of Thorn. When she traveled through space to arrive, however, she only saw a gloomy and repressed little queen. She felt a little disappointed but still held out hope for Metis. Unlike the previous dragons, she didn't choose to fall into a deep slumber but observed quietly from the side, which led to the story that followed.
And the final outcome was also because of this. If she hadn't been so full of hope from the beginning, the dragon would not have been so utterly disappointed, and she wouldn't have risked violating the contract to leave so decisively.
When all the stories were finished, a faint fish-belly white had appeared in the sky outside. A cold, damp morning mist spread out, enveloping the entire city.
The chill entered the room through the window, but Metis didn't feel cold. She lay quietly in the dragon's arms, as if hiding in her only safe harbor.
"Metis."
"Mm?"
Yueqing asked softly, "Are you afraid?"
Metis asked in return, "Afraid of what?"
It wasn't that she didn't understand; she knew exactly what the Black Dragon meant. But she still gave that answer. In the candlelight, her pale gray-blue eyes shimmered with a faint light, and a trace of red could still be seen at the corners.
Yueqing smiled. "When you've done everything you want to do, I'll take you back to Dragon Island to see Thorn's little dragon cub. He's a very mischievous little fellow."
Metis nodded thoughtfully.
"If you want to see a dragon cub sooner, that's fine too," Yueqing added, laughing by her ear a second later.
Her Majesty the Queen didn't understand, as she had never even considered the matter.
But how could the wicked dragon allow her to blankly evade the topic? She immediately said, "Bear a dragon egg for me."
She paused, her deliberately drawn-out tone ambiguous as her warm breath brushed past the other woman's ear. She emphasized, "I've never actually finished…"
How could Metis not understand now? She immediately raised a hand to push against the other's shoulder, scolding, "Stop fooling around."
But the dragon showed no sign of restraint. Instead, she pushed Metis down onto the bed. The nearby gold coins and gems were sent flying before falling back into the depressions of the mattress.
Before Metis could resist, she saw Yueqing prop herself up on her arms, looking down at her with a half-smile. "How am I fooling around?"
"Don't…" Metis had just raised her hand to push when her wrists were caught and pinned above her head.
"Metis, you haven't paid me my reward yet," Yueqing said with a grin. "Surely Her Majesty the Queen wouldn't try to weasel out of this, would she?"
The Black Dragon was wicked, demanding payment even for telling a story.
Metis tugged at her hands. When she couldn't pull them free, she said angrily, "You didn't say you wanted payment at the beginning."
The dragon was perfectly self-righteous. "I did. I said it would be ten gold coins."
"Then let me go, and I'll give them to you," Metis said, magnanimous with her wealth, not caring about such a small sum.
But she had underestimated the Black Dragon's greed. The woman leaned down and bit her neck, mumbling, "Too late. The price has doubled."
"I'll give you a hundred, then," Metis said, tilting her chin up. Her long neck was drawn taut, already bearing a faint bite mark.
Her long gown was removed. The conversation could not continue, leaving only the soft sounds of moisture and increasingly rapid breaths.
A pillow fell to the floor. Someone finally managed to free a hand and tried to push away the person on top of her, mumbling, "You have class today. Ivo will be here soon…"
The Black Dragon did not accept this reason for refusal. Her voice, as if muffled by something, said indistinctly, "It's a holiday today."
Outside the window, the sky brightened, and the red sun rose with it.
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