VBNWDW - Chapter 76
Chapter 76
"A vote."
Having controlled the government for many years, the members of the Council and the Temple belatedly realized that a vote was even an option.
The clamor in the hall subsided. The Maple Duke, who had stood up, looked slightly more relaxed. He thought that as long as the Council and the Temple jointly rejected the queen's request, no one would have to be exchanged for the Ander Family.
It wasn't that his thinking was naive. Over the years, the families of the Council had intermarried and infiltrated one another, becoming an inseparable bloc. If the Maple Family were to be uprooted, the other families would suffer significant repercussions as well.
Before, there had been no choice but to sacrifice him. But now that there was a choice…
The Maple Duke shot a harsh glare at the Iliana Duchess before snorting coldly and sitting back down.
The next second, he heard the Naist Duke speak. "We will now vote by a show of hands. Does everyone agree to have the Maple Family exchange places with the Ander Family to guard the Nia border?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Maple Duke's pupils shrank, and his face instantly turned pale. Before he even had a chance to speak, he watched as hands were raised one by one.
"You people!"
The Naist Duke scanned the room. Among the Council families, everyone except the Maple Duke had raised their hand.
The Head of the Temple had his hands crossed on the table, a sign that he still needed time to think.
The Naist Duke didn't linger on him for long before turning his gaze to the head of the table.
Metis, dressed in magnificent robes, pressed her lips together. Her furrowed brow was conspicuous against her pale complexion, making it seem as if she had encountered a major problem.
She tried to retract her hand to object, but after a slight twitch, her fingers didn't move back. The conflict in her eyes was undisguised.
"Your Majesty," the Naist Duke suddenly called out, his deep gaze fixed on her.
The implication was clear: she had proposed this, and now that everyone had discussed and voted, she was thinking of backing out. That was not the action of a qualified queen.
Metis felt as if she were being held over a fire. She turned her head stiffly, glanced at the Maple Duke, and then raised her arm bit by bit, like a string puppet.
The man she was looking at naturally missed that glance. His face was a mixture of green and purple as he immediately cursed, "Don't you see it yet?!"
"The Maple Family has nothing to do with her! You bunch of water-headed fools! She's using all of you," he roared, struggling to look at the others.
Who wouldn't be afraid?
The current state of the two families guarding the border was a living example—from powerful Council families to their present condition, with so few members they were on the verge of extinction.
If the Maple Duke didn't fight back, their future would be the same.
"She's forcing the Maple Family away now, and you'll be next! Do you think you can escape?"
Seeing the others begin to hesitate, the Maple Duke's eyes bulged, bloodshot veins covering his eyeballs. He played his final trump card, threatening them with a loud shout, "Don't you forget about the gold mine…"
Before he could finish, the two people next to him spun around abruptly and frantically covered his mouth. The others also showed varying degrees of alarm.
"Mmph, mmph!"
He tried to say more but was pinned to his chair, his mouth clamped shut.
At that very moment, the Head of the Temple made his decision. He raised his hand, a faint smile still on his face, as if he hadn't heard a thing and was just making a trivial little decision.
With three votes in favor, the matter was settled, with no chance of reversal.
The Maple Duke slumped into his chair, disheartened and without the will to struggle anymore. But the others were still worried and kept his mouth covered.
The Naist Duke's expression remained calm, but beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead at some point. He forced a smile.
Across from him, the Head of the Temple's expression was serene as he watched him quietly.
Metis seemed not to have seen any of this, nor to have heard that last sentence. She only said, "The Gael Family…"
The Naist Duke offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It is not wise to make too many changes at the border, lest it cause unnecessary turmoil. Let us discuss this matter at a later time, Your Majesty."
He deliberately stressed the last two words. Metis knew she had achieved her goal and that pushing them further might lead to unforeseen consequences. So she simply smiled and said, "The duke has a point."
Just when they thought the matter was over, news arrived that very night: the Atl Kingdom had launched a surprise attack.
At the time, Metis was still trying to placate a certain dragon. Ever since that creature got a taste of sweetness, she was constantly thinking about it.
Metis couldn't take it anymore; her back was unbearably sore. She had been tormented all morning yesterday, and then she had to wake up early for the meeting today, sitting on a cold, hard stone chair and wrangling with a group of old foxes. It was inevitable that she felt weary and haggard.
But the black dragon was a different story. She had been sleeping soundly under the covers, one nap after another, and was bursting with energy.
Finally, Metis grew so annoyed that she kicked the dragon off the bed in a fit of anger.
That creature was an expert at acting cute. Seeing that things were not in her favor, she transformed into her small black dragon form and rolled around on the floor, acting like a complete rascal.
But Metis had a soft spot for this act. In the end, she scooped her up and fetched a basin of hot water to wash her.
A towel soaked in hot water was draped over the little black dragon. She rested on the rim of the copper basin, her claws gripping the edge to keep from falling in. Her tail poked out from under the towel, swaying back and forth and creating ripples in the water.
There were also a few gold coins and gems in the basin, placed there by Metis for the same purpose as a rubber duck for a child's bath.
The black dragon, who had been so boisterous just moments ago, was easily placated.
Metis used her hand as a ladle, pouring water over the towel again and again. The white steam rising from it gradually thinned.
The little black dragon hummed and grumbled, tilting her head to look at Metis. Her eyes, glinting with some unknown thought, darted around before she said lazily, "Metis, do you want to take a bath? In exchange, I can…"
She was cut off before she could finish.
Metis's refusal was blunt. "No need."
The little black dragon didn't give up. "Then I'll give you a massage. Didn't you say your back was sore?"
She blinked, her gilded eyes as clear and dazzling as gemstones. Unfortunately, they concealed a great deal of mischief, making her look a bit sly.
Metis gave her a cool glance and refused again. She remembered last night, when a certain dragon had been just as eager to give her a massage. As it turned out, the dragon's claws hadn't stayed on her waist for more than a few seconds. Metis had to hastily fend her off, and in the midst of the dragon's advances from all sides, she had nearly thrown out her back.
The black dragon also remembered what happened last night. She gave a silly little laugh, trying to brush it off, and didn't dare bring it up again.
Osmanthus-scented essence was rubbed all over her body, not even sparing her little dragon claws. Metis held her up with one hand, slathering her everywhere until she smelled of osmanthus, then rinsed her with clean water and dried her with a thick towel.
The little black dragon let her do as she pleased. Once dry, she lay on Metis's lap, all four paws spread out, her head buried in the hem of Metis's nightgown. She looked lazy and sleepy. Glancing at the basin, she reminded her, "Metis, my gold coins."
It didn't matter who had put them in there. Since a dragon had seen them, they now belonged to the dragon.
Fortunately, Metis didn't mind. She casually summoned a ball of fire to evaporate the water in the basin and retrieve the clean, dry coins. But as soon as the flame appeared, she froze.
"This…"
Metis frowned, looking down at the ball of fire, which was much larger than before. The nearby curtain was blown by the wind, and though the dangling threads were a foot away from the flame, they still curled up from the heat.
The little black dragon lazily lifted her head, glanced over without a hint of surprise, and said casually, "So Metis has become an intermediate mage."
Metis, the person in question, was stunned. Junior mage and intermediate mage—though seemingly only one level apart, it was a barrier that stopped countless Gifted in their tracks.
For instance, Orion and Nestor, who had been hailed as geniuses, had been stuck at this level ever since they awakened at sixteen.
Although everyone said this was normal and that once they built a solid foundation and broke through to the intermediate level, their progress would skyrocket—perhaps even jumping two levels in a year—a breakthrough was a breakthrough. Until then, they were still just junior mages.
Nestor's teacher had likely taken this into account and hadn't let Nestor study by his side, probably waiting until he truly broke through before formally acknowledging his status.
And Metis? It had been less than a year since her awakening, and she had already gone from an apprentice mage to an intermediate mage. Such progress would earn her a place among the geniuses of the Chryse Continent.
So it was normal for her to be momentarily unable to process it. The flame in her palm dissipated and reformed several times before she slowly accepted the fact. Then she looked down at the black dragon.
She wasn't foolish enough to think it was her own effort; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so surprised to discover it just now.
"What did you do?" she asked in a low voice.
The little black dragon rolled over, exposing her belly to Metis. Her inky tail continued to sway as she explained lazily, "You should be asking what we did."
Metis subconsciously reached out and rubbed the dragon's belly as if scratching a cat. Then she pinched her tail, her thumb pressing against the tip, where she could feel the round bone beneath the flesh. It was a bit hard but strangely pleasant to touch.
She followed up with the question, "What did we do?"
The little black dragon suddenly giggled, both mischievous and smug. "We… did… it."
She deliberately emphasized the words, drawing out the two short syllables.
Metis was stunned at first, then she flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and mortification. "How is that possible?!" she exclaimed, shocked and bewildered.
The dragon, unable to hold her tail, simply lifted a hind leg, grabbed it with her claw, and curled into a scaly black crystal ball. "Why wouldn't it be possible?" she said nonchalantly. "Why else would other races say that we dragons are treasures from head to toe?"
"Dragons are naturally favored by the elements. We don't need to train hard. Even if we just sleep, the elements will flow into our bodies on their own. When we touch, you become tainted with my aura, and the elements will be drawn to you as well."
She entertained herself, rolling around on Metis's thighs as she spoke. "It's a pity your human bodies are too fragile. I have to control the elements to keep them from flooding into you all at once. Otherwise, you'd already be an advanced mage by now."
It took Metis a while to digest all this. She twitched her lips and asked, "Does this happen every time?"
The dragon was honest, not making up lies to gain favors. "Right now, the effect is more obvious because you're so weak. Once you become a Magister, it will be average."
Even so, for humans who had to train arduously, this was an incredibly tempting shortcut.
Metis couldn't help but be moved, her eyes flickering for a moment.
The little black dragon naturally didn't miss this. With a flicker of distorted space, the silver-haired, dark-skinned, bewitching beauty was sitting sideways on Her Majesty the Queen's lap. She raised a hand to hook it around Metis's neck, leaned in close, and said with a radiant smile, "Would you like to try it…?"
Metis couldn't help but wonder if it was a dragon or a siren sitting in her lap, seizing every opportunity to peel her skin from her bones and swallow her whole.
Yueqing didn't wait for an answer. To a dragon, silence and no response meant consent. She chuckled softly, pulling Metis's head down as she tilted her own up to meet her lips.
The wind blew the bed curtains, making the hem of her dress sway. The beauty in her arms carried the scent of osmanthus, inching her way deeper into Metis's embrace, easily prying open her lips and teeth.
Her long dress was lifted, and the thin straps of her gown slipped down her smooth shoulders. A hand reached up and tangled itself in her loosely scattered golden hair.
Metis tilted her head back to dodge, but she was caught by a bite on her collarbone, leaving a faint tooth mark.
She let out a low hum and couldn't help but clutch the other's clothes, whispering, "That hurts."
The other's touch grew lighter, sliding down her curves, and then…
A sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door—a series of frantic bangs.
Someone called out in a panic, "Your Majesty!"
"The Atl Kingdom has launched a surprise attack on the border! The clan leaders and the Head of the Temple have all been notified and are on their way to the council hall!"
The two inside abruptly stopped.
Yueqing's face instantly turned cold.
Metis's voice was faint and weak. "I guess we can't try it…"
The dragon clenched her jaw, holding back for a long moment before forcing out a single word: "Go!"
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