Valentina awoke to a delightful scent, but grew furious at the strange noise.
"Hey! What were you doing just now?"
"Teasing a dog... um, no, listen to my excuse."
???
Valentina gritted her teeth, her vertical pupils fixing a deadly gaze on the white-haired youth nearby.
"What did you say!!?"
This damn guy.
Explain yourself clearly!
Or I'll tear you apart!
Herbert blinked and coughed lightly: "Ahem, I was trying a food baiting technique... oh, that's not right either, I was just waking you up gently."
With that, he offered a bright, cheerful smile to the dangerously looking dragon lady.
"Good morning, Miss!"
At this moment, as Valentina looked at his undeniably handsome yet particularly punchable expression, she felt like her head was about to explode.
Splat.
"Good morning... you ghost!"
"Her! Bert! T!"
The dragon lady's roar was earth-shattering, reverberating throughout the entire cell, shaking Herbert's insides who was sitting close by.
It almost shook him into internal injuries.
"Cough, cough, just kidding, calm down, don't get too worked up."
Herbert rubbed his ears that were throbbing with pain, saying helplessly: "Okay, okay, I apologize."
He tossed the chicken drumstick in his hand into the cage casually.
Whoosh—
The carefully roasted drumstick arced perfectly through the air, spinning as it flew.
!
Valentina, who had been roaring a second ago, reacted swiftly, leaping up to catch the drumstick in her mouth.
Crunch!
Even though she was now in human form, the ingrained dragon-like reflex made her bite down instead of grabbing it with her hand.
"Mmm!!?"
Only after biting it did she realize, under Herbert's amused gaze, that her action was a bit off. She then glared at him.
You damn!!?
She wanted to say something but didn't want to give up on the drumstick in her mouth, grumbling indistinctly: "Mmm mmm mmm, you, mmm mmm mmm—" (What are you looking at!)
Finally managing to quickly chew up and swallow the drumstick in her mouth, Herbert seized the chance to stuff another one in, pushing it right into her mouth.
"Here, for you."
"Mmm!?"
Herbert, while vigorously pushing the drumstick, earnestly advised: "Hey! Don't talk while you're eating."
"You!? Mmm — Crunch!"
Chewing.
Valentina was furious.
But she couldn't resist as the drumstick was simply too aromatic.
Chewing, chewing, chewing.
Valentina knew it wasn't right to give in so easily, a blow to her dignity as a dragon.
But she couldn't help it — her mouth had a mind of its own.
Chewing, chewing, chewing.
So Valentina could only keep trying to speak, only to be silenced repeatedly by tasty snacks.
Anger and appetite waged an ongoing battle... appetite won every time.
Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew—
After successfully feeding the fourth drumstick, Herbert felt at ease, knowing the hurdle was crossed.
Little Hungry Dragon, under control!
So, his smile became even gentler, while feeding her, he kept saying:
"Good girl, don't talk."
"Yes, flip it a bit, don't get it in your hair."
"Swallow it first, don't rush, there's more after."
"Ah! Take it slow, no one's competing with you."
...
When the last drumstick was handed over, Valentina didn't take it with her mouth, but reached out to grab it.
"Oh?"
With her mouth full, she stared at Herbert for a long time, obviously rolling her eyes, then gave a light snort.
"Humph!"
Then she turned around with the drumstick, sat down with her back against the railing, and mumbled: "… Mmm."
Herbert: "Mmm?"
What are you "mmming" about?
Can you speak normally... oh.
Seeing Valentina lean her head back, Herbert realized—she was asking him to cut her hair.
Just like they had agreed yesterday.
"So, you're letting me do it myself, huh..." Herbert blinked, feeling that his relationship with the dragon lady seemed to have grown a bit closer.
Honestly.
In the eyes of others, Valentina was a dangerous evil dragon, a demon that required high vigilance.
But in Herbert's eyes, she was something else entirely.
This guy, though a bit temperamental and slightly gluttonous, seemed a bit dangerous.
But aside from that, she didn't give off a bad vibe.
She was easy to handle, and easy to appease.
Quick to anger, but quick to forgive too.
She could hold a grudge, but would quickly let it go.
To be honest... kind of cute.
Besides, although she seemed a bit disheveled now, she was genuinely healthy and well-proportioned, her features were exceptionally delicate, even strikingly handsome.
Herbert got up, went back to the Prison Warden's room to wash his hands, then fetched the prepared tools.
He pulled up a stool outside the bars, rolled up his sleeves, and hesitantly poked at her fiery red hair with his fingertips.
After confirming there was no resistance, he reached both hands into the cell, smoothing her hair with one hand and gently combing it with the other.
"Valentina."
"... Mmm?" (What?)
Herbert's voice was soft, devoid of the previous teasing, as he gently asked, "Has anyone ever cut your hair before?"
"..." Valentina's lips moved but remained silent for a moment, and after a while, she replied coolly: "No."
"Never?"
"Never."
As if recalling something, her expression changed, her gaze turning a bit cold, her voice harsher: "Why do you ask?"
But Herbert wasn't bothered by her tone, he chuckled: "No reason, just felt kind of lucky."
"Lucky?"
"Yeah, lucky."
As he finished combing her fiery waist-length hair, Herbert felt a sense of awe, gently playing with the ends with his fingertips.
Seemingly coarse and unruly, yet a light brush would make it soft and smooth, such long hair would undoubtedly make others envious.
So, with genuine feeling, he remarked: "Miss Valentina, I'm honored to be the first to help manage your hair."
"Mmm!!?"
Upon hearing this, Valentina's expression shifted, and for some reason, a feeling welled up inside her that made her want to stop him from touching her hair further.
A ticklish feeling in her heart, what is this?
But in the end, she forced down the odd feeling, stubbornly sticking to her course, not fleeing in embarrassment.
She moved her lips, finally in a slightly coquettish tone, she snorted: "... Humph, you're right, it is your honor!"
In response to her, Herbert clicked his tongue in mild exasperation.
"Well... Miss, tsundere is long out of fashion, why not be a bit more straightforward."
?
What fashion?