The baby dragon inflated its pure white cheeks with air. The small, bluish scales that had sprouted on its round, white face twitched every time the child spoke.
"Leave me alone! I'm pouting."
Isaac grinned, a languid expression on his face.
"Don't scam us."
The rhetoric was a little too harsh. I clutched Isaac's arm and shook my head, silently telling him to be gentle. Isaac immediately softened his expression.
"...Chee. Daddy is so mean. He only cares about the other girls."
The child sullenly touched the surface of the egg that encased me and blinked.
What? Isaac, you did something wrong!
My heart felt like it would burst, so I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. It's said that when you find something too cute, you get an urge to be violent.
Where did Suman go? I think I need to hit him at least once to stabilize this pounding heart!
Unlike my flustered state, Isaac remained calm and rational.
"You're not a baby."
"...She is a baby, isn't she?"
Before us was a baby, one who had just hatched from an egg.
"Her mind is already that of an adult. Inside the dragon's womb and egg, she would have acquired knowledge from all worlds. She knows what others like and will try to take advantage of them."
Isaac's voice was firm as he answered my questioning look.
"Then maybe..."
"I already know that Mel likes me as a baby, so I take advantage of her. Don't be fooled."
I felt my face heat up and muttered as if reading from a book.
"Hah, don't worry, I haven't been fooled at all..."
It was a lie. Even now, I desperately wanted to touch the dragon's fuzzy blue hair.
"Chee. That's too much!"
The dragon, suddenly adopting an adult tone, raised a small hand to cover its eyes, as if it felt sorry for me.
"I wasn't using you!"
It slightly moved its index and middle fingers, peering at me. When its blue eyes met mine, my heart started beating like crazy again.
"I am a baby! Am I not cute?"
Ugh. It's so cute that it's speaking so clearly! Isaac calmly drew the line.
"What do you want? I'll give it to you if you help us."
Isaac spoke calmly, taking over for me since I was distracted by the baby's cuteness.
"Oh! C'mon, there's something that keeps getting stiff!"
"You need to speak like an adult."
The dragon turned away from Isaac and chuckled, holding out a small hand to me. The way she broke the eggshell and held her head up was so endearing.
"What do I want to have...?"
The baby slumped its shoulders and pursed its lips, speaking maturely.
"Guess it!"
"Huh?"
"If you give me something that makes me feel sick, I'll help you and your Daddy!"
She called us Mom and Dad last time, too! I glanced at Isaac, worried for no reason. He had a calm expression.
"We're not your mom and dad."
At my words, the dragon chuckled and tapped the shell of my egg again.
"Good birthplace."
"Huh? Don't go!"
My words were only an echo in the air, however, as the baby dragon returned to the egg. Just like this capricious dragon! Dumbfounded, I muttered to myself again.
"What on earth does a dragon want?"
"I want it..."
I raised my hand, trying to stroke the surface of the egg on my lap, but stopped.
"Never have a whole chicken ending."
Don't contact them for the time being.
At that moment, the egg rolled toward my hand and clung to it. I felt the warm touch of the egg and let out a sigh.
What the hell do you want from me? It seems like you need my attention...
Dragons aren't human, and they rarely act out of pure goodwill. They only get what they want by exchanging equivalent values.
Seeing you roll around like a baby, should I do what babies like?
Babies and children are definitely my specialty! Seeing me lost in thought, Isaac's lips curled into a smile.
"Let's figure out what the dragon wants."
After saying that, Isaac smiled. It was the same attitude he always had—kind, gentle, and smooth. But I wondered if it was because he had openly declared he would seduce me that I even cared about his laugh.
"Okay. Let's find out together."
The dragon was the key to the Pope's weakness. When I showed a determined attitude, Isaac also became serious.
I should also tell Isaac specifically about the relationship between the pope and the dragon. He may have already guessed it...
As I was thinking about how to explain it, a gap formed in our conversation. He quietly whispered to me.
"I have a little work to do before we get acquainted with the dragon."
"What do you want to do?"
"Just a moment."
I shook my head in wonder. Isaac didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked to the laboratory window and opened it. His sudden action made me squint. I saw a small white bird flying in from outside the window with a tiny letter in its beak.
What is that bird?
I watched as Isaac pulled the letter from the bird's beak. After flying the bird away with a friendly gesture, he sat down in front of me again with the letter in his hand.
"Mel, I want to take care of Duke Hesman with my own hands."
Seeing the anger on his face, I paused for a moment. Then I remembered. Lennox wasn't the only nuisance to me. He had also stolen from the Mage Tower.
Isaac also wants to punish the thief who stole his things.
I had completely forgotten that Lennox had stolen from the Mage Tower.
We decided to be on the same side, but I was the only one getting help.
Feeling sorry for some reason, I nodded and waited for his next words. Isaac bit his lip, chin crossed, and said something unexpected.
"It's not for any other reason. It's because Duke Lennox Hesman is the one who hurt you."
I paused at his unexpected whisper. His expression was so frightening, it was hard to talk to him.
I haven't been hurt at all, but this man can be misunderstood.
To be honest, I just wanted to hit Suman, who was having an affair... He looked at my face carefully and soon took on a loose, characteristically languid expression.
"I've made a plan."
He handed me the letter. It looked more like a map with codes than a letter. Isaac's hand pointed to a spot on the map.
"We're going to camouflage here."
"Yes? Camouflage?"
When he said 'camouflage,' I thought of the illegal auction house where I first met Basil. Back then, I disguised myself as a young girl with freckles. Thinking of the past, I said excitedly,
"That's funny! What kind of disguise is it?"
"We'll be disguised as lovers."
Isaac spoke in such a plain tone that I stopped nodding my head.
Disguised lovers?
I beat myself up, trying to come to my senses.
Maybe being disguised as lovers is a necessary condition for the operation. Let's not react to the word 'lover.'
I had heard earlier that he would openly seduce me, so everything was connected in that direction. Isaac, who had been silent for a moment, reached up and gently moved a stray hair from my head before speaking again, as if reading my mind.
"Mel, I'll tell you this in case you misunderstand."
I looked at him. It seemed like he was trying to clear up my misunderstanding… No, why are you smiling so seductively? As if to ignite my doubts, Isaac lazily whispered in my ear.
"It's right to be selfish."
My mouth fell open at his words. After thinking about it, I felt like I was getting caught up in this man's pace without hesitation.
Since you said you would flirt properly, it's only natural that it would come out like this.
I gasped and took a deep breath. Then, I raised my head shamelessly, pretending not to be embarrassed at all. My heart was pounding, but acting is one of my specialties. I confidently declared that he would not notice my trembling, as if I were performing a good deed.
"Okay, explain the strategy. But there's a condition."
Isaac's eyebrows twitched. I smiled brightly and finished my sentence.
"The final blow is mine."
At that moment, Duke Hesman was in a small annex of the capital mansion he had built. He stood with his entourage in a huge room where all his magic tools were gathered.
"Isn't there a law that people die, right?"
Duke Hesman's expression was filled with satisfaction. The entourage nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, that's right, Your Excellency!"
At first, he thought he had truly fallen into the abyss. After Sheria went to prison, the trust of ordinary people had plummeted. Some fanatics had gone on a rampage to punish Meldenik Kinnoa, but they were repeatedly blocked. Their useless unrest didn't help Duke Hesman much. At this point, there was no income from selling holy water and relics, so all projects related to the Holy Kingdom had been stopped. The blow hit hard throughout his businesses. However...
Duke Hesman smirked. It was when he went to clarify the negative rumors surrounding him that he received information from a reliable source: several high-ranking officials of the Magic Kingdom had secretly visited the Empire. This was a great stroke of fortune for the Duke.
The Magic Kingdom was a secretive place, an island with exceptionally advanced magical abilities. It was also a place that all human beings envied and wondered about. Until now, none of the human merchants had ever been able to make a deal with the Demon Kingdom, an island of different races with highly developed magical abilities.
"If I make a deal with the Magic Kingdom, I'll be able to get rid of all the negative rumors."
If he used the potential of the Demon Kingdom and the illusions that people had about it, he would be able to cover up the scandal in no time. He gritted his teeth as he remembered the cheeky face of Meldenik.
"The people of the Demon Kingdom are like crows. They say they like shiny and attractive magic tools."
Duke Hesman looked around the annex and checked the magic tools he would present as gifts.
"Sir, what should I prepare as a gift?"
"It should be a gift that even the people of the Magic Kingdom will be surprised by."
Hesman gestured to his entourage with an arrogant face. After winning their favor with a gift, he would ask them to make a deal with their superiors and seal the contract. He was ready to do anything to make a deal with the Magic Kingdom, which no one had been able to do in all these years. He saw this as a negotiation that would instantly raise his position.
"What kind of gift would be good...?"
Duke Hesman saw countless magic tools in his field of vision. Golden bowls, apples with silver surfaces, small brooches, and more. He saw a small tiara sticking out through the gap in the collection.
"It's best to select the finest items and go on a quantity offensive."
He rubbed his rough beard with the back of his hand. His beard and mustache were not shaved properly and were growing uncontrollably.
"I must win this contract with the Magic Kingdom."
His expression was distorted. After Sheria was captured, some of the family's senators and vassals began to rebel against his will.
"Your Excellency. There's a movement to promote the Count of Cologne, who is the guardian and uncle of Princess Mirissa, as the next duke!"
"I'm alive and well, so how dare they..."
"I think it's because the atmosphere is ugly. Some reckless people are saying that His Excellency the Duke is about to fall."
Angry at this, Duke Hesman glared at the annex and soon stopped his eyes again on the small tiara. It was a magical tiara that his father had plundered when the Marquis of Kinnoa was in trouble.
Cheeky Kinnoa Marquis... You hit him in the back of the head when he got engaged to a woman everyone turned away from?
All his tragedies came from Meldenik Kinnoa, that woman. He remembered the voice laughing at Sheria in the dungeon where he was imprisoned. He roughly rummaged his head and muttered profanity through his teeth.
"Did you say that the Magic Kingdom also creates powerful offensive artifacts?"
"Yes, I heard so, Your Excellency."
"I really like that..."
Duke Hesman smiled with one corner of his mouth. He vowed that he would make the woman who began to drag him and Sheria down suffer as much as he was now.