While Zack and Silva were still chattering behind the curtain, Roderika stood confidently at the stage, her voice echoing gracefully through the auditorium as she continued her speech, partly to buy time.
"That day," she said, placing a hand over her heart, "Lady Silva looked at me with such fierce determination in her eyes and said, 'I will do my best. But more than that… I ask that you call me by my name while we serve in the Student Council. Do not treat me as the Royal Princess of the Knight Kingdom.'"
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the gathered students. Roderika spoke as if recounting a moment of emotional intimacy—her lips curled into a smile, and her crimson eyes sparkled with amusement.
"At that moment, I honestly thought she was confessing to me. A girl so proud, so noble, humbling herself like that… Oh, how pure." She paused dramatically before glancing sideways at the crowd. "And speaking of our dearest Silva, while she may carry herself like an old-fashioned noblewoman, don't be fooled. She's got one or two boys she secretly fancies—"
"President! That's enough!!" A furious voice burst from the side curtain.
Silva stood there, fists clenched, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Her golden-blonde hair flowed like a silken banner as she glared daggers at Roderika. Laughter erupted from the student body, delighted by the unexpectedly flustered display from the usually composed princess.
And then—
BANG!
The heavy doors at the back of the hall slammed open with theatrical force. A hush fell over the students as all heads turned.
Roderika raised her voice triumphantly. "Ah, perfect timing! Students of Roshar—our third new Student Council member has arrived. Please welcome Ico!"
The crowd instinctively parted, forming a corridor down the ce nter of the hall. The rhythmic clicking of high heels echoed across the stone floor. Knock. Knock. Knock.
Ico strode forward with the regal poise of someone born to command attention. Zack peeked out from the curtain, eyes widening in disbelief. Even Silva was left speechless.
Behind Ico trailed Shanon, her maid uniform perfectly pressed, gliding behind her mistress like an attendant to royalty. Her face radiated quiet satisfaction, as if saying "behold my masterpiece."
"W-What the hell is she wearing...?" Zack muttered under his breath, stunned.
Ico was dressed in an extravagant black satin dress that clung daringly to her petite form. The bodice dipped just above her knees, trimmed with lace that drew the eye to her delicate collarbone. Her pale, porcelain skin shimmered under the stage lights, and her silvery-pink hair fell in long, flowing waves, framing her face like moonlight over snow.
Twin dragon horns, still round and stunted from youth, poked out adorably from her head, their metallic sheen catching the light with each step she took.
And then there was the back.
The dress's rear was scandalously open—laced up only at the waist, exposing the graceful curve of her spine all the way down to the small of her back. The slit at the side of the skirt revealed her soft thighs with every calculated step, and the gentle sway of her hips had more than a few students swallowing hard.
Even Zack's mouth had gone dry.
"That's... Ico?" he whispered, barely believing his eyes. She looked less like a dragon girl and more like a noble princess from a faraway land—a sensual one.
"Go on, darling," Shanon whispered behind her, adjusting a ribbon on Ico's back. "Just like I showed you. Smile. Breathe. And win them over."
"A-Are you sure...?" Ico's voice was a soft murmur, nervous but obedient.
"I promise. This is your debut, and you're going to steal the spotlight." Shanon winked. Zack, overhearing, felt a shiver of dread. Something was coming.
"Alright…" Ico inhaled deeply. The hall held its breath with her.
She walked up onto the stage with measured steps, turned to face the audience, then raised her arms into the air with commanding flourish.
"Gaooo!" The mighty roar echoed.
Or rather—it was supposed to be a roar. But the pitch was off. The delivery flat. It was clear to everyone that she had simply… rehearsed the line from memory.
The silence that followed was deafening.
And then the hall erupted into laughter. Peals of joy, giggles, even a few students wiping tears from their eyes.
"Wh-Why is everyone laughing!?" Ico's wide ruby eyes scanned the crowd in a daze.
.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.༄
Hades House—the dormitory reserved for the upperclassmen of the Academy—was where Zack lived, tucked away in a quiet corner on the third floor. And ever since Ico had arrived a month ago, his once-peaceful sanctuary had become... far less peaceful.
Though she was undeniably a dragon, the fact that a gorgeous, young girl had taken up residence in the male dorms had created a short-lived scandal throughout Hades House. But with time, most students had grown used to her presence—though no one dared approach her too casually. After all, Ico wasn't just any girl. She was his dragon.
The moment they entered the room, Ico stormed across the hardwood floor with sharp, loud steps, her heels clicking with fury.
"Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!" she growled, whirling around with her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Her ruby-red eyes were blazing with indignation. "To laugh at a noble dragon like me... that's a crime that cannot go unpunished! This is why I hate those ignorant, foolish humans!"
Zack raised an eyebrow, casually closing the door behind him as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Well, to be fair, your 'greeting' was... kinda one of a kind. No dragon I've ever heard of introduces themselves with a 'Gaoo.'"
Ico's head whipped around, and she shot him a glare capable of melting steel.
"It's all Shanon's fault! She lied to me!" she hissed. "She said if I wanted to win their hearts, I needed to do something... endearing! And I believed her!"
Zack chuckled under his breath, folding his arms as he leaned back against the wall.
"Yeah, I got that."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, stomping her foot—sending a jolt through the floorboards.
"I mean... look, Shanon probably figured if you went out there being your usual fiery, full-of-yourself self, you'd just march up to the podium and shout something like, 'Tremble before me, you pathetic worms!'"
"Wha—!" She gasped, flustered—and fell silent. The fact that his guess was dead-on left her without a single retort.
Zack grinned. "So in her own twisted way, Shanon saved you from a bigger disaster. And let's be honest… your little 'Gaoo' routine? It was cute. People laughed because they liked it. They weren't mocking you."
"Th-Then why were they laughing!?"
"Because you were adorable. You looked like a princess playing dress-up. And that dress, by the way… it looks amazing on you."
"Huh...?" Her breath caught in her throat.
That single offhanded compliment landed like a direct hit. Her cheeks flushed a vivid red as if flames had been lit beneath her skin.
"Y-You're such a smooth talker...!" she sputtered, whipping her head to the side with a huff, hiding her embarrassment behind a curtain of silvery-pink hair.
Zack laughed softly and, unable to help himself, reached out and gently patted the top of her head. Her silky hair slid between his fingers like strands of moonlight. He sighed, content. "See? You do have a cute side after all."
But the bliss didn't last. Ico froze. Then slowly, ominously, turned to look up at him. There was a glint in her eye—dangerous and dragonic. And her tiny fists were quivering at her sides. "I see... So you still haven't learned your place."
"Wait, Ico, hold on—let's not get drago—"
Too late.
She lunged at him with surprising speed and strength, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him to the floor. Zack groaned as his back hit the ground, staring up at the ceiling in a daze. His vision spun.
Ico, standing triumphantly above him, yanked up the hem of her black dress to reveal shapely, smooth legs that caught the light like polished ivory. She raised her dainty, heeled foot high into the air. Though small, it carried the weight and of a dragon behind it.
"Kneel before your master!" she demanded, foot poised above him like a divine executioner's blade.
"W-Wait! Aren't you hungry? Want something to eat?" he offered quickly, desperate.
"Too late. Shanon fed me before the ceremony." Her eyes narrowed.
"Damn you, Shanon..."
Crack! Her foot came down hard on his back.
Zack gasped, limbs twitching. "You already crushed it… I mean, my spine… My actual spine…!"
Ico wasn't finished. "Silence, peasant. Your punishment has just begun!"
She twisted her heel, grinding it in slow circles over his back. It wasn't just dominance—there was something more about the way she moved, how her flushed face was framed by her wild hair, her breathing slightly heavy from the exertion.
"How's that?" she asked, grinning devilishly. "Do you finally know your place, Zack?"
"M-My spine... flowers… I see… flowers blooming…"
And as darkness began to close in around him, Zack genuinely wondered if this would be the last time he ever laid eyes on the ceiling.
In the Year of the Saint, 1365, under the calm skies of the June month, two weeks had passed since the battle with the Necromancia. Now, at long last, Roshan Dragoborn Riding Academy was ready to reopen its doors once more.