Brilliant gemstones fell like meteors beside Andrea, mingling with a tide of gold coins, a scene so dazzling it seemed to only exist in dreams, making her vision blur.
Andrea’s gaze became vacant, grinning foolishly as she waved her arms, swimming like a fish in this ocean of wealth.
Ailaira Green descended from midair and settled atop a boulder, resting her chin in her hand as she quietly watched Andrea come back to her senses.
Compared to the wealth she’d earned over the years, these mountains of gold, silver, and jewels enough to bury a dragon were nothing.
But for a now-impoverished Red Dragon, this was already out of reach.
How unlucky did a dragon have to be to end up so destitute?
“Do you like it?”
Andrea nodded eagerly, collapsing weakly into the pile of coins with no hint of dignity, grinning foolishly. “I love it, I love it so much.”
“If I could have so many treasures like this, my life as a dragon would be complete.”
“You can, you know.” Ailaira snapped her fingers again. In an instant, all the magic circles swept the gold and silver from the ground, leaving only Andrea sitting there, still lingering in the moment.
Ailaira walked toward her slowly, backlit by the moonlight as she leaned down. Her slender, pale fingers pressed under Andrea’s chin, forcing the unclad girl to lift her youthful, innocent face.
She gazed coldly at the shame and unease flickering in those clear eyes.
Ailaira smiled lightly, a desire burning openly in her eyes like fire, scorching Andrea’s cheeks. “As long as you agree to my conditions, you can not only pay back your debt, but also keep all those treasures from before.”
“Think carefully. You don’t have the confidence to defeat me, do you? Even if you were lucky enough to escape from my hands, the Cathedral Inquisition Army would hunt you down just for the crime of illegal cross-species entry.”
“By the way, I used to be a Trainee Saintess of the Mother Goddess Church, so I do have some connections.”
Andrea trembled under Ailaira’s gaze, realizing this woman wasn’t even pretending anymore, it was clear she was sure Andrea wouldn’t dare expose her identity.
She had hidden within human borders only to evade pursuit from Dragon Valley.
If she were exposed again, there truly would be nowhere left for her.
But agreeing to this woman’s conditions would mean giving up her…
Andrea crossed her arms over her chest, barely covering her exposed body, and cursed in a mix of shame and anger. “Despicable woman.”
Ailaira’s fingers traced Andrea’s cheek, tucking the messy red hair that had fallen over her forehead behind her ear. “You gave me the chance to be despicable. Of course I wouldn’t refuse.”
“Time is running out.”
Ailaira kept pressing Andrea, not even giving her a chance to change clothes.
Caught in these overlapping dilemmas, the still-young, naïve Miss Red Dragon quickly crumbled.
Kneeling on the ground with her hands bracing herself, her eyes filled with water element tears. “I agree, but I have one request.”
“Speak, I don’t mind.”
“You can’t force me to do that sort of thing. At least… at least let us get to know each other for a while first!”
It took all of Andrea’s strength to force those embarrassing words out through clenched teeth.
Ailaira’s lips curled into a sly smile. She shrugged off her cloak and draped it over Andrea, then lifted her up in her arms. “Of course. I always care for my employees’ physical and mental well-being.”
Ailaira lied with complete composure, scooping up Andrea’s petite human form as easily as a guilty Dragon Trafficker, hoisting her “sack” and taking off straight from the spot, flying toward her city stronghold.
Soaring through the sky, the cold night winds were blocked by Ailaira’s magic.
Andrea poked her head out from within the coat, watching the scenery pass rapidly beneath her.
So free… Even humans could fly through the sky.
Yet as a dragon, she was trapped on the ground, looking up at birds overhead.
This was her first time flying in the sky, the first time someone had ever been willing to carry her up here.
Andrea thought of the cage that had once imprisoned her and instinctively wrapped her arms around Ailaira’s neck, pressing her body closer.
The sudden intimacy surprised Ailaira, but Andrea’s feelings were easy to guess.
Based on what the system had revealed, it wasn’t hard to deduce that Andrea couldn’t grow wings because of a problem with her bloodline, and so she was envious.
Hmm… Maybe once progress is made later, she could see if there was a way to solve that problem. It could be used as leverage, to win Andrea over so she wouldn’t try to run away.
With that thought, Ailaira gently patted Andrea’s head, a touch devoid of affection, all technique.
Andrea closed her eyes, savoring a warmth she’d never felt before, never realizing it was fake.
Meanwhile, Jody sat bored on the mansion’s front steps, throwing stones at the bugs fluttering around the lamp.
“When is Miss coming home? She’s been out all day. Did she get caught on the way or something?!”
Jody panicked, started pacing in circles, and considered packing her bags to go to prison with her mistress.
By now, the Green Family, teetering on the edge of crime, had left this diligent butler-maid deeply scarred, terrified of losing the job she liked so much.
Fortunately, Jody’s panic didn’t last long before Ailaira landed in the spacious courtyard.
Jody’s eyes lit up instantly, and she ran over, only to see her mistress holding a red-haired girl who clearly wasn’t human, cocking her head and staring curiously.
“Miss, where did you find a lizard person?”
Andrea instantly exploded, leaping from Ailaira’s arms and pointing furiously at Jody’s ample chest. “Your lizard has horns?! Your lizard has such beautiful scales on its tail?!”
“I’m a dragon! The great Red Dragon! If you call me a lizard again, I’ll eat you, you stupid human!”
Facing Andrea’s feigned ferocity, Jody actually seemed convinced and hid behind Ailaira’s back at once.
“Miss, this creature is so fierce! Are we going to keep her now?”
“For now, yes. She can take over the ranch work. Take her to get cleaned up and changed, then send her to my office.”
Leaving those words behind, Ailaira turned and went inside, leaving Jody and the wildly snarling Andrea staring at each other.
Jody tentatively reached out a hand, timidly saying, “Here, here, here, be good, shake and I’ll give you a treat.”
“Why am I a dog now?! Is there something wrong with your brain?!”
Andrea never expected someone could make her even angrier than Ailaira, enough to forget all her anxiety and leap at Jody, jaws open to bite.
Luckily, Jody reacted in time, pulling a rolling pin from behind her back and brandishing it at the dragon’s mouth, wailing:
“Waaah! Miss, she’s eating people!!”