I am currently alone in Klaus's house. Due to the overwhelming amount of... nothing to do, I gave another yawn.
After a while, the fairies came back.
『Ruri, we're back~』
『Welcome back, where did you all go?』-Ruri
『Lydia-sama told us to run an errand for her~』
『'Go give someone the hairy eyeball in my stead' says her』
『We put in some effort in our hairy eyeballing mission~』
『I see… Just where did Lydia learn of such vulgar word like hairy eyeball… and who did you guys gave those eyeballing to?』-Ruri
Lydia with her occasional sharp tongue.
It seems that due to the influence of her previous contractor, she sometimes says words that are very unladylike.
『By the way, how long will Ruri stay as a white cat?』
『Hmm, I really want to change back to human form right this very moment. However, Klaus would be surprised if he came back and see a human instead of a cat waiting for him, wouldn't he?
That's why I will do it after he comes back.』-Ruri
Speaking of the devil, the door opened and Klaus entered the room. A man with blue short hair and emerald green eyes followed behind him. Compared to Klaus, the man had a military man-ish feel on him which made him stand out conspicuously.
He gave an impression of calmness as he turned his gaze towards me.
『And who is that person over there?』-Ruri
"This person is the Dragon King's bodyguard, Finn." -Klaus
After Klaus introduced him to me, Finn gave a speechless bow to me.
(An amazing person made his appearanceー! )
While I was still trying to process the information, Klaus kneeled down in front of the sofa and looked at me.
"After discussing with his majesty, it would be our pleasure to have you in the royal castle. If it isn't too much trouble, would you be willing to grace us with your appearance?" -Klaus
『What if I say that I don't want to? What'll you do then?』-Ruri
I said that while tilting my head a little. I may be imagining it, but It felt like Klaus was somehow much more respectful in his use of wording and treatment towards me.
"If that's your desire, you may stay here as you were. Finn here will be guarding you for the duration of your stay." -Klaus
『Eh? Isn't he the Dragon King's bodyguard?』-Ruri
"It was the order of his majesty that your intention takes priority. If you feel reluctant to the idea of visiting the royal castle, we have no intention of forcing you." -Klaus
In other words, the King's bodyguard will be following me.
I was feeling cautious as I remembered Chelsea's warning of the possibility of me being used as a p.a.w.n of the Kingdom's political matter.
『If I was to go to the royal castle, what should I do? Will I be asked to do something for example?…』-Ruri
"Nothing of that sort. You are free to do anything you like. The only thing different is your living s.p.a.ce. Instead of my house, you'll be staying in the royal castle. Your movement won't be limited in any capacity.
Not to mention, my mother specifically requested that I take care of you." -Klaus
Personally, I wanted to decline the offer. If the reason was given pompously, It would be easy for me to reject the proposition. However, being asked in such courteous manner, I can't bring myself to say no.
Furthermore, I couldn't trouble the person that I'm under the care of with my selfishness.
Klaus is a person I was given to be under the care of by the trustful Chelsea. If it's his wish
for me to go to the royal castle, I'm sure nothing bad will happen.
『Understood.』-Ruri
"Thank you for your understanding." -Klaus
Klaus seemed relieved after hearing my favorable answer.
When I thought about Klaus's position on the matter, mainly that he has to strike a balance between fulfilling the King's order and his mother's favor towards him, I felt a little bit sorry for him.
Unbeknown to me, the relieve Klaus was feeling was actually the result of his successful plea for me to visit the royal castle without causing the wrath of the fairies.
"Well then, shall we depart?" -Klaus
With the horse carriage already prepared, the three of us departed for the royal castle.
It seems that they aren't that fond with tight s.p.a.ces.
"Uh…may I know to what degree does the fairy listen to you, if you don't mind?" -Klaus
『They have never refused anything I asked of them.』-Ruri
"For example, if you were harmed by someone else, not on purpose of course, and the fairy attacks in retaliation. If you asked them to stop, would they listen to you?" -Klaus
『Ah, that do sometimes happen. When that happens, if I stop them, they'll stop their aggression.』-Ruri
Questions after questions came during our ride to the royal castle. The topics were mainly about the fairies.
They were probing around to know what sort of person I was before my meeting with the Dragon King.
In order to not anger the fairies, what sort of topic the Dragon King shouldn't touch upon, what level of intimacy was deemed acceptable, and more was being tallied up by them through our conversation.
This was an important step to take before letting me stay in the royal castle. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that their life depends on it.
I, of course, did not realize that at all.
However, from our conversation, they had the impression that I was a cat with a normal common sense and world view.
Klaus deduced that it was all because of the education his mother gave to me.
I stared at Klaus when he made a relief expression. Feeling like it was the right time to, I was about to touch upon the subject of my bracelet.
That didn't come to fruition as I frozen up after hearing the next sentence by Klaus.
"It's a good thing that you are not human." -Klaus
He said that in a chilling tone. Finn was showing his agreement without saying anything.
『… Would it be bad if I was human?』-Ruri
I was glad that I am able to communicate telepathically. Or else, I wasn't sure if I could even verbally ask that question.
"Human beings easily succ.u.mb to the temptation of power. Not to mention, their desire is bottomless.
Not satisfied with what they have at hand, they constantly crave for more, and are willing to do anything regardless of the consequences to get it." -Finn
"A human was chosen as the Cherished One in the past. He abused his power, doing whatever his heart desired." -Klaus
"That's right. Just the thought of a human having your level of magic power is terrifying." -Finn
Finn finally spoke.
That concludes the talk about the Cherished One.
As I could feel their hatred for human from the conversation, that I ended up getting cold sweats.
If I wasn't in cat form, I would probably be making an expression so bad that it'd be super obvious where I stand in this talk.
(Weird, I thought that the Dragon Kingdom is a country where Human and many other different races live together in harmony?…)
Contrary to what I believe how this country operates, there seems to be some sort of dissonance among the people.
I stopped short at telling them who I really am.
(I-I think It would be better to continue acting like I'm a cat for a while longer…)
The good thing was that Klaus and Finn don't seem to even doubt my ident.i.ty as a cat.
Just thinking about it made me anxious. I can't know for sure how they really felt about the matter, but I'll reserve my decision to tell them the truth after seeing how things go.
Once we reached the royal castle, I was lead to the oval office without any detours.
The reason why they didn't approach me out of curiosity was because of Klaus and Finn, who each stood in front and behind me, shooting out menacing gazes to the onlookers.
—
He couldn't stay still, worried sick that maybe someone had or will make Ruri's mood sour.
Once Agete noticed the figure of Klaus and the rest, his wrinkled forehead somewhat smoothed out a little.
"Oh, there you are Cherished One! My name is Agete, the counselor to his majesty." -Agete
『N-Nice to meet you. I am Ruri…』-Ruri
—
Agete looks older than Chelsea.
His eyes were red in color. And despite his age, he has a long white hair that makes him look like a mountain hermit.
Yes, a ribbon, with pink and white bubble design on it. Such a cute choice to make.
I was trying my best to hold in the laughter brought by the huge difference in expectation.
As it was rude to laugh at a person you've just met, I could say definitively that this is the most effort I've ever made to control my laughter.
Without noticing my expression, Agete led me into the oval office.
In the room was a table full of doc.u.ments, and a Dragon King that was looking through the doc.u.ments.
He stopped what he was doing and gazed at me.
I was blown away(figuratively) when our eyes met.
(Woah, a dashingly gorgeous person)
(T/N: This whole sentence is basically a long-winded explanation of the Dragon King's face. I'll just summarize it because I can't seem to make out a sentence that would sound coherent. You may also refer to his ill.u.s.tration on the cover)
(If someone is willing to help with this sentence, It'd be of great help!)
Slit-eyed. Jet Black Hair, moderately long hair but not at a length where he could hang his hair on his shoulder. Has a ponytail.
He looked so perfect that he doesn't feel like a human.
切れ長の目に通った鼻筋.
吸い込まれるようなその深い緑の瞳に,瑠璃は僅かな既視感を覚えたが,神が精巧に作り上げたかのような竜王の容姿の前に霧散してしまう.
あまりに整い過ぎて人間味を感じさせなかった.
Klaus and Finn were good looking as well.
It seems that people of the Dragon Race were generally good looking. I can't say much about their current appearance now, but Agete and Chelsea were probably quite the lookers as well when they were young.
Because of my mother's line of work, I've had the pleasure to meet plenty of beautiful looking people. However, the perfect specimen in front of me totally blows my expectation and definition of 'beautiful/pretty'.
The Dragon King frown in response to the weird atmosphere in the room. Although the Dragon King wasn't able to make out the stupid face I'm currently making, my lack of motion and constant staring was making him uneasy.
"Is there something on my face?" -Dragon King
With that one sentence, I came back to my senses and shook my head.
『Oh no, it's nothing.』-Ruri
"I'm glad to hear that." -Dragon King
The Dragon King stood up from his work desk and headed towards the direction of the sofa.
He was making a gesture, asking me to have a sit.
At first, I can't focus on anything but his face. However, I soon started to look through the nuances and noticed his royalty figure. I started to feel pressured just by his existence alone.
His good looks just further worsen the problem.
Klaus and the rest were standing at the sideline as spectators, looking at my interaction with the highest ranked person in this country.
However, because it felt very much like I was being interrogated, I was a little bit uncomfortable.
—
The fairies that were sticking beside Ruri, observing her every little move, were giving out menacing gazes to the people around her. The message sent was clear and obvious, 'Don't you dare bully Ruri!'.
Klaus and the rest understood the situation and was silently panicking, looking around nervously trying to salvage the situation.
The Dragon King then spoke not to Ruri, but to Klaus and his other aids.
"Could you guys please vacate the room?" -Dragon King
"Huh? But your majesty…" -Agete
Not certain whether it was safe for the Dragon King to be alone with Ruri, Agete hesitated to comply with the order. But after being silenced by the Dragon King's gaze, his aids all left the room.
"I apologize. In truth, they are all as nervous as you. That's because it has been generations since the Dragon Kingdom has a Cherished One." -Dragon King
—
Currently, there were only me, the Dragon King, and the fairies. I was feeling much more relaxed when the Dragon King suddenly started the conversation with a friendly and soft tone.
『No need for apologies. Can't blame them for being cautious with my sudden appearance.』-Ruri
"I'm glad that you think that way. On to the subject about your plans, what are you planning on doing in the Capital? I heard that you were sent here to Klaus by Chelsea, but do you have any objective in mind?" -Dragon King
『I don't really have any objective of the sort… One of the reasons I came here was to learn more about this world and the people in it. How they live their life, things like that.
Chelsea said that after I have a rough idea, I will be able to use it as a reference on how I should live my life from now on.』-Ruri
"You don't sound that thrilled about it." -Dragon King
『...』-Ruri
As I still intend on returning to my old world, it doesn't serve me any purposes in obtaining knowledge about this world.
Noticing the slight dissatisfaction from the way I phrased my answer, the Dragon King executed a critical hit.
I couldn't answer him.
The Dragon King brilliantly understood the situation and didn't probe more into that matter.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of meddling in your matter.
I was the one who told Klaus to have you brought over to this castle, so don't feel like you are obligated or anything. Clothing and food will be provided by us. If there's anything you need, just say the word." -Dragon King
『Thank you very much』-Ruri
"I can hire a teacher for you if you want to know more about this world.
You are free to move about without any restriction. However, it would be of great help if you would inform someone before you leave the castle." -Dragon King
『Okay』-Ruri
I am being given a very warm reception. Leaving a message before I leave is but a small compromise I am willing to make.
"In return, I would like to ask for your favor. If there ever comes a situation where you are harmed or treated unfairly, please tell me without hesitation.
I will handle the matter myself. So, please stop the fairies from rampaging." -Dragon King
The Dragon King took a quick glance at the fairies.
It would be impossible even for the Dragon King to stop the wrath of the fairies.
For a country that has no Cherished One for so long, the Dragon Kingdom is now re-exploring the boundaries zone in this relationship.
The desperation of the Dragon King's plea was well justified.
『I will tell the fairies not to take unnecessary actions.
You guys, even if I am attacked, It is forbidden to retaliate, okay?』-Ruri
I broke my gaze on the Dragon King and looked towards the fairies while saying that. The fairies answered in high spirit.
『O-kay』
『Roger~』
The Dragon King relaxed after seeing my amicable att.i.tude and the scene of the fairies saying that they will follow my orders. Though it wasn't sure if the fairies was being serious or not.
"… There's one final request that I would like to ask of you." -Dragon King
『And what's that?』-Ruri
"Umm… Is it alright for me to pat your head?" -Dragon King
『I beg your pardon?』-Ruri
I squinted my eyes while asking for the Dragon King to repeat his question.
His face was painted bright red.
"W-well, you see… people from the Dragon Race are really strong. Even more so for the Dragon King, which is chosen based on who has the strongest power.
That's why I haven't been able to touch any small animal…" -Dragon King
Ah, we have a furry person here.
Contrary to his cool looks, the gap between his outward appearance and his inner character is too wide.
"I won't force you if you don't want to." -Dragon King
『Go on, it's fine~』
I'm being provided with living necessities. Something like a pat on the head is but a small price to pay.
After hearing my answer, the Dragon King gave a big smile and started patting my head nervously.
He seemed like he was worried if I was afraid or something. But after he sensed that I won't be going anywhere anytime soon, he started patting my head earnestly.
Feeling comfortable with the way the Dragon King was patting me like a fragile object, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the nice sensation currently combing through my head.
As this was his first ever chance to play with a cat, it didn't look like the patting was going to stop anytime soon. However, worried because they were made to leave and not called in even after a long period has pa.s.sed, Agete and the rest rushed into the room.
Having his blissful time interrupted, the Dragon King gave a hateful glare at Agete….