Klaus reads a report from Joshua, the son who came back from the neighbouring, Nadarsia, in the King's office.
"ーーー That is all from the report on Nadarsia."
The Dragon King who heard the report, put his fingers onto his temple and sighed as if it was something extremely troublesome.
"It seems that war is inevitable... It's really troublesome. Tell Finn to proceed with attack preparations."
"Certainly."
"So, what did Joshua do?"
"After he handed in the report, he went to seek the woman in question under Agete-dono's orders. However, there was a report stating that it was impossible to find that woman in the capital. He found some ruffians but the next day, those ruffians once again came across a woman by chance and he lost sight of them. We have not heard anything since then."
"So even Joshua can't find her?"
The Dragon King asked a little surprised.
Joshua who was liked by special wind spirits and held their magic wavelength, had eyes that could overlook the whole capital.
Using the powers of the wind, it was possible for Joshua to see things like how many kittens were being birth by a cat in the capital and when the married couple at the greengrocers were quarrelling.
But that Joshua couldn't even find her.
"The strange thing is that it doesn't seem like she has left the capital but we cannot find her anywhere even with the help of the spirits."
After thinking for a bit, a sharp light dwells within the Dragon King's eyes.
"Was she kidnapped?"
"There is a high possibility that she was."
The capital was also world-famous for being a large port city.
Many merchant ships visited the capital for trading and it was also a supply point for ships heading towards the Spirit Kingdom or the Empire.
The Dragon Kingdom prohibited slavery thus banned all slavery ships from docking on its sh.o.r.es but sometimes things happened behind the scenes.
There have been incidents of people being kidnapped by slave traders.
Of course, the kingdom took measures against it but the slave traders kidnapped people by all means possible and take counter-measures. Those actions are repeated over and over.
There were also demi-humans who were slave traders. Unlike demi-humans, powerless humans, moreover woman are easily kidnapped.
"Joshua has extended his search beyond the capital but whether she can be found..."
"I see. Well if she was kidnapped then I want her found but it might be difficult if she was taken to another kingdom."
Klaus looked at the Dragon King's expression, he was frowning. A normal reaction.
It was disappointing.
Rare... No, it was a very plain response for someone who'd just learnt that the person who he'd shown favour to for the first time, may have been kidnapped.
Klaus thought that he would be a little more disturbed about this information, but the reaction of the Dragon King only seemed like one of a King anxious for his people.
"Let's have Joshua investigate it for a while. There may have been others who've been kidnapped."
"Okay."
When the conversation was over, the Dragon King took something out of the drawer and stood up.
"I'm going to take a little break."
"... Please take your time."
Klaus doesn't ask him where he is going.
It was obvious where the Dragon King was going from the item in his hand.
Klaus stood alone at his wits end in the King's office where the Dragon King had left.
When the Dragon Kin
g showed interest in someone of the opposite s.e.x, all the retainers present were relived but before Joshua's report today, the Dragon King did not talk about the woman in question at all.
That was probably because the Dragon King was devoting his attention on something else.
Whether it was because their wavelengths matched really well, the Dragon King went to meet her whenever he had free time.
Because of the strong magic powers of the dragon-kin, the influence of those with matching magic wavelengths was also strong so it was probably inevitable. Klaus thought that the Dragon King's chance of marriage was still far off.
Agete was currently desperately searching for the woman in question but it'll probably end in vain.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
I now lived in the castle, my lifestyle had changed completely from my self-sufficient lifestyle.
I had thought that I would have been lucky if they would lend me a small room but the room I was given was a big, gorgeous room just a short distance from the Dragon King's own room.
I felt uncomfortable that they'd given a cat a room for free that was big even for a person to live in. The room was originally prepared for the Cherished One and in order to guard me, they had persuaded me that it'd be better for me to use a room close to the Dragon King's
They also gave me a maid, it was most gracious of them.
I quickly learnt common knowledge from Agete.
Only a little time had pa.s.sed since I had started living here but there was already an idiot who picked a fight with me and received punishment from the spirits.
Today, Agete was telling me stories about the Cherish One.
By the way, the ribbon tying up his beard today is yellow and checked.
"Including Ruri, there are currently five Cherished Ones. They are all being protected by different countries."
『There are more Cherished Ones than I thought』
"Only two Cherished Ones are made known to the public, one resides in the Spirit Kingdom and the other resides in the Beast Kingdom. Every Kingdom wants a Cherished One because they are talented. Kingdoms that don't have confidence in protecting a Cherished One will not announce to the public that they are protecting them."
『But they can't do anything against a Cherished One, right?』
I asked that question because I knew that when I was in danger, the spirits would gather and protect me.
"There are foolish people who don't know that. It's remarkable but there lots of people who can't see spirits in the kingdom governed by humans so they don't know about the dangers."
I couldn't live with people who showed discomfort towards humans.
So I asked boldly.
『Do you dislike humans, Agete-san?』
"No, I don't. There are many humans who are harmless and crave for peace. But compared to demi-humans, humans have the tendency to lose themselves to power. Dragon-kin have a longer life span compared to humans so I have personally experienced things from their history. This might be a bit unpleasant of me to say."
Agete said and then he talked about the past Cherished Ones.
"Believing that it was good that other people won't go against the spirits, is arrogant. Furthermore, believing that no one would oppose a Cherished One and letting them do what they want, further promotes this. They overestimate their abilities and waged war against other Kingdoms. Well there was another Cherished One in the other Kingdom as well so the foolish Kingdom's of the Cherished Ones were erased."
It wasn't just the human Cherished Ones who acted like that, there were also demi-human Cherished Ones who did as they liked but it seemed that it happened more so for the humans.
That was because there weren't many humans who could see spirits in the first place so they believed that the power came from the Cherished Ones, themselves, and not the spirits. Flattering a Cherished One more than needed was another reason.
"I know that is it only one part of them, so it's better to say that I'm cautious of them rather than say I dislike them."
Indeed. I understood.
If such a thing happened in the past, then I could agree with Klaus's "I'm glad it's not a human" comment.
But I still can't tell them that I'm human...
"There are Cherished Ones who did as they like but on the contrary, there are also Cherished Ones who held a strong sense of responsibility. There was also a Cherished One who endured too much because of their responsibilities and suddenly exploded one day, destroying a Kingdom."
『That's scary.』
"If you tell me what's wrong then I can deal with it but if you don't say anything then I cannot do anything. It's troublesome if you're too a.s.sertive but if you don't have any opinions then that's also problematic. If you feel discontent, please tell me immediately. Ruri, you are very sensible so I would say you're the latter. "
『Okay.』
Today's lesson ended there and I went to the garden inside of the castle.
There were a number of buildings scattered about like a spiral staircase on a rocky mountain towering above the sky.
It's called the castle as a whole but the Dragon King lives in a building at the summit of the mountain above the clouds. For those who work at the castle, the Royal Castle is the building where the Dragon King lives.
The garden at the Royal Castle was my favourite place.
On the other side of the fortress was a precipitous cliff, the height was enough to make people dizzy but I didn't fear flying through the sky.
The people who worked at the castle took their breaks at a lower building so no one came to the King's residence to kill time. I attracted attention wherever I went because I was a Cherished One but I could be at ease here and not have to care about other people.
While I was sunbathing in the garden higher than the clouds, the Dragon King appeared.
My eyes chilled when I saw the thing in his hand.
『I told you in the beginning that I will not play.』
"Why not? I made it at great pains."
A sad look appeared on his beautiful face, the Dragon King who could not hide his shock.
In his hands was the Dragon King's handmade cat feathered toy.
Let's value the Dragon King's efforts.
Unfortunately, even though I look like a cat, I'm not.
The Dragon King didn't give up and swung the cat feathered toy in front of my face but no such instinct was simulated in me.
I turned my face away and the Dragon King frowned.
"Cats love cat feathered toys, right?"
『I'm not a normal cat』
"......"
The Dragon King stared persuasively at the unmoving me, but no matter what he says, I didn't feel like playing with the cat feathered toy.
Nonetheless, I thought that the Dragon King looked pitiful so I made a suggestion.
『...... I won't play with the cat feathered toy, but instead you can touch my paws』
"What!"
My paws tickled whenever they were touched so I didn't want people to touch it but on this occasion, I raised one of my forefeet towards the Dragon King and show him my paws.
The Dragon King's mood improved since I let him touch my paws when I usually didn't.
"If you don't like the cat feathered toy then is there anything else you want?"
The Dragon King asked while rubbing my paws. I immediately replied while enduring the ticklish feeling.
『You have already prepared enough items for me to live so I don't need anything else.』
"Ruri isn't greedy. I'm pretty rich so you don't have to hold back."
『Thank you but it won't be necessary.』
The Dragon King looked disappointed.
He thirsts to touch fluffy things, right?
The Dragon King visited me many times throughout the day and meddled with me. He supported me, like a grandfather delight over his first grandchild. It was troubling.
After enjoying rubbing my paws for a while, the Dragon King slowly stood up.
『Are you leaving already?』
"I want to stay a little longer but I have to return to work soon."
I stared sadly at the Dragon King who petted my head before returning to the King's office.
I was puzzled over my recent discomfort whenever I'm with the Dragon King.
When I'd first met the Dragon King I was too nervous to notice but being by the Dragon King's side was very comfortable.
It was like basking in the sunlight of a spring day or having a kotatsuI) in winter. Both were things that I didn't want to separate from.
That feeling was like an addiction and it grew stronger day by day.
Even now since the Dragon King had left, I felt lonely and at a loss.
It was a little different from not wanting to separate because of love. It was an intuition that I felt from within my body.
It was the spirits by my side that gave me the answer to the feeling I didn't quite understand.
『It's because the magic wavelength of the Dragon King is Ruri's favourite ~』
『Ruri's wavelength is also very comfortable to us.』
『When you're with a person's who's magic wavelength match yours, you feel happy.』
After listening to the spirits, I was reminded of Asahi.
I remembered Chelsea saying that Asahi stuck to me because of my magic wavelength.
The way Asahi stuck to me was abnormal.
Whether it was such a feeling or not, I, who understood the feeling I had whenever I was with the Dragon King could grasp why Asahi stuck to me no matter what I said but at the same time, I trembled with fear.
Just because the wavelength of a person attracted another person didn't mean that the person it attracted reciprocated those feelings.
Like Asahi and I, there were cases where only one side felt favourable.
I worried about whether I would stick to the Dragon King like the stalker Asahi.
I, who worried about Asahi's troublesome att.i.tude, escaped from the Dragon King on that day so that I wouldn't commit the same folly.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
I endured wanting to meet the Dragon King and a few days after I escaped from the him, a person appeared before me, blocking my path.
"I found you, Little Girl!"
『Euclase-san?』
Euclase was a chancellor of the Dragon Kingdom, she was a beautiful woman with long silver blue hair and blue eyes. She gave off an intelligent impression.
... But that's only from what I could see. I strongly pleaded because my opponent was also a woman but she didn't budge.
For a woman, her voice was only a little higher than a man's.
Euclase was a beautiful woman who paid attention to her personal appearance. It's unknown how many men she's made cry.
I who knew this, felt a sense of defeat as a woman.
That Euclase had an angry look on her face as she blocked my path and then she caught me by the scruff of my neck.
『Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden?!』
"It's not what. Why did you escape from His Majesty? His Majesty is depressed and isn't doing his work."
『Th-there are various circ.u.mstances...…』
"There's no use arguing! Dimming His Majesty's beautiful face is worthy of death."
『Hah? No, wait a minute ~.』
My screams were ignored and Euclase took me to the King's office.
The spirits didn't feel any hostility from Euclase and even though I was screaming, they didn't help me and followed after us.
When we entered the King's office, Klaus and Agete looked relieved when they saw me. The Dragon King lowered his eyebrow.
Euclase dangled my body that she'd scuffed by the neck on top of the Dragon King's desk.
I was at a height where our eyes could meet and I felt comfortable for the first time in days, but it was no good like that so I averted my eyes.
But when I glimpsed at the Dragon King, he had a sad expression on his face.
『Mhm... Is something wrong, Dragon King-sama?』
"Ah, yes something big. It hasn't been soothing enough. I haven't been able to concentrate on work because I lost contact with Ruri recently."
To that extent?! I was surprised and turned to look at Klaus who nodded silently in confirmation.
"Did I do something you dislike, Ruri? Was it the cat feathered toy, or did you just dislike your paws being touched? If you dislike it that much then I'll endure it."
The Dragon King asked about what he did wrong with a serious face.
The person himself, was serious but the surround people were stunned.
"If there is a reason then you should hurry up and solve it. It's pitiful for the Dragon King if you suddenly run away."
Euclase advised.
I was sad because I didn't know why I ran away. I contemplated and tried to explain the reason that I, myself, didn't know.
『I'm sorry. Well, according to the spirits, the Dragon King-sama has a magic wavelength that I like and being near him is really comfortable』
"So, why did you run away?"
The Dragon King and the people near me couldn't understand my reasoning.
『Even if it feels good for me, it doesn't mean that Dragon King-sama feels the same, right? There was someone who felt compatible with my wavelength before, but I didn't feel the same. She would follow me whenever I went and wouldn't listen to me. Even when I tried to run away she would sense that and follow after me. It was scary.』
I earnestly talk about my past and Euclase stared at me with pity.
"When they're strongly attracted to someone's wavelength, there are those who misunderstand that the other party feels the same way."
Euclase said, sympathising with me.
"I've never felt like that before but there are some with strong attachments."
Euclase and Klaus were surely talking about Asahi.
『I know that chasing after someone is unpleasant so I didn't want to do the same thing and bother Dragon King-sama. But whenever I meet Dragon king-sama, I want to be with him for longer so I distanced myself.』
I wanted to stay by the Dragon King's side but I didn't want to be hated like Asahi was.
However, if I stayed by the Dragon King's side then I'd get used to that comfortable feeling and not want to part from him so I distanced myself while I could.
The Dragon King who had heard my story, didn't look troubled or disgusted. He looked relived and happy.
"I see. If it's like that then there's no problem."
『Why? It's annoying for someone to stick to you, right?』
I was reminded of Asahi when I thought of being annoying.
"As for Ruri's concern, it's fine if I feel the same way right? That's why I said it's no problem."
『Dragon King-sama too?』
My eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes. I also feel comfortable when I'm by Ruri's side but I didn't want to be disliked by you so I refrained from seeing you too much. But there's no need for me to restrain myself if Ruri feels the same."
"You were restraining yourself?" Klaus and Agete smiled bitterly at Euclase who'd muttered in shock. The Dragon King didn't hear her.
"Don't think about depressing things, if you want to see me then come. Or rather I'll come to see you."
『Thank you, Dragon King-sama.』
I got permission from the person, himself. The problem that I'd worried over for the past few days, was easily solved.
For Asahi as well, wouldn't our relationship be different if both our wavelengths matched?
Before I could think about it, the Dragon King stared at me and pondered before speaking.
"... I've thought this for a while now. But calling me Dragon King is a bit too formal so call me Jade from now on."
『... Jade-sama?』
"Yes."
I called out his name in confirmation and Jade laughed softly.
A beautiful laugh's destructive power was no joke.
I was surprised and charmed, I felt my heart throbbing violently.
"Your Majesty, please show that face to the woman you like."
"Ruri is also a woman."
"That wasn't what I meant."
Agete complained in a miserable voice. Jade picked me up and put me on his knee. He was happily enjoying the white fluffy fur for the first time in days.
I smile pleasantly at Jade's gentle hands petting me.
The Dragon King didn't care about his retainer's feelings for him to hurry up and find a bride. Agete hung his head, crestfallen.