"Of course! I hid my eyes when I first saw the pool of blood inside the gift box, but once I realized that it was a priceless commodity that even the imperial family couldn't easily obtain..."
As Reineza continued her long commentary, Raimon began to think about the Dragons.
He was dying to be able to fight one in this life. Learning swords as a Flower was strictly controlled as all direct Flowers first had to learn to control their physiques 100%, but Raimon had no intention of giving it up.
During his stay in his previous world Raimon more than once dreamed of being a knight capable of fighting different kinds of creatures.
As long as he didn't get caught, everything would be fine.
Besides, if he gained unparalleled power or influence, or if he had a good enough justification, then it wouldn't matter, even if he got caught.
Martial arts and swords.
A lifestyle and a path that encompassed both aspects: the Swordsman capable of cutting everything in his path. To become a swordsman, Raimon was willing to endure any hardship.
"If it were me... I would never have let my enemies steal and eat my dragon heart."
Dragons were immortal beings that were reborn even after death. Even if one was killed by an enemy and had his heart stolen, he would revive 100 years later in the wild.
However, 100 years was a long period. The number of blue dragons is very few every century for that reason.
"You must not forget to thank Lady Ocean the next time you see her, Young Master."
"Yes, I won't."
Dragon Heart was ready. A strong, rich fragrance began to spread throughout the castle.
"I must go prepare your meal, so come down in a little while, Young Master."
Reineza left the room, humming and jumping for joy as the door remained ajar. Once she was out of his field of vision, a deep sigh escaped Raimon's mouth.
"Stop hovering around me."
"Ah, okay."
"Sure..."
The twins had been lurking outside the room for a while. Once Reineza left, they stood by the entrance near the door and cast glances toward their older brother.
Raimon let out a light chuckle when he noticed the twins drooling at the smell.
"Wow, look at these cute kids...".
When he beckoned them closer with his finger, the twins ran into the room.
"Why are you here?"
Raimon asked them coldly despite knowing full well that they were here because of Dragonheart. The twins squirmed awkwardly as if they desperately needed to go to the bathroom.
They wanted to ask Raimon to share some of the Dragon Heart but were too afraid to do so. Last month's beating and their father's reprimand had traumatized them.
Raimon found it a very funny situation. In his previous life, his brothers would always steal something from him or beat him up if he bumped into them in the halls. He would never have imagined that now they would be the ones to watch out for him.
"They were probably ordered by Alexa to convince me to share some Dragonheart with them."
Alexa Sky.
Like Reineza, she was a nanny living in Castle Blood She was in charge of the twins' growth.
However, unlike Reineza, who has always had a good heart, Alexa had been living lavishly thanks to the well-to-do twins.
Despite whatever fate may befall them, Shin and Masamune would never forget Alexa for they loved her dearly as she knew well how to manipulate them.
If Reineza was the type to raise children with love and affection, Alexa was the type to raise them using the carrot and stick approach. She never taught the twins concepts like selflessness or morality.
Truth be told, both concepts were not very useful in the Duchy family, as enemies could take advantage of them. But Raimon still believed that Alexa's teachings were distorted.
She was the biggest influence in the twins' upbringing and was the cause of their twisted character.
"Um... you see... the Dragon..."
"That... isn't there... a little too much to eat... on your own?"
"What was that? I can't hear you."
"Dragon's Heart soup. Could you share a bowl with us? If not, we'll get scolded by Alexa."
"Do us a favor, brother."
"They seem to be more afraid of Alexa than me."
Raimon laughed as he thought to himself.
"I don't want to."
"Ah, please..."
"We beg you!"
The twins were about to cry, but Raimon didn't have a shred of sympathy for them inside his heart.
Raimon already knew that the twins were used to carrot and stick, so he planned to make them perform physically strenuous work in exchange for Dragon Heart soup.
"If you're willing to go that far, I won't refuse. But I have one condition."
"Oh, what is it, what is it?"
"Remember the grave I made?"
The twins shuddered and blanched at the word "grave." Memories of being beaten and left out in the storm in front of the grave had resurfaced.
"If you look closely, there's a little hole behind that grave."
"A hole?"
"Yes. Like a burrow. I want you two to dig into that hole and make it deeper. You have until nightfall. Of course, you can't rest at all."
The task Raimon had given his 4-year-old brothers was a waste of time.
"Why... do we have to dig there?"
"I want to bury the cat you killed in a deeper hole and give it a better grave."
The twins lost strength in their legs and felt themselves staggering.
However, if they didn't have to face their terrifying brother in another fight, and they could eat Dragonheart soup with such a menial task, then they had no complaints.
"How deep do we have to dig?"
"I told you to dig until nightfall without a break, didn't I?"
"All right. Then, if we dig until then, will you share some Dragonheart soup with us?"
"Of course I will. But you have to do your best. If I'm not satisfied with the depth of the hole, this agreement is not valid. By the way, there are plenty of shovels in the warehouse. You should use them."
"Sure!"
"And this is pretty obvious, but you can't order someone else to dig for you, okay?"