"Everything was resolved satisfactorily. The bride was found in one of the merchant's country houses, where she was surprisingly heavily guarded. The culprit confessed that he wanted to save the girl from an unwanted marriage, but when he found out that she wasn't against it, he exiled himself to avoid further dealings with the clan. As for the greedy merchant, he was punished by having half of his treasury taken as retribution for his greed. Since then, the young family has become a newly respected clan in their lands. But let's see what lies ahead; these aren't all the challenges."
"I hope they can resolve their problems thanks to your advice," the king smiled mysteriously. "But unfortunately, I have another problem. Recently, rich deposits of precious stones were found on the southern islands, and two noble families, who had the most influence in that region, wanted to establish a jewelry enterprise that would bring enormous profits to the entire country. However, there's a problem with transportation. The two largest ports in the region belong to a third family, which doesn't want to have anything to do with them and is only willing to concede one-third of all profits. Building a large port on those islands for delivering the products to the mainland would be challenging and too costly, but they also don't want to give away one-third of the profits. They left the decision to me, but I'm still not sure what to do."
The nobles began to whisper among themselves.
"Not everyone knew about the problems that had arisen in the southern islands, but the most significant players in the economy were undoubtedly informed," Sheraza quietly outlined the situation for us. "The problem was that the third family is the Red House. The king wanted to test my loyalty as his faithful servant; I had to give an answer that would be most beneficial for the country, but as a red dragon, I had to remain loyal to my clan."
"I understand what you mean, Your Majesty," the young Sheraza was ready to respond. "The third family doesn't trust this alliance for a reason. Perhaps it is related to past business failures with one of these families."
"That cannot be; we haven't had any dealings with the Red House for centuries!" One of the nobles fell into the girl's provocation.
"But you did before, and why did you stop if they are the most influential power in the southern seas?"
"We had one enterprise that ended in failure. But both families lost their invested money, and that was too long ago to still bear a grudge against us."
"Oh, come on! From the dragon's perspective, it wasn't that long ago, and of course, the Red House doesn't trust you. But you can earn their trust," Valraz responded with a skeptical look, likely being the main opponent of the agreement. Serazar, unlike his brother, listened to the girl with interest.
"Unfortunately, they only agree to one-third of the deal, but that's too high a price for renting the port. We can't agree to that," Sheraza said.
"That's true, it's too greedy, but the Red House won't budge. Waiting for five, ten, or even a hundred years means nothing to them," the merchant nervously glanced at the leaders of the red clan, but they didn't flinch. "First, you must dispel the distrust that arose before. You can give the Red House a pledge that will remain with them in case you abandon your plan. Even if you break the agreement, it won't worsen your relations with the Red House. Moreover, being in strained relations with the most influential house in the southern seas won't benefit you."
The merchant lowered his gaze; the terms were clearly unfavorable but not impossible.
"Then you can conclude a contract with the Red House for the lease of the port, trade routes, and transportation," Sheraza added.
"These conditions would have suited us if they were offered from the beginning, but after the previously stated demands, we can't make such concessions," Serazar finally joined the conversation. Valraz smiled contentedly, but Siferina silently awaited Sheraza's further actions.
"Of course, but that's not all you can get," Sheraza turned to the merchants again. "You could also make contracts with the Red House for the supply of related goods, equipment for mining metals, and also for the protection of the cargo. I'm sure pirates won't wait for long once the news about a rich mine spreads throughout the region. They will find it easier to transport processed jewelry and minted coins. This will lead to an increase in the population with higher earnings, and, of course, spending money will be easiest in the nearby major cities on the territory of the Red House. Additionally, in the future, you can develop these islands as a resort destination. I believe wealthy ladies won't mind going on vacation to tropical islands, where they can also add to their jewelry collection. Naturally, all the guest traffic will pass through the same islands of the red dragons."
The girl fell silent, and the hall fell into silence. Representatives from the largest trading organizations of Leran were gathered here, and all of them were mentally calculating the prospects offered by the young girl. The silence was broken by Serazar, who quietly applauded Sheraza's words.
"Such an offer..." The dragon leader smiled warmly. "It suits me. If our colleagues agree to the conditions, I see no reason to refuse."
"But brother!" Valraz exclaimed indignantly, calling out to the leader, "that means we'll still get less! You know they have no choice but to agree to our terms!"
He was heated, wanting to squeeze the maximum profit from any deal, without considering the bigger picture.
"I don't think so," Sheraza boldly addressed the angered dragon leader.
"What do you know about our affairs, little one, who hasn't even lived a human life!" Unlike the irritated dragon leader, Sheraza remained composed and restrained.
"People are not as stubborn as some immortals. After dozens of unsuccessful attempts, they are most likely to give up the whole venture, and you won't get anything," she explained.
"That's unlikely," Valraz narrowed his eyes, trying to intimidate the girl.
"Besides, the king has the exclusive right to the land! And if after many failed contracts, he deems your stubbornness harmful to the country's economy, he can simply revoke your rights to manage the ports and make them neutral."
Valraz clenched his fists in fury, but his brother stopped him.
"Valraz, she's right, and I've already made a decision," Serazar turned to the king. "I believe she has resolved your troubles, my lord. But if you have any objections to her for any reason, I would gladly take her to work for me."
"No, Chief Serazar, she completely suits me. And I would like to acquire her for the royal family of Leran."
The images of the banquet hall began to fade and dissipate. Soon, we found ourselves back on the Colosseum balcony, and the smoke began to dissipate outward.
"Heh, you really bested that dragon," Vina said with a satisfied smile. "And so you became the queen?"
"Haha, well, I worked as a simple librarian in the castle for a long time," Sheraza playfully dismissed Vina's comment. "The king consulted with me often, but I tried not to meet with anyone else. We tried not to spread the word about a dragon sitting as an advisor to the king."
"Vina, you're rushing the events too much," Seleria shrugged her shoulders. "It was just my great-grandfather's coronation."
"What??" Of course, everyone understood that dragons live long lives, but it still sounded unusual.
"From that time, fifty years have passed before I got to know Seleria's father," Sheraza grinned and continued her story. "Maybe you don't know, but dragons develop in stages, like butterflies, and both their human and dragon bodies develop simultaneously. Dragons are born either in a human or a dragon form."
"Wait... so you lay eggs?" Katrina was surprised and glanced at Seleria. Leaning towards Sheraza, the princess whispered in her ear, "Uh, and, uh... did Seleria also hatch from an egg?"
Seleria heard the last sentence and frowned, turning away to the side.
"No, well, you can be born part-human and part-dragon, and depending on that, you'll have more of one or the other. Seleria is much more human than dragon. But pure-blood dragons always lay eggs and hatch them to strengthen the dragon side of their offspring. And many very old dragons believe that the human form is a spit in the face of all dragons and therefore never transform," Sheraza explained.
"And were you not originally able to transform?" someone asked.
"No," Ignis replied to the question, "dragons used to exist only in dragon form, and then for some reason, the gods gave us this ability, and since then, our society has changed greatly."
"Well, in any case, if we talk about dragons, they first go through childhood, during which they grow slowly in human and dragon form. They usually look like they are five or six years old at birth and around twelve by the end of this stage," Sheraza attempted to show the scale of changes with her hands, but it was difficult to grasp at such dimensions. "Then comes a sharp period of adolescence when a dragon reaches a certain age. For red and black dragons, it's around a hundred years; blues mature earlier, around fifty years, while whites and golds, on the contrary, reach maturity only at around two hundred years. And this is the most challenging period in a dragon's life."
The queen glanced at Ragni, and the girl looked away, feeling embarrassed.
"During this time, the human body transforms into the shape of a sixteen-year-old teenager in just a couple of nights. The dragon body also experiences a sudden growth spurt and stops growing until the transition to the next stage," Sheraza looked thoughtful, gazing into the distance. "During this period, young dragons grow physically but not morally. Animal instincts and desires awaken in them, but they are not yet spiritually strong enough to control them, which often causes problems. In some dragons, especially males, the instincts of a hunter awaken, and they begin to roam the forests at night, preying on wild animals. Unfortunately, if a dragon lives alone, they may attack herds in human territories, and then hunters are usually sent to appease them."
Katrina and I exchanged a knowing glance directed at Ragni.
"Why are you looking at me?" Ragni rushed to defend herself, nervously twiddling her fingers. "I paid for those sheep! Come on, leave me alone! I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Haha, I see the young princess also faced similar difficulties. But that's not the main instinct that drives dragons during this period. The main one, of course, is the desire for offspring," Sheraza smirked, and Ignis nodded in agreement.
The girls quickly blushed.
"Well, that's why I wanted to find Ragni not as a husband but at least as a lover," Ignis chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"MOM!" Ragni rushed to tap the queen on the shoulder, but it was hard for her to reach up, and she didn't care much.
"The attraction to the opposite sex is a characteristic feature of this life stage. Although it can be controlled by willpower, when a sudden push occurs, like falling in love with someone, you can no longer control yourself. Also, this is the best time for conceiving children; it happens with much less probability in adult life," Sheraza lowered her gaze. "In the Red House, they often take advantage of this and train slave women, exploiting their instincts, turning low-ranking dragons into concubines for nobles. But usually, when a dragon can finally overcome their animal instincts, they transition to the adult stage. At this time, both the human and dragon bodies undergo a sudden growth spurt and grow into adult forms. After this, the human body no longer grows or ages, while the dragon body slowly grows with each passing year. That's why great dragons are the strongest, as they are also the largest among their kind."
"So, did it happen to you too?" Katrina asked the queen cautiously, "did you seduce the king?"