"What's the problem now?"
"It's..." The maid recalled what she had seen earlier, and her face turned pale with fright. She was ordered to report it to the princess, but she was afraid she might be punished if she relayed the message in a way that incriminated the princess's favorite consort. "Consort Dae's dragon! It's wreaking havoc at the Moonlite Pavilion!"
"What?"
A look of shock took over Kira's beautiful face. At that moment, she could even ignore the maid referring to Dae as her consort, despite how preposterous it sounded.
She had only seen Dae's monster a handful of times, and always from a safe distance. As someone from the modern world, where she believed creatures like that belonged in children's fiction, she still felt disbelief and fear whenever she saw the scaly beast.
Even when calm, the dragon looked ferocious. One couldn't even imagine what it would look like if it went wild—would it spit fire and engulf everything and everyone in its path?
Damn, it was just too scary to imagine!
"Shouldn't you be telling the king? Or even the Regent? Why come to me? What could I possibly do to tame a dragon?"
"We informed the king, but he told us to report it to you. He said you should handle it, and if there are any corpses, you can go ahead and bury them yourself." The maid quoted the king's exact words and even managed to replicate the bored expression on his face.
Kira nearly fell from her seat in fear. What the hell was this?! The father who claimed to love her was actually sending her to face a dragon? And what corpses... she had never even seen a dead body before!
Kira looked at the two women by her side. Evelyn looked genuinely terrified, her face just as pale as Kira's, nervously biting her finger. Bloom looked intrigued; she had always been fascinated by Dae's dragon, and this was her first chance to see the magnificent beast in action. She looked at the princess with pleading eyes: Please, let's go see this monster in action!
Kira gave her a look that said: You can go yourself, alright? It has nothing to do with me. I value my life very much.
"Inform the Regent. This has nothing to do with me."
"But Princess, Dae is your consort. If there's anyone he would listen to, it's surely you."
"Ha ha." She chuckled dryly. This was the funniest joke she'd heard all year. "Dae would listen to me? Only when pigs learn to fly! That bastard wouldn't listen to anyone, even if his life depended on it!"
"So, what do you mean? Are you going to just hide here while a dragon runs wild in the palace? You know, the king might actually execute your precious Dae if his beast does too much harm."
"Bloom, do I look like I care?" If Dae loses his head, wouldn't the world be a better place? Kira would probably dedicate her life to Buddha if that happened! Let him die. For how terrible a person he was, he deserved to die a hundred times.
"Princess! Innocent people will die!" the maid exclaimed helplessly.
"I... Do you really think he will listen to me?"
"Of course!" all three women said.
Kira still had her doubts, but she would appear heartless if she ignored the situation. Perhaps Dae wasn't as unreasonable here as he had been in the modern world. Surely he wouldn't let people get devoured by a dragon for no reason.
She rose to her feet, having made up her mind. "Alright. Let's go stop this dragon!"
* * *
The Moonlite Pavilion, once a stunning masterpiece of grandeur and luxury, now stood in utter ruin. Its once-polished marble floors were cracked and blackened. The princess had spent a lot of gold to get this place built for her darlings.
The pavilion, a place so breathtaking that no visitor could tear their gaze away upon first seeing it, had become a haunting shadow of its former glory.
Amidst the devastation, Dae's dragon loomed—a ferocious beast with gleaming golden scales that shimmered like molten metal in the flickering firelight. Its eyes, an intense red, pierced through the smoke and flames, sending shivers of terror into the hearts of all who dared glance at it. Each roar echoed through the crumbling halls as it unleashed torrents of fire, reducing the once-beautiful structure to smoldering ruins.
In one darkened corner, a group of harem members, all dressed in pristine white robes, each looking breathtaking in their own way, huddled miserably together, trembling in fear. They clung to one another, tears streaming down their faces.
"Help! Help us!" their terrified cries barely audible over the sound of crackling flames.
Kira, who saw this scene from a distance, swallowed down her fear. Her legs were shaking, and she had to lean on Bloom to keep her balance. "Alright, girls, let's get the hell out of here."
"Are you running away?"
"Bloom! What the hell do you want me to do? That's a dragon! It'll either swallow me whole or roast me alive if I approach it!"
"Maybe," Bloom conceded, "but you don't need to confront the dragon first. Just talk to Dae." She pointed at a figure leaning leisurely against the large Sakura tree.
Kira finally noticed Dae. His eyes were closed, and the wind blew through his long hair, making him look oddly majestic. She also noticed three familiar figures seated around a table, playing chess. Chess?!
Unbelievable! There was truly something wrong with the people in this world!
She marched toward them angrily. Moon was the first to notice her and moved forward with a smile, but before he could speak, Evelyn threw herself into his arms.
"I was so worried!" she cried, though her eyes remained dry.
Moon "..... " Since when did they have this relationship? Well, he didn't even know what to say.
"Do you want to join us for a game of chess?" Star kindly invited her. The man behind him scoffed and gave Kira a cold look. He was about to win the game, and this woman had interrupted him.
Kira, who was being fiercely glared at by the man who had once saved her from drowning, could only stare back in disbelief. This world is truly strange.
"Are you all blind to what's going on?!" She pointed at the scene of a ferocious dragon on the verge of devouring innocent people. "Why aren't you helping them?!"
The Sun and Star exchanged glances, seemingly confused. Were they supposed to help?
Idiots! Kira cursed inwardly.
She then turned her fiery gaze toward Dae and slowly approached him. "How could you allow this to happen?"
Dae slowly opened his eyes and regarded her with a lazy look. "What does the princess mean?"
"You barbarian! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"
"The princess seems to value human life a lot. I wonder, if I kill a few people, would she finally let me out of the palace, just like she threatened with Star?"
So that's why you're doing this, you bastard! Kira's anger flared. You're messing with me!
"I won't let you go," Kira declared with fierce determination. "I'd rather see your pretty head severed from your body—dead! Dead!"
"Oh?" Dae smiled. "The princess thinks I have a pretty head?"
Kira froze, speechless.
She was done with this man. Completely done.