Chapter 278 - My Dragon Wife… Wants to Do Spicy Things!

  Chloe Evenhart:

  The dinner tinued, and the table I was at was surrounded by several nobles. It was a the duchies closer, and sooraveling ship would arrive, bringing some of the treasures from the families.

  I took a sip of wirying to avoid getting too involved in the versation. Some of the nobles present had already tried flirting with me, which was starting to get annoying.

  "You look beautiful," said a boy as he approached me.

  "Thank you, Viktor," I replied politely, without muthusiasm.

  From across the room, I saw my mother talking to some dukes, with my aunt Katherine beside her. Before I could get distracted any further, Viktor spoke again.

  "Would you like another drink? I noticed yss is empty. I could get it for you... or maybe we could go together," he suggested with a suggestive smile.

  "Lady Chloe already has someoo do that for her. If she needs anything, I’ll get it myself," Kinue, who was o me, cut in, stopping the versation.

  Viktor looked at her with disdain.

  "I was talking to her, not you, you plebeian servant," he shot back arrogantly.

  I was about to respond sharply when I noticed some familiar faces approag. Our friends had arrived, and their presence broke the tension in the air.

  "This event is really beautiful," Edmund ented.

  "I agree, the ice decorations are stunning. These statues your mother made are perfect," Princess Melina said, admiring the surroundings.

  My mother had really outdone herself, creating several ice statues and ors that adorhe pce. Each duke had tributed in some way to the event.

  "Where’s Nathan?" Edmund asked, curious.

  "He’s... w," Kinue responded, hesitating slightly.

  They looked at us with fused expressions.

  "W? Shouldn’t he be enjoying the party with us?" Melina asked, surprised.

  Kinue visibly blushed, and I struggled to stay calm and not blush myself. Nathan articipating in the logistics team on a ship, overseeing the entry of merts and treasures arriving at the traveling museum. The main ship went through all eight duchies colleg treasures. This was a task only trusted people from the dukes’ families could handle, and each had to assign a reliable team. He wao join, my mother thought it would be a good idea for him to gain more administrative experience, and he’d even be paid for it, courtesy of the dukes’ alliance.

  Nathan had mentiohat he wao buy the e rings with his own earnings, which I found incredibly sweet and romantic.

  Sometimes, he knows how to be so adorable...

  "Nathan is leading our team on one of the ships," I said.

  "Or maybe he’s out there with some women," Viktor ented, ughing.

  What an idiot...

  "Master Nathan is not that kind of man," Kinue responded firmly.

  agement was still a secret, as was his retionship with Kinue. He could only officially propose to her after marrying me, since my position in the kingdom was superior to hers, and she couldn’t officially be bound to him before me. For now, they were just secret lovers.

  "But he will be here for the exhibition, just a little te," I expirying to maintain my posure.

  "When he arrives, I’ll show you some of the valuable items from my family’s vault. The ship should dock soon," Viktor said, still ughing at his own unfunny joke.

  I tialking to our friends, trying to ighe unease in my chest.

  Where are you, Nate? I hope everything’s going well with your work.

  Marquess Laurence:

  It had been some time since I romoted to Marquess, taking trol of Nikous Wolves' former fa. From t, I had risen to Marquess, being the kingdom's intermediary for monit the Evenhart Duchy. That night, I was attending an exclusive event, reserved for the highest echelons of the nobility.

  The dinner was being held outdoors, in a special hall set up at the harbor. It was a gra, anized by the dukes to symbolize their unity while showg their precious treasures. The military dukes, in particur, were eager to dispy some of their colles, ranging from powerful spells to ented relics.

  Meanwhile, a few noble friends from other duchies and I gathered in a private room of a building ected to the main hall. The pce funed as a hotel, but on this night, it was transformed into an exclusive meeting and gathering area for the most iial nobles.

  Among us, I was the only Marquess, and they stantly tried to approach me, hoping to gain favors from the higher nobility. Only the Marquess held the privilege of freely tag a superior he others weren’t worthy of stepping into their castles without being properly invited. However, I was nervous and anxious, as I feared the family I served.

  "I heard the military dukes brought some impressive things. From armor from the st war to private colles of ented relics," ented one of the ts, as we toasted with wine.

  Information flowed between us, shared only among those with enough proximity to know the secrets of their respective dukes.

  "My Duke Saul brought many valuable items, but oands out: a supreme-level spell, sidered a military secret," revealed a nobleman, leaving us all impressed.

  We tihe versation, exging information and specutions, while enjoying the wine of the evening. There was a subtle tension in the air, fueled by the exhibition of treasures and the ambitions of everyone present.

  "Do you think there will be aiful demi-human or elven sves here too?" asked one of the nobles, ughing.

  "Well, the dukes will show treasures... although a beautiful woman is also a treasure," replied another, and everyone burst into ughter.

  Despite the ughter, I kept my attention while one of them described a special spear, a rare piece captured i war, clearly a collector's acquisition.

  "And you, Laurence? Did your duchess bring anything iing?" one of them asked, and they all looked at me expetly.

  I sighed inwardly.

  "You know how it is... some ons collected from the st war... and maybe a few old books from the founding days of the family, along with paintings from the era of the old Evenhart Kingdom. Nothing as eye-catg as a military duchy," I replied, trying to steer the versation away from topics that could promise me.

  "I uand, you’re hiding the surprises from us," said one of the nobles, as I kept a fake smile on my face.

  "Isn’t your duchy the one whose heir domesticated a moon panther? An incredible feat! It seems like this geion of theirs was really blessed," said another noble.

  At hearing this, I felt an unfortable shiver. The memory of the moon panther made my stomach .

  "Y-yes," I replied, nervously, trying to push away the unwanted memories.

  "Laurence, you're the only one among us who is a Marquess, has direct tact with superior nobles, you could introduce us to your duchess’s family," ented another noble, with a smug smile. "I have some unmarried daughters."

  He ughed, but his iion was clear.

  "Do you know if they pn to expand the family by marrying more wives to the male heir?" he tinued, jokingly, but with that unmistakable tone of someone fishing for useful information.

  "I-I don’t know..." I replied, trying to hide my disfort.

  "There are only two Evenharts left by blood... They should expand, have more children," another one suggested. "Do you know if the heirs have any suitors or if there's an arranged marriage in pce? As a Marquess, I imagine you have access to that kind of information."

  "I do," I answered quickly, "but unfortunately, I ’t share that."

  "I see. If possible, introduce us to them tonight," he insisted, fshing a friendly smile—but it was clear he was after something more. "I own a nd exploration pany with earth mages specialized in log minerals. Maybe the new heirs will be ied in exploiting those famous uncharted forests."

  I rying to appear polite, while my mind wished to be anywhere but here.

  The versatied on, each of them throwing in remarks about the duchies and reminisg about how, millennia ago, today’s events would have been impossible.

  "If this were the past, these duchies would be indepe kingdoms, mortal enemies of one another," one of them ented. "stant wars and invasions."

  "Among the dukes, the frie one seems to be Duchess Margaery," another chimed in, trying to steer the versation in a different dire.

  "Maybe because she wasn’t raised to be a duchess?" someone suggested.

  I barely held back a sigh.

  That woman? Friendly? They're talking nonsense…

  "Does anyone know who the woman apanying that duchess is? She's quite beautiful," one of the nobles asked, a sly smile on his face.

  "She’s the mother of the male heir," I answered, keeping my toral, though I could already see where this was heading.

  "Ah, so she’s sihen..." he said, clearly intrigued. "I’ll try to approach her. If I’m not mistaken, she’s just a oner who served as a surrogate, right?"

  "No," I corrected. "She was married to one of the former Lord Evenharts. She was his official wife."

  "I see..." He fell silent for a moment before speaking again in a casual tohat makes things a bit more difficult. But I think I’ll send her an official dinner invitation anyway."

  These guys are insane...

  The versation soon shifted as another arted showing off his insider knowledge about some items that would be dispyed in the museum. I took the ce to excuse myself and leave the room.

  I walked quickly to the restroom, shut the door behind me, and locked it. My heart pounded in my chest as I began hyperventiting. Gripping the sink, I struggled to breathe, but the panic took over. My stomach twisted violently, and within seds, I couldn’t hold it back—I vomited everything I had eaten that night.

  Leaning against the sink, I tried to wash my face, but the panic wouldn’t subside.

  "Those damn bastards..." I muttered, staring at my refle in the mirror, my own terrified expression staring back at me. "They have no idea what that family is really like."

  My hands started shaking, and my legs felt weak. The fear I had been suppressing for months came rushing back with full force, more alive than ever.

  "The Evenharts... they’re monstrous psychopaths," I whispered before colpsing onto the floor, pressing my face against my knees. My body trembled untrolbly as I rocked bad forth in a futile attempt to calm myself down.

  "All of them… they’re evil. None of them hesitate to kill... not a single ohe memories began suffog me—horrible images I had fought so hard tet. The vision of the dragon resurfaced in my mind, and I curled up on the floor, choking on my own sobs as hot tears streamed down my face.

  "It’s not real..." I whispered to myself, desperately trying to believe it. "It’s not real... the red-winged monster is gone..."

  Ever since I saw that creature, not a single night has passed without me thinking the dragon is desding upon my mansion, r fiercely as it devours everything and everyone in its path. Fear es me. I o longer sleep with the lights off without the memory of that gray panther’s sinister grin invading my mind. The sound of a skull being crushed betweeeeth, as if she were sav a sweet treat…

  After everything was "resolved," the duchess summoned me to her castle. She made me watch for hours as one of her maids tortured Baron Gideon… or what was left of him. I will never fet his face. One of his eyes had been gouged out, repced by a festering hole filled with maggots that the maid had pced there, dev him little by little, day after day. He was bound, uo move, trapped in pure agony.

  "Shit..." I suddenly stood up and rushed to the toilet, vomiting what little was left in my stomach.

  I pced a hand on my head, desperately trying to pull myself together. I o go back to the party. I o keep up appearances.

  "That family is full of lunatics... even the maids. They all have that empty look, like they see people as nothing more than is… They’re evil inate."

  I got up ao the sink to wash my face. The cold water did nothing to ease the terror ing me.

  "No one knows..." I murmured, staring at my pale, trembling refle in the mirror. "No one knows, and that makes it even more terrifying. No one realizes they have the power t devastation upon this kingdom… and the only reason they haven’t is sheer whim."

  My hands shook as I dried my face with a towel, the weight of the truth crushing every st fragment of my sanity.

  Kinue:

  I was at the event as a personal servant of our family. High nobles had the privilege ing a few attendants to such gatherings, and that had always been my "disguise" to apany them. I was even wearing my maid uniform. The party was dazzling, and my role was to stay close to Chloe, ready to assist her with anything she needed. But in truth, we were simply there as friends, chatting casually.

  Over the past few months, Princess Melina had grown closer to us in the dormitory. Among all the high nobles, she was the most timid, and I was relieved to find that she was easy to talk to. It seemed she didn’t particurly enjoy the pressure of being a princess, which made her far more approachable.

  "That excursion is ing up," Edmund remarked, taking a sip of his drink. "We’ll finally get to ehe Ied Tower. I've been hearing stories about that pce since before I even joihe academy."

  "I hope I end up in the same group as you guys," I said. Since I was two years older thahere was a ce I’d be assigned as a guide.

  "Syvis is excited," Chloe added with a smile. "There are so many a relics there, and it even has its own exhibition, almost like a museum of past discoveries."

  We all agreed, remembering just how much our elven friend loved anythied to a civilizations.

  As we talked he fountain, a few attendants served us drinks and appetizers. The atmosphere was rexed, and the bination of good versation and good pany made the event feel much lighter.

  "Brother?" Princess Melina suddenly said, looking to the side.

  "Prince Dun?" Edmund excimed in surprise. "I thought only Princess Melina would be representing the royal family at this event," he said, the prince a slight bow iing.

  I discreetly positioned myself behind Chloe, as a oner like me wasn’t allowed to i with him directly. The prince aowledged me with a mere nod, refraining from any physical tact, as was the ong high nobles when dealing with oners.

  "I was nearby and decided to check out the event," the prince said, his eyes sing the surroundings. "It looks beautiful."

  Viktor approached with a teasing grin. "I bet what really caught your attention was the exhibition," he said, nudging the prince lightly with his elbow.

  "Well... I won’t deny it," Prince Dun replied, ughing along with him.

  I remained silent, knowing that, as a servant, I wasn’t supposed to interrupt age directly in the versation. Even though I was friends with Princess Melina and the others, I didn’t know Prince Dun, so at that moment, I had to act as a proper servant.

  "Chloe," I whispered softly, "I’m going to grab something to eat. Do you want anything?"

  She thought for a moment before answering.

  "I’d love that cake with ice cream," she said with a smile. I nodded and walked away, leaving the group to tiheir versation as I headed toward the buffet table.

  The grand buffet table was a sight to behold, a wide variety of dishes. It was beautifully decorated with signature foods from each duchy, along with famous recipes from the Royal Capital. I made my way to the dessert se, knowing how much Chloe adored sweets.

  I searched for the cake with ice cream she had asked for, but there were so many options that I felt a bit lost, unsure of where to start.

  Then, out of nowhere, an image fshed in my mind, and my cheeks grew warm.

  "Nathan..." I murmured, feeling a small burst of happiness inside me.

  "I’m… dating him..." I whispered to myself, an involuntary smile f on my lips.

  It had been a year since he accepted my feelings, and even now, it still felt surreal. Some ms, I would wake up, look at myself in the mirror, and wonder if I was dreaming. He had only kissed me once, always being incredibly respectful. Deep down, I wanted more kisses, more closeness, but both Chloe and I had noticed that he moved at his own pace.

  It doesn’t matter if it takes a little longer, I thought, my heart warming. I’m his, and that’s enough for me.

  I picked up a pte and started seleg a few things for myself, but my thoughts kept drifting ba. Nathan had taken on a job as part of a logistics team on a ship just to buy a ring for me and Chloe—ehrough his own effort. I had told him he didn’t o buy me anything, that it was too expensive, but he had firmly insisted that I was his woman. How could I not feel special after something like that?

  I sighed, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks again as thoughts of him pletely took over my mind.

  "He says things like that so effortlessly... and he has no idea hoy it makes me," I muttered to myself, still smiling as I tinued seleg food. Finally, I found the cake Chloe wanted.

  I prepared both my pte and hers. Just as I turned around, I actally bumped into someone.

  "S-sorry!" I stammered, flustered.

  "It’s fine. Luckily, nothing spilled ot messy. It was just a small bump," replied a familiar voice. My fastantly paled when I saw who it was.

  "P-Prince Dun..." I murmured, feeling the weight of formality pressing down on me. "I didn’t mean to..."

  He let out a light chuckle. "You’re my senior at the academy. There’s o worry about it," he said with an easygoing smile.

  A wave of relief washed over me as I realized he didn’t mind. The st thing I wanted was to embarrass my family.

  "Are you looking forward to the excursion?" he asked casually.

  "A little. I’ve been there a few times with my css, but now that we’re going with students from different years—including advanced csses—we’ll get to see different areas," I replied, trying to maintain my posure.

  He nodded. "I’m a third-year, so I’ll be one of the ‘guides’ for the excursion, though you’ve already been there before," he ented while calmly serving himself.

  "Don’t woing down into that dungeon is always fun," I said, trying to souhusiastic.

  His eyes shifted to the two ptes I was holding. "Are those for your master?" he asked.

  "Yes, I serve the Evenhart family," I expined, remembering that he hadn’t ied much with us before.

  "I didn’t know you were a servant. At the academy, you’re quite famous," he said, chug as he tinued serving himself.

  I let out a small, shy ugh. I always felt a bit embarrassed about that "fame" at the academy.

  "Your name is Kinue, right?" he asked.

  "That’s right," I firmed with a smile.

  "Were you bought or hired?" he asked, catg me a little off guard.

  Oh, he wants to know if I’m a sve…

  I paused for a moment before answering. "I’m hired… I’ve served the family since I was ten," I replied, keeping my tone polite.

  He asked me a few more questions about the dungeon, and after that, the versation naturally came to an end. I couldhe versation myself—that would be disrespectful—but I felt relieved when one of the event’s attendants approached and began serving the prince, apologizing for not notig him sooner.

  "Phew..." I sighed in relief as I made my way back to Chloe.

  From a distance, my eyes found the one person who always made my heart race.

  Nathan had finally arrived.

  My heart pounded, and a wave of nervousness mixed with excitement washed over me. Even with all the noise and movement of the party, his presenehow made the emosphere feel lighter.

  I smiled discreetly, trying not to seem too eager, but i was impossible not to feel that burst of emotions every time I saw him.

  Nathan Evenhart:

  As I walked toward our friends, I spotted a gray cat lounging on a chair, her tail zily swaying from side to side.

  "Ah, you’ve finally arrived, my beloved," Cyl said, lifting her head. Her rexed posture trasted with the curious glint in her feline eyes.

  "How was your work?" she asked casually, though her gaze betrayed a hint of curiosity.

  Cyl had stayed with my family in the capital these past few days.

  "It eaceful," I replied, approag the chair where she y. "You know how it is—monotonous work."

  She narrowed her eyes, clearly skeptical.

  "I didn’t i with any human females," I added quickly, trying to anticipate any potential ents from her. "Just soldiers."

  Cyl tilted her head slightly as if evaluating my words. Then, she leaned in closer, sniffing the air arouh delicate precision.

  "Alright..." she murmured, settling bato the chair, her eyes gleaming with a hint of satisfa. "I believe you."

  I smiled slightly and moved closer, reag out to scratch between her ears. Her eyes half-closed, and a low purring sound escaped her—a clear sign of approval.

  "And you? Did you keep an eye on my mother and my aunt?" I asked, recalling our little surveilnce mission.

  "Of course! I did exactly as you asked. I stayed close to them, watg to see if any man dared to try anything funny," Cyl replied seriously, making me chuckle. "In fact, I’m keeping an eye on them right now."

  "Excellent. No one is allowed to flirt with my precious girls," I said, satisfied.

  There was still the matter of keeping an eye on Kinue and Chloe, but I wasn’t worried. They naturally kept others at a distance because of our retionship. My mother and my aunt, however, were si that didn’t mean we’d let just any ma close to them with ulterior motives. Those women were sacred to us.

  "This decoration is quite beautiful," Cyl suddenly remarked, an ued gleam in her eyes. "I like it."

  I stared at her, surprised. Cyl usually didn’t care about things like this. She ractical, direct—this kind of detail seemed irrelevant to her.

  "Really?" I asked, still processing her rea.

  Is she developing more human-like preferences?

  I remembered when she once asked me to buy her a ribbon to wear on her head. Maybe this was reted.

  "Yes," she replied with fidence. "At our wedding ceremony, I want something just as beautiful, my beloved."

  "edding ceremony?" I stammered, pletely caught off guard.

  Cyl gracefully jumped down from the chair, rubbing her head against my leg in a gesture that was both affeate and possessive.

  "That’s right, our wedding ceremony," she repeated with such vi that I was left speechless.

  "I think… that’s rushing things a little too much..." I muttered, a bizarre image of myself wearing a suit o a dragon in a wedding dress fshing through my mind.

  Cyl lifted her head, her eyes gleaming with an iy that made me even more nervous.

  "My beloved, this isn’t too fast. It’s the perfect time. Now, all that’s left is for me to imagine how our honeymoon night will be together."

  "Okay, we’re stopping right there!" I interrupted, waving my hands frantically.