The queen recognized that face. Even in the portrait circulated during the search for the missing, he had exuded the same overwhelming presence as he did now. He was the very man Mikhail had yearned for so desperately. The image of Mikhail, once locked away in the palace, devastated after losing that man, briefly crossed her mind.
As silence settled over the audience chamber, the queen spoke again.
“There is one condition.”
“…Ah, I see offering thanks with conditions is the trend nowadays?”
The dragon scoffed coolly, lifting a corner of his mouth in disdain. But curiosity still tugged at him. He decided to hear her out, just this once. Perhaps Mikhail had inherited his mother’s temperament. In any case, the dragon had grown quite accustomed to the audacity of humans.
Wearing a benevolent smile, the queen parted her lips once more. The condition she presented was simple and clear.
“You must cherish him.”
A flicker of something unfamiliar stirred in Adrian’s eyes. It struck him in that moment—only the queen had instantly seen through to what the dragon truly desired.
Cherish him? The moment the dragon heard her condition, he responded.
“Do I seem like someone who would neglect one I accept as my own?”
There wasn’t even a shred of hesitation. Even without being asked, that had already been his intention.
The queen smiled brightly at his bold reply. Then, extending one arm to block the king who tried again to dissuade her, she offered her thanks.
“I’m relieved.”
Tch. The dragon turned his head away, clearly uninterested in her gratitude. It was his way of signaling that her interference would be tolerated no further.
“So then—when?”
To the queen’s question, the dragon considered briefly before answering.
“Tonight. After your party ends.”
He’d heard that the palace had prepared a celebration upon hearing the news that the dragon had awakened. The victory banquet had been delayed until now. As someone who had participated in the war, Mikhail deserved to enjoy that party.
“Then I’ll return to the palace at that time. No need to make any special arrangements.”
He abhorred pomp and formality. Fearing they might prepare another extravagant event in the name of gratitude, Adrian preemptively shut down the idea. With that, the dragon seemed finished with his business and vanished with a whoosh, using teleportation magic.
All that remained in his place were shimmering golden mana particles, drifting like heat haze.
“The most beautiful thing…?”
Mikhail was just as unaware of what the dragon truly desired. But what filled his mind more than the question itself—was jealousy.
What could it be? Had Adrian ever wanted something so badly before?
With a cold expression, Mikhail bit his lower lip. Even when he asked his mother—who had seemed to know something, given her earlier conversation with the dragon—she only smiled and said, “You’ll find out soon enough.”
***
A stream of firework magic, marking the start of the victory party, shot into the sky like an arrow. The firework cut through the wind, soaring rapidly before branching into multiple colorful streaks in the air.
Pop—! Bang!
The dark night sky bloomed with radiant bursts of color. Clad in his ceremonial uniform, Mikhail stood alone on the balcony of the banquet hall, his back resting comfortably against the railing.
The fireworks reminded him of the eve of the Basamiel party.
“Adrian and I had sat by the lake, watching the fireworks together…”
The difference now was… Adrian would soon return to his lair—and Mikhail would no longer be able to see him.
Is this the end…? Damn it.
Mikhail’s gaze grew heavy. The transparent liquor in the slender glass he held rippled softly in his hand. Just then, a clear voice rang out.
“Why’s the guest of honor looking so gloomy? Care for a dance?”
It was the very person who had plunged him into this turmoil.
Adrian extended an arm with an indifferent expression, as if he knew nothing. A subtle smile lingered on the dragon’s lips—perhaps because he already knew Mikhail’s dancing skills.
“……”
Mikhail’s cold expression sharpened further.
“What’s the most beautiful thing?”
“Hm?”
“That thing you said you’d take with you—what is it? You could at least tell me that much.”
“…You really are unbelievably dense.”
Adrian muttered in a low voice, his expression one of disbelief.
“What?”
Oblivious to nuance, yet his hearing was sharp as ever.
Adrian debated for a brief moment whether or not to tell the truth, then let out a quiet snort and lifted the corner of his mouth.
What does it matter, he thought. When a dragon wanted something, the desires of the object in question didn’t matter. Even if Mikhail said he didn’t want to go with him now, it was already too late.
“So, what—you don’t want to dance with me?”
In the end, Adrian gave an answer completely unrelated to Mikhail’s question.
“What if I say no?”
One of Adrian’s eyebrows arched. Mikhail straightened from where he had been leaning against the balcony railing. He placed his glass precariously on the edge and strode up to Adrian, stopping just short of their noses touching.
“Gonna dance with someone else?”
“……”
“Who are you going to dance with?”
If Adrian so much as named someone else, Mikhail looked ready to pounce right then and there. Adrian merely stared quietly into his eyes. Those eyes—burning crimson like living gemstones.
“……”
“Who is it? Daphne? Badelia?”
Mikhail pressed his lips together tightly and glared. Was he actually expecting an answer? The dragon had no interest whatsoever in the humans attending this party.
The only thing Adrian wanted… was Mikhail, who now stood inches away, glaring at him like this. Not that Mikhail seemed to realize it.
“Never even heard those names before.”
“……”
Mikhail frowned. If Adrian didn’t know those names, it was better he never did. The ones the prince had just mentioned were princesses of the Rustavaran Kingdom—renowned as the most beautiful women on the continent. When Mikhail had heard the dragon desired “the most beautiful thing,” they were the first to come to mind.
Fweeeeee—POP!
Another firework soared into the sky behind Mikhail, who stood facing Adrian. As it burst in the air, its light painted Adrian’s pale face in shifting hues. At the same time, the dragon’s golden eyes pierced into Mikhail.
“…I knew it.”
Beautiful.
Adrian murmured in a quiet voice.
Mikhail, who had opened his mouth to say something else, hesitated and fell silent. Slowly, his expression softened. Just moments ago, he too had been staring up at the sky, thinking the same thing. Did Adrian remember the Basamiel party as well?
Mikhail turned to Adrian, who was smiling faintly in wonder, and asked:
“More than the fireworks magic at Basamiel?”
“Fireworks mean nothing to me.”
The dragon’s tone was clipped and cold, his words short and sharp. Mikhail stared at him quietly.
“…Then what does?”
His slender lips trembled slightly. No… There’s no way the dragon meant that by “beautiful.” The thought struck him suddenly, and he scolded himself for it.
The dragon offered a soft smile and extended his arm.
Mikhail’s warm cheek and breath, still tinged with the champagne he had been sipping, met the palm of Adrian’s hand.
Adrian murmured in that same low voice.
“Then what’s left here, right now, that’s more beautiful than those fireworks?”
“……”
Very few had ever dared to call the prince beautiful to his face. Even if Mikhail himself wasn’t interested in such things, he was aware of what people said about his looks. Still, hearing such words come from a dragon’s mouth— He would never have imagined it, even in a dream.
Mikhail narrowed his eyes and cautiously spoke.
“…Don’t tell me…”
“I’m pretty sure it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
“You don’t mean… that beautiful thing you wanted is—!”
What the dragon desired—Mikhail’s crimson eyes sparkled as life surged back into them. He quickly clasped the back of the dragon’s hand, which was still lingering on his cheek, and opened his mouth.
“You mean me?”
“Hah, you finally figured—mm.”
The dragon had just started to chuckle—when Mikhail’s warm breath brushed his lips. He could still faintly taste the champagne Mikhail had been drinking on the tip of his tongue.
Fweeeeee—BOOM!
For that brief, fleeting instant, the two locked eyes, lost in each other, as if time itself had stopped. Ah… The dragon’s eyes curved into a smile. Because those eyes—those shimmering red eyes that swayed for him and him alone—were truly to his liking.
A moment later, Mikhail slowly drew back, brushing a hand over his lips and beaming at Adrian with unhidden pride. Though he was a knight praised across the continent as a Swordmaster, in this moment, he was nothing more than a young man basking in joy.
Adrian watched him for a moment, then glanced toward the palace’s clock tower and murmured. He made sure to clear his throat with a quiet ahem to pull Mikhail back from whatever fantasy he’d been lost in.
“…I said I’d take you after the party ends, so start preparing. Well, if it’s anywhere on this continent, I can always come back—so it’s not like you need to pack much.”
Now that he thought about it, the dragon had consistently used phrases like “take with me” or “bring along.” Mikhail didn’t really care where they were going, but curiosity tugged at him.
“Where to?”
“That, I’m still thinking about. I just heard something interesting, so I’m going to decide based on what you choose.”
Adrian paused just before speaking again. A fleeting moment of doubt crossed his mind—whether saying this was the right thing to do.
Mikhail was a prince of the kingdom, and to humans, titles and positions still held weight. What Adrian was about to propose wasn’t some gentle suggestion to abandon all that and come with him—it was a command.
Well, even if Mikhail refused, there was no going back now. The dragon had already made up his mind to have him—regardless of what Mikhail wanted.
With a shrug, Adrian began,
“Apparently, a Salamander coughed up a legendary sword not too long ago.”
A gleam shot through Mikhail’s crimson eyes.
A legendary sword!
If it was something coughed up by a Salamander, then it had to be that sword— The one Mikhail had ultimately lost in the volcanic lands of Dohenia.
Of course he reacts to a sword. Adorable. Adrian smirked internally. Looks like he wouldn’t need to drag Mikhail away by force after all.
He continued with a hint of amusement.
“They say there’ll be a martial tournament next year in the Kingdom of Delbaran—with the ‘legendary sword’ as the prize…”
The dragon’s thin lips curled slightly.
This was something he had never offered to anyone before. Yes—he had to admit it. This was no idle amusement born of boredom, like the games he used to play alone.
“What do you think? Want to come with me?”
With this radiant human in front of him, anything would be thrilling.
Fweeeeee—BOOM!
More brilliant fireworks exploded behind Mikhail’s back. It was the night of the victory celebration, with all of the palace’s guests immersed in joy. The king and queen, raising champagne glasses in a toast, came looking for the dragon and Mikhail.
But it would be hours later when they learned—that the true stars of the night had already vanished elsewhere.
<The End.>
ill miss these guys
These two are so adorable