Patunasankus stood firm, her expression as serious as if she were appraising an object's value.
"I want her."
"The more I hear that, the weirder it sounds—like Your Highness is reserving a new pet or sothing," Loranhir muttered under her breath.
"I'm starting to love this codic approach. Don't expect to reflect on it."
Patunasankus playfully winked and then, with a smug look, pulled sothing out from her sleeve.
Loranhir clearly saw it was a premium slice of sashimi—pale, plump, with visible marbling, its subtle aroma enough to whet anyone's appetite.
"Wait, where did you even pull that from?" Loranhir asked.
"A maiden's secret~"
Patunasankus placed a finger to her lips, tilting her head with an elegant motion that effortlessly dodged Loranhir's questioning.
She was getting way too smooth with these antics.
Ignoring Loranhir standing to the side, Patunasankus slowly extended the sashimi toward the beast-eared girl, puckering her lips before letting out a few lodious syllables.
"Ooooh~ …Is this for ?"
The beast-eared girl’s clear eyes sparkled with the unmistakable, uniquely foolish innocence of a magic student.
"Thank you~"
She instinctively moistened her pink lips but then, as if suddenly realizing sothing, tightly clutched her witch hat and firmly refused:
"No, no! The old lady said never to accept food from strangers when you're out and about."
"What happens if you do?"
From the look in her eyes, Patunasankus could tell this girl and Loranhir were the two dumbest country bumpkins around. She had only suspected it earlier, but now she was certain.
"They'll charm you, kidnap you into a pitch-black basent, and force you to write their magic theses all day. Even worse, you’ll be stuck eating nothing but vegetables for every al."
"…That is terrifying."
Patunasankus seed to empathize deeply.
"But my family has a motto I wholeheartedly agree with," she said, slinging an arm around the girl’s shoulders like they were old friends. "If you're in trouble and your family isn’t around, just pull out a gold coin—and whoever’s in front of you instantly becos family."
"Isn’t that the Duchess’s motto?" Loranhir interjected.
Patunasankus turned, her flowing hair swaying, her beautiful blue eyes narrowing dangerously as her thin pink lips pressed together.
"It’s mine now. Got a problem with that?"
Her tone was flat, impossible to tell if she was pleased or displeased.
"What can I even say?" Loranhir imdiately backed down.
"Just say it—I approve of you!" Patunasankus gave her a hearty pat on the shoulder.
"And I’m 'very' interested in your secret brewing techniques. How could sothing developed by a talent like you ever be considered heresy? Let the old fossils worry about maintaining the status quo—innovators like you have much bigger things to think about.""R-really?" The beast-eared girl blinked in disbelief.
"Really. Why don't we go to a nearby restaurant to discuss your grand ambitions in detail?" Patunasankus suggested.
"See how diligent and capable I am?" Patunasankus stood up and walked over to Loranhir, smiling gracefully as she extended her delicate palm. "So how about sparing so change?"
"… You've truly worked hard, Your Highness the Princess."
Patunasankus covered the corner of her mouth with her hand, adopting a gentle and submissive deanor.
"The hero is quite polite too."
○
With a clatter, the beast-eared girl set down her bowl and chopsticks. The warm food settling in her stomach made her feel completely at ease.
She contentedly patted her belly, then donned a large witch's hat that completely covered her fluffy ears which occasionally twitched, leaving only her light brown curly hair visible.
"My na is Shatina, 16 years old, a witch," she declared. "Thanks for the al!"
Shatina's cheeks were flushed, perhaps from the alcohol, and her laughter was bright and cheerful.
"From what you said earlier, you want to be my partner in making a big score?" Shatina beckoned to Patunasankus, signaling her to sit beside her. "Perfect timing—I do lack one crucial person's help."
"First, I need to hear what your secret thod is."
Patunasankus glanced at the pile of empty dishes on the table, already making up her mind. If the answer didn't satisfy her, she'd make sure the other party regurgitated everything she'd eaten.
Loranhir, on the other hand, looked particularly distressed.
"I must be nearsighted—otherwise, why can't I see any money in my wallet?" she muttered while vigorously polishing her holy sword, already planning to host another sword-drawing tournant that evening to recoup so funds. After all, the princess only had to think about spending money, while earning it was entirely her responsibility.
"But if you're planning to participate now, will you have enough ti?" Patunasankus asked.
As far as she knew, the winemaking process—from grape harvesting to crushing, ferntation, cap managent, maceration, pressing, clarification, aging, bottling, and bottle aging—could take months for simple, cheap wines. High-quality red wines might require 18 months to several years in oak barrels, plus additional bottle aging, totaling three to five years or even longer.
Yet Shatina spoke as if she'd just decided to enter the competition.
"You're not in the know, are you? Taurant's wine barrels have been specially treated by druids, speeding up the ferntation process. Though these people preach about natural balance, in today's world, money talks," Shatina said, wagging her finger. "And I've made so minor improvents to the process.
Shatina asked, "Do you know why the more charming a holy knight is, the more powerful they beco?"
Patunasankus and Loranhir—one human, one dragon—shook their heads in unison."Never mind, the exact principles are beyond your mortal comprehension to explain in just a few words. To cut it short, I need a pure and charming maiden to stomp grapes. The purer and more charming the maiden, the better the wine will taste when brewed from the grapes she treads. When the wine is ready, its rich aroma will rise like a heavenly brew. Then, we’re sure to win!"
Shatina declared confidently.
"…"
Loranhir fell silent.
"…"
Patunasankus said nothing.
There are three kinds of silence in this world. The first is when two people gaze at each other without words. The second is when one dares not speak, for anything said would be wrong. The third is when the matter is so far beyond comprehension that the mind simply cannot keep up.
Patunasankus finally understood why this woman was known as a heretic.
"With this kind of nonsense, they claim it can intoxicate even a dragon? Listen to them brag," Shatina swirled her wine glass, glancing at the red liquid inside. She narrowed her eyes slightly, the corners of her lips curling up.
"But my thod will definitely work!"
"…Though I don’t understand your so-called principles, this thod must place high demands on the maiden, right?" Patunasankus voiced her doubt. "Where would you even find one?"
"Yes, where indeed? That’s what I’d most like to know," Shatina replied with a laugh.
"A pure and charming maiden?"
Loranhir, sitting nearby, instinctively glanced at Patunasankus. She distinctly rembered similar conditions being required when lifting Evelyn’s curse.
"What’s the matter?" Patunasankus tilted her head at her.
The maiden’s skin was already fair, and she disliked heavy makeup, applying only a thin layer of scented balm. As sunlight stread into the hall, her skin took on the fragile translucence of rice paper, as if the slightest touch might tear it.
A few strands of her golden, dandelion-like hair softly frad her temples, delicate as newly sprouted flower buds—radiant and lovely.
A girl this beautiful, yet completely unaware of it.
"I don’t think we need to look far at all," Loranhir said bluntly.
Following Loranhir’s gaze, Shatina also turned to scrutinize Patunasankus from head to toe.
"Indeed."
In an instant, two pairs of eyes, two faces, turned toward her, their gazes almost magnetic. Patunasankus blinked, her expression blank.
After a long pause, she finally realized what they ant.
The evil dragon’s face flushed crimson, and she spun around abruptly.
"Goodbye."
○
At the sa ti.
Elaphia crouched stealthily in the ventilation ducts of Dreka’s Blood Palace, her ear pressed to the door. With a deft flick of her tools, she picked the lock in the blink of an eye and vanished into the shadows.
A guard passed through the corridor, drawn by the faint noise above. But before he could make a sound, Elaphia’s blade had already slit his throat.
Suppressing a smirk, Elaphia flexed her fingers before magically lifting the keyring from the guard’s belt. In an instant, she stood before the now-open iron gate, keys in hand, ready to plunge deeper into the Blood Palace.Next, as long as everything goes smoothly, the Princess can finally rest easy, right?
"You're always thinking about the Princess, aren't you?" A haughty yet elegant voice rang out from the darkness not far from Elaphia.
A tall figure erged from the shadows, and Elaphia imdiately recognized this frequent infernal guest of Grand Duke Dreka, muttering her na gravely.
"Tiana... You're reading my thoughts." Elaphia took a deep breath and assud a battle-ready stance.
"Don’t react so strongly, darling." Tiana’s fingers brushed lightly against the corner of her lips.
"I’m not interested in what you’re planning, nor will I inform the Grand Duke of your return. After all, no matter how much a rat struggles, it’ll still be toyed with and devoured by the cat. For , the completion of our deal is all that matters. However, following the hero out of the Black Death’s lair was the most foolish decision your Princess has ever made."
Ignoring Elaphia, who stood there clenching her fists with a darkened expression, the infernal Princess strolled through the underground palace on her own. After a few crisp footsteps, the sound gradually faded away.
Coincidentally, at that very mont, the shadow-obscured expression on Tiana’s face was nearly identical to Elaphia’s.
Where in the world was that shaless Serina?
She had been divining for so long and still couldn’t find her.
Just thinking about that Princess who used underage clauses to evade her debts made Tiana seethe with anger.
Just wait till she found her!
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