“Just stay small forever and ever,” Jill said. “I don’t care. I’m sure that Rare will abandon you one day.”
“Rawr! Rar! Rar rar rawr!”
“‘Rare won’t do that,’ he says,” Hadis translated.
“Is that so?” Jill replied. “But Raw, you also don’t like that I call out Rare and fly on her back, do you?”
“…Rawr.” Raw sulked by Hadis’s feet and kicked the ground.
“You don’t want me to ride on your back, and you don’t want me to ride on Rare. Then I require a personal dragon of my own, don’t I? Am I wrong?”
“Raaawr…”
“Now, now, Missy,” Rave said. “He’s got his pride as a black dragon. He doesn’t want his wife to be used so easily, and you gotta sympathize with—”
“Chirp!”
A sharp cry echoed from behind them as a cloth bag was placed over Raw’s head. A beak skillfully tied the bag, and Sauté, the game fowl, dragged the dragon toward the knights. Sauté, whom Jill had ordered to watch over Raw and a plushie called Hadis Bear, was very loyal to its mission and well aware that there wasn’t much time until departure. The Dragon King struggled within the bag and only emitted the saddest cry in the world.
“Does he…really have his pride as a black dragon?” Jill asked.
“I’m sure he does,” Rave replied. “Just trust him.”
“Raw’s just selfish,” Hadis said. “He doesn’t want you to take the lead, but he also doesn’t want his wife to pay attention to anyone other than him. What? Why’re you two looking at me funny?”
You’re one to talk, Rave and Jill’s gaze seemed to imply, but they stayed silent.
“But I don’t think Raw will do anything mean to your dragon just because it’s loyal to you,” Hadis said. “Speaking of, did you think of a name?”
“Yes, I finally came up with one yesterday!” Jill replied.
“I have to ask, just in case, but you received the dragon’s consent, right? You didn’t name it ‘Steak’ or anything, did you?”
“I got its consent, of course! Right?” Jill turned to the red dragon behind her, and the beast nodded.
Rave and Hadis exchanged an inexplicable glance.
“Uh, I hope you didn’t name it after a cooking method or how you want your meat cooked…” Hadis said.
“I considered it, but this dragon is mine,” Jill replied. “I decided to separate this dragon from food!”
“You?! You can separate food from your matters?!”
“This is the dragon of the Dragon Consort! I’ve been studying up on the Rave Empire’s history recently, and I’ve tried my best to learn the words of the Rave Empire. I drew inspiration from that for this name.”
“Wow! That sounds promising. What’s its name?”
Jill realized this was her first time introducing her dragon’s name. She puffed out her chest proudly. “Meinestellekustgoltflugel!”
There was a moment of silence before Hadis opened his mouth. “Sorry? Uh, Meinestelle…what, now?”
“Meinestellekustgoltflugel! Sounds cool, right? But I know it’s a long name, so Meine for short.” Jill turned to her dragon. “You like that, Meine?”
The dragon proudly puffed out its chest, and Rave peeked out from beside Hadis.
“Are you really…” Rave started. “All right, guess you’re fine with it. It sounds cool to you, huh?”
“W-Well, it’s better than Steak, for sure,” Hadis added.
“Apologies for disturbing your conversation, Your Majesty!” an energetic voice called out.
A shadow from the skies fell over the Dragon Emperor as a girl around the same age as Jill gracefully landed. The girl was a bit taller than Jill and was actually thirteen years old. Her golden braids, tied up on either side of her head to form hoops, fluttered behind her as she loudly clacked her heels and saluted Hadis.
“I’ve patrolled the skies, and it’s all clear!” the girl reported. “I’ve also carried the items that you’ve requested.”
“Ah, right, that,” Hadis replied. “Thank you, Millay. Could you give me a bit, Jill?”
The Dragon Consort nodded, and Hadis turned on his heel to leave. As she gazed at her husband’s back and saw him step away, Millay, the new lady-in-waiting-in-training, whirled around to face Jill.
“Your Highness, Dragon Consort, do you need anything, or have you forgotten any of your belongings?” Millay asked.
“Oh, uh, no, I’m fine,” Jill replied awkwardly. “You don’t need to be so concerned about me.”
Millay gave a forced smile. “I heard this is your first time riding alone on a dragon. Are you perhaps nervous?”
“W-Well, it’s not like I’ve had any practice.”
Jill’s voice grew smaller as she was worried about anyone eavesdropping on their conversation, but Millay spoke loudly and confidently.
“Had we been given a bit more time, I would’ve loved to teach you,” Millay said. “I’m sure it’s rather worrisome to leave His Majesty behind as well. I’m very sorry. Had I been more reliable, I may have been able to wipe your worries away.”
“Th-That’s not true,” Jill replied. “You protected His Majesty last time.”
“That was all just luck. But thanks to that, I can stand by His Majesty’s side and have been graciously bestowed with the position of protecting him. I know that I’m very lucky. My parents, who died in Radia, must be smiling down on me from Heaven. I shall never forget the valor of His Majesty, who fought against the King of South Kratos.”
Jill was well aware that her clumsy responses made her sound childish. She knew that best, yet she found herself fumbling over her words. Recently, new ladies-in-waiting had been scouted within the imperial castle, and many apprentices were hired. The highest-ranking nobles, the Three Dukes, had arranged for a majority of the new employees to support Hadis, and Millay was but one of these people. Well, if that’s all, I guess I don’t mind…
Jill was most worried that Millay’s position was eerily similar to hers. And Millay wasn’t alone—if one ignored minute details such as the ladies’ hair, eyes, and skin color, it was clear that several ladies very similar in appearance and age to Jill had been gathered around the emperor.
Hadis refused to have ladies older than fourteen near him, fearing the Goddess’s possible manipulation tactics. It was no surprise that women around Jill’s age had been hired, but it was disturbing that they all resembled her in some way and were confident in their skills. Above all, it was abundantly plain that some hoped to get lucky and attract the attention of the emperor.
In short, these ladies were possible candidates for future empresses, gathered at the imperial castle under the guise of being ladies-in-waiting-in-training. Millay, in particular, stood out with skills that put her far above her peers despite being hired rather recently. She was well regarded within the castle as well; when the ladies-in-waiting-in-training had lined up to meet Hadis for the first time, it was Millay who had caught an assassin who had snuck in. Her swordsmanship was excellent, and she held unusually high amounts of magical energy, a rare occurrence in the Rave Empire. She was even well-versed in magic theory.
Millay’s spectacular feat caught Hadis’s attention, and she was treated with far more respect than her peers. As a reward of sorts, her requests were often heard, and she was even provided with a special set of clothes resembling a knight’s uniform. Furthermore, she was one of the few allowed to be armed, which only provided further evidence of the respect she commanded.
All the while, Hadis had gone out of his way to see Jill and firmly expressed that he had no need for other empresses. The First Consort, Jill’s head attendant, had warned the Dragon Consort not to trust those words. Empress Cassandra had claimed that ultimately, the Dragon Emperor would claim that the Dragon Consort was his one true love, but that she must be more understanding of his need for other consorts. Yet, Jill found herself trusting Hadis’s words—perhaps love had blinded her just a little.
Even if she had faith in her husband, she still had her own thoughts on the matter. Millay was strong, had high amounts of magical energy, studied various languages, was well-educated, and exhibited perfect etiquette. She was excellent in almost every facet, making her seem like a strict upgrade from Jill. People around the Dragon Consort had begun to murmur these rumors while Jill could barely do her embroidery for her wedding gloves. And now, she was set to depart on a journey while leaving her upgrade to protect Hadis. Jill’s maiden heart wasn’t sturdy enough to maintain composure in this scenario.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Hadis said. He returned carrying items for the trip in his arms. He found himself inexplicably met by his wife’s glare. “Jill? What’s wrong?”
“Hmph, nothing!” Jill pouted.
“Your Majesty, shall I carry those items for you?” Millay offered.
In contrast to her childish reply, Millay showed consideration for the emperor with his hands full, much to the Dragon Consort’s dismay.
“No, I’m fine,” Hadis said.
The most concerning bit for Jill was that the Dragon Emperor’s tone was warm and kind toward Millay. But as he crouched down to tie the mantle around his beloved, his hands were kinder still.
“I guess it’s almost time. I still don’t like this,” Hadis said as he gazed up at Jill with pleading eyes. “I don’t want to be apart from you for even a second.”
Damn it. As Jill had expected, her maiden heart was fickle and fragile. One look was all it took to blow away all her doubts.
“I’m so lonely, Jill. I want to be with you,” Hadis whispered.
His tone was warm and enticing, tickling her ears. During times like these, Hadis became incredibly neat and tidy. He grabbed Jill’s hands and tried to fit her with leather gloves.
“I-I can wear gloves myself,” Jill said. “Huh? Your Majesty, did you embroider this for me?”
The gloves, meant to grip the reins, had a small crest embroidered on the wrist. There was an emblem of a sword with a dragon that outstretched its wings, and another crest of a shield with the empire’s flower. The two resembled the insignias of the Dragon Emperor and the Dragon Consort.
Hadis planted a kiss on the gloves that Jill had slipped her hands into.