A corner of my mind was telling me I had forgotten the point of this exercise, but I couldn’t help but exclaim. “My tired limbs have been rejuvenated! ‘Sweet’ certainly is one of the finest flavors of them all!”
“You will give me one of those at once, child!”
Even though I had been hiding my mouth with my hand, I was sure that the light in my eyes said it all. The dragon snorted, opening its maw wide before me. Too intimidated to refuse it, I tossed a doughnut into the chasm, and the dragon’s mouth snapped shut.
“Goodness me...” it said.
“There you have it. A honey and milk doughnut.”
“I... I did not realize that such a delicacy existed in this plane!” The dragon’s golden eyes now glimmered with added intensity. It opened its mouth again expectantly, so I tossed a second doughnut to the creature. It swallowed that treat down in an instant too, its eyes glistening with delight.
“Unfortunately, this food comes from another world. You will need me if you ever hope to taste it again,” I explained.
“What?” The dragon’s eyes widened at once like a pair of full moons.
I started to explain myself, and I knew I had it now. The next time I bit into the doughnut, I could taste the added flavor of victory.
“I see,” the dragon said. “Now I understand the potential of this ‘skill’ of yours.”
“I propose that as long as I stay alive, I will provide you with as much food as you like. What say you?”
“Very well. Your name is Francheska, yes? I am the dragon Alkerag, and I shall grant your request,” the dragon declared, rearing its head and leaving behind a very empty box of doughnuts.
Thank goodness! It seems that I have secured my survival...
I let out a covert sigh of relief as Alkerag’s head continued to sway in the air.
“What did you call these? ‘Doughnuts’? They were delightful. Are you capable of producing them in different flavors?”
“My, do you have a sweet tooth, Alkerag?”
He chuckled. “It has been a long time since a human child has called me by that name. You may call me Alk. Now, answer my question.”
“I can procure doughnuts made with different batters and with different coatings for you,” I said.
I summoned my tablet again. The dragon was far more interested than I had expected and was already trying to peer at the screen. I approached him to give him a better look and he met me in the middle, his movements as light as a young cat’s. Starting at the page for the doughnuts from earlier, I navigated to another page that listed related items. There, I saw some “limited edition” flavors—there were doughnuts with a honey-lemon filling, some with tea leaves kneaded into the dough, others with chocolate glaze... The page was packed with delicious-looking doughnuts that were just as much a feast for the eyes as I knew they would be for the stomach.
Personally, the honey-lemon doughnuts had caught my eye. The only hang-up was that they were more expensive than the ones I had just ordered...but I couldn’t be stingy now! I needed to get this dragon hooked!
“How very fortunate that I thought to collect what I was owed yesterday!” I said. I then snapped my fingers to open up my infinitory and produced one of the rings I had stored inside it.
Alk’s golden eyes were wide as he watched me. “You have an infinitory? That’s rather rare for a human to possess.”
“My mana was about the only asset I had. I learned all sorts of magic because of it.”
I was surprised to learn that even Alk found it unusual for a human to have access to an infinitory. Although, now that I thought about it, the tutor my grandfather had found for me had only learned to use one after becoming the Archmage for the previous monarch. Perhaps I was a little late to realize it, but I might have had some real potential. My father had always been quick to tell everyone how useless I was at every opportunity, so no one had ever expected anything from me. Plus, they had been just as eager to parrot his insults back to me, so that might explain why I’d never realized my potential before.
I never knew just how potent the power of suggestion could be. And then there was Theodore, whose reputation had been greatly bolstered by the fact that he was trading in his royal status to support his “useless” fiancée. Thinking back, it seemed I had been quite the easy target...
“I wonder how many points this will be worth,” I said.
Flawed or not, I was my father’s daughter. When I thought about how this ring had once belonged to the people who had torn my confidence to shreds, I was overcome with a sudden hatred. I couldn’t toss it into the tablet fast enough.
Triumphant fanfare resounded from the tablet, and its screen now displayed a shower of petals and confetti.
Your accessory has been exchanged for 3,500,000 points. You can check your point balance at any time via your account page.
“Goodness! I suppose I should have expected nothing less from the House of Vaielindt. I feel as though I can order to my heart’s content!”
The ring had been decorated with large pink diamonds, rubies, and garnets arranged in a flower motif, not that the design had mattered much. It had proven to be worth so much more than the ring Theodore had given me. I wasn’t sure whether that said more about the value of the dukedom’s treasure or the value of the prince’s gift, but I supposed it spoke volumes about both of them. It was more important that I didn’t need to concern myself with the price of doughnuts anymore!
Awash with a mild catharsis, I went ahead and ordered one variety after another. Boxes started to pile up next to me on the altar, their sweet aromas wafting through the air.
I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, I feel so much better! About all sorts of things too!”
“You certainly ordered a great deal. Well, perhaps not from my perspective.” There was a certain spring to the dragon’s tone. He sounded exasperated, yet pleased.
I studied him and the mountain of paper cartons and it struck me that I might well have overdone it. Although, given the size of Alk’s body, I was fairly confident that he could make short work of the treats.
“Here you are, Alk. A variety of different flavored doughnuts. These ones have tea leaves kneaded into the dough.”
Alk immediately opened his mouth before me, so I tossed one of the tea doughnuts into it. His jaws clamped shut, and the lunar light in his eyes seemed to waver.