There were now just two slices of the tart left in the box. Alkerag must have helped himself to another two while Francheska had been eating hers. As she was reaching out to distribute what remained, the dragon fumbled around in his robes before holding out his hand before her.
In his palm sat a dark blue gem the size of a chicken egg. “Is this adequate compensation?”
In order to use her skill, Francheska needed to spend “points.” She could gain points by putting coins or gems into the skill tablet, which was why Alkerag would offer her those things as payment.
It seemed a little backward to her—she was using her skill to prolong her life, and yet the creature she was supposed to be appeasing was paying her to use it. Francheska tried to keep her face under control, determined not to let her complicated feelings on the matter show. It wasn’t that she didn’t lament her situation, but the bright side was that Alkerag’s compensation granted her more opportunities to put her skill to use. She tried to take it as proof that he appreciated her ability.
“That is more than enough. I would accept something smaller if you have it.”
“I am afraid to say that I do not. Not at hand, at least. If this is too much, you can keep it until you have need of it.”
Despite the gemstone’s size, Francheska was in no position to refuse it. The dragon wasn’t a flexible creature; once he said something, he never took it back. She accepted the weighty stone and made a show of looking at it dubiously, but Alkerag reacted with little more than a dismissive wave of his hand. Instead, he stuffed his cheeks with another slice of tart.
Knowing that any further argument was pointless, Francheska brought the stone close to the skill tablet. The moment it made contact with the screen, the gemstone was swallowed up with no resistance whatsoever. Bursting petals and confetti appeared on the display, along with a dynamic announcement written in another language.
“My skill is certainly useful.”
“Indeed. It has supplied me with all sorts of delicious delicacies. The ones who exiled you from your country do not know what they are missing.”
The words that had spilled from the dragon’s smiling lips sent strong ripples through Francheska’s heart. Purposely ignoring the way he was hungrily eyeing up the last piece of tart in her hand, she took a bite of it.
It didn’t matter that this was the umpteenth time she was tasting this tart. The combination of generous creamy custard and the avalanche of seasonal fruit would never stop being delicious. The silky custard was so indulgent, and then the tangy fruit joined in to sharpen her senses... Francheska feared that she could eat slice after slice if only she had them at hand.
She giggled. “I used to be regarded as someone without value. But now, I feel totally unburdened—I’m grateful to have been exiled.”
“Without value?” Alkerag paused. “I have never sampled delicacies such as these in all of my days. To deem you worthless when you are capable of producing such previously unknown wonders is unfathomable to me.”
Francheska had made that comment thoughtlessly as she munched on the tart, but the dragon behind her was wearing a genuinely baffled expression.
“I would exchange every treasure in my possession for these culinary delights of yours,” Alkerag muttered, which at last elicited a quiet giggle from Francheska. He sounded half joyful and half bashful, with just a touch of arrogance to his tone.
“Thank you, Alk!” she managed through her laughter. “Knowing that you appreciate my skill makes me feel better about what it, and I, have been through.”
Whenever she ordered sweets, cakes, or anything delicious, it attracted a number of tiny, hungry spirits. Francheska had ordered some extra baked goods for them along with the tart. The spirits had come as expected, and she handed the extras out to them with a smile.
Just then, a pair of large arms reached out around her lithe body and pulled her in tightly from behind.
“You were an offering to me, a flower. I intend to have you devote yourself to me entirely.”
“Goodness. You can just say that you can no longer live without me, you know.”
The dragon reached out with his long thin nails to snag some of the baked goods before the spirits finished them. Francheska ignored him and suppressed the urge to laugh out loud as she pointedly stuck her nose up in the air.
She tried to keep a hint of defiance in her gaze as she stared at Alkerag. He huffed before struggling with the packaging on the treat he’d picked up, looking visibly frustrated. The more he tried to avoid crushing the small almond cake inside the package, the more he struggled to control his strength, and before long, the plastic wrapper was a crinkled mess. The small spirits were gathering in an effort to reclaim their treat, and he kept having to move his hands around to avoid them, which only seemed to make him more irritated.
“Fran! Stop laughing and do something!”
“I must have told you a thousand times that you need to pull on that triangle there,” she said.
Before the dragon lost his temper completely, Francheska took the cake from him. She smartly opened the pitifully deformed wrapper with a blade of wind magic. She took a bite, and the once-angered dragon smiled—she couldn’t help but smile back.
The spirits were still scrambling for sugar, so she started tossing them crumbs from the treats.
Hers was a peaceful existence indeed, and it was at times like these that she really appreciated how blessed she was.