Chapter 5
“Debt?”
A shrill voice escaped her without her realizing it.
“Yes.”
“That debt… the kind you have to pay back to someone?”
“Yes.”
Debt? That was absurd.
Dragons were incredibly possessive of their hoarded treasures. Even a five-year-old in the Empire knew that.
A dragon lending money? And someone actually borrowing money from a dragon?
What kind of lunatic would dare to incur a debt from a dragon… such an outrageous act…
“It’s been about fifteen years, I believe? Theo borrowed something from me.”
“Wow…”
That lunatic was Theo. And not just anyone, but her father!
Leoni barely managed to suppress the urge to close her eyes. Claude, with a gentle expression, continued,
“It’s a rather important item to me, but I trusted Theo. However, I haven’t heard from him since a certain day.”
“Oh dear… that’s unfortunate.”
She feigned sympathy, but her eyes met his amused gray ones. He seemed to find her reaction interesting.
“As you say, it is unfortunate. But thankfully, Theo left a promise.”
“A promise?”
“If he couldn’t return the item by this year, he would hand over collateral instead.”
Collateral?
Leoni slightly lowered her head and covered her mouth with her hand, retracing the word’s meaning in her mind.
“Um, you mean collateral, something given in place of the item if it can’t be returned?”
“Yes.”
Lifting her head again, she saw a very ominous smile.
“Theo told me he had a very bright daughter. The most precious child in the world.”
Leoni instinctively backed away. But with every step she took, he matched her, keeping the distance the same.
Finally, her foot bumped against something. By the time she realized there was nowhere else to retreat, he had stopped advancing.
“At the time, I dismissed it as a joke, but now it seems it wasn’t.”
His ash-gray eyes were full of amusement. His curling lips seemed to mock her.
‘Could it be…’
Leoni’s thoughts raced.
Legends about dragons she had read in books flooded her mind.
Dragons were ‘generally’ wise and ‘mostly’ uninterested in human affairs, but they ‘always’ made those who crossed them pay an unimaginable price.
And the surest way to provoke a dragon was to touch their treasure.
Do not touch. Do not covet. Do not desire.
In legends, those who broke these taboos always incurred the dragon’s wrath and brought ruin upon the world.
At least their fortune, at worst their life.
Or sometimes they were forced to offer a sacrifice.
“……You’re joking, right?”
Hoping that the prediction flashing through her mind was wrong, Leoni asked pleadingly.
“Leoni.”
At his low voice, her turquoise eyes darted back and forth. An unsettling smile washed over her like a disaster.
“I’ve come to take you as my mate.”
⊹ ࣪🍰˚⊹♡
“Here you go.”
Clink. Leoni placed a cup of tea in front of Claude.
Though initially flustered, Leoni quickly regained her composure. Mate? Once she collected her thoughts, it sounded ridiculous.
Still, she had to offer him hospitality.
It was the Empire’s custom. Even during war, they offered a cup of tea to their guests.
Leoni started cleaning… or rather, tidying up a bit. Frankly, she didn’t have the energy for proper cleaning.
Inwardly, she desperately wanted to chase out the disaster-like uninvited guest, but that was impossible.
The best course of action was to entertain him and find out what was going on.
To do that, she had to clean the kitchen, but given the circumstances, she wasn’t in the mood for meticulous hospitality.
Leoni simply pushed aside the piled-up dishes and dried-up food scraps, calling it cleaning. Of course, Claude’s smile deepened as he watched the horrific scene in the kitchen.
“I don’t know your tastes, but… well, there’s not much food left in the house.”
“’Your’?”
“It’s how we address people like you in the Empire.”
The Empire granted dragons the titles of Duke and Knight simultaneously. For convenience, the Cooperation Bureau addressed dragons as “Sir” or “Lord.”
Her guest’s eyes widened, then crinkled with a smile as if nothing had happened.
“Aha. We have a similar term in my country. It’s usually used for those of lower standing. The tea, it’s good.”
He was still smiling brightly and seemed strangely elated.
Smiling? You’re smiling after dropping a bomb like that on me?
Leoni imagined accidentally splashing hot tea on his face, or even poisoning it.
Actually, maybe it was already poisoned. When she briefly checked earlier, the tea leaves were close to their expiration date.
‘But he’s a dragon. He won’t die, will he?’
A dragon’s stomach was said to digest even iron. These tea leaves wouldn’t even give him an upset stomach, let alone kill him.
As she reached this conclusion, the brief flicker of guilt vanished. Claude asked her, his expression relieved,
“You said there’s no food left, do you not eat at home?”
“No.”
“Not at all? Even if you eat lunch at work, what about breakfast and dinner?”
“I skip them.”
He sighed briefly.
“Oh dear, people live on food.”
He seemed genuinely concerned, which irritated her even more. After watching him sip his tea for a while, Leoni spoke,
“Sir, about what you said earlier…”
“Yes.”
“Were you serious?”
“Well?”
Leoni barely suppressed a sigh.
“If I say no, will you not take me?”
“Hmm. I can’t do that.”
His attitude was not at all serious. Naturally. Leoni was the one in a difficult situation. Before Leoni could say anything, Claude continued,
“But is there any reason to say no?”
Whether Leoni’s expression soured or not, Claude simply smiled brightly.
“I think you’ll be happier coming with me.”
“Excuse me? Why?”
He placed his teacup down without a sound. His posture was impeccable, fit for royalty.
“Your only father is already dead, and judging by how readily you serve a stranger for a few coins, your circumstances don’t seem very comfortable. And your house is a messy garbage dump.”
“…….”
His words were rather harsh, considering his gentle smile. She barely managed to compose herself, but his next words made her expression crumble.
“You even have that troublesome constitution. Everything seems to stick to you, doesn’t it?”
“……How did you know?”
Leoni’s eyes widened as he mentioned her constitution.
“I was told it doesn’t affect dragons.”
A constitution that attracted mythical creatures.
Strangely, mythical creatures flocked to Leoni like bees to flowers. It was also the reason why she had never been assigned to handle a mythical creature.
However, this constitution didn’t affect dragons. Otherwise, she would have fled the moment she identified him as a dragon.
Did the Cooperation Bureau warn him about that too?
Considering her and her father, it was a plausible guess.
“Well, how do you think I knew?”
Claude leaned closer, dodging the question with a sly smile. He added,
“I’ve only taken a brief look around, but there seem to be quite a few unsavory things roaming this country. It must be difficult to live with a constitution like that.”
“…….”
“Anyway, I’m not heartless enough to leave my future mate in a place like this. If you come with me… you’ll live a much better life than here, at least.”
The sound of him sipping tea again filled the air. It sounded like a good offer on the surface. You seem to be struggling, so come with me and you’ll live comfortably.
“But what if I still refuse?”
Despite her firm tone, Claude didn’t seem offended at all. He asked back, as if waiting for her to say it,
“Do you refuse?”
“Of course. I’m tired of a life controlled by others.”
She had been tormented her whole life by Theo’s mistakes, mistakes she hadn’t made.
Why had she been so desperate to earn money?
Because with money, she wouldn’t be controlled by others. She wouldn’t be tormented.
‘And now I’m supposed to be dragged away like an object?’
That was unacceptable, even if he was a dragon.
“More than anything, this was something my father did on his own. My will wasn’t involved at all.”
However, it took some courage to say such things, considering who she was facing.
Leoni continued, slightly nervously,
“So I don’t want to go with you. If there’s any other way to repay the debt, I’ll do my best.”
“Alright, I respect that.”
“Even if you do, I also have my own life… What?”
“I respect that.”
As Leoni was taken aback by his unexpected words, he propped his chin on his hand and smiled. His attitude was markedly different from the arrogant beings she had encountered so far.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t take you. I can’t just take a loss, can I?”
“I… suppose?”
“You mentioned repayment? Sadly, it’s not something that can be repaid with money. Well, unless you return the item.”
Right, the item.
It was a sliver of hope. If she could find that item, she wouldn’t have to be at his mercy anymore.
“The item that was borrowed. If I find it for you, will the collateral agreement be void?”
“Of course. As long as you return it within the time limit.”
The mention of a time limit made Leoni’s eyes waver. Right. If something was borrowed, there would naturally be a deadline for its return.
“……How much time is left?”
Still, there was no need to miss the opportunity. Maintaining a calm facade, Leoni responded.
His gray eyes sparkled with interest at her bold reply.
After pondering for a moment, Claude grinned.
“Three months. If you can’t find the item, I’ll take you.”
⊹ ࣪🍰˚⊹♡
Three months? It wasn’t some probationary period.
Returning to the living room, Leoni picked up her notebook.
“Please describe the item first.”
Claude made a small circle with his fingers.
“A green jewel, about this size.”
“A jewel?”
Leoni felt momentarily discouraged.
If it was something as valuable as a jewel, the Parliament would have confiscated it long ago. Or Helen would have sold it to supplement their living expenses.
Even if she managed to find the jeweler who sold it, it had been over ten years. She doubted there were many jewelers with such a prodigious memory to recall every jewel sold back then.
Oblivious to her concerns, Claude continued,
“It was in a box like this.”
“A box? Was it locked?”
“Probably.”
‘Then there might still be a chance to find it?’
If they didn’t know what was inside the box, it might still be intact. As long as it hadn’t been opened.
“A black box… with a pine tree and a crane carved on it with thin seashells. The pattern shines iridescently with seven colors.”
Ignoring his unhelpful additional details, Leoni stood up.
“I’ll search the upstairs storage room first, just in case. Will you please wait here?”
She patted the armrest of the sofa and left the living room, but she heard footsteps following her. She didn’t need to confirm who it was.
“……What are you doing, not staying in the living room?”
“I’m going to help.”
Claude shrugged.
“Judging by the state of the house, I doubt the upstairs is much different. Wouldn’t two be better than one?”
Despite his lengthy explanation, he simply meant he wanted to follow. Leoni nodded resignedly and led the way.
There were three rooms on the second floor. A guest room, Leoni’s bedroom, and another room used for storage.
Standing in front of the door, Leoni grasped the doorknob. Claude asked mischievously,
“I don’t need to be on edge, do I?”
“Of course not. I cleaned it a while ago, so it’s relatively tidy.”
With a confident wink, Leoni twisted the doorknob forcefully.
Crash! Rumble-.
As if waiting for the cue, the sound of objects tumbling filled the room.
“…….”
At the same time, a medicine bottle rolled out and stopped right in front of Claude’s speechless shoes.
