“Our Crown Princess is absolutely noble. She is very wonderful. Of course.”
Sasha didn’t even try to hide her sarcasm.
“But that’s all. Would such an ‘ordinary’ person be fit to be the ruler of this empire?”
“Ordinary? Are you so great as to disparage Her Highness Anais as ordinary?”
“Of course! Otherwise, how could a girl selling flowers in a small village stand here?”
“What?”
At that moment, the nobles noticed a red presence growing behind Sasha.
“What is that? Are my eyes weird?”
“Oh, no. I can see it too. There’s something reddish behind her…”
As people began to murmur, Sasha finally felt that her time had come and she took a step forward.
“Anais was merely born as the Emperor’s child, but I was chosen by a dragon. Doesn’t that make it fair to call that noble lady ordinary?”
As she revealed herself as the Dragon’s Contractor, basking in her victory, the red light that had been shining behind her instantly condensed into a human form, forming the figure of Malek.
“Look, look, look at that!”
“How….how did she do that? How can there be a person there…!”
Finally, in his full form, Malek placed a hand on Sasha’s shoulder, his red hair gently flowing.
“My beautiful contractor. What do you want?”
“First of all, would you please throw those who deny me here into the dungeon?”
“It’s not difficult.”
The red light that formed Malek suddenly spread out and began to appear in a larger and more ominous shape.
“W-What….what is that!”
“A dragon…? Really, a dragon?”
Behind Sasha, Malek slowly revealed his true form.
Eyes that glow bright yellow, blood-red scales and sharp claws, wings covering its back, and a tail covered with sharp horns.
Sasha shouted with a wide grin,
“Spread the word to neighboring countries! A dragon has descended upon the Kale Empire after 500 years. And the dragon’s contractor isn’t Anais Aspen, but me, Sasha Haberon!”
Malek flicked the tip of his tail toward those staring in horror at him and Sasha.
Then, those who stood up in opposition to Abel’s crown prince position disappeared in an instant.
“Aaaah!”
“It’s a demon! A monster!”
Even the nobles who supported Sasha panicked and tried to run away. However, the entrance to the nobles’ conference hall was tightly locked.
“You should all be delighted. The people who refused to listen are gone. Hahaha!”
Sasha joked with a sweet, lilting voice, her eyes narrowing gracefully as she laughed.
But not a single noble could find joy in that situation.
Sasha’s words were a threat—that anyone who didn’t agree with her could be dealt with using the dragon’s power at any time.
“Ha, hahaha! Of course!”
“Y-Yes, exactly! We were just…a little startled, that’s all…haha.”
Seeing the nobles quickly submitting, Sasha had no doubt that she had risen to the highest position in the empire by that time.
“Well then, shall we resume the meeting? Your Majesty, your announcement was interrupted by these rude subjects. I’ve taken care of them, so please continue.”
“Ah….”
The Emperor still had a blank expression on his face and stammered as he read the announcement placed before him.
“Uh… and…I hereby appoint Marquise Sasha Haberon, who has long stood by my side, as Empress, granting her the Aspen name…And… as my health is failing… I will delegate all my authority to Crown Prince Abel Charis Aspen. However… until the Crown Prince comes of age, Empress Sasha Aspen shall assist him.”
The emperor had said that he would delegate authority to Abel, but in the end, it was Sasha who would hold full power.
When the Emperor finished reading the announcement, panting heavily, Sasha smiled brightly and looked around the hall.
“Any objections?”
The dragon was still there and no one was brave enough to object.
Instead, someone started clapping, and everyone followed suit, clapping their hands together vigorously.
‘What a spectacle.’
Lark, who was secretly peeking inside from outside the conference room window, was shocked.
He had only come to check if Sasha and Abel were tied up in the noble meeting before going to rescue Elaine. He never expected to witness such chaos.
But even in the midst of all that, what came to his mind was Prince Abel, who was not there, and Elaine, who he had taken away and not returned.
‘He kidnapped Elaine just days before causing this disaster? Why?’
Lark, while doubting whether he was being oversensitive, couldn’t shake the feeling that the reason Abel had to take Elaine away back then was somehow related to that incident.
Although the High Priest John never revealed how he confirmed that Elaine was a witch, he was able to confirm where John had been on the evening Elaine disappeared by giving a bag of gold coins to the coachman driving John’s carriage.
‘The Haberon estate, he said. That’s where Elaine is most likely being held.’
Lark did not believe the excommunication issued by John.
If Elaine was a witch, it was John’s official duty to identify her and excommunicate her.
However, when looking at the priest’s work log, it was recorded that John did not go out anywhere that night, and John also refused to clarify his actions.
If it had been an honest, righteous act, why would he go to such lengths to hide it?
‘It was a fabricated excommunication. Lorina likely arranged it, but I don’t know why Marquise Haberon or Prince Abel got involved.’
In the current situation, it was more difficult to approach Sasha or Abel, so there was no way to uncover their true motives.
The only option was to directly retrieve Elaine, even if it meant using force.
Lark turned around quietly without making a sound and started riding towards the place he had learned from the coachman.
The mercenaries he had bought would already be positioned around there.
Unaware that Lark was heading toward her estate, Sasha basked in her triumph, gently massaging the Emperor’s shoulder as she spoke.
“Well, since it seems everyone unanimously agrees with Your Majesty’s announcement, it’s time for you to sign, Your Majesty.”
Then she placed a document before the emperor, delegating all his authority to Abel.
Supporting Sasha, Malek spread his wings above her, casting a red glow over the surroundings.
Wide wings that seemed to cover the ceiling of the conference hall, the bright yellow eyes that showed the greed of a predator, a light that seemed to scatter blood, and his contractor looking down on the Emperor of the Empire. This was the perfect stage for the usurpation of the throne.
“Your Majesty, you haven’t forgotten your own name, have you?”
With a seductive smile, Sasha placed the pen directly into the Emperor’s hand.
So mentally shattered by the overwhelming situation that he couldn’t even show his fear, the Emperor gripped the pen as Sasha guided him, his hand trembling as he lowered the pen to the document.
Just as he was about to sign, the locked door of the nobles’ conference hall suddenly broke with a loud bang.
As the white smoke of lime powder that had been fluttering like the aftereffects of destruction settled, a young man with jet-black hair walked in calmly, smoothing his sleeves.
“Oh, I’m a little late. Sergey Lindell of the Count of Lindell, has just entered the palace.”
Everyone turned in shock to look at him, but Malek, who should have been the sole star of this stage, bared his teeth and grew larger in size.
[You!]
“Lady Haberon, Since when did you start keeping a lizard as a pet?”
As soon as Sergey finished speaking, Malek breathed flames towards Sergey.
But the only ones screaming were the nobles inside the hall—the flames deflected as if an invisible shield surrounded Sergey.
“You’re as impatient as I am. Well, I guess there’s no reason to refuse.”
Sergey grinned, showing his teeth.
Then, his body was suddenly enveloped in pitch-black smoke, and just like when Malek appeared, he began to take the form of a dragon.
The nobles were now so overwhelmed that they didn’t know what to be more shocked about—they simply gaped in silence.
Rabes, ignoring them, lunged toward Malek but paused.
[Tsk, my contractor doesn’t like seeing humans die. Let’s get all the distractions out of the way before we start.]
Rabes’s eyes glowed blue, and all the people in the conference hall disappeared in an instant.
[Don’t let the hostage be taken away! Go and protect the villa!]
Malek also moved Sasha outside and whispered.
In the now-empty noble conference hall, the black dragon and the red dragon faced each other.
[I am being reborn as a peace-loving dragon because of my cute contractor. So I will give you a chance. Just disappear from this land and I will spare you from extinction.]
Rabes spoke while scratching his muzzle with his front paws. His arrogant demeanor did not show the slightest tension before the upcoming battle.
[You insolent brat!]
[Hey now, I’m being generous here, why are you getting so angry?]
[You’ll soon be the one begging me for mercy.]
[You’ve got a weird way of saying you want to die. Okay, then come at me.]
In an instant, the magical powers of the two dragons collided in the air, creating a huge explosion.
* * *
