The gazes of the two ancient dragons fell on her at the same time, their eyes filled with such obvious expectation that Melita, who had once been accustomed to idling through life and collecting a paycheck, instinctively shrank her neck. But she was no longer who she had been. Once the initial nervousness passed, she pointed at herself. "Could it be that the candidate is... me?"
"You are the most suitable," Speaker Andal said in a deep voice. "Among the younger generation, you have had the most contact with the Loren Continent, and you have a personal friendship with Gawain Cecil. As for your abilities, you are good at adapting to change and handling unexpected situations—Tarlonnd has been closed off for far too long, and after a devastating war, we can no longer find many diplomats like you."
Melita opened her mouth. In truth, she had guessed how things would unfold when the two leaders were only halfway through their discussion, but she still could not help saying quietly, "But I... have some personal matters..."
Heragol looked over curiously, his tone gentle. "Personal matters?"
"I still have to go home and incubate an egg..." Melita said awkwardly. "Noreta and I have just adopted a dragon egg."
Speaker Andal immediately thought back for a moment and nodded lightly. "I seem to recall Duke Mor mentioning it. Noreta submitted the application last week."
Melita felt somewhat ashamed—Tarlonnd needed her now, and she felt she should not let personal matters affect the greater good. Yet she had still been unable to stop herself from mentioning the egg, because she truly could not bear the thought of leaving Noreta to care for it alone. But by now, she had already made her decision. She would leave the final judgment to the two leaders. After