"Waaah, waaah, waaah, Lucia. I'm Lucia."
What was a dragonling in such a hurry to fall in love for? Even he, an adult dragon, had never been in love.
"Don't think I'm that vicious. I don't eat my own kind."
Lance waved the golden-brown roasted meat in front of Lucia a few times. "I'm asking whether you want to eat roasted meat, not whether I'm going to eat you."
"Really? You're really not going to eat me?"
Lucia was still frightened. An evil dragon—those legendary evil dragons even dared blaspheme the gods. As for eating people, they devoured entire cities at a time. Anyone who encountered a legendary evil dragon would be terrified.
"I really won't eat you." Lance grinned. This Amethyst Dragonling had dared to barge into the human capital in broad daylight and snatch away a princess, yet she was so timid in front of one of her own kind. She couldn't really think that he, a black dragon, would eat his own kind, could she?
"What's your name?"
"Lu-Lu-Lucia. My name is Lucia."
After confirming that the evil dragon in front of her would not eat her for the time being, the fear in Lucia's heart eased slightly.
Calm down. The evil dragon said he doesn't eat his own kind. I'm a dragon right now. As long as I don't suddenly turn back into a human, I shouldn't become the evil dragon's food.
Lucia looked at the golden-brown roasted beast leg in Lance's claws. A little clear drool trickled from the corner of her mouth. It wasn't that she was greedy—the roasted beast leg in the evil dragon's claws simply smelled too good.
"Don't be so reckless in the future. Human princesses aren't as easy to kidnap as you imagine. If I hadn't been there today, those Griffin Knights from the human world might have captured you alive. Then... you might even have been kept as a pet by that princess in the capital.
"You wanted to kidnap a princess, but that princess might have wanted to raise a dragonling for fun. Once she tamed you, she could even use you as a mount.
"Here, eat. You're too thin."
Lance stuffed the roasted beast leg in his claws into Lucia's mouth.
This Amethyst Dragonling was somewhat malnourished. Her dragon body was undersized, and her limbs looked weak as well.
It was obvious from her appearance that she lived alone. Dragonlings who lived with their parents were all plump and chubby. Only dragonlings who had left their parents early and lived alone suffered from malnutrition.
Lucia gnawed noisily at the roasted beast leg the evil dragon had stuffed into her mouth. It was so delicious—even the palace chefs couldn't roast meat with this flavor.
What had the evil dragon just said? She had tried to kidnap a princess? And if not for him, she would have been captured alive by the Griffin Knights?
Hmph.
If this evil dragon hadn't suddenly dropped from the sky, those Griffin Knights in the capital would never have caught her.
And kidnapping a princess was even more absurd.
She was a princess herself. Why would she kidnap a princess? No, she was a dragon now.
Could the evil dragon think that she had appeared over the capital's imperial palace to abduct a princess and bring her home? If he really thought that, then he had guessed half right. That rotten Imperial Sister—Lucia wouldn't take her even if she were given to her for free.
Right. Why hadn't the evil dragon carried that rotten Imperial Sister away when he dropped from the sky?
Wasn't a princess much better than a dragonling?
Wouldn't it have been better to abduct that rotten Imperial Sister? She could only blame herself for being timid and getting scared senseless by the evil dragon. If she had shouted, "Take that princess I've set my sights on with us," then perhaps that rotten Imperial Sister would now be clutching her dragon tail, curled up and trembling with her.
What a huge loss!
"Slow down. There's more after you finish."
The evil dragon had more of a conscience than that rotten Imperial Sister.
Before long, the enormous roasted beast leg had been reduced to a bone by Lucia.
Just as she was preparing to rest for a while, the evil dragon took the bone from her and stuffed another roasted beast leg into her mouth.
Lucia was already somewhat full and didn't really want to eat anymore, but she didn't dare refuse the evil dragon's kindness. She could only continue gnawing noisily.
After finishing the second roasted beast leg, Lucia's belly became round. One burp after another escaped her mouth. Hopefully the evil dragon doesn't plan to fatten me up and then butcher me for meat.
"Are you full?"
"F-Full."
"Do you want to return to the place where you used to live, or stay here?"
I want to go back to the capital! Lucia shouted inwardly.
However, she didn't dare tell the evil dragon in front of her what she was really thinking. If he learned that she wasn't a dragonling but the Imperial Daughter, then even if he didn't eat her, he would definitely imprison her.
Should I lie and trick him into thinking I lived in some Deep Mountain Old Forest? No, that probably wouldn't work. If the evil dragon took her seriously and threw her into some Deep Mountain Old Forest, there was an even greater chance she would be eaten by a Magical Beast.
"Can I stay here?"
"You can."
"Waaah, waaah, you're really too kind."
Waaah, waaah, I don't want to stay here. I want to fight my way back to the capital and reclaim everything that belongs to me! Lucia burst into tears sorrowfully.
She couldn't go back. She really couldn't go back anymore.
She would never have the chance to become the emperor of the Farolyn Empire either.
For the rest of her life, she would live here as a dragonling with the evil dragon.
She truly didn't have the courage to refuse the evil dragon's kindness. She didn't dare refuse. Who knew whether the evil dragon would fly into a rage and eat her if she rejected him?
Even if he didn't eat her and simply let her leave, she couldn't leave anyway. Who knew how far this island where the evil dragon lived was from the mainland? If she tried to fly there, she might die of exhaustion before making it back.
"My name is Lance. You can call me by my name from now on."
"Lance? The evil dragon Lance?"
Lucia rubbed her round little belly with her dragon claw and carefully recalled what she knew. There had been many powerful evil dragons throughout history. Of course, none of them had met good ends. They had either been slain or become the mounts of heroes and champions.
There didn't seem to have been an evil dragon named Lance in history. There had been one named Dimos, though.
"I don't think the legends mention an evil dragon with your name."
"Do you think anyone can become an evil dragon? If you want to be an evil dragon, you first need strength, influence, and a background.
"Giant dragons without strength, influence, or a background get beaten to death when they cause trouble outside. You were simply lucky enough to run into me when you went to the human world to play the evil dragon. If I hadn't happened to encounter you, your fate would have been... either becoming a princess's mount or becoming the armor, boots, or weapon on a princess's body.
"Even your dragon blood might become a magical potion for a princess's bath. Every part of a giant dragon is a treasure. While you covet the beauty of human princesses, humans also covet your dragon scales, Dragon Teeth, dragon heads, dragon blood, Dragon Tendons, and so on. Wait, that's not right. Judging by your name, you're a female dragonling. As a female dragonling, why are you imitating those adult male evil dragons? They go to the human world to kidnap princesses simply to satisfy their desires, but why would a female dragonling like you kidnap a princess?"
"..."
Lucia really wanted to work up the courage to complain about a few things to the evil dragon in front of her. From beginning to end, he had been the one claiming that she wanted to kidnap a princess.
She had never thought of kidnapping that rotten Imperial Sister. She had only wanted to drive that rotten Imperial Sister out of the capital.
"Fine swords go with heroes, and princesses go with evil dragons. I want to become an evil dragon remembered throughout history. Isn't it perfectly normal to want to kidnap a princess and bring her home?"
"..."
Lance was speechless. He felt that what Lucia said made perfect sense.
"Your dream is to become an evil dragon?"
"Yes, yes, yes! My dream is to become an evil dragon remembered throughout history!"
Waaah, waaah, my dream is to become the emperor of the Farolyn Empire.
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