Bery gazed at the king from across the table. He picked up his kraken sandwich and hoisted it into his mouth. The man's eyes widened, and his face glistened with glee. Seeing his reaction, the king's entourage also dug into the sandwiches, and Bery gleaned a similar response from them.

"How can something so simple looking taste so wonderful?" The king asked. "I never expected that simple bread would taste this good, nor did I expect all of it to be seasoned so nicely."

Valerie crossed her arms, appearing smug from the response. "This is only natural. When I have to feed my kitten, I make sure to serve her only the best dishes."

The king grinned and looked between her and Bery. "It's as I imagined. You are not some bloodthirsty beast like some thought you'd be."

"Of course not," Valerie said, "that is merely a delusion made up by some of your people. There are some of us that would try to tyrannize, but those are dealt with. What are called dragons are a group that will maintain peace through strength."

Brachius nodded and finished his sandwich with a sigh. "It really is so good. I wish I'd be able to try this at any time in the castle."

Valerie shrugged. "I will not be coming to visit you, so don't expect it. More importantly…"

The king bobbed his head again and gestured at the follower sitting next to him. The other man took out a piece of parchment from his blouse and handed it to the king.

"This piece of paper will serve as our agreement to hand over the land. You may read it yourself. There are no conditions. The only thing is that you get the town of Korilis. We will maintain it, until you find a time that is suitable to instate your own governance."

Valerie raised an eyebrow and took the sheet. She scanned it over quickly with her eyes before rolling it up and disappearing it. "I have received it. From today, you will not be able to go back on your word."

Yuri piped up from her own little corner. "If it's not much trouble, My Lady, I would be able to create a system of governance the moment that you deem it necessary."

Valerie looked at the automation and nodded. "I will leave it to you when the time comes."

The king watched this exchange in disbelief. "You are going to leave it to a golem?"

Valerie glared at him. "Of course, she is not just any golem, she is Yuri. I imagine her governance would be better than mine could ever be anyway. I do not find myself attached to many people. The only attachment I need is Bery."

Bery felt herself flushing red again. I swear, this dragon! She keeps saying things to try and embarrass me!

Though the kitten had such thoughts, she didn't mind her dragon's possessiveness. She found Valerie more endearing than anyone. Besides, the dragoness had agreed to the king's request despite how annoying it could be for her. All because Bery had to open her silly kitty mouth.

Valerie clapped. "And with you all sufficiently fed and a deal made, it's time that you bid us adieu."

The king smiled wryly but ultimately nodded. "I am very thankful for your patronage, and I am very sorry for the last ruler. I will make a valiant effort to not become like that man."

"Good," Valerie said with a smile. "If you ever become like that man, I will make sure to make the same effort I did previously."

Brachius gulped down his tea and gestured to the men. "Come on. We have a long way to go on the road back."

///

Hours after the men left, Bery found herself sitting on top of Valerie's lap and painting on a blank canvas. The kitten dipped her brush and started on the smooth surface. She was working with only a memory, but that was good enough for her.

Bery started with the rolling waves of the beach, remembering perfectly how they crashed against the shoreline. At first, the scene looked calm and peaceful. She dotted the beachfront with Granchin houses, but then she started to paint the tendrils. She painted the kraken's tentacles coming from the depths of the ocean and wrapping around buildings.

With her black paint, she created cracks in the walls to show the building's structure collapsing. The kitten finished the giant one-eyed kraken, and Valerie raised her eyebrow at the scene.

"Even though it's been over a week, it looks so detailed. Your ability to paint is really special, kitten."

Bery blushed and grinned, purring into Valerie's arms. "I am not done yet. Besides, I think you are much more amazing than I am."

The dragoness placed her chin on the back of Bery's head and sniffed the kitten's hair. "I would never be able to paint with this level of detail, and there are not many who can. You should give yourself credit. You are the best paintress I've ever seen."

Bery felt her heart thumping in her chest, but she focused back on the canvas. She started painting Valerie in the sky. Two vibrant red wings popped out of her back, and she held a flaming spear in her hand. On the ground below, people cheered for their heroine up above.

"Now I just have to wait for it all to dry," the kitten said.

"It looks stunning. Your paintings would look magnificent inside of an art museum."

Bery smiled. "Not many people valued them as much. Sometimes I would get sales inside of the merchant's guild, but it was mostly Emary who bought them. She basically supported my ability to do this."

Valerie sighed. "That's how history is, unfortunately. Just like this beach you painted, the waves of the water flow in and out. Sand gets deposited on the shore. This is how times work. Sometimes there are periods in history where people treasure art, but other times, it is not the case. Though, it also depends on where you are in the world. The vampires in the North value art."

Bery turned around after placing her brushes down and straddled her dragoness. She looked into the deep red eyes of Valerie and kissed the dragon's nose. "Do you think we could go there at some point? I would like to learn from other painters."

"We can go anywhere in this world together. Consider this place as our playground. The sea, the skies, and all of the land are ours to behold. When you get tired, you can rest your head on my lap."

Bery wrapped her arms around the dragoness, hugging her tightly. "I will definitely do that. I would also like for you to rest your head on me." Bery pulled back and ran her fingers up and down Valerie's black horns. She admired their rough texture and smiled. "I really love how these look."

The dragoness's cheeks reddened, and she buried her face in Bery's chest. "Well, they are yours to hold onto anytime you want, kitten."

Bery purred and pet Valerie's head. "I love this side of you. Though, I also love the commanding normal side of you, but this side is one that I get to see all to myself. It makes me feel special."

Valerie gazed at her kitten's blue eyes and grinned. "You should feel special. I will give you all of my sides. I hope that you will be able to accept them all."

Bery pecked Valerie's lips. "I don't think you need to hope that will happen. I am sure that I'll be able to accept all of you. In fact, every moment I spend with you makes me realize that I love you even more."

"I love you too, my kitten. No matter what, I will protect your smile with everything I have."

Bery grinned, but their moment of peace outside was interrupted by the monotone voice of a certain golem.

"Lady Valerie, forgive my intrusion, but I have sorted all of your hoard."

Valerie's eyes widened, and she turned her head towards the golem in disbelief. "What do you mean? You sorted that entire pile? The thing that I said would take years before?"

"That is correct. Be advised, Yuri has found new methods of sorting using this thing called mana."

Bery shared Valerie's disbelief and stood from the dragon's lap. She was reluctant to leave when they'd been in such a loving trance, but this had thrown them both off guard. The kitten didn't think it was possible either. Yuri had just learned to walk and just started sorting, but she already finished?

The kitten reached towards Valerie and pulled her to her feet. All three of them walked back into the castle and towards the hoard, but when they got there, the sight was definitely unexpected. A gigantic stone box replaced what used to be a huge pile of gold and jewels.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.