Princess Selene smiled softly from within the carriage, golden eyes reflecting beneath the morning sunlight.
Then, with calm elegance, she spoke her farewell.
"Farewell, Lady Dark Flame."
A faint amused curve remained on her lips.
"I am certain we shall meet again someday."
For some reason, the way she said it felt less like politeness…
and more like certainty.
Mia awkwardly raised one hand slightly.
"…T-take care… I guess…"
Selene gave a final graceful nod afterward.
Then the carriage window slowly closed.
The escort of Norvoss gradually continued down the road, accompanied by armored knights and the distant figure of General Aerys riding silently ahead on horseback.
The estate slowly became quiet again once they disappeared into the distance.
Mia remained standing there for a moment.
Then finally muttered honestly:
"…I really doubt she's a princess from a conquest kingdom."
She looked genuinely confused.
Because:
Selene was polite
calm
elegant
friendly
Not at all what Mia imagined from stories about conquerors.
Beside her, Leo gave a small awkward laugh.
"Oh…"
His expression became slightly complicated afterward.
"You probably should."
Mia blinked.
Leo folded his arms while watching the empty road.
"The scary part about people like Princess Selene…"
He spoke more quietly now.
"…is that they don't need to look dangerous."
A brief silence followed.
Then Leo added:
"Even father gets nervous around her."
That actually made Mia pause.
Because Vinson was not someone who frightened easily.
Far down the road meanwhile, inside the Norvoss carriage—
Selene quietly watched the scenery pass outside her window.
And for the first time in a long while…
the princess of conquest seemed genuinely interested in something.
Mia continued staring toward the road where the Norvoss carriage had disappeared.
Then suddenly spoke:
"…I'm gonna go find Ebruhan."
Beside her, Leo immediately looked doubtful.
"I don't know if that's a good idea."
Mia blinked.
"Why?"
Leo shrugged slightly.
"He's probably still escorting foreign nobles out of the capital."
That made Mia pause.
"…Right."
Considering the amount of important guests still leaving the kingdom, Ebruhan was likely busy flying around half the country ensuring nobody started a political disaster on the roads.
Mia crossed her arms while thinking.
"Then…"
A brief silence followed.
Leo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…You're bored already, aren't you?"
Mia immediately answered:
"Yes."
Instantly.
No hesitation.
Yesterday:
royal ball
political tension
endless nobles
Norvoss princess
And now suddenly?
Peaceful morning.
Her brain had no idea what to do anymore.
Leo laughed softly.
"You can always train."
Mia stared at him like he had personally insulted her bloodline.
"…Absolutely not."
"I survived society yesterday."
"That counts as combat training."
Leo burst out laughing again.
Meanwhile Mia dramatically stretched both arms upward while groaning.
"…Maybe I'll just sleep again."
Leo shook his head while laughing quietly.
"Lazy dragon."
Mia immediately stuck her tongue out at him.
"Blepp."
"You're just jealous!"
Leo raised an eyebrow.
"Jealous?"
Mia crossed her arms proudly.
"Yept."
A smug grin appeared on her face.
"I'm a dragon."
She lifted her chin slightly higher.
"So obviously I'm superior to you."
"Admit it."
Silence.
Leo stared at her.
Mia stared back.
Then suddenly—
Mia froze.
…Wait.
Her own words replayed inside her head.
I'm a dragon. Superior to you.
Her expression slowly changed from smug confidence…
to visible confusion.
"…Huh?"
Leo blinked once.
"…Mia?"
Meanwhile inside her mind:
WHY DID I SAY THAT SO NATURALLY??
That did not sound like Riko.
That sounded instinctive.
Dragon instinctive.
Mia's eyes widened slightly afterward.
Because for a brief moment—
she genuinely believed it.
Not hatred.
Not arrogance.
Just…
a strange natural sense that dragons stood above other creatures.
The feeling disappeared almost immediately afterward, leaving only confusion behind.
"…That was weird."
Leo tilted his head.
"Did you just proclaimed?"
Leo stared at Mia for a few seconds before sighing dramatically.
"You dragons are unbelievable."
Mia awkwardly scratched her cheek.
Leo continued while shaking his head.
"Always so prideful."
Then he pointed at himself.
"Even toward your big brother?"
Mia immediately looked embarrassed afterward.
"…Sorry."
A nervous laugh escaped her.
"Hehe…"
"It just… came out like that."
And honestly?
That made it even more concerning somehow.
Leo, however, did not seem bothered at all.
Instead he simply waved one hand casually.
"I don't mind."
"You dragons love proclaiming things anyway."
Mia blinked.
"…Proclaiming?"
Leo nodded confidently.
"Yeah."
He began counting with his fingers dramatically.
"This treasure is mine."
"This territory belongs to me."
"I am strongest."
"Bow before dragon greatness."
Leo pointed accusingly toward her now.
"You all speak like walking legends."
Mia then groan and covering her face
"It so embarrassing.."
Leo laugh and pointed at her
"Too late! You already being more dragon everyday!"
After Leo finally left for the academy, silence slowly returned to the estate once more.
Mia remained standing alone in the courtyard for a while.
The morning breeze moved softly through her dark hair.
Yet her thoughts felt strangely restless.
"You're already becoming more dragon every year."
Leo had said it jokingly.
But…
why did those words stay in her head?
Mia slowly lowered her gaze.
Why HAD she said that earlier?
"I'm superior to you."
The words replayed uncomfortably inside her mind.
She would never normally say something like that.
At least…
Riko never would have.
Yet it came out naturally.
Instinctively.
Like some part of her genuinely believed it.
That feeling unsettled her far more than she wanted to admit.
Because now that she thought about it…
it had already been almost eight years.
Eight years living as a dragon.
Eight years flying.
Eight years using mana.
Eight years adapting to dragon instincts, senses, emotions…
habits.
Mia slowly began walking toward her barn quietly.
The moment she stepped inside, her eyes drifted toward a small corner near the wall.
Then she froze slightly.
There were shiny objects there.
Not many.
Just:
a few gold coins
polished trinkets
some decorative metal pieces
small treasures
Things she had collected absentmindedly over time.
Some came from Xavier after Mia gave him and Leo flights through the skies.
Others were random objects she simply… liked.
Mia stared at them silently.
Then realized something horrifying.
"…Wait."
Her expression slowly changed.
"…I made a hoard."
Not intentionally.
Not consciously.
But somehow…
she had done it anyway.
Mia immediately covered part of her face in emotional distress.
"No."
"No no no."
"I am NOT becoming one of those prideful dragons."
Absolutely not.
She refused.
And she was DEFINITELY never saying those superiority words ever again.
Ever.
As Mia sat down heavily near her small pile of shiny objects, a familiar voice suddenly echoed from behind her.
"Oh?"
Emma leaned casually against the barn entrance with amusement visible on her face.
"You've got your own little hoard already."
Mia's soul nearly left her body.
"ARRGHHH!!"
She jumped violently in shock.
"YOU SCARED ME!"
Mia slowly calmed her breathing after nearly dying from sudden Emma appearance syndrome.
"Phew…"
She placed one hand against her chest dramatically.
"…Hi, Miss Emma."
Emma crossed her arms while leaning against the barn entrance, still clearly amused.
"Hello to you too."
Mia hesitated slightly afterward.
Then her expression became more serious.
"…Actually."
"There's something I wanted to ask."
Emma immediately noticed the shift in tone.
"What is it?"
Mia looked down briefly before speaking carefully.
"I said something weird earlier."
Emma waited quietly.
Mia awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.
"I suddenly told Leo…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"I'm a dragon. I'm superior to you."
Silence followed briefly.
Mia looked visibly uncomfortable afterward.
"And the strange part is…"
"…I didn't even realize I was saying it."
"It just came out naturally."
Emma blinked once.
Then surprisingly—
she did not look shocked at all.
Instead, her expression became almost understanding.
"Mia."
Emma walked further inside the barn before sitting casually atop a wooden crate nearby.
"You ARE a dragon."
Mia frowned slightly.
"But still—"
Emma raised one hand gently.
"What did you expect?"
Her voice remained calm.
"Pride is something engraved deeply into dragon nature."
"Proclaiming themselves."
"Displaying superiority."
"Declaring ownership."
Emma shrugged lightly.
"That's normal for dragons."
"There are practically no dragons who don't proclaim things."
Mia immediately opened her mouth to argue.
Ebruhan doesn't…
Then she stopped.
Because suddenly memories started replaying.
Ebruhan proudly displaying battle trophies to noble ladies.
Ebruhan casually recounting glorious victories.
Ebruhan very obviously enjoying praise.
Ebruhan somehow speaking like a legendary ancient dragon despite mentally being only around twenty-two years old.
…
"…Never mind."
Emma laughed softly after noticing Mia's expression.
"See?"
Mia lowered herself onto the floor while thinking quietly.
Part of her wanted desperately to explain:
there's technically a twenty-nine-year-old office worker from another world inside me.
But…
no.
Absolutely not.
Talking about reincarnation sounded like a terrible idea.
Especially because only Ebruhan knew.
So instead Mia simply muttered:
"…Good to know."
"But it still feels weird for me."
Emma's expression softened slightly afterward.
"That's because you were raised by humans."
Mia looked up.
Emma continued calmly:
"If dragons had raised you instead…"
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"…you would probably be proclaiming ten times more than this already."
Mia imagined it for one horrifying second.
Then immediately looked emotionally devastated.
"…That sounds awful."
Mia still looked deeply conflicted while sitting beside her tiny accidental hoard.
"So…"
She glanced toward Emma uncertainly.
"It's normal to you if I start… proclaiming things?"
Emma nodded immediately without hesitation.
"Yes."
Mia blinked.
Emma smiled faintly afterward.
"You ARE a great dragon after all."
The moment those words landed—
Mia instinctively puffed out her chest proudly.
One hand moved confidently onto her hip.
Her chin lifted slightly.
"That's right."
A smug expression appeared naturally.
"I am indee—"
Then suddenly she froze mid-sentence.
Silence.
Mia slowly looked down at herself in horror.
"…Wait."
Her eyes widened.
"…WHAT??"
Emma pointed at her instantly.
"See?"
Mia looked emotionally betrayed by her own body.
"GRRAHH…"
She grabbed her own head dramatically.
"No…"
"That's SO weird…"
Meanwhile Emma was barely containing laughter now.
"Mia."
She spoke between amused breaths.
"It's literally engraved into dragon instincts from birth."
"Pride."
"Proclaiming."
"Displaying confidence."
"Dragons naturally enjoy acknowledgment."
Mia groaned loudly in suffering.
"This is terrible…"
Emma laughed openly now.
"Oh trust me."
"You're still mild compared to most dragons."
That somehow made it worse.
Mia immediately transformed out of emotional distress.
FWOOOM.
Dark mana swirled briefly as her human body expanded back into her massive black dragon form.
A second later, the young dragon collapsed dramatically onto the barn floor with a heavy THUMP.
"Grraahhh…"
She rested her chin against the ground miserably.
"It still feels weird.."
Mia remained sprawled across the barn floor after Emma finally left.
Silence slowly returned again.
Only the soft sound of wind outside and distant estate activity remained.
Mia kept her eyes closed while resting her chin against the wooden floorboards.
Yet her thoughts refused to calm down.
Pride. Proclaiming. Tail wagging from praise.
…
This was SO weird.
Eight years ago she had been:
exhausted office worker
surviving on cheap food
worrying about daily life
Now?
Now she was apparently:
instinctively reacting to compliments like a giant magical reptile
Mia groaned quietly.
"Grraah…"
The worst part was: Emma was probably right.
The signs had been there for years.
Without noticing, she had already:
built a small hoard
become territorial about certain places
enjoyed flying too much
liked being praised more than expected
naturally thought of humans and dragons differently sometimes
And now?
Pride itself was starting to leak out unconsciously.
Mia slowly curled slightly around her small pile of shiny objects nearby.
Then immediately realized she had curled protectively around them.
Silence.
Her eyes slowly opened.
"…No."
She shifted away from the hoard instantly in denial.
Absolutely not.
No dragon instincts today.
None.
Yet despite her resistance…
a small part of her still quietly enjoyed the warmth of the shiny objects beside her.