Little Pink Starfish

During lunch, perhaps because of the rumours quickly spreading about the Red Dragon, the landowners’ attitudes shifted dramatically. They bowed deeply, rubbing their hands together in exaggerated politeness, as if they had never opposed the appointment of commoners. On rare occasion, however, a few still stubbornly voiced their objections—only to have a repeat of what happened at the first estate. No one could stand firm before the Red Dragon’s true form.

“Yanu! How many times have I told you not to transform into your true form so carelessly!”

Scolding him in exasperation, the Lord poured His energy into coaxing the Red Dragon down. Watching this, Alika couldn’t help but feel uneasy—no matter how mighty the Lord, the Red Dragon still seemed overwhelming. At least, that was what he thought until he accidentally witnessed a certain private moment between them later that afternoon.

“We’ve just about finished, right?”

“Mm-hm. Just two more houses to visit.”

That evening, after dinner, Alika had wandered out to relieve himself and paused upon hearing voices. Hiding behind a tree and peeking out, he spotted the Lord and the Red Dragon walking together. Just as he was about to quietly slip away, not wanting to interrupt, he overheard an unexpected exchange.

“You did really well today. You even shrunk your true form nicely.”

The Lord spoke with delight as He patted the Red Dragon’s rear—just like someone praising a dog that had followed commands well… It was as if today’s rampage had been something the Lord intended.

So it was all planned!

Alika’s mind lit up. The Red Dragon had acted as if he were a dangerous being barely kept in check, and the Lord, pretending to scold and pacify him, had fed the landowners’ fear. Of course they’d be terrified.

So the Lord had seen it all coming… Alika marvelled inwardly at His foresight.

While the Lord was cheerfully patting him, the Red Dragon looked back with a strange expression and said:

“You’re trying to seduce me, right?”

“What? No… Yanu, wait! Not now! We still have two more stops—!”

The Lord had only just taken a step back before the Red Dragon, like an angry bull, suddenly lunged and hoisted Him over his shoulder before dashing off.

No matter how close they were, the Red Dragon clearly wasn’t entirely under control…

Alarmed, Alika ran straight to the Chief Steward and reported that the Lord had been “abducted” by the Red Dragon. But the Chief Steward didn’t seem very surprised. He just let out a long sigh, as though this was a frequent occurrence, and calmly gave instructions to the administrators.

“We’ll handle the remaining landowners ourselves.”

Fortunately, the last two landowners, relieved by the Dragon’s absence, obediently cooperated. That night, Alika returned home and tucked in his younger siblings, telling them the story of how the Red Dragon had punished the wicked, arrogant landowners.

But that wasn’t the only extraordinary thing Alika had witnessed about the Lord.

❄

The First Remarkable Trait.

There’s a time held most sacred in Solar: mealtime. Especially breakfast, when families gather to discuss matters of the day. The lord’s castle was no different. Once a week, the Lord gathered His retainers to eat and hear reports over breakfast.

When Alika first became a second-class administrator and was invited to this meal, he had been so nervous he couldn’t even tell if food was going into his nose or his mouth. But after more than a year of repetition, he had finally learned to enjoy the food and give his reports comfortably.

This day was no different. Alika calmly savoured the aroma of rich white grape wine as he addressed the Lord.

“This is a report on the consumption and production of magic stones in the southern region, as per Your command. Consumption has increased approximately twenty-three percent compared to last year, due to the unusually harsh winter. However, since most monster hunters have relocated to the areas bordering Volni and Sobletz, the region’s self-production of stones has decreased—”

As he earnestly reported, something felt odd. He looked up—and saw the Lord nodding off. His forehead was just about to touch His wine glass. Sitting beside Him, Chief Steward Ginas quickly moved the glass away and cleared his throat.

“Ahem!”

It seemed today’s weariness wasn’t just Alika’s imagination. While all eyes turned to the Lord, Ginas cleared his throat again. Now the Lord’s pristine, noble-looking forehead was about to dip into His plate. The plate was swiftly moved as well. Then, Ginas gently tried to wake Him.

“My Lord? …My Lord?”

Only when the Chief Steward raised his voice slightly did the Lord startle awake, raising His head sharply and blinking rapidly as if He’d never been dozing.

“Yes. Yes… I’m listening. Continue.”

In the Lord’s defence, Alika responded politely.

“Shall I begin again from the start?”

“What are you saying? I wasn’t asleep. Keep going.”

Even as He pressed him to continue, Alika hesitated. But then, the Lord fixed him with a sharp, clear gaze and summarised the earlier report.

“You said magic stone consumption increased by 23% in the south, right? That monster hunters relocated, decreasing local production. I’ve yet to hear your proposed solution.”

That’s odd… He was definitely nodding off—was He really listening the whole time? Even Ginas looked at the Lord suspiciously, but Alika resumed his report. As the other retainers continued with their own updates, the heavy, serious atmosphere of the morning meeting was suddenly interrupted by the doors swinging open.

Such a rude entrance would have earned anyone a scolding—regardless of rank—except in this one case.

Of course. It was the Red Dragon, returning from an early-morning outing. Dressed in only a thin single-layer outfit, with just a scarf around his neck, he sauntered toward the Lord.

“Come eat breakfast.”

The Lord beckoned him to the empty seat beside Him. Attendants hurried to bring dishes as the Lord brushed snow from his shoulders Himself.

Yawning, the Red Dragon plopped down and tore into an entire roasted pig leg. The sounds he made were more crack-crunch than chew-chomp—because he was biting through the bones. Each time they heard that sound, the retainers flinched. Only the Lord watched with a pleased expression.

“Try this too. It’s a new chicken dish with a sauce the chef developed.”

The Lord offered a chicken dish garnished with crushed magic stones like nuts. How much must that cost per plate? Alika thought. It was a sight he still hadn’t gotten used to.

As reports continued, the Red Dragon, now full, began to pester the Lord. He tried to coax Him into skipping work for a date, whispered teasingly in His ear like a rogue—but the Lord didn’t bat an eye. When ignored, the Dragon sprawled on the floor. It was unbelievably rude, but again, just like when he barged in, no one said a word.

Despite his stunningly beautiful human form, the Red Dragon gave off an intense, savage aura that felt raw and untamed. Sometimes he would sit like a statue, motionless and silent, or eat things no human would ever touch—making it hard to believe he was human at all. To Alika, it was baffling how the Lord treated the Dragon like a beloved consort.

When the reports finally ended, the Lord let out a sigh and looked down. As He removed His boots, it became apparent one had a huge hole—like someone had taken a bite out of it. He glared at the Dragon and shoved a handful of magic stones into his mouth. The Dragon, still lying down, accepted the stones and crunched on them loudly.

Though one would never dare say it aloud in front of a divine dragon… he really was just like a mutt sometimes…

As the Lord finished His breakfast in new shoes provided by the attendants, the Dragon began nibbling on the gems decorating His clothes like they were dessert. Though the Lord paid it no mind, the Chief Steward couldn’t hold back a heavy sigh.

“Lord Yanu, do you know how much those gems cost…? Please, just eat magic stones instead!”

Even the fearless Chief Steward scolded him harshly, but the Dragon didn’t even pretend to listen. Alika even saw the Lord, behind the steward’s back, secretly handing a gem to the Dragon.

How in the world could the Lord see such a terrifying dragon as so adorable? Are all dragon’s mates like this? Alika couldn’t comprehend it, no matter how much he tried.