Velyan opened the door and saw a red-haired girl standing outside.
“Violent dragon girl, Irena!!” She slammed the door shut immediately, her voice echoing from behind it. “What are you doing here?”
Outside the door, Irena looked at the closed entrance, yawned, and knocked again. She said listlessly, “Velyan, if you call me that again, I'm going to beat you up~”
“I-I'm not afraid of you. I am a Chaos Dragon!”
“Oh~ A Saintly Radiance Rank Chaos Dragon... Hurry up~ I'm here to work,” Irena said, still sounding listless.
“Work?” Velyan opened the door a crack and looked at her suspiciously.
“Yeah... Yawn~ My unreliable old man sent me over to help keep an eye on this place,” Irena said with another yawn.
“Oh~ Is that so? Then I guess I'm technically your boss now.” Velyan nodded, a bright smile blooming on her face.
“Huh? Boss?” Irena looked at her in confusion, then sighed helplessly. “By the way... why are you here?”
“I live here,” Velyan said, tilting her head.
“You live here?”
“Yeah, I've been living here for several days now.”
“Velyan, what are you doing standing at the door so early in the morning?” Chen Mian's voice drifted out from inside.
“I am negotiating with an evil dragon!”
“Just open the door,” Chen Mian said, completely unbothered.
“Fine... But be careful, she's very fierce.” Velyan opened the door with a look of utter reluctance.
“...Shut up, Velyan. The only reason I beat you up is because you're too mischievous.” Irena pinched the bridge of her nose helplessly, then stepped inside. Spotting Chen Mian reading on the sofa, she said, “Excuse the intrusion. You must be the landlord here, Chen Mian?”
“Yes, can I help you?” Chen Mian asked, closing his book.
“My name is Irena, princess of the Red Dragon Clan and temporary patrol inspector. My old man sent me here to help keep watch over the Forest of Death,” Irena introduced herself politely.
“Oh, I see. I did make that request. Please, have a seat,” Chen Mian said with a nod. “Ignis sent you, right?”
“Yep~” Irena replied, looking like she hadn't fully woken up yet. “Oh, right, my old man also gave me another task.”
“What task?”
“He told me to try and seduce you.”
“Yeah, sounds like something he would do.”
“Are you seduced yet?”
“No,” Chen Mian said, shaking his head.
“Well~ I did my best.” Irena shrugged innocently.
“Violent dragon girl, even if you are pretty, you still can't...” Velyan said with a look of disdain.
“Ve-ly-an~”
“I...” She turned her head away and fell silent.
“Alright, you can help keep an eye on this place when we're not around.” Chen Mian nodded, then turned to Velyan. “Velyan, show her to a room and teach her how to use the things around here.”
“Chen Mian, I don't want to show her around!” Velyan turned away stubbornly.
“Oh, come on, An'an~ I know where to find delicious food!” Irena squinted her eyes and smiled.
The tips of Velyan's ears twitched slightly, her tone of resistance softening noticeably.
“Honey-frost fruit, super sweet, intensely fragrant, tender, and juicy,” Irena cooed, her voice laced with temptation.
Velyan hesitated for less than two seconds.
“Fine! I'll take you to pick a room.” Keeping a straight face, she turned and headed upstairs, though the tip of her tail couldn't help but perk up.
Irena winked at Chen Mian and whispered, “Got her,” before following Velyan upstairs.
Stopping at the turn of the stairs, she looked back at Chen Mian. “I'll be in your care from now on, Lord Chen Mian~”
“Violent dragon girl! Speak properly!”
...
At lunchtime, there was an extra person at the apartment's dining table.
Irena sat next to Velyan, a large plate of grilled mushrooms, pan-seared fish, and a vegetable salad laid out in front of her.
She didn't eat very fast, chewing and swallowing each bite slowly before nodding in satisfaction.
“Miss Flora, how were these mushrooms prepared?” She looked up, genuine curiosity in her tone. “They're tastier than most of the dishes I've had before.”
Flora smiled slightly. “They were pan-fried in butter and then sprinkled with a bit of spice powder. It's a recipe Louise came up with before.”
“Miss Louise knows how to cook too?” Irena tilted her head, her gaze falling on Louise, who was slowly sipping her soup opposite her.
Louise set down her bowl, a lazy smile playing in her violet-gold eyes. “No, I'm just in charge of tinkering with the recipes. Flora is the one who turns them into edible food.”
Irena nodded thoughtfully and picked up another grilled mushroom, eating even slower than before.
“Flora, can you give me some of the sauce for the grilled fish after lunch?” Velyan asked, her cheeks puffed up. “I'm going with Irena to pick honey-frost fruit after we eat, and we're going to roast a big fish by the sea while we're at it.”
“Yes, if you need some, Velyan, just grab it from the refrigerator,” Flora replied with a soft chuckle.
“Flora, I won't forget about everyone. I'll share some honey-frost fruit with you all when I get back, and we can plant the seeds in the orchard.” Velyan's eyes sparkled, her expression growing increasingly expectant as she spoke. “Then we can eat honey-frost fruit every single day.”
“An'an, I finally understand why a big glutton like you refuses to leave this place.”
“I am not a pig!” Velyan puffed out her cheeks, her golden slit pupils widening. “I am just highly focused on my energy intake!”
“Right, energy intake,” Irena repeated solemnly. She then turned to Chen Mian. “Lord Chen Mian, do the dragon girls in your house always comfort themselves this way?”
“First of all, she's not mine,” Chen Mian said, picking up a piece of fish. “Secondly, you're right. She's just a glutton.”
Hearing this, Velyan's tail drooped slightly.
“But a gluttonous dragon girl is pretty cute too. Besides, we're not short on food here.”
Velyan froze for a moment, the annoyance in her golden eyes morphing into a somewhat awkward, evasive look.
She lowered her head, pretending to focus on the remaining grilled mushrooms on her plate. A smile crept onto her face, and her tail began to perk up again.
“Velyan, don't stay out too long. We're heading to the Royal Capital tomorrow,” Loviki looked up and reminded her.
“No problem, I'll definitely be back before dark and bring you some tasty treats.” Putting down her empty bowl, Velyan looked at Irena. “Let's go, let's go, time to pick honey-frost fruit!”
“Ah~ I really can't do anything with you.” Irena stretched and stood up. “Let's head back early then. I haven't taken my nap today yet.”
“I know! All you do is sleep at home all day! You're going to laze yourself to death!” Velyan dragged Irena by the hand, running out of the apartment.
Irena stumbled slightly from the pull, but there was no impatience in her voice. “It's not like I'm going to run away.”
“Last time you said you'd take me to find good food, but you slipped away first!” Velyan accused without looking back. “I still remember!”
“That was an accident,” Irena sighed helplessly. “I was given a sudden mission. I couldn't just ignore it, could I?”
“And what about this time?”
“This time, I'm actually extremely free.” Irena let herself be pulled along, her steps finally matching Velyan's pace. “My old man wants me to stay for at least three months. I don't have to go anywhere during this time.”
Velyan's steps paused for a fraction of a second. She glanced sideways at her. “...You're leaving after three months?”
“Not necessarily.” Irena shrugged. “If the food here is good, I might apply to stay longer.”
Velyan turned her head back and continued walking forward, though her voice was slightly lighter than before. “Then you'll have to eat a lot. My survival guide has a rule: good friends should go out and eat delicious food together.”
“The contents of your survival guide sure are flexible,” Irena said with a laugh.
“After we eat the honey-frost fruit, I'll take you to eat grilled fish!”
“I want to sleep~”
“Sleep after we eat!”
...
“Irena and Velyan seem to have a really good relationship,” Flora said, a gentle smile on her lips.
“Yeah, Velyan seems much more lively now,” Louise agreed.
“We're leaving for the Royal Capital tomorrow. Is everything packed?”
“Yes!” Flora nodded. “I've prepared all the ingredients and seasonings. If we want to cook when we get to the Royal Capital, we can do it ourselves.”
Loviki also nodded. “I've written a checklist. All the places worth visiting in the Royal Capital are marked on it.”
Louise lazily raised her hand. “I brought an empty suitcase.”
“...An empty suitcase?” Loviki tilted her head.
“Yeah, to pack whatever fun things I see along the way,” Louise said as if it were only natural. “Chen Mian is paying anyway.”
Chen Mian glanced at her. “When did I say I was paying?”
“You didn't,” Louise blinked. “But you're the landlord.”
Chen Mian took a sip of his tea and asked, “A landlord who's responsible for footing the bill?”
“Yep!”
Flora pursed her lips in a smile and stood up to clear the dishes.
Loviki beat her to it, naturally stacking the dishes and carrying them into the kitchen. “I'll do the dishes today.”
“Why so proactive today?” Chen Mian asked with a smile.
“I'm in a good mood! Besides, I was supposed to do it anyway!”
Rate on N.U.
