After wrapping up their discussion on the upcoming strategy, the room gradually emptied. Once everyone else had left, Jeanne turned to Talulah to ask about a matter that had been weighing on her mind.
"Is there still no news from Kashchey's end? We've already come this far; it's not as if we can just keep waiting for them forever, right?"
Jeanne looked toward Talulah. At this stage, Talulah was the only one who could get immediate updates on these dealings. The current political climate in Deity Grypherburg was incredibly convoluted; unless one belonged to the innermost circles of power, it was impossible to guess what might happen next.
The capital city was like a vast, perfectly still lake. Yet beneath that placid surface, the raging currents were something only the fish swimming deep within the waters could truly understand.
"He said it won't be long now," Talulah replied, recalling her recent conversation with Kashchey. "The agents sent to apprehend the Duke of Chernobog and some of the nobility are already en route. If all goes smoothly, it won't be long before that man confesses to his crimes, and we can begin our move."
"Mm, that's good to hear. The worst thing that can happen in an enterprise like this is delay. The longer things drag on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us. But so that's how it is..."
"What do you mean, 'that's how it is'?" Talulah asked, her curiosity piqued when she caught Jeanne murmuring to herself.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just heard earlier that things seemed rather strange inside Chernobog, and the patrolmen had been acting completely out of character lately. I was worried our plans had been exposed, but now I see it's just the fallout of their own internal struggles."
Jeanne let out a sigh of relief. The only reason she had pressed Talulah for details was her lingering anxiety that their presence had been compromised, which had made her want to accelerate their movements to avoid any unforeseen complications.
But looking at it now, this turn of events was actually a blessing. Under these conditions, that so-called Duke would hardly have the spare energy to worry about the infected. After all, what infected could possibly be more important than his own life?
"I see." Talulah nodded in realization. But a second later, she caught hold of Jeanne and began dragging her back toward their quarters, chattering as they walked.
"Hurry up and get back home. Fafnir has been under my care these past few days, and she has been missing you terribly! Whenever you're not around, that child barely eats anything during dinner!"
"Fafnir isn't eating well?" Jeanne was taken aback. She felt a sudden pang of sympathy, deeply moved by the thought that the child's longing for her would actually affect her appetite.
"Exactly. Yesterday, I took her out and managed to bring down a deer. After the child finished eating it, she actually claimed she was full! You remember how she used to be—she would easily devour at least two entire beasts in a single sitting!"
"Uh... is there a possibility, Talulah, that your cooking simply isn't as good as mine, so the child chose to eat a bit less these past few days?"
Jeanne's lips twitched slightly. She was well aware of Talulah's skills over a roasting fire; while it wasn't completely unpalatable, it certainly wasn't a culinary masterpiece either. It was highly likely that Fafnir simply didn't enjoy Talulah's flavors.
"How could that be? I learned how to cook from Alina..." Talulah grumbled, stubborn to the core and unwilling to admit defeat.
"Jeanne, you're finally back! Talulah's cooking is completely awful, I've practically starved and grown so thin over the last few days!" The moment Jeanne stepped through the front door, a small figure came hurtling forward, wrapping around her tightly while gazing up with pitiful, wide eyes.
"Hey, you ungrateful child, you can't just say things like that! When I cooked for you, didn't you gobble everything down quite happily?"
Talulah immediately protested. How dare this little dragon expose my shortcomings the second Jeanne gets back! After all the effort I went through to keep you fed, even taking you out to find food!
Because Fafnir possessed an incredibly massive appetite, it was impossible for Alina to accommodate the child's extra needs while preparing regular meals for everyone else. Consequently, aside from her three standard daily meals, the child relied on either Jeanne or Talulah to take her out for extra nourishment.
Even on days when they couldn't find any wild game, the local drakes would actively hunt and present their catches to Fafnir like a formal tribute. Those creatures lived in constant terror that if the young dragon ever truly went hungry, she might decide to turn them into her evening meal.
But as for the claim that the child was actually starving, Jeanne didn't believe a single word of it. As Reunion's newly crowned favorite and undisputed peak of fighting strength, the number of people lining up to feed her every day was staggering.
"See? Talulah's cooking really is terrible, isn't it? I told you so, but she just refused to believe me!"
Despite knowing the true story, Jeanne still scooped the child up into her arms, thoroughly pampering and rubbing the young dragon. Watching this from the side, Talulah's eyelids began to twitch wildly.
What does it feel like to watch your companion dote on a miniature version of yourself? Talulah currently felt a phantom ache right at the tip of her tail, accompanied by a powerful urge to flee the room.
And what could Talulah actually do? She could only reach out, catching hold of Fafnir's tail to teach the child a proper lesson in manners. But Fafnir, who had already grown entirely comfortable around Talulah, showed zero signs of fear. Instead, she spun around and grabbed Talulah's tail in return, and the two began spinning in circles.
"Let go, you menace!"
"You're the big menace, you should let go first!"
"Ah, Jeanne, quick, come over and give me a hand... Hey, don't you dare use your teeth!"
"Since the two of you are having such a wonderful time playing together, Alina and I will go ahead and start eating. Whoever wins can just let us know."
Jeanne sat down at the table, watching the duo behave like a mother and daughter—or perhaps a pair of bickering sisters—as they engaged in their chaotic bonding ritual. She quietly began enjoying her dinner.
"Food!" The moment Fafnir caught the word, her eyes sparkled with brilliant light. Her tail instantly slipped from Talulah's grasp, and she dashed over to the table to begin devouring what was technically her eighth meal of the day.
"You gremlin... I still think you were far more endearing back when you didn't speak a single word!" Talulah sighed helplessly, watching the child wag her tail in pure delight as she ate.
Recalling the quiet, well-behaved version of Fafnir from before, she had been a perfect lady. That was exactly how Talulah herself had behaved during her own childhood, wasn't it?
"Is that so? I don't believe you," Kashchey suddenly chimed in, seizing a brief opening to speak before immediately sinking back into the depths of her mind, severing the connection once more.
"And another thing, stop wagging your tail so fiercely while you're eating!" Talulah wanted to argue back against Kashchey's comment, but finding no one left to address, she turned her focus back to correcting the forgetful child.
Then again, the texture of this child's tail really is remarkably nice, Talulah thought to herself as she pinned down the swaying tail, casually giving it another gentle stroke.
When she turned her head, however, she discovered Jeanne watching her with an incredibly meaningful expression. Recalling how she had just been fondling Fafnir's tail, a sudden wave of sheer embarrassment flooded Talulah's chest.
"Talulah..."
"What is it?" Seeing the wicked grin spreading across Jeanne's face, Talulah grew even more flustered. She couldn't even comprehend why she was panicking so much, but being pinned under Jeanne's gaze simply made her nervous.
"You do realize, don't you? Your sister currently works for the Lungmen Guard Department. With the way you're behaving right now, there is a very high probability she would lock you up!"
Jeanne laughed softly, watching Talulah stroke Fafnir's tail.
In truth, Jeanne had always been deeply curious about what it felt like for Talulah to touch Fafnir's tail. After all, the child had patterned her physical appearance entirely after Talulah; shouldn't the texture feel exactly like touching her own tail?
"What do you mean I'd be locked up! I haven't broken any laws! Is touching a tail considered a criminal offense now? If that were the case, shouldn't you have been thrown behind bars a long time ago, Jeanne?"
Talulah barked back defensively, her face flushing slightly—though whether it was from sheer embarrassment or irritation remained unclear.
"When I held you, you were a fully grown adult, which counts as nothing more than an affectionate embrace. But you, on the other hand, are misbehaving with a child!"
"This is merely a demonstration of familial warmth! Don't you dare twist my actions!" Talulah scrambled to justify her behavior, though her defense appeared entirely unconvincing.
"Oh, really? Just a demonstration of warmth, you say? In that case... let me see!"
"Get out!"
Alina watched the group rowdily playing together, quietly sighing with affection at how these two leaders still behaved exactly like children when they were off duty. She offered no reprimand, content to simply watch over them with a gentle smile.
The house was filled with the sound of laughter once more. Taking advantage of the chaotic scuffle between Talulah and Jeanne, Fafnir secretly devoured the entirety of Talulah's dinner, leaving Jeanne with no choice but to personally cook a fresh bowl of noodles to make amends.
If she didn't step into the kitchen tonight, she would likely find herself facing a mountain of tedious paperwork tomorrow morning. Feeding the ravenous dragon tonight was a far better alternative than suffering through tomorrow's duties!