BAAM!
BAAM!
The dual impact echoed through the royal garden, a sound that could only be described as the percussion of inevitable consequences.
Elina, the proud dragon, and Lina, the girl whose potential was as vast as the sky, stood side by side in the dirt. They were wincing, their hands instinctively flying up to nurse the identical bumps that had sprouted atop their heads—courtesy of a very swift and very synchronized correction from their elders.
In front of them stood Vionette and Noa, arms crossed, their expressions a mixture of weary disappointment and the heavy, silent weight of people who had just realized their office had been turned into a pile of smoking gravel.
"You two… sigh…" Vionette began, her voice trailing off into a groan.
"Well… I mean…" Noa started, but he found himself equally lost for words.
He looked at the scorched flowerbeds and then back at the two girls. There was a profound, awkward silence.
The truth was, Vionette and Noa couldn't truly find the moral high ground to deliver a proper lecture. They were the architects of their own chaos. To blame Lina and Elina for being reckless would be like a forest fire telling a candle to watch its temper. They were cut from the same lethal, impulsive cloth.
Vionette raised her head, gritting her teeth in annoyance as she looked at the rubble of her personal sanctuary. She looked like she wanted to scream, but instead, she just let her shoulders drop.
"Whatever. We'll just let it go this time," Vionette muttered, clicking her tongue.
Elina and Lina, who had been rubbing their bumps with teary eyes, transformed instantly. Their faces lit up, their eyes turning into sparkling jewels of relief.
"Yaaay!"
Clap!
They high-fived each other with the kind of unadulterated joy usually reserved for surviving a war.
"However..." Vionette's voice dropped an octave, a sharp, mischievous smirk cutting across her face as she locked eyes with Elina. "I've decided that going to Aurelyth via a teleportation circle is far too boring. So, let's take a ride instead, shall we?"
"I thought the same," Noa agreed, his own smirk matching Vionette's.
Elina watched the two of them smile maniacally. She knew that look. The 'punishment' wasn't a pardon—it was a forced labor contract.
***
The crimson dragon dipped low, its massive belly nearly brushing the emerald canopy of the forest's highest trees. Its wings were leviathans of muscle and scale, sending waves of pressurized wind crashing outward, scattering the forest's monsters into a panicked frenzy far below. Its vast silhouette swallowed the land like a falling meteor.
SWOOOSH!
With a powerful, rhythmic beat of her wings, Elina surged upward. A proud, draconic curve formed along her maw; even if she was being used as a taxi, she couldn't help but revel in the absolute freedom of the sky.
"Yahooo!"
Lina's shout was instantly swallowed by the rushing currents. Her laughter trailed behind them like a silken ribbon as she threw her arms wide into the endless blue, a grin of pure delight spreading across her face.
Behind her sat Noa. His left arm was wrapped firmly around Vionette, anchoring her against his side. Despite the roaring air and the rhythmic thrum of dragon wings, she remained tucked against him, her breathing slow and steady.
Cute~
Noa looked down at the 'sleeping crimson petal' beside him, his gaze softening into something tender. He idly twirled a stray strand of her sidelocks between his fingers, the white threads slipping through them like silk.
The wind rushed past them in wild currents, tugging at his jacket and her hair, yet she remained undisturbed.
Vionette shifted slightly, her head settling deeper into the crook of his shoulder, her fingers loosely catching onto his clothes as if anchoring herself to him even in her dreams.
She looked soft, peaceful, and entirely untouchable—a flower resting safely beyond the reach of the storm.
"We're here," Elina's voice rumbled through her chest.
Below them, the capital city of Eryndor—Veylith—stretched out like an intricate mosaic of stone and spire.
The people of the city looked up, their eyes widening as a gargantuan shadow suddenly blotted out the afternoon sun.
Women lost their grip on the baskets they held, fruit rolling unheeded into the gutters. The men in the streets got in guard, their hands white-knuckled as they gripped their spears and swords, but their legs betrayed them with a visible, frantic shake.
"It was… true?"
"The Crimvane Dragon?"
They had been informed of the surrender, but they hadn't truly believed it. Now, the proof was screaming through the sky above them.
Then, in a flash of shifting light, the shadow vanished. The dragon's silhouette collapsed into four distinct figures falling through the air.
Elina caught Lina in her arms, snapping out smaller dragon wings to glide. Next to them, Noa plummeted with the velocity of a comet, holding the newly awakened Vionette.
DHUM!
The ground shattered as Noa landed fiercely, absorbing the entire shock through his legs while keeping his arms perfectly still so Vionette didn't feel a shake.
A second later, Elina landed smoothly beside them, setting Lina down.
"Great… now the city's road is broken because of you," Elina remarked, brushing a speck of dust off her shoulder.
"What am I supposed to do? You're the one who decided to turn into the human form mid-air," Noa countered, rolling his shoulders as he finally put Vionette down.
"Am I supposed to land on people, you idiot?"
"You could have lowered yourself and transformed near a roof!"
"...Oh."
While the two argued, the crowd watched them, maintaining a wide, fearful circle. Vionette fixed her hair and dress with practiced hands, looking at the wide-eyed citizens.
"Let's get going already," she said, her voice low. "Just look around us."
"Ok."
The four of them walked toward the building they had landed near—Nymira's shop, Vionette's favorite sanctuary of style.
…
Ding-Ding.
The shop's bells rang with a familiar, melodic chime as they entered. Elina and Lina led the way, their eyes darting around the modern interior filled with glowing floors and bright lights.
"Are we your favorite, or does Crimvane simply lack any competent tailor shops, Princess Vionette?"
Nymira appeared from behind a rack of shimmering fabrics. She was dressed in her signature suit that perfectly complemented her dark skin and elegant, pointed ears. Her hand was placed over her heart in a gesture that was half-mocking and half-professional.
"Or should I now call you," she added with a teasing tilt of her head, "Your Majesty?"
"So Roswell did his job and informed everyone?" Noa asked, leaning against a display case.
"Well now, let's talk about that while we wait, shall we?" Nymira gestured toward the back. She already knew exactly why they were here.
…
Noa sat in a plush chair in the VIP lounge, his black blade, Acheron, leaning against the table in front of him. Beside him sat Vionette, sipping a cup of rare herbal tea. Nymira sat opposite them, her employee standing nearby, ready to cater to the "new rulers" at a moment's notice.
"What kind of reaction did the civilians have to the news?" Vionette asked, her eyes tracing the steam rising from her cup.
"Well…" Nymira placed a contemplative finger on her cheek. "To be honest, we civilians don't really care much if the ruler changes. As long as the war doesn't bring danger to our doorsteps, one crown is much like another."
"Oh~ don't worry," Vionette said, putting her tea down with a soft clink. She leaned forward, her eyes flashing with a sudden, sharp confidence. "I will make you want to care."
Nymira leaned back, caught off guard by the raw confidence in Vionette's voice. She trusted the princess, but the rest of the kingdom? That was a different mountain to climb.
Make civilians care about the throne?
"Nymira, you know, if you become my personal tailor, I'll provide everything else you need for this store," Vionette offered, her eyes narrowing slightly with the "suggestion."
"No need, Princess. I'm fine with how it is," Nymira waved her hand, rejecting the bribe with a casual ease that only she could pull off.
Vionette closed her eyes, a small sigh of defeat escaping her. "Can't be helped then."
Suddenly, the door glided open—engineered for total silence—and an employee stepped through, followed by Elina and Lina.
"Yo! You finished making your orders for the festival?" Noa asked, stretching his arms.
"Yes! It's going to be so cool!" Lina cheered, stepping forward and flashing a V-shaped peace sign.
"Ok… and," Noa's gaze shifted to Elina. "Not bad."
Elina stood beside Lina, but she had traded her usual attire for something far more striking. She wore a vibrant red silk-and-linen wrap-blouse, the fabric textured with a subtle, all-over dragon-scale jacquard weave that shimmered as she moved.
"It is, isn't it?" Elina said, preening slightly.
The oversized bell sleeves flowed freely with her movements, featuring intricate panels of gold-thread scales woven directly into the forearms.
Her waist was defined by a wide, charcoal-and-gold silk brocade belt, patterned with geometric dragon motifs and fastened by a sculpted metal buckle inset with a single crimson garnet. A thin, patterned red ribbon was tied into a precise, trailing bow at her left hip.
Below, she wore a triple-tiered black pleated skirt that featured a reinforced, leather-lined slit at the back to allow her scaled crimson tail to sway. The look was finished with mid-calf black leather combat boots, their gold eyelets threaded with thick red ribbon laces.
For accessories, a delicate gold chain held a dragon-head pendant clutching a small, uncut amber stone, while gold scale studs accented the points of her ears.
"You like it?" Noa asked, standing up.
"Hell yeah!" Elina smirked.
"I swear, Princess Vionette," Nymira said, shaking her head. "Next time you'll bring a Demon Lord here."
"Just go with it," Vionette said, ignoring the jab. She turned her attention to Lina. "Sweetie, you two stay here while we get our outfits ready too." She also stood up from her seat.
"Okie~!"
…
After finishing his own order, Noa waited in the lounge for Vionette. It had been a considerable amount of time, yet the door to the fitting room remained closed. Noa knew why it was taking so long; he was, after all, the one who had pushed for this specific design.
Elina and Lina had already wandered off to browse for more accessories, leaving Noa alone with his thoughts.
Finally, the door opened. Vionette stepped forward, stopping just a few paces away.
She wore a stunning, high-collared halter dress of deep, rich black fabric. The dress was sculpted to her form, its severe silhouette defined by subtle crimson piping that traced the edges and an intricate, asymmetrical cut.
Her waist was framed by a crimson ribbon tied slightly off-center, one end falling longer than the other. It didn't cinch tightly—it guided the eye, adding movement without disrupting the dress's control.
Noa inspected the outfit closely with sharp eyes, as if it were the most important detail in the world. As if sensing his gaze, she turned, giving him a clearer look.
The dress's black skirt was asymmetrical, shorter on one side with a deep slit, and a softer, darker red fabric was subtly layered beneath it, visible only when the fabric shifted. A thin crimson band defined her waist just above the central filigree clasp.
"…Well?" she asked, a knowing, slightly nervous smile tugging at her lips as she turned her back toward him.
The back of the dress opened daringly low, a stunning display of structured straps. An intricate lattice of slender crimson straps crossed and re-crossed in a precise, geometric web, creating a complex, harness-like design that connected the high collar to her central back waist. The silver and red motif was repeated here, integrating the straps into the dress structure, which extended in clean lines over her hips.
She shifted her arms slightly. Around her left upper arm rested a slim silver band, its surface smooth and refined. A delicate crimson chain extended from it, swaying faintly with her movement. Her hands were now bare, showcasing delicate silver and red filigree bracelets on each wrist.
Black thigh-high stockings followed the precise curve of her legs, topped by a fine, precise crimson edge. Her heels were sleek and sharp, their form minimal. Thin crimson straps wrapped around her feet and ankles in clean, deliberate lines, structured rather than decorative.
She took a final turn, completing a full rotation, and walked toward Noa. She stood before him, her cheeks flushed with a slight blush.
Her gaze went to his, but then fell, and she brushed a strand of her silver hair away, revealing the brilliant red gemstone droplet earring in her left ear—the specific earring Noa had gifted her.
"Say something… does it look good?" she asked, her voice wavering just a fraction.
In her head, she was already spiralling.
Why isn't he saying anything? Is it not to his taste? Should I change the pattern? The color?
While she panicked, Noa was simply struck dumb. He stared at her, his brain momentarily short-circuiting at the sight.
Slowly, he raised both of his hands, giving her two very firm, very proud thumbs up. He was incredibly satisfied with his request, and even more impressed by the craftsmanship of the employees before him.
...
...
[Character Illustrations]