V. The Expedition

Bonita barely opened her eyes. The room was dim. What time could it be? When she tried to get up, her whole body screamed in pain. She attempted to rise but groaned from the ache.

“You’re finally awake. I thought I would have to leave without saying goodbye.”

Bonita, startled, turned her head toward the voice. Rento was leaning against the wall near the hallway door. The door was slightly ajar, as if intentionally left open.

“Lord Rento.”

When Bonita hurriedly tried to sit up in bed, Rento raised his hand and said,

“You don’t need to get up. Just rest.”

“Rest… What time is it now?”

“It’s just past six in the evening.”

She realized she’d slept for over 20 hours since the previous night. Why hadn’t anyone woken her up until now? Who served tea to His Majesty? What about the maids? And why was Rento here?

“You seem to have a lot of questions. But I don’t have time to explain everything in detail right now. You slept longer than I expected. You must have been exhausted.”

“Exhausted…”

That was true. After returning from the meeting two days ago, she’d been run ragged without a moment’s rest. Bonita’s face flushed red.

“I’ll explain briefly. As you probably heard in the meeting a few days ago, there’s been a conflict with a dragon near the territory. Lord Teshiel has led the soldiers to negotiate. They expect it to take about a week to ten days.”

“A d-dragon? Negotiation…?”

“Yes. There’s a possibility for conversation, though it’s more likely to end in a physical negotiation.”

She opened her mouth slightly in surprise. Now that she thought about it, she remembered that the knights’ meeting had seriously discussed the issue with the dragon. Up until this moment, she hadn’t known what conclusion had been reached. She had been too lost in her own thoughts to listen, and besides, she had been granted permission to leave before the meeting ended.

“Physical negotiation…?”

“Combat. I’m going to follow Lord Teshiel with the supply unit now.”

Rento took a glance at his pocket watch.

“There’s no more time to waste. I must leave now.”

“Ah…”

“Oh, and since I’ve already notified the others, you’re free to go anywhere inside the castle until Lord Teshiel returns. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Isn’t it dangerous? Fighting a dragon… Do they even stand a chance? She didn’t get to ask anything as Rento hurried out and disappeared.

Bonita decided to eat the dinner the maid had brought, then she washed herself. When she submerged her exhausted body into the bathwater, sleepiness overcame her once more. She collapsed and fell asleep again.

The next day went by relatively well. She stayed in her room, resting completely without doing anything. She was worried since Teshiel had gone to meet the dragon.

‘But there’s no way His Majesty would be unprepared.’

Rento had once mentioned that he possessed immense magical power, so she reassured herself that nothing would go wrong. What made Bonita feel strangely uncomfortable, however, were the clothes the maid had brought her. The outfit was far too fashionable, and even the undergarments were all prepared. As she laced herself into the corset, she was surprised at just how uncomfortable it felt after so long.

From the following day, things didn’t go well at all. One day of staying in her room without moving around was enough. Since the priest was supposed to come that day, Bonita waited eagerly for Milia to arrive.

“The Lord has gone on a dragon expedition?”

After finishing her treatment, Milia spoke, and Bonita nodded.

“If it’s the dragon near this area, it must be the infamous Kaplites. That won’t be easy.”

“Infamous…?”

“Of course, all dragons are arrogant, but Kaplites is especially notorious for being impossible to communicate with. It’s also extremely greedy…”

Seeing Bonita’s face darken, Milia quickly changed the subject.