Chapter 46: The Divine Dragon Has Terrible Taste in Masters

[Luceille’s POV — Ashcroft Territory]

For three whole seconds, I forgot how to breathe.

The Divine Dragon Sword blazed in my hands, its golden inscriptions glowing so brightly that the entire office was bathed in warm, golden light. Cassian had one arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me close to him, while Aurelius stood frozen in front of his desk, staring at the blade as though the heavens had just dropped the answer to every magical mystery directly into his lap.

Which, technically, they might have; unfortunately, the heavens had forgotten to include a user manual.

"At last... I have found you."

The voice echoed inside my head.

I stiffened.

Wait. What?

I glanced at Cassian. He was staring at the sword, his expression cold and alert, clearly trying to determine what had caused its sudden awakening. Aurelius, meanwhile, had bent down to retrieve his fallen notebook, although his hands were shaking with the kind of excitement usually reserved for people who had just discovered that their bank account contained a billion gold coins.

Neither of them reacted to the voice.

Oh.

OH.

You have got to be kidding me.

I swallowed.

’Hello?’

Silence.

I blinked.

’Hello? Divine Dragon? Ancient Legendary Being? Overpowered Magical Lizard? Is this thing working?’

"...Magical lizard?"

I nearly dropped the sword.

HOLY MOTHER OF—

"Lady Luceille?" Aurelius immediately straightened. "Are you all right? Your expression has changed."

I forced a smile.

"Yes! Absolutely! I’m perfectly fine!"

My face was apparently doing something suspicious, because Cassian’s arm tightened around my waist.

"You’re trembling."

"I’m cold."

"The room is warm."

"Then I’m emotionally cold."

Cassian stared at me, and I stared back. He looked as though he had several questions and had decided that none of the answers he was likely to receive would improve his day.

Thankfully, the golden light began to dim, leaving the sword looking almost ordinary again, almost. Inside my head, the ancient voice spoke once more.

"You are... an unusual creature."

’Excuse me?’

"You insulted me before you even greeted me."

’And you interrupted my peaceful life before introducing yourself. I believe we’re even.’

There was a pause, a very long pause. Then, somewhere inside my mind, I sensed something that could only be described as ancient dignity suffering a catastrophic injury.

"I am the Divine Dragon."

’Congratulations.’

"I am the being whose blood and bones forged this blade. My soul has endured the passing of centuries. Kings and warriors have sought me. Mages have devoted their entire lives to discovering me. Countless people have dreamed of possessing my power."

’And yet, here we are.’

"What does that mean?"

’It means you finally found me, and your first conversation with me is turning into a lecture about your résumé.’

Silence.

I could practically hear the dragon questioning every decision it had made since the beginning of time.

Honestly, same. I had once thought transmigrating into a fantasy novel would be exciting. A little romance, a little adventure, or perhaps a magical shopping spree if the universe was feeling generous.

Instead, I had married a terrifying man who treated exercise like a sacred religious duty, adopted three magical foxes who occasionally betrayed me for snacks, and acquired a sword containing an ancient dragon with the conversational charm of a retired emperor.

My life was a badly managed circus, and somehow, I was both the clown and the person paying for the tickets.

"You are my Master," the dragon finally declared.

’Yes, I gathered that from the glowing sword and the dramatic voice in my skull.’

"You should show more reverence."

’You should show more consideration for people who haven’t had dinner yet.’

Another pause.

"Dinner?"

’Food. Meals. The delightful human activity of putting things in your mouth so your body doesn’t collapse.’

"I know what dinner is."

’Wonderful. Then we’re already making progress.’

I felt something brush against my consciousness. It wasn’t quite a physical sensation, but I imagined it as a very old, very powerful creature leaning closer to examine the strange little human who had somehow become its master.

"You are nothing like the others."

My sarcasm softened slightly.

’The others?’

"Those who sought me."

The dragon’s voice changed. Beneath its ancient pride lay something colder, something that had endured for so long that even the memory of it seemed heavy.

"For centuries, people searched for the Divine Blade. Kings wanted to conquer kingdoms with my power. Warriors wanted to become invincible. Mages wished to dissect the mysteries of my soul. Some prayed to me. Others swore they were worthy of wielding me."

I glanced at Aurelius.

The Archmage was now examining the sword from a respectable distance, his silver eyes practically sparkling.

’I can think of one person who would absolutely try to dissect you.’

"The silver-haired one?"

’You can see him?’

"I can sense the mana of those near my Master."

’Great. So you’re magical security cameras.’

"Security Cameras? I am a Divine Dragon."

’And I’m a grand duchess. We all have titles.’

The dragon fell silent again.

I was beginning to suspect that irritating ancient beings was going to become one of my hidden talents.

"They all wanted something from me," he continued eventually. "Power. Glory. Immortality. They approached the blade with greed in their hearts, convinced that possessing it would make them greater than everyone around them."

My fingers shifted around the hilt.

"You did not."

. . .

. . .

’Are you sure? Because I would absolutely appreciate some immortality if it meant never having to attend boring noble banquets.’

. . .

. . .

"When you found me, you were cursing."

I froze.

’You heard that?’

"Every word. You complained about the forest. You insulted the snake. You blamed an unseen entity for your suffering.You also called the snake aggressive."

’IT WAS AGGRESSIVE!’

"It was a harmless creature."

’It was a tiny white menace with the survival instincts of an assassin!’

"You were holding a stick."

For a moment, the dragon said nothing, and then I felt it: a strange, unfamiliar sensation brushed through my mind.

The Divine Dragon was an ancient being whose soul had survived for centuries. Surely it possessed the dignity to refrain from laughing at a woman who had been thoroughly humiliated by a snake.

But I realized I had just acquired another supernatural being who would probably spend the rest of my life mocking me, at this point, I was beginning to suspect the universe had a personal vendetta.

. . .

. . .

’Wait, you said all those other people wanted your power. But I took you out of the ground while complaining about a snake. Why did you choose me?’

For the first time, the dragon’s answer came without a trace of sarcasm.

"Because you did not seek me."

I went still.

"You did not know what lay beneath that tree. You did not search for a legendary weapon. You did not kneel before my name or beg for my blessing. You were simply trying to survive your ridiculous encounter with a snake."

’Rude but continue.’

"You pulled me from the earth while cursing your circumstances, and when you held me, you did not think of conquest or glory. You wondered what I was, complained about my appearance, and continued arguing with yourself."

’I was not arguing with myself. I was having a perfectly reasonable conversation with the popcorn-eating god.’

"That is not better.For centuries, people looked upon my blade and saw a means to obtain power. You looked at me and saw... a sword."

I stared down at the weapon in my hands.

Its silver surface reflected the light from the window. The ancient golden markings were quiet now, almost invisible against the polished metal.

’So you chose me because I was the only person who didn’t want anything from you?’

"Not precisely."

Oh?

"You wanted to get out of the forest."

I pressed my lips together.

That’s a very important distinction.

"And you wanted to find the elves and you wanted to return to your husband with the means to save the creatures you had taken under your protection."

My sarcasm faltered.

The white fox beasts had been so sick that I hadn’t known whether they would survive. I remembered how helpless I had felt, how desperately I had wanted to find someone who could help them. The Divine Blade had been an accident—a ridiculous, unexpected discovery in the middle of a forest where even the local wildlife seemed determined to ruin my day.

My survival instincts had been replaced with the decision-making abilities of a particularly impulsive squirrel.

"You did not look upon me with greed," the dragon continued. "You did not demand that I make you powerful. You did not ask me to grant you a kingdom. You did not even know I was listening."

’Well, if I’d known, I might have asked for a few things.’

"Such as?"

’Unlimited money. A private chef. A world without morning exercise. And perhaps a magical ability that allows me to teleport directly into bed whenever my husband announces training.’

"You are truly a strange creature."

I almost laughed aloud.

I had somehow managed to offend a Divine Dragon, question his intelligence, and negotiate imaginary benefits in the space of a few minutes.

"Lady Luceille?"

Aurelius’s voice drifted into my ears.

I nearly jumped.

The archmage was staring at me with a deeply concerned expression, his notebook clutched against his chest.

"You have been staring at the sword for some time," he said carefully. "Are you experiencing another reaction? Does the blade feel different? Are you hearing anything unusual?"

’Oh, wonderful. The human research department has noticed a suspicious change in my facial expression.’

Inside my mind, the dragon spoke.

"The silver-haired one asks too many questions."

’Welcome to my world.’

"Luceille."

Cassian’s voice brought me back to the present.

I looked up at him, his ocean-blue eyes searched my face, and his expression softened almost imperceptibly when our gazes met.

"Are you certain you’re well, beloved?"

For one dangerous moment, I considered telling him everything.

That an ancient Divine Dragon was speaking inside my head. That it had chosen me because I’d rescued it while cursing at a snake. That the dragon had already insulted my personality, questioned my survival instincts.

"You’re smiling strangely."

"Am I not allowed to smile at my husband?"

Cassian’s expression changed immediately, his eyes warmed, and the faintest hint of satisfaction appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Of course you are."

Oh, no. I’d accidentally activated the affection setting.

He brushed a strand of hair away from my cheek, his thumb lingering against my skin. "If the sword causes you any discomfort, you will tell me immediately."

"I promise."

Across the room, Aurelius was still watching me suspiciously. Ilum had abandoned his admiration of the fox beasts and was now examining the sword with reverent fascination. Cassian remained beside me, his arm around my waist, apparently satisfied that I wasn’t about to collapse.

And the Divine Dragon? The ancient, legendary, terrifying being whose soul had survived centuries of history?

He found me as a strange creature.