Chapter 30: Eating Flatbreads and Drawing Them

The warm candlelight inside the room flickered gently.

Small, medium, and large—the three of them sat around the long dining table. Although they could have eaten separately, Victoria insisted on dining together, claiming it made the food taste better. Because of this, Linde had to push four square tables together just to create enough space for the young dragon to "sit" at the table.

"Flatbreads today."

Linde brought the plates over one by one. When it was Victoria's turn, he couldn't help but shoot her a glare. If he had known back then, he never would have given her that hand-grabbed pancake; now, the little gluttonous dragon begged for it every single day. But those pancakes were far too small to satisfy her appetite, forcing him to make giant flatbreads for her every few days. Just kneading the dough for three large basins left his wrists aching.

"Linde, you’re the best chef in the world! When I become the Gem Dragon King, I’ll personally award you a Diamond of Culinary Arts, made from the largest and shiniest diamond in the world, so that everyone will envy you wherever you go."

"I make the flatbreads for you, and you just feed me empty promises," Linde scoffed. It went in one ear and out the other; he didn't take the young dragon's promise to heart. It was just talk, not worth believing. However, he suddenly felt his aching wrists ease a little. Perhaps that was the magic of a young dragon.

Victoria, faced with the steaming flatbread piled high with vegetables and meat, drooled with desire. No matter how many times she ate it, she never grew tired of it. After taking a huge bite, the crispness of the vegetables, the juiciness of the meat, and the perfect crunch of the crust reached a perfect balance in her mouth. She chewed instinctively, and by the time she realized it, she had already swallowed the bite, ready to embark on another wonderful journey for her taste buds.

Victoria swallowed her saliva. Instead of digging in immediately, she looked at Linde with a grin. "You made me stand outside and face the wall, but you were actually worried that I’d sneeze while you were kneading the flour, right? Afraid it would ruin your delicious flatbread? Maybe you even wanted to give me a little surprise. Thank you, Linde, I’m so happy! Hehe."

"Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping. You talk too much."

Linde kept his face expressionless and didn't even turn his head, silently eating his own bread, seemingly ignoring the young dragon. In reality, if he weren't busy chewing, the upward curve of his lips would have been far too obvious. He had to maintain a cool demeanor in front of this silly dragon; after all, if he were always smiling, she would be tearing the roof off within three days.

Rewards and punishments were clear: she had dutifully faced the wall, so he made her a feast. Blind indulgence would only be a hidden harm to Victoria in the long run, Linde thought.

Just as he felt he was being perfectly fair, a certain butterfly dragon stared at him with resentment. Talk about favoritism. Victoria’s flatbread was piled high with meat, while she had to hunt for vegetables in hers; yet, on her own plate, the meat and vegetables were perfectly balanced. *Sigh, it’s too healthy.*

But when she noticed that Linde’s portion was arranged much like her own, the petty grievances in Sirona’s heart vanished in an instant. Linde wasn't intentionally excluding her. What he fed her was just as balanced as what he ate himself—he cared about her!

On second thought, she hadn't contributed much to the making of the bread, aside from gathering a few raw ingredients and seasonings—mushrooms, bell peppers, rosemary, and the like. Under these circumstances, Sirona felt she should be grateful for what she had and stop being so picky. Furthermore, Victoria was a young dragon currently in a growth spurt, so it was good for her to eat more meat.

She had grown quite fond of Victoria, too. If the little dragon hadn't understood her language and communicated with her at the start, there wouldn't be this warm, harmonious dinner time.

It was so nice to be with this human and this dragon. Whether it was their time spent fleeing together, their daily interactions, or their previous disagreements on philosophy... these were experiences she could never have had as a lone dragon. *Well, maybe the fleeing part,* Sirona thought with a self-deprecating smile.

But this time, she truly didn't want to run anymore. She was tired of the constant, desperate struggle to find treasures every season just to trade for a few months of safety. Even if she were to hunt for treasure, she would rather give it to Linde and Victoria because they were kind to her, not to that greedy, insatiable red dragon. According to Linde, that red dragon was about to break through to the seventh rank. If it were allowed to ascend so easily and effortlessly, it wouldn't just be these mountains that suffered.

When that happened, would she have to flee hundreds of miles away with Linde and Victoria? What if there were equally vicious black dragons there? Run again? Sirona didn't want to run anymore; she felt that living in such constant fear was exhausting. She wanted to laugh, she loved to laugh, and she was willing to laugh with the people she loved.

Dragons were not born to live in pain. This time, she was determined to stand up! Like Linde said, she would be an Angry Bird! Thinking of this, Sirona’s heart surged with emotion. She couldn't even care about eating anymore and said excitedly to Linde, "Linde, actually, I know exactly where the treasures that can boost strength are kept in the red dragon’s treasury."

She hadn't mentioned it before because she feared it would only harden Linde and Victoria's resolve to seize the treasure. But after opening up to them, she realized their resolve was already firm. She was the one who had been the wavering dragon.

"Oh," Linde replied.

His cold reaction left Sirona confused. "Aren't we trying to boost our own strength to delay the red dragon’s ascension? Knowing its—"

"Finish your meal before we talk business," Linde said, glancing helplessly at the butterfly dragon. "If you don't eat what's on your plate, that hungry dragon is going to have a second helping."

"Don't talk about me like I'm a bottomless pit," Victoria said, pulling a long face. "I just can't stand to see good food being neglected; I want to give it a warm home. What could be wrong with that?"

"You can have it, I'm not really hungry anyway," Sirona said, pushing her plate toward the young dragon.

"I don't want it. If I take it, Linde will smack me," Victoria said, glancing at Linde before staring straight ahead, acting as if she were completely unmoved by the delicious food.

"Oh, don't worry, I really can't eat anymore. I'm asking you to help me finish it. Linde won't smack you," Sirona urged.

"Hmph, you think you can test me with this? I said I won't eat it, so I won't!" Victoria turned her head away, refusing to even look at the meal.

Seeing this, Linde sighed helplessly. "If she wants to give it to you, just eat it. Stop putting on an act for me."

Upon hearing this, the little white dragon happily took the plate, beaming with joy. "How did you know I'm a dragon who can't pass a test? Tee-hee."