Chapter 175

"Your Grace, he has come to the mortal world because he couldn't resist the interest he had in your roses, so just answer his questions and everything will be fine."

"He's not… a human, is he?"

"Answer my question first!"

Ios put his face right in front of hers while yelling. His highly raised eyebrows and stubborn lips clearly showed he had a temper problem. Even Minos, who was now in his usual goblin form, was saying it would be fine if she just answered his questions, but he wasn't saying he was kind.

'I can't tell him about Lord Sesar since it might endanger him.'

Rubica managed to reply in a shaky voice.

"I didn't get it from somewhere. It has been made."

"Made? Oh, has that man succeeded in making something new again? But pale purple rose wasn't among the roses he told me about!"

Ios clenched his fists and yelled angrily. Apparently, he sounded like he already knew about Lord Sesar.

"You know Lord Sesar? Where have you met him?"

"At the goblins' party that took place in Mount Flenus."

Oh, it turned out Lord Sesar hadn't been talking nonsense. Rubica anxiously grasped her skirt while thinking that Sesar brought a really huge problem.

Edgar had said he was a walking trouble and she shouldn't have taken it lightly.

"I should have kidnapped that human and locked him in my territory."

Ios stared at the flowers and smack his lips. If only he could, he would plant the new rose deep in his territory and enjoy it alone. Humans couldn't appreciate its beauty and would cut it to decorate their house, and it was just too good for them.

However, what he hated even more was the fact that it had been a human who made such a beautiful rose.

"Umm… what are you?"

Rubica got rid of most of her fear and asked. Although Ios's eyes and words were sharp, the way he looked at the rose was kind of familiar.

"What am I? Ios, of course."

Rubica doubted her ears for a second. She then asked the goblin, "Really?"

"Yes, he is Ios the Golden Dragon."

Minos smiled awkwardly and opened his bag wide to take out a stone.

"This is for you."

"For… me?"

What he was offering was a stone that could commonly be seen on beaches. The goblin was surprised more than anyone at seeing her reaction. What he brought was a mermaid's heart that nymphs extremely liked.

"Oh, you're not the one."

It seemed like his guess had been wrong. If the duchess was not the nymph, was it her husband then? He wondered how he was supposed to gain an audience with the duke as he was even harder to meet than the duchess. But then, Ios yelled.

"I'll give you one of that each month, so hand me Sesar."

Ios was not clever like Minos. He started to say his terms, thinking Rubica was the nymph.

"And I want all the roses he made till now to bloom only in my territory. I also want that thing on your chest. Tell me, what do you want in return?"

"In… return?"

"Yes, I will pay for taking what belongs to you, so tell me anything you want. Oh, but not this and this and this among the plants that grow in my territory."

Rubica looked at the dragon for a moment. Although she couldn't understand more than half of what he was saying, she did notice something strange in it.

Ios spoke to her as if she was an entity that was equal to himself. She already knew how scary and fickle he was through numerous stories and legends, but she decided to give it a try.

"What if I don't want it?"

"What?"

Ios's face turned red. Being refused was something he didn't get to experience much.

"But why? I must spend at least a week deep in the sea to get a single heart of a mermaid. That thing is really hard to get!"

Even though he said so, he didn't burn the mansion or started to smash things.

It seemed like he couldn't just take Lord Sesar and his roses without her permission. Rubica soon realized this was a negotiation and she had the upper hand in it.

"Fine, two. I can't do more than that. I can't leave my territory for more than half of every month, I must take care of my plants."

Rubica imagined the dragon watering and manuring flowers. She almost laughed hard at that.

"I'm sorry, but this thing is not what I want."

She hated it even more after hearing that it was the heart of a mermaid. However, that really frustrated the dragon.

"What? But aren't you all crazy about that thing?"

Rubica carefully replied, trying not to break his misunderstanding.

"We can all have different tastes."

"That's right."

The simple Ios bought that and nodded. Then, he ruffled his hair into a mess. He wanted to turn the mansion into a mess as well, but the pale purple rose was just too fascinating.

"Okay then, what do you want? Name your price."

Rubica gulped hard. Name your price? That was the hardest demand possible.

'Can't you let people farm on part of your plain?'

She really wanted to say that, but she couldn't as she didn't know what entity the dragon, with his temper problems, had mistaken her for. He still couldn't take his eyes off the rose. Therefore, she carefully asked, "Do you want the flower that much?"

"Of course I do. I'm taking Sesar, so tell me what do you want in return?"

"Lord Sesar is a human being. He isn't a thing that can be traded."

"What? Isn't he your underling?"

"He is a member of this family, but he gets to decide where he goes and what he does with who, not me."

Ios scratched his head as he couldn't understand what Rubica was talking about.

It seemed like there was a huge gap between humans' common sense and dragons' common sense.

"I'm saying you should offer your terms of employment to him, not to me."

"Are you saying I should make a deal with a human?"

Ios bit his lips. His pride had just been hurt a lot. Minos quietly shook his head to signal danger, and Rubica gave up on explaining that a deal and employment were two different things.

"Anyway, Lord Sesar wouldn't want to go with you, so I cannot make him do it."

"What are you talking about? He should be honored to become my underling."

Rubica smiled awkwardly. Why did things like this keep happening to her? She had never imagined there would come a day she had to convince a dragon.

"You said you wanted his flowers to bloom only in your territory."

"Yes, such beautiful flowers should be protected in my territory."

"But Lord Sesar wants to share the beauty of his flowers with many. He didn't make them just for one to enjoy."

"But humans don't know how to appreciate the real beauty of flowers."

"Still, you didn't bring this rose to this world. A human did."

Ios's lips shook. He had nothing to say to that. Minos was surprised by Rubica's courage to convince the dragon. Even though Ios believed she was a nymph, but she was actually just a weak human.

"I will give you this pot of roses. Take it and plant it where you want."

"I want more than a few roses."

"I'll also give you the Taylor Rose, and I will give you the roses Lord Sesar will make in the future if you want."

Ios pouted, but Rubica's promise of sharing roses made him feel a little better and the frown on his forehead faded. The tensed mood became a little relaxed, and Minos let out a sigh of relief.

"I also want one of those things on your chest."

"You can have it."

"So, what's the price?"

"I don't have a price."

"You don't want anything in return for giving me what belongs to you?"

"I just want you to make the roses bloom beautifully."

Actually, what she really wanted was for the troublesome dragon to leave the mansion quickly. However, she hid that and smiled brightly to Ios.

"I don't get it…"

Ios frowned again. It was only natural to pay a price in return to get something. He'd been told nymphs were metaphysical beings, and he was having a really hard time understanding what she was saying.

"I don't want to take anything without paying a price! Just tell me anything you want."

"But I do not want anything right now…"

Rubica didn't know what to do. Even though Ios was saying she could ask for anything, she knew he would be enraged if she asked for anything he really liked. Making a demand could also reveal the fact that she was only an ordinary human.

"I'll tell you about it when I want something, so why don't you take the roses first?"

She decided to postpone her answer. It seemed like it would be better to make the ill-tempered dragon leave and talk to Minos. At least she wouldn't have to worry about losing her life while talking to the goblin.