Chapter 11: Earn Her to Go to Longshan

Lying in bed late into the night, Fratina couldn’t sleep.

Every time she thought of her situation, shame and despair overwhelmed her.

She still hadn’t found a way to break the contract.

In combat, she was no match for Lucia—a fact proven in their battle.

Lucia had even forced her into that humiliating contract afterward.

From other angles, breaking the contract seemed equally impossible.

Lucia was surely watching her, overtly or covertly, these past days. Even if Fratina gained her trust, any hint of trying to undo the contract would be swiftly stopped.

Tormented by these thoughts, Fratina finally sat up.

She decided to visit the hot spring behind the mountain.

Whenever she felt agitated these days, soaking in the warm water brought rare moments of calm and comfort.

Grabbing a change of clothes, she left her room.

Her eyes instinctively drifted to Lucia’s door nearby.

It was tightly shut, suggesting Lucia was already asleep.

Passing through the living hall, Fratina’s gaze fell on the book Lucia had been reading earlier.

Its cover looked like that of a spellbook.

If it was a spellbook… could it contain a way to break the contract?

She glanced back at Lucia’s room.

Seeing no movement, she swallowed nervously.

Tiptoeing forward, she picked up the book.

Opening the cover, she hoped to find what she needed.

But when she saw the title, The Adventures of Markberg, she froze.

No, this had to be a disguise. Lucia wouldn’t read something so childish—there must be hidden secrets inside.

Sitting in Lucia’s chair, Fratina began flipping through the book, page by page.

She refused to believe a mighty dragon would read a children’s story. There had to be more to it.

By the time she reached the last page, sunlight was streaming into the cave.

Fratina sat there, dark circles under her eyes, questioning her life.

She had read the entire book and found nothing.

Yet, the adventure novel was surprisingly good, its gripping plot pulling her in for the latter half of the night.

Realizing she felt satisfied rather than disappointed, her mood sank further.

Lucia must have done this on purpose.

Disguising an adventure novel as a spellbook to lure her in.

But Lucia hadn’t caught her in the act. Was this just a warning not to scheme?

As she pondered, Lucia’s door opened.

Lucia stepped out, pausing when she saw Fratina in the hall.

“Fratina, you’re up early.”

Then she noticed the clothes draped over Fratina’s arm.

“Going to wash those?”

Fratina nearly denied it but stopped herself.

She had planned to say she was going to bathe, but who bathes early in the morning?

After staying up all night, looking visibly drained, she just wanted an excuse to escape Lucia.

“I’m going to wash clothes, Lord Lucia. Do you have anything you need washed?”

“No.”

Lucia avoided the topic of her own clothes.

If Fratina washed them, she’d instantly discover Lucia’s true gender.

“Go ahead… Oh, wait.”

As Fratina turned to leave, Lucia called her back.

Approaching, Lucia studied her face.

“Didn’t sleep well last night?”

Fratina sighed, admitting it.

She nodded, her tone apologetic.

“Sorry, Lord Lucia, I couldn’t sleep.”

“Care to share why?”

“…It’s just insomnia, nothing more.”

“Alright.”

Seeing Fratina’s reluctance, Lucia didn’t press further.

“Go wash your clothes. Make dinner when you’re back.”

“Understood.”

Relieved, Fratina hurried toward the cave’s entrance.

Lucia exhaled as Fratina left.

Turning, she scanned the hall and immediately noticed her novel.

She had left it on the table yesterday after Fratina’s return and hadn’t taken it back to her room.

Her hand grazed the cover, and her eyes narrowed.

Something was off. She had placed it face-up, but now it was face-down.

Had Fratina touched it?

Her heart skipped, but she relaxed slightly.

Thankfully, it was just an adventure novel, far less embarrassing than the romance novel she’d read yesterday.

If Fratina knew she enjoyed those, her opinion of Lucia might shift.

Lucia quickly tucked the book away.

*

Back in her room, Lucia sat at her desk.

Looking at her plan, she checked off the second phase.

Her first phase was to reduce Fratina’s resistance through material comforts and respect.

The second was to leverage humanity’s misunderstanding of Fratina to create conflict between her and them.

Fratina’s demeanor last night, after returning with the tribute, confirmed the plan’s success.

Something had happened during the exchange, and Lucia, after a night of thought, had her answer.

Fratina had been misunderstood by the humans.

By sending her alone to receive the tribute while staying absent, Lucia ensured the humans would confront Fratina about her servitude.

They likely couldn’t fathom her staying to plot against Lucia, assuming instead she was a coward afraid of death.

Such a misunderstanding would hit Fratina hard.

A smile curved Lucia’s lips.

She recalled a novel from her past life.

Now, all that remained to bind Fratina to her side was one final battle.