Chapter 3

Kate’s POV

Time seems to be passing at the speed of a turtle crossing a busy street. I'm growing increasingly anxious to leave this place and get my hands on that damn document, which is now tucked into a pocket inside my temporary father's coat.

Invitations, documents… Why does everything always have to involve a piece of paper?

Well, the important thing now is that, as promised, the moment my temporary father signed the document, the embedded spell made that woman and the Hunters forget Dan's Secret Name. They all even seemed dizzy for a moment, and the man with an eyepatch was quick to step away from him, letting go of his chain into my hands.

It was amusing when Dan pretended to lunge at him. The man let out a squeal as he jumped away from him, who grinned widely, full of teeth, before starting to follow me as my temporary father and I left the room. But I noticed that, like me, he couldn't help but watch my temporary father's hands' movements as he rolled up the document to put it in his coat.

The name on it, along with the collar around Dan's neck, was what had been giving the Hunters the power to control him without him trying to fight back.

Now, that power belongs solely to my temporary father.

This makes me extremely curious and a little scared too when I think about what the detailed version of Dan's capture must be like, since it involved a live bait. Given the summary I heard while we were in the office, it must have been a horrible experience…

If everything goes well, I won't have to be cruel to him, right? Even though I was focusing on stealing any other creature, mistreating it to make it obey was never my intention. Having its Secret Name in my possession only serves as insurance that I won't be taken by surprise.

I want to believe that Dan and that wingless dragon are the same creature because it would be too much of a coincidence for both of them to have the same scars on their backs. But looking at him now, it seems like something is missing, and I'm not talking about his almost human appearance.

The wingless dragon from eight years ago had an almost furious grandeur in his gaze, and I don't see that in Dan, even though his gaze is almost as intense and sharp; equally capable of intimidating with little effort.

(...) Nobody can guess when the person next to you will stab you in the back, huh?

I close my eyes and shake my head discreetly, trying to divert my mind from these inconvenient thoughts, as I am the one holding Dan's leash now while he walks just behind me and my temporary father.

So far, everything's under control.

We're on our way to the carriage, waiting for my temporary father outside. I want to ask what his name is to better understand who I'm dealing with, but that would ruin the lie I'm sustaining with my spell. After all, what daughter doesn't know her father's name?

However, as if he had read my mind, Dan asks, "Can I know the names of my new… owners?"

I turn around and meet his yellow eyes, which have weighed on my back since we left the office. I feel the same sensation from eight years ago again. This is already confusing me.

"I'm Kate," I reply, trying not to show that I was almost frightened.

"For you, dragon, Master will be more than enough," my temporary father says right after me, and I can hear Dan growling softly. The guild leader was right when she said he's feisty.

"All right, Kate and… Master," Dan says with a hissing tone, and then only his eyes turn in my direction. This makes me realize that my neck is starting to ache; I've been staring at him all this time.

Suddenly, I return my attention to the path ahead, but I could swear I saw Dan smirking before I took him out of my line of sight. However, his voice soon reaches my ears again.

"Well... It's not that I'm thrilled about this, but since being a slave to humans is the future awaiting me, I hope we can have a good coexistence... as much as possible," he speaks with an almost palpable indifference. Still, there's a certain melody in how Dan articulates the words, making me question for a split second if he was serious when he claimed to be a bad singer. "Anyway. Next question is for my... young mistress."

I become alert, and even without looking back, I feel that the chain in my hand is becoming less taut. Then, catching me off guard and making me hold my breath, I get the feeling that someone is very close to me—that Dan is very close to me. It's when, from the corner of my eyes, I come face to face with his chest.

Dan has his torso and head tilted so that his hair hangs over his shoulder. I hear him inhaling through his nose, just once, and when he exhales through his mouth, I feel his warm breath brush against my cheek.

My brain snaps. He must be smelling my magic.

I can't panic.

Feisty or not, he can't do anything to me now. This old man believes I'm his daughter. Of course, he would defend me (and himself) if Dan tried something crazy to break free.

Even so, if he smelled my magic...

Please, don't say anything about it.

Please, don't try anything with me.

Please...

"What are the grand plans you say you have for me?" Dan asks, and I almost choke on saliva.

"Grand plans?" My temporary has a confused expression on his face, his pupils retracting a little, almost returning to their normal size. "My beloved daughter, what’s he talking about?"

I feel my heart make a desperate leap. All the muscles in my body tense. But I can't stop walking. I can't let anyone notice how unsettled I am. I need to be quick.

"Forgot?" I touched one of the old man's hands. In certain cases, physical contact can amplify the spell. "You promised to give me a gift."

"I promised? When did I do that?"

Dan starts laughing softly by my side. Amidst the moment’s urgency, I end up doing like the man with an eyepatch and pull the chain. I don't know if this made the collar around Dan’s neck hurt him or something, but he growled and didn't say anything else.

"You promised that today before we came here," I tell my temporary father, and he puts his hand on his chin, thoughtful. **"This dragon is the perfect gift for me, your beloved daughter."

"Hm... Funny, I can't remember saying that." He murmurs, then shrugs. "We'll talk more about this gift when we get home, alright?"

I bite the inside of my lower lip.

"... All right."

Damn. That means the spell wavered, and I almost lost control of it. This can only be a result of my distraction.

Frowning, I glare at Dan once again, now free of any signs of the previous slight panic. I want to make him eat his teeth because he has straightened up and continues walking relatively close to me, smirking. He then pouts, raising his shoulders in an innocent gesture; the movement is limited since he remains handcuffed.

"Sad," he tilts his head again, and this is an irritatingly charming gesture because his black hair’s shorter strands fall disheveled over his face. "Looks like my young mistress won't get a gift from Daddy."

"Shut up." I pull the chain again.

"In your place, I'd be a bit gentler when pulling that damn thing, considering I'm the perfect gift for you," Dan's voice is annoyingly melodic again. "You don't want to risk ruining the dragon you desire so much, do you?"

I'm starting to reconsider what I thought about not wanting to be cruel to him.

"That's enough, both of you," my temporary father commands, just as I was about to retort. "I didn't spend a fortune on this thing for it to test my patience." He gives me an authoritative look. "And I've already said we'll talk about this later."

"Sorry..." I murmur.

At least, if this old man is scolding me, it means that the lie about being his daughter is still ingrained in his mind.

Finally, outside the guild, my temporary father leads us to a carriage pulled by two horses and guarded by three men. But even from this distance, I can see that they wear collars identical to Dan's. None of them are human, and all are using the Veil to conceal their true appearances.

They cast strange glances at me as I approach, and one of them even shows his teeth briefly, but no one says anything. I think if they are deducing my real intentions, none of them would mind if I rid them of their burdens.

Dan sits in the space beside me when my temporary father and I are settled in the carriage. His tail is so large that it ends up serving as a barrier between us; the tip of it hanging on the vehicle's floor.

I stared at it for a while, and when my temporary father gave the order for the carriage to start moving, I looked at him from the corner of my eye and asked, "By the way, are you a dragon, or did my father spend his money on a disguised fey?"

"That's a good question..." My temporary father raises an eyebrow in Dan's direction.

If there were any disguise in Dan's appearance, I would know, thanks to my eyes. However, its ability doesn’t allow me to identify anything about whether he has a dragon form or not.

Dan looks at my temporary father, then at me, and flashes the same smile he had when he was exposed on the auction stage.

"It's more practical to keep this form," he replies. "Besides, I imagine your... fathe... certainly wouldn't like to lose his carriage because I shifted inside of it."

The way he pronounces the word "father" makes me a little nervous, and now Dan can't stop staring at me. I try to ignore him. It's better to talk to my temporary father again. I don't want to make a whole trip to wherever he lives. I want to grab this dragon and leave.

"Dad, aren't you going to let me know what our dragon's Secret Name is?"

"It's not necessary, dear," he replies, and I try not to show anger. "Knowing a Secret Name can be as dangerous as not knowing it."

"But how do you plan to give him to me if you won't let me know it? You need to let me see the document."

"Yeah, Dad, why not let your beloved daughter take a look at that piece of paper?" Dan practically hums and the old man blinks rapidly, then shakes his head, clearly confused.

I pull Dan's chain much harder now, forcing him to bend forward. He laughs nonetheless.

"What are you talking about, dragon? Don't call me that again." My temporary father alternates his gaze between me and Dan and lingers on me for several seconds. "I don't have children..."

"Well, well..." Dan turns his head. His eyes have a mischievous gleam. "Then who's this girl holding my chain?"

Damn.

"She is..." The old man tries to say, but his speech dies the moment his eyes return to normal.

Now I understand why Dan sniffed the air around me at that moment. He wasn't smelling my magic’s scent, but rather my spell.

He found out.

"Sorry to say, master, but you're about to be robbed by a witch."