The Reborn Witch had a nice 'Tea Time' with the Dragon Queen today
Chapter 84: The Puppy’s Walk! How Relaxing...

Chapter 84: The Puppy’s Walk! How Relaxing...

"I’m so sorry the troubles my child has caused all these years..."

"Please do not apologise, Mis...uh..."

"Just...Miss Demond is fine."

"Right. Miss Demond. Please do not apologise." Elsara petted the doggy lying on all fours right beside her, the diplomat’s smile practised and mannered. "Having disciplined this child of yours must be a difficulty beyond my imagination."

"I thank you sincerely for your understanding, Queen Elsara." Witch Demond bowed as Adrei tapped her wife’s trembling back, as Yasen (who still had a large footprint on her face), with a grinning face, poked Alice’s blushing cheek, who burrowed her gaze onto the ground.

"Ah, and there seems to be more we can discuss, particularly regarding the Peace Banquet and the aftermath of Rouen." The Queen gestured to the side. "Shall we walk our puppy to look for the Protector of Rouen while we talk the rest?"

"El-Elsara!" Alice yelped as a vengeful Yasen accidentally glided some iceflakes onto her back. Glaring at the scaredy Yasen off, her hound-like eyes immediately shifted to puppy-eyes as she met the Queen’s narrowed violets.

"Elsara, don’t lie! You can just order the knight to bring that....uh, what’s her name again?"

"You met her at the last summit, Alice. And also." Elsara tilted her head with a smile. "Dogs aren’t supposed to talk."

"E-eep...but....I’m a...hero doggy?"

"Hm?"

"...woof."

"Good puppy." Elsara petted Alice’s head as she faced Demond’s conflicted look, then her husband’s ’polite’ smirk right behind hers. "Dragon Queen. I thank you for your efforts to protect the town."

"Hm? So you already caught wind of the news?"

"Mmm. Let’s walk first before we continue."

And so, the two couples, alongside Yasen, whose leg kept dragging on Alice’s knees as the hero shamefully glared, set out on their parade.

"I’ve heard from the Mages who monitored with their devices, and it would seem you two were the real saviors of this town." Elsara waved to some pedestrians who bowed, their glances flickering to the hero whose blush reached her ears.

"I won’t deny it, but I hope it won’t sour or leverage our relationship based on...strengths or achievements, Queen Elsara." A draconic chuckle echoed as the grumbling Demond elbowed her husband, as Alice’s nod was replaced with another yelp, with the Queen pinching her ear.

"Indeed, please rest assured. Counting on compensations alone, we humans and you, Dragons, all wished for peace the same way we hoped our puppy could be more diligent and...controlled." The Queen swiped the puppy’s ear, which earned her an uncomfortable whimper.

"Queen Elsara." The witch patted away her husband’s sneaking embrace on her waist without a glance as she spoke. "What about Lady Adil? Perhaps you knew something about the runes from the start?"

"We do, Miss Demond." Queen Elsara let go of Alice’s ear right as the hero leaned towards the touch. "It’s a secret deal between the Church, a Dragon Elder, and Lady Adil. Since it was personal and did not involve violating a clause, we ignored it, but..."

"But it would seem the implication is dire." The Peacekeeper sighed, no longer sneaking glances at the pouting Alice. "The Church’s influence has been meager on this land, but to cooperate with Coriel...it seems circumstances prove them to be either desperate or daring."

The Tyrann’s blood wished to scream for the Peacekeeper for immediately accusing the Church, but the diplomat in her knew better. Perhaps Coriel had more weaknesses and secrets kept that led to this action? An investigation must first be done."

Demond blinked at Adrei’s cackling scales, before sighing and leaning into her husband, glancing away as Adrei’s eyes fluttered at her, before chuckling and embracing her grumbling wife harder.

"But I’m afraid an investigation won’t easily be done. Unless..." The Queen’s eyes narrowed at her puppy, whose glittering blue eyes yearned for her touch.

Elsara chortled as she patted her cheek. "Unless we had the Hero herself handle the investigation. The church would...shudder so much that they would become honest. Don’t you think so, my puppy?"

"M-mmmhmmmm."

"My puppy?"

"Woo-woof..." The Queen’s tease was a drop of snowflake tickled Alice’s heart, as she blushed further knowing even her infamy has its uses.

"Then...we came back to the question..." Demond sighed into Adrei’s embrace, as her stare met the Queen’s. "How do you...plan to handle Adil’s punishment?"

"Punishment? Ah." The Queen nodded as she lightly slapped the whining Alice’s cheek, Yasen cackling from behind. "Our Royal Court planned for no such thing as punishment, but there’s a catch."

"A catch?"

"Mhm. By your Queen’s truly." Putting an index finger over her lips, the Queen smirked. "I will not punish Adil for her dealings or for bringing dangers to her town. But instead, the compensation to the town’s damage must be halved as a result, just enough for the town to recover."

"Uh...Queen Elsara?" Yasen, an outsider eager to opnionate herself. "But...Alice’s ice...it won’t melt easily and all, so how should Adil handle the damage with her compensation lessened?"

"Ironically, Adil’s new form, from what I’ve seen from the Mage, allowed new plants to grow under the cold circumstances, so perhaps the lost compensations shall be... exchanged with some new products." Queen’s smirk grew wider, for the immediate, unexpected remedy against Alice’s prank.

"Also, can I take your opinion as the Elder Council’s attempt to weaken the humans further, so you’ll have more leeway when we inevitably compensate for the little meteor our puppy dropped on you?"

"Uh-no, no, I didn’t think that far ahead, Queen Elsara." Yasen shook her head frantically as Adrei sighed at her inconsideration and hugged her wife harder.

"But Queen Elsara." Adrei’s stern tone took hold as she glared forward. "We must not treat too carefully when it comes to outside nations’ influences, especially when you enlisted the mages’ emergency assistance."

"Please do not worry, Dragon Queen Adrei." Elsara’s violet eyes met the Dragon Queen’s, no fluttering or trembling as there were no unequals between the highest authorities and nobilities. "We can handle ourselves just fine. Please enjoy the rest of your journey with your...wife."

"Urgh." Demond groaned as she circled Adrei’s scale on her waist. "Queen Elsara. I have a request."

"Hm?" Elsara bounced her hand on Alice’s head as she stared at the hero’s mother.

"When you introduced us to the Peace Banquet, I implore you." The prideful former old mage bowed her head. "Please do not introduce me as a wife, but rather as a partner to Adrei."

Adrei held back her chuckle as the pouting Demond squeezed the Dragon’s cheek before the Queen merely smiled in understanding at the scene. "I understand, you have my promise."

As they continued to walk and discuss, under some curious stares and bows from the crowd, as well as Yasen’s claw accidentally tickling Alice’s creaking back, they arrived at an...unexpected scene.

"Selene. I thought I told you not to run like an idiot when facing Alice’s storm."

A green-haired Druid Elder scowled at her daughter, who was hugging her head and curling up like an infant (which Yasen praised again) in a corner.

"Please...please forgive me...I can’t run anymore...I don’t want to die..."

Adil sighed out half of her lifespan, conflicted at her daughter’s pain and indolence for not following ’Alice’s Disaster Drill’ like she listened, before turning to the couple approaching her.

"Glory to the Queen of Alakarans, and the Dragon Queen of Tamara."

She bowed, like a subject would to her Queens, despite her daughter’s mumbling whimpers behind a bench.