"Yes, revive it," Revina responded, standing only a few inches away from Dorian.

Dorian leaned back a bit, a nervous look on his face before he leaned to the side to take a look at the dragon.

'Well, for starters, it doesn't look dead. Looks like the same situation everyone heard about; the new king could not give the dragon sufficient energy to survive. I'm actually impressed it survived this long; Revina has been ruling for nearly 60 years.'

He sighed and leaned back to normal.

"What you are asking me to do right now is to feed my mana to your dragon, is that so?" he asked back, as if looking to confirm something.

Staring at him for a good while, Revina turned around slowly, now facing the dragon.

"There are stories surrounding the existence of the Dragon Monarch, a being said to have created the dragons as an attempt to battle the gods and set humans free from their grasp."

She continued, taking slow steps towards the dragon.

"Prophecies, visions, and many tales linked back to this sacred being, that so few people have seen or heard about, which is why I find it hard to believe that you are indeed the Dragon Monarch of this world, a being that has existed for thousands of years, during the age of the gods."

Dorian raised his brow a bit. 'The Dragon Monarch is that big a deal? The system didn't say any of this when bestowing the title and class on me.'

His shock only further increased as Revina went on.

"If I am to find out that you lied to me—and for your sake, I pray that you didn't—I will execute you on the spot. But if you are telling the truth, and you are indeed the Dragon Monarch spoken of in prophecies and ancient tales, then prove it to me by using your mana to revive my family's dragon." Revina's final words were followed by her looking Dorian dead in the eye, conviction glued to her face.

'Execution on the spot, eh? She doesn't have any guards around, so she must be referring to herself. She wants to kill me herself? You must be strong, Your Majesty. Then again, you're a Grand Master-ranked warrior; your confidence is well earned.'

Grinning mischievously, Dorian pointed at her.

"Here is the thing: I have absolutely nothing to prove here. Whether you believe I am or I am not is entirely on you and not me. Nevertheless, I can't stand the fact that you doubt me so much, so how about we make a deal on this?"

Revina frowned a bit. "You want to make a deal with me?"

"Yes, I don't gain anything in this, so why not? Don't tell me you're going to refuse me this one offer."

Revina thought about it for a while.

No doubt her curiosity was far too high to allow something as minor as a deal to set her back.

"If that is what you need, then I will do so. Just tell me what you want: more land? Women? Money?"

"Oh please, Your Majesty, I am not that materialistic. I seriously despise using people for what they have; it's just a heartless and self-centered thing to do. I will be doing none of that."

"Is that so? Then what is it that catches your interest? Do you wish to get married to me and become king?" Revina's voice was laced with sarcasm.

But to her surprise, Dorian began taking steps toward her after pulling out a rolled paper from his pocket and stretching it towards her face.

"Please just sign this and we will be good to go."

With her eyes narrowed and brows furrowed, she glanced at the paper and realized it was a contract. "What is in this?"

"Words."

"That is not what I was asking."

"Legal words?"

Thwack!

Revina snatched the contract from his hand angrily and then frustratedly began to loosen the red ribbon around it so she could read the content of the contract handed to her.

Lili began to growl, threatening to pounce on Ravina.

All while this was happening, Dorian kept his head lowered, bowing and not even bothering to look at her face.

"There is no need for you to read it. I know we just met, but our trust can't be that bad. What could a small contract possibly do to a king such as yours-"

"Agreement to build infrastructures around the kingdom with no restriction or interruptions," Revina read aloud, interrupting him.

Though he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was boiling with rage.

Revina continued to read the rest out loud.

"The ability to employ and dismiss any and all workers and staff I deem necessary for the construction without your interference."

Dorian subtly raised his head, a small smirk playing on his lips as Revina's voice grew increasingly strained with each word.

"Full and complete access to all resources within your kingdom without prior approval, including but not limited to rare minerals, lumber, and magical components."

She paused, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The paper in her hand trembled.

"And finally, in exchange for all of the above, I, Dorian, the Dragon Monarch, will revive your family's dragon."

Revina finally lowered the contract, her eyes blazing as she stared at Dorian. He met her gaze with an innocent, almost childlike smile.

"Is there a problem, Your Majesty?" he asked, his tone dripping with mock sweetness.

"A problem?!" she practically roared, her composure completely shattered. "You call this a small contract?! This is an agreement to hand over my entire kingdom to you!"

"Oh, not the entire kingdom," Dorian corrected, waving a dismissive hand. "Just the bits and bobs needed to build some infrastructure. You said it yourself, you need the dragon revived. And I need a little… cooperation to make that happen."

"Cooperation?!" Revina echoed, her voice reaching a dangerous pitch. "You demand absolute control over my resources, my people, my very kingdom, and you call it cooperation?!"

"Well, think of it as an investment," Dorian said, shrugging. "A long-term investment in your kingdom's future. Imagine a kingdom with proper roads, efficient water systems, and perhaps even some magical defenses. All courtesy of the Dragon Monarch, of course."

Revina's chest heaved.

She looked from the audacious young man before her to the still, majestic form of her family's dragon.

The weight of her ancestral duty warred with the blatant insolence of Dorian's demands.

"And if I refuse?" she finally managed, her voice a low growl.

Dorian's smile didn't falter.

"Then, Your Majesty, your dragon remains… unwell. And the prophecies remain unfulfilled. Your choice, of course. I would never force anyone to do anything."

The silence that followed was thick with tension.

"You're telling me you knew about my dragon, knew I would ask you to do this, and then you made a contract for this?!"

Dorian now looked at her, a wide smile on his face, lips shot out like jelly and both his fingers pointing at the dragon. "It's a s-ecret, ah-"

Pa!

Revina slapped his face with the contract. "Sorry, I thought I saw a fly."

Dorian still kept smiling. "No issues, Your Majesty. Sign the contract, why don't you?"

Revina sighed, looking at the contract once more.

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