I Raised A Black Dragon

“He’s like a ghost.” Noah muttered, staring at Adrian’s displeased face. Perhaps it was a male instinct that he knew her thoughts were drifting onto another man, and Noah found it amusing and scary at the same time. 

Noah wasn’t the type of person whose thoughts were evident all over her face, and besides, she was always trying to put an indifferent facade. Yet the blond man in front of her knew exactly what she was thinking.

“In fact, there are more than one or two things I don’t like.” Adrian whispered, his fingers tracing the white bandage around her neck. His eyes were dangerously dark with jealousy. “Why do you keep making him touch you?” 

Adrian didn’t bother to hide his annoyance. Noah looked up at him as he unwrapped the bandage around her neck.

At this point, Noah believed that Adrian’s love for his past lover must be real. She had presumed that they were only ‘sleeping partners’, but Adrian’s feelings mustn’t have been that shallow. 

Eventually, Noah apologized, staring into his green eyes. “Well… I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I won’t let another man touch me.”

Perhaps her words were unexpected as Adrian remained silent for a moment. His eyes narrowed as if to study her intentions.

Noah put on a bright smile. It wasn’t difficult to fake expression, even against someone who was extremely keen. 

“…Anyway, I don’t know, I don’t know.” Adrian murmured, withdrawing a little from Noah. But with a faint smile on his face, it was clear that her apology just now had quite pleased him.

There was one thing Noah had learned about during the last three weeks of classes held by Adrian: his type was easier to tame. Although he seemed like a psycho who constantly makes friendly retorts and sweet threats, if Noah were only to behave obediently, he would soon soften,  just like now.

“Then, shall we try again? From here, a flow that rises near the heart and then circulates back through the brain.”

“…Yes.”

Adrian loosened the restraint on Noah’s neck again, and a gentle but firm energy filled her body and began to whirl slowly. She recalled the first time Kyle felt her mana back in Sorrent. What did he do then?

“Adrian.”

“Huh?”

Noah held his hand, not waiting for his answer. It was the first time she made contact with him with her own volition. Whether or not Adrian was surprised, Noah grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach.

“Oh, that’s better.”

Clearly, her senses became sharper when the reference point was clearly established than when it was felt alone. She closed her eyes, feeling a slow wave of water. Don’t let the mana run wild, gently, carefully…

“I wonder about you.”

While Noah was concentrating for a long time, Adrian suddenly opened his mouth. She answered leisurely with her eyes still shut. “It’s a good thing. I’m curious about you, too.”

“…You’ve resisted as much as you could before. You hated me and pushed me away even if I took a step closer, but what are you up to now?”

“You said you’d tie me up in chains. I don’t like that.”

Thinking her practice was enough, Noah then took Adrian’s hand off her stomach and took a deep breath. The sensation of the mana was still evident even without Adrian’s help.

When she opened her eyes again, there was a faint trace of mana that she hadn’t seen so far. A contented laugh fell from Noah’s lips. “Okay. I think this is enough for today. Now that I can see it, I can stop it quickly even if the magic pops out without me knowing-”

Noah’s words were interrupted halfway as Adrian reached out and tightened back the loose chains. In an instant, Muell’s mana was cut off, and the traces of mana floating around her disappeared. 

She glanced up at him with a frown, and Adrian whispered low. “Now that I see you, you’re fearless.”

“…….”

“What do you think I’m going to do here now?”

“What’s wrong with being nice to you because you told me not to rebel?”

Adrian, caught off guard by her nonchalant reply, was silent for a moment. Not long after, he asked, “You’re so charming to him, too?”

And, strangely enough, Noah was rather taken aback by his remark, too. She already knew who “the man” Adrian was referring to, but for now, Noah pretended to be oblivious. “I don’t have a man.”

“You said you have a lover.”

“Oh, I got dumped.”

“Don’t lie. Answer me. Do you behave this way to Kyle Leonard, too?” 

He was a frightfully persistent fellow, Noah thought. She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “No. I can’t. There’s no place for me to play, how could I do this to Sir Leonard?” Her response was sincere. Actually, Noah had been avoiding Kyle with all her might these days.

Adrian seemed to fancy her reply. With a wide smile, he whispered merrily to her forehead. “You know, then. Why don’t you throw away that boring, prim-hearted investigator, and go out with me?”

How far should Noah tolerate his mischief? As she stared at Adrian dully, the door of the Oval Office opened wide at a ghostly timing, and an immense, intangible energy poured into the room.

“Noah!”

“Mu!”