Girlfriend?

Lance mulled over Lucia's words, a faint chuckle escaping him. "Did you hear that?" he mused to himself. The young dragon he had rescued had boldly declared that once becoming an emperor, dhe would bestow upon him a princess. "Should I commend her for her lofty ambitions?" he wondered silently.

Lucia, though young and dragon-formed, displayed a fascinating blend of courage and timidity. Lance saw something rare in her, her clear, somewhat naive eyes reflected a purity he hadn't often seen in other dragons, many of whom bore the scars of survival in a cruel world marked by relentless combat. Their eyes usually held a hardened, fierce glint, unlike Lucia's.

He often encountered young dragons in the wild, their lineage was mostly mixed, their lives were quite tough. To those, he might teach survival skills or combat techniques, but never had he felt compelled to take one under his wing. Until Lucia. She had been different from the start, caught in a desperate skirmish with human griffon knights, her fate had seemed sealed until Lance intervened and whisked her away to the safety of Black Dragon Island.

"It must be destiny," he thought, recalling the day he'd decided to shelter her. Lance had a good feeling about this brave little one and didn't mind the idea of raising her, even if it meant for centuries until she grows up.

True to her nature, Lucia had shown gratitude and a will to repay his kindness, even promising him a princess in her imaginary future reign. Though the notion was wildly fantastical, Lance appreciated the sentiment.

"Don't bother with the princess; just bring me heaps of gold and silver jewelry," Lance joked lightly, his voice echoing through the cavern. He believed in letting the young dream big, even if such dreams were grounded in the whims of a child's imagination. "A word of thanks is enough; no need to keep repeating it," he added with a wise smile, content to nurture her dreams without burdening her with reality.

"Listen, if I ever become emperor, I vow to uncover every last piece of gold and silver jewelry owned by that stinky Princess Athena and hand it over to you, Lance. You'll be able to slumber atop a mountain of glistening treasures."

Lucia waved her hand dismissively as she spoke of the so-called 'stinky princess Athena', her voice dripping with disdain. She planned to plunder the royal vaults and bestow the spoils upon Lance, the infamous evil dragon Lance.

"Gold and silver jewelry?" Lance queried, his voice echoing through the cavernous lair.

"Yes, precisely. Why would there be no treasures in a dragon's den?" Lucia countered, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Surely, even the most feeble dragon hoards at least a handful of gold coins."

Lucia's eyes swept across the expansive lair once more. To her astonishment, there was not a single coin in sight, no glint of gold or shimmer of silver anywhere.

"Could it be that the mighty evil dragon Lance is impoverished?" she mused aloud, her tone laced with disbelief.

"No, not at all," Lance responded quickly, his voice steady and proud. "Take a look at my collection chamber; the weapons and scepters alone are of considerable worth."

Indeed, beyond the immediate emptiness of the lair lay Lance's collection chamber, brimming with ancient artifacts and regal relics that would make any historian's heart race with excitement. These items, while not glittering with gold or silver, were potentially invaluable.

"Lance, do you not fancy gold coins then?" Lucia asked, genuinely curious.

"Is there truly a dragon in existence who doesn't crave gold?" Lance replied rhetorically.

"Then why are there no gold coins visible in your lair?" Lucia pressed, her curiosity piqued.

"One must not flaunt wealth carelessly young one," Lance advised sagely, paraphrasing an old adage. "If you possess riches, you ought to conceal them."

With a graceful motion, Lance extended his mighty dragon claw and plucked a diamond ring from atop his horn.

"A space ring?" Lucia exclaimed, recognizing the item immediately.

As a princess, she was no stranger to such marvels, space rings were rare artifacts, often owned by wealthy nobles, affluent merchants in the imperial capital, and occasionally by adventurous mercenaries, mages, and wizards. Such a ring could store vast amounts of wealth, concealed from prying eyes.

"It's not merely a space ring," Lance corrected with a chuckle, his voice echoing in the dim cavern. "This is a Diamond Circle, a magical artifact I forged myself. It allows me to store items in a void of space."

With a subtle flick of his claw, a faint light flashed, revealing a crystal jar cradled within his grasp. Inside, numerous gold coins shimmered, each emitting a soft glow.

"Huh?" Lucia peered closer, her eyes narrowing with intrigue. "These coins... their design is so archaic. They look like ancient currency!"

"Indeed," Lance nodded, a hint of pride in his tone. "Collectors and historians would likely covet these. They might even pay handsomely for such relics from ages past."

Lucia made a quick count and estimated that the jar held only a few dozen coins. "You're quite the unique dragon, aren't you? Shouldn't a dragon's lair be overflowing with gold, silver, and jewels? Why do you have so few coins?"

"For me, this amount is sufficient," Lance replied, his voice calm and measured.

"Is this really enough for you?" Lucia asked, skepticism lacing her tone.

"It's enough for now. If I need more, I'll simply earn more," Lance stated matter-of-factly.

Lucia raised an eyebrow. "An evil dragon still needs to make money? Don't dragons usually just take what they want?"

Lance laughed softly. "I recall once that when funds run low, I don't resort to plunder. Instead, I take human form and work in the human world to earn what I need."

"So, when you're short on money, you don't raid human settlements but actually go to work for your gold?" Lucia was visibly baffled. "Is there really such a thing as a benevolent evil dragon?"

"Here, let me show you a token of goodwill," Lance said as he opened the crystal jar and carefully selected a gold coin. He extended it towards Lucia. "This is a lucky gold coin, bearing the image of the goddess of luck on one side and her temple on the other."

"In the human world, such coins are said to bring fortune to their holder," he explained.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you," Lucia responded, her tone warm and grateful as she accepted the coin. Her view of Lance transformed in that moment; he was an evil dragon, yet here he was, parting with his treasure so willingly.

Truly, a dragon like Lance was one for the legends.

Realizing that Lance, the supposedly malevolent evil dragon, had just bestowed upon her a gift, Lucia felt compelled to reciprocate. "What could I possibly offer to such a formidable dragon?" she wondered, her thoughts spinning. But her current form, that of an amethyst dragon, cursed by the dark sorceress Eva, offered her little in the way of material gifts. Her once royal possessions were lost, leaving her with nothing but her gleaming purple scales.

"I must remember this," Lucia resolved, mentally bookmarking her indebtedness. "Once I regain my human form and return to the imperial capital, perhaps as its ruler, I shall find a worthy gift for Lance."

Lance then gestured expansively around his lair. "Feel free to explore and find yourself a suitable space to claim as your bedroom," he offered with a casual air.

Lucia's vertical pupils widened in alarm. "What? Share the same lair as you?" The idea of sleeping in close quarters with a real dragon, despite her own draconic appearance, sent a shiver of fear through her. "I... perhaps I could just sleep outside. If you're concerned about my exposure to the elements, I can find a cave nearby."

"Don't worry about that," Lance reassured her, dismissing her concerns with a wave of his claw. "Consider this lair your home until you're ready to leave as an adult dragon. There's no need to be embarrassed."

Lucia's mind raced with panic. "Is he... is he raising me as his consort?" The thought terrified her. She certainly didn't envision herself as a dragon's bride. "Who will rescue me from such a fate?" she lamented inwardly.

Trying to divert the topic, she stammered, "It's not proper... What if your girlfriend misunderstands our arrangement?"

Lance chuckled, his amusement clear. "Girlfriend? Little one, you seem a liitke too concerned about my love life. Are you imagining that I, too, am caught up in youthful romance?"

"But it's not wise to indulge in puppy love," he added, almost to himself.

"You don't have a girlfriend? You've never been in a relationship?" Lucia echoed, her tone a mix of surprise and relief.

Lance's eyes twinkled with a mischievous light. "Indeed, no girlfriends in my lengthy life. My heart remains unclaimed."

Lucia's eyes widened in disbelief as she considered Lance's solitary existence. Staring at his imposing form, it was hard to imagine that this massive dragon had never experienced love. "Such a grand adult dragon has never been in love? Who would believe that?" she muttered under her breath, her voice tinged with skepticism.

She couldn't help but recall the tales she'd heard, stories of dragons, often depicted as beings of intense desires. "An evil dragon, and not once swayed by love? Particularly not with a princess under his wing at such a ripe age?" she pondered aloud, her tone laced with incredulity.

Regardless of her royal upbringing and the biases it entailed, Lucia found the notion puzzling. "Have you really never fallen in love with a princess?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Why should I fall in love with a princess?" Lance replied, his tone nonchalant, almost indifferent.

"Don't evil dragons usually fancy falling in love with human princesses?" Lucia pressed, recalling every story and painting that romanticized such forbidden unions.

Lance's response came with a hint of amusement. "Perhaps other dragons harbor that fancy, but not I. My sights, should I ever set them on someone, would be aimed towards a giant dragon, not a mere human princess."

Lucia was momentarily speechless, her thoughts racing. "A giant dragon as a girlfriend? Really?"

Her skepticism returned full force. "So, you're an evil dragon who's not enticed by dalliances or trivial romances," she remarked, half in jest, half in genuine surprise. "You're truly an anomaly among your kind!"