Chapter 72: cant take my eyes off you (im paying attention I promise!)

Middle Fire Month, 27th Day, 600 AGG

"I really should have asked an attendant," Draudillon mumbled while the Gatekeepers stiffly obeyed her instructions. Perhaps with time they'll learn how to properly dress her, but today was clearly not that day.

As it was, she was already bordering on being late even after rushing through the budget with the Royal Court at a blistering pace; Martin had happily 'volunteered' to scrutinize the proposed plan in her stead. Of course, the dragon queen was still planning to examine it further—later.

Because tonight, Draudillon Oriculus made a promise to meet with her beloved. Take them to observe their first theatrical performance in person, an actual restaurant, and whatever else caught their eyes if they had time to spare. A part of her balked at the idea of such indulgence, but she owed Yuriko at least this much, no?

Have them attempt new things, expand their awareness beyond the limited circle they'd cultivated—the angel rarely traveled to new places since that night they returned from the Azerlisias. Given Yuriko's life in their old world, she believed a broader breadth of experiences would be beneficial to them.

Draudillon was just coming along to give them that tiny nudge out of their comfort zone. And if she happened to spend time with them while doing so, then that was nobody's business.

'Their well-being is the kingdom'souch!'

"Forget the hair," she sighed as the Gatekeeper once again tied her carefully tended tresses into an horrendous knot. "I'll do it myself."

If the summon felt any shame at her words, it didn't display it. Yuriko confirmed that they were intelligent creatures, though getting a read on them was near—no, completely impossible. There might exist ones that were more expressive; however, to her knowledge, neither the angel or Theocracy ever summoned any.

'Trivial. They do their jobs well enough as is,' Draudillon straightened out the tangle and began the lengthy process of braiding it by herself. 'We could go through a list of her summons in the future; I'm sure there's a number she's forgotten.'

She could only imagine what other details they had forgotten, items lost in the void of their Item Box, spells and supernatural abilities that fell into disuse.

That was fine. It meant more things they could discover together.

"Hm…" Draudillon inspected her handiwork in the mirror. She was rusty, although it seemed some skills were never truly forgotten. "Acceptable."

A lady-in-waiting would've completed it more masterfully and faster, but now, it felt too intimate a task to delegate to the castle staff. 'Plenty of other work for them to do anyhow.'

Deft fingers nestled a sapphire accessory into the side of her hair. The dragon queen nodded in satisfaction, rubbing the teardrop crystal of the necklace her beloved had gifted her in the early days of their acquaintance, and headed out the room while ensuring her personal Bag of Holding had the item she prepared. It was strange how Yuriko hadn't returned yet from whatever they rushed off to do.

"Drau," there they were. Draudillon smiled at the angel, freezing in place as she noticed the unfamiliar outfit adorning their form. "H-Hi. Mira was helping me with picking an outfit since I forgot to prep earlier, a-and I remembered just a few hours ago so I was super lucky she was free—"

'I'll let it slide this one time, Mira,' Draudillon wet her lips. Strange, how she could still feel anxious after the events of last night and this morning. "—thought it looked okay, but maybe it doesn't and I'm being weird, and um…"

Their face burned brighter with each word. "Y-You look r-really—really good!"

Yuriko's shoulders were exposed in their entirety, the multi-layered skirt's hemline reaching to the middle of their calves, while the angel's uncovered arms hung awkwardly in front of them; their hands fiddling together with an anxious energy.

Maybe it was because she had miraculously grown accustomed to their usual appearance. Maybe it was the antsiness speaking on her behalf.

"She's done an excellent job," Draudillon was unreserved in her praise, and even that felt lacking. Fine, Mira could have her normal shifts back. "You're beautiful."

"Hwah?!" Yuriko squeaked as their hand was unhesitatingly claimed by hers. Was last night making them overly aware of every touch and twitch as well? "I, I um—th-thank you… that is, I meant I'm happy—mmf!"

"We should get going," she wiped her lips with an unoccupied thumb, fighting the temptation to laugh at her beloved's spluttering. "Anything you want to get beforehand?"

"… yeah."

"What is it—" They lunged forward and did unto her what she had just done to them. Against the walls of the empty hallway, they busied themselves with each other until Draudillon had to break for air. "Bolder by the hour, aren't you?"

"It, uh, because! Because…" They tore their gaze away from her. "You're 'bold' too!"

"Accomplices then," the brief romp had disheveled her intricate coiffure. She found herself less annoyed than expected; Yuriko already got to see it, and it was partially her fault for teasing them so. "Or were you planning on letting me shoulder all the blame?"

"I wouldn't do that," They began moving again, navigating the passageways to the outer courtyard where a carriage awaited. "Ever."

"I, I see," the sudden seriousness of their voice threw Draudillon off-guard. "I'm… glad to know you feel that way."

In truth, the affirmation caused conflict to arise within her chest; was it out of a misguided sense of guilt like it had been in the past? Or had they chosen to fully embrace their role as the kingdom's guardian? Both were heavy subjects to contemplate—but out of the many paths the angel could've taken, she was glad they decided to walk alongside her.

'She's stronger now,' one of the Gatekeepers took the dragon queen's hand and helped her into the vehicle; the summons would remain out of sight high above their destination to avoid drawing excessive attention. 'It's only natural in a world such as this.'

"Drau?" Yuriko pulled her out of her somber pondering. "What's wrong? You're brooding again."

They were no lesser for it. Change was inevitable, and that extended to the angel too.

Certainly, their strength allowed them to accomplish feats others could not. Undeniably, being so strong trivialized struggles that would characterize the existences of all those who preceded them. Doubtlessly, the only true fight they ever had was the one against themselves.

But Yuriko stayed, didn't she? Unlike the 'champions' and 'heroes' of humanity who upon acquiring their vaunted power, almost always directed it in service to the self.

"Drauuu. You promised to talk about stuff when it's bothering you…"

"I'm proud of you," she leaned against the angel's side. Had she said it enough? It felt like she never would, never could, properly express the vast multitude of feelings she harbored for her partner. "I am so very, very proud of you."

Not for saving the Draconic Kingdom, not for wanting to learn and study so they could better assist her in mundane affairs, not even for the blessings they bestowed at nobody's expense save their own—though she would be eternally grateful for those—but because they somehow, in spite of what they had to do and see, retained their kind, exuberant spirit.

From now until forever, that same soul would continue to be colored by whatever horrors and wonders life had in store. Yuriko would lose uncountable things and gain just as many; they would take two steps back only to push ahead three—over and over again.

"Saying that out of nowhere is cheating…" Yuriko swallowed as they turned towards the window, their arm pulling her closer nonetheless. "B-But thanks. It means a lot to me coming from you, Drau."

'It's just a shame I won't be there to see it all.'

"Don't change," Draudillon murmured as she stretched the corners of her beloved's lips upwards in a smile. "The way you laugh and smile—hold onto that for me, will you?"

"O'hay," Yuriko's eyes were tight with worry. "You shtill haven' tol' me whatsh 'rong yeh."

"Mm, I can't quite put a finger on it myself," she wryly grinned and set her hands down in her lap. "When I figure it out, you'll be the first to know."

"I better be!"

"Of course, of course," the theatre wasn't far, but the carriage could hardly go at top speed in a populated city like Oriculo. And now with the influx of refugees rescued from the Beastman Country, there existed the problem of finding temporary housing until proper accommodations were built. Angels made the process faster, but they couldn't point and conjure a building in an instant.

Their ride came to an end, and the two stepped out with the aid of a footman. Before them stood the theatre, constructed during the reign of… grandmother? It was a nostalgic sight and site nonetheless.

"It's been a while," Draudillon quietly said to nobody in particular while beholding the Royal Theatre. For obvious reasons, the past never afforded her the opportunity to unwind. 'I've taken quite the number of breaks recently, haven't I? With such a hectic schedule too…'

She had learned to accept taking breaks under the angel's watch, though spending time on leisure activities was still discomfiting. Shouldn't this be when she was the busiest?

"Drau, c'mon!" Yuriko tried to tug her along. "I think they already started!"

'It's worth it. The kingdom isn't in a state of imminent collapse anymore, and neglecting her would be just as bad as neglecting affairs of the state,' the excuse sounded flimsy, but seeing her beloved's excitement made it easier to bear. 'Our first time on an actual, planned outing—the progression of this courtship was jumbled from the start.'

"Do you know where we're seated?" Draudillon raised an eyebrow, unbudged from where she stood.

Reaching 'milestones' out of order was fine; She and Yuriko were simply this kind of couple, and others were others.

The angel stopped and bashfully scratched their neck. "N-No."

"Our guide's here," she nodded towards the fear-stricken man stiffly approaching them. The uniform had changed since the last—obviously, it had been over a decade. "We must have kept you waiting."

"It's err, no problem at all, Your Majesty!" His awestruck eyes shot to Yuriko. "And um…"

"Hana—hm, Yuriko's fine," the angel thrust a thumbs up into the man's face. "Just Yuriko!"

"Y-Yes, of course! Your Majesty, Lady Yuriko. Please follow me."

"Everyone always adds on 'Lady,' " her partner whispered in her ear. "I still haven't got used to it."

"Can you even stop them at this point?" Draudillon playfully replied at an equally subdued volume. "They'll see it as a type of test if asked."

"That's true… but it feels like I haven't tried hard enough to stop them, y'know?" Yuriko ruminated. "Like, I could've said something at some point…"

"You'll get used to it. It's nothing to be guilty over, Lady Yuriko."

"Draudillon."

"Then 'try harder' to stop me," they blushed and turned away with a huff. Their hand however, made no attempt to untangle itself from hers. "If you showed people this side of yourself, I'm certain they'll find it easier to treat you more casually."

"Is that what you want?" A flash of vulnerability and worry flickered in their eyes. Draudillon found an ugly feeling rear its head within her, reflecting itself in the tightened hold she had on their hand.

"No," the words came out rough, harsh, biting. "I don't."

"Cute," like a bad dream chased away by dawn, so their teasing grin was to jealousy. "Now you know how I felt this morning."

"This and that are two different things," her ears grew hot with the reminder. To know they shared the same sentiment of possessiveness was… comforting.

"Kyuuute~"

"…"

They were led through an obscure passageway leading up to a private seating room in the balconies according to the dragon queen's prior requests.

Their blonde usher gestured at the reserved location. 'A clear, unobstructed view. Excellent.'

The diminished child in her excitedly cheered. The her of the present only smiled.

"If there's anything we can do for either of you, please inform us," the guide was bent at a ninety degree angle. "We can have an attendant stationed if Your Majesty and Lady Yuriko desire so."

"That won't be necessary," Draudillon dismissed the theatre guide. "You may take your leave."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"The curtains are down," Yuriko poked her in the stomach once the usher was out of earshot. "Are we actually early somehow? I thought we were definitely gonna be late."

"They've reached the intermission. You can see and hear the people moving around and talking."

"Is that so…"

"Yes," she frowned, a tad guilty that their tardiness was because of her work. "I should have tried to wrap up earlier today. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Yuriko patted her head. "Just means you were super busy and still made time for this."

"Doing this in public is—" The dragon queen bit her tongue. They were in an area away from the prying eyes of others; allowing them a degree of indulgence was permissible. "Hah… Carry on."

"Mhm! Sooo, the play is about the Thirteen Heroes?"

"Centered around the leader of their party," Draudillon most definitely did not lean into their caresses, and anybody who said otherwise was undoubtedly spreading malicious fabrications since they weren't there. "The first few acts consist of him traveling the broken land to gather his companions. Due to the Demon Gods, it's a treacherous journey thanks to the destruction and abominations left in their wake. The Katze Plains is merely one example."

"First act, runs around finding twelve comrades," Yuriko kicked their feet back and forth. "Got it."

"There were more than thirteen," she corrected. "Truthfully, only the human-dominant nations know them by that number. They were a large group; demihumans, humanoids—heteromorphs even—united in a common cause."

Disposable proxies unknowingly operating on behalf of the Platinum Dragon Lord if great-grandfather was to be believed.

"It was a strange era, to say the least. The strongest spellcaster among them could only use Fifth-Tier magic, yet they were able to triumph over a majority of the Demon Gods," the curtains began to rise. "Makes you wonder why the many people capable of putting an end to them chose not to directly interfere."

"Drau, you sound like one of those imageboard conspiracy theorists…" Yuriko's concerned gaze irked her for an unexplainable reason.

"I'm not an 'imageboard conspiracy'—"

"They're starting!"

Draudillon sighed and turned her eyes to the play. The party was in a desert having just fought off a host of Silica Shades, with the city of Eryuentiu standing proudly under the shadow of the Greed Kings' floating castle, or guild base as Yuriko would call it.

'Their illusionist has improved,' the troupe was employing a greater number of illusions; ones of higher complexity too. 'More mana, higher tier spells even…'

She looked over to the angel and their furrowed brows. Were they having difficulty understanding—wait, no, did she honestly forget?

"I could have a translation item bought over if you need one," she whispered to the angel. "Songs and a couple other types of literary works aren't covered under innate translation."

"Oh, no! I can understand them fine," Yuriko jumped in their seat. "I'm just not used to the way they—hmm. Phrase things?" The angel raised a hand so that it hovered where their hall usually floated. "A lot of the stuff sorta flies over my head. Like that time with the Frost Giants actually…"

'An innate ability?'

"Want me to explain what they're talking about?"

"Erm, isn't it a bother—"

"It's not."

"I'll be in your care then!" Yuriko quickly bowed their head in a smooth and practiced motion that whispered of a different, alien life. "So, uh, what are they doing now?"

"The Platinum Knight is leading them to the floating castle of Eryuentiu where they will wait for an audience with the Platinum Dragon Lord," she pointed at the three-dimensional illusion floating in midair. "He's one of the Argland Councillors nowadays."

"They're both 'Platinum?' "

"Same person," Draudillon split her attention between the production and Yuriko's adorably attentive face. "Although, that isn't common knowledge, so do exercise discretion when it comes to this information."

'Great-grandfather would rant about Platinum whenever he came to visit,' watching the costumed Platinum Knight brought on a pang of nostalgia. Few in the world knew the paladin's true identity, and for her to be among that circle only due to her progenitor's grudge was comical. 'I suppose I can see how their actions here could be considered hypocritical.'

To be fair, she agreed that being cautious and hiding their strength was the wisest decision for the Platinum Dragon Lord during that era, but great-grandfather always sounded as if he was just looking for excuses to detest his peer. 'Did they always dislike each other? Should I hate Platinum too?'

He was under no obligation to dispense aid to the Draconic Kingdom, but a small part of her always thought there ought to exist some sentiments of kinship among them. Primitive casters were a dying breed in this age of tier magic after all.

'And when was that ever enough to bring people together?'

Draudillon snorted in dry amusement.

Dragon Lords were a dysfunctional bunch, weren't they?

"Wonder what kinda magic items the dragon guy gave them," Yuriko motioned at the props the 'Thirteen Heroes' were now holding. "He must be pretty nice, giving out gear from Yggdrasil. Unless the items all suck, I guess."

"A Dragon Lord of his calibur could easily locate them if they tried to run off with the relics," the dragon queen huffed. "Platinum is only using them as probes against the Demon Gods."

"…" Why were they looking at her so sadly? "You're super cynical sometimes, Drau. First the conspiracy theories—"

"I'm not a conspiracy theorist," she kneaded the bridge of her nose. "Great-grandfather lived through that period. Also look—you wouldn't want to let anybody know about your abilities in their entirety because there's a chance it'll be leaked to an enemy. Yggdrasil worked the same way from what I recall you saying, correct?"

"But that was a game."

"And it never happened to you outside of games?"

She regretted the words the second they flew out her mouth. Idiotic fool, what was she hoping to accomplish by dredging up unpleasant events from their past? "I apologize. I went too far."

"I'm not mad though?" Yuriko rubbed her lower back, unintentionally—probably—sending shivers down her spine. "Plus, it's not like you're wrong. I did get screwed over at work, and it happened a bit in-game too."

"You're surprisingly trusting despite having gone through that."

"Well, I can tell suspicious people apart!" The heroes on stage were fighting off a towering illusion of ash and dust. "Greater Ash Elemental?"

"Yggdrasil had these?" Her partner was probably knowledgeable on the parameters of all the Demon Gods then.

"Yeah, they were neat. Could sneak into some tight spots," Yuriko hummed. "Just a weaker and sneakier Fire Elemental in the end though."

"I see…" There was some humor to be found in how the angel treated world-ending catastrophes so casually. "Hm."

Dwarf Kingdom, the ranges of Greater Dragonspine, the swamps of Karnassus—the band of champions traveled far and wide. They were a colorful group, a detail the cast captured wonderfully, but she found it hard to root for the leader.

Becoming endlessly stronger with willpower and effort was a misleading dream that would only torture the masses who believed they had whatever made the hero of the story special.

What was crueler than a dream that couldn't be achieved?

'A cloud of bugs,' she chuffed in morbid amusement. 'Did the people of her world find fighting this fun somehow?'

"Ruin Swarm, bleh," Yuriko stuck out their tongue in revulsion. "I feel bad for the people who ran into that."

'Some sense of depravity from the gamemakers,' Draudillon hypothesized. Just what kind of player was Yggdrasil catering to? "Tens of thousands of individual foes bound into a single entity does appear troublesome."

"If the Bug Demon was annoying, then they should've ignored it,"

"What?"

"Eh-Ehehe, it's a pun. See, like bug and ignore sound the same, and…"

Draudillon blinked.

"Oof, sorry," Yuriko flinched at the lack of reaction. "A lot of people died because of the Demon Gods, right? I shouldn't have been joking about it… I'm sorry."

"I'm not angry if that's why you're concerned," Draudillon patted their head. "It just—"

'Wasn't funny,' stating it so bluntly was out of the question.

"Language barrier, you know?" her beloved melted in their seat. "Perhaps you can teach me your native speech when time permits."

"Our next date~?"

"If you want to call it that, I have no objections," Yuriko pouted at her controlled response. It was hard to get flustered when she saw them turn into a limp puddle seconds prior.

The rest of the performance progressed in the way she remembered, albeit with refined methods, and then… a few hours passed. Just like that.

Draudillon felt a sense of wistfulness well up inside her. Not for the conclusion of the story, but for the sign that the day was fast approaching its own ending.

"That's that," the heroes returned triumphantly to their homelands. Of course, the adaptation didn't cover their loss to the Dragon God, but it was the sort of tale that needed to have a happy ending. "Make sure to read historical records or talk to me if you want to properly understand that era; this play is riddled with inaccuracies for the sake of entertainment."

"Uwaaa… so serious…"

The cast bowed to the applause of the audience. Draudillon stood up and beckoned Yuriko to follow her through another secret passage.

"That was interesting," Yuriko scratched their nose as they entered the carriage from the backstreet. "The illusion magic and props were pretty neat."

"Using magic and one's skills for the arts instead of warfare is heartening to see," she agreed. "Their performance was masterful as well, but I imagine this play is one of the core pieces in their repertoire."

"People love their heroes, don't they?" Draudillon nodded. "Same everywhere you go—though it's sorta crazy knowing that this fantasy stuff actually happened here."

"The tale is inspirational, certainly," the dragon queen massaged the flip side of the angel's hand. "I can't count how many adventurer teams name themselves after various aspects of the Thirteen Heroes' journey."

"Traveling the world, beating up bad guys," Yuriko softly uttered. "Having a bunch of people wanting to be you… it sounds too tiring."

"Then it seems you aren't cut out to be an adventurer," or your current role, she thought as the carriage began to slow—but maybe they only deserved the exaltations because they felt that way. "Is staying at home that enjoyable?"

"I mean, you're there, aren't you?" A damn shame their destination was located so close to the theatre. She really would've preferred taking it slowly.

"Are you this way with everyone?"

"H-Huh—?"

She pulled her lips away right as the carriage door opened.

"We're at a restaurant," Draudillon whispered loud enough for Yuriko to hear while she directed a quick smile at the onlookers. "Let's hurry inside."

"Wait, I—wuh-wha?"

It was nice knowing she had that effect on them.


"Thank you," the surprisingly calm server bowed and left the two to themselves.

"It's so small!" The angel excitedly nudged the puffy canapés with their fork. "Is this how rich people eat all the time?"

"When they have the luxury to do so," Draudillon smiled, not touching her own food while she watched her beloved make happy noises of contentment as they chewed on a canapé. "Nobody with pressing responsibilities has the leisure to eat this way often."

Herself for obvious reasons, though she supposed she couldn't speak on behalf of her peers.

"Hmmm," Yuriko swallowed before speaking. "I guess I do have to remind you everyday!"

"And I'm grateful that you do," the works of the castle chefs exceeded this, but it was acceptable.

"No problem! It's fun being able to cook anyway," the angel curiously looked at her untouched plate. "Not hungry, Drau?"

"I'm being sated in an… alternate way?" She speared a delicate morsel and let the flavor run amok in her mouth. "The enjoyment of a meal is closely tied to who you choose to eat with."

"Makes sense. Explains why this tastes super good!"

'Her tongue is a lethal weapon,' whether they stood on the battlefield, laid in the be—or even mundane conversations such as now. "I… likewise."

Some alcohol would have been great; she was beginning to have second thoughts over swearing off her old pastime. Not having to think and consider had its charms.

"Should I put another Gatekeeper?" Yuriko shifted the utensils around, clearly unsure of what to do with them. It was a given since their etiquette teacher didn't get to spend enough time with them yet. "I kinda feel bad for the restaurant."

Unlike the theatre, this establishment didn't have hidden pathways they could take to avoid the gawking eyes of her subjects. In retrospect, it would've been prudent to prepare an illusion item beforehand to conceal her partner's identity.

'Next time,' there was always space to improve. "I'll have a few of the city guards posted here for the next couple weeks. The crowds should dwindle down by then as long as we keep our distance."

"Right, right—oh, they're bringing in more!" The waiter nearly tripped when Yuriko beamed at them. Draudillon raised an eyebrow and held in a sigh. "Thanks!"

It was hard to blame the establishment for being understaffed. Hopefully, the newly assigned person would learn to retain their composure throughout the course of the night.

"I-I-I-It's our puh-pleasure!"

Their waiter stiffly stumbled out the door after placing the bowls on the clothed table.

'Perhaps not.'

She and the angel spent the next few hours in relaxed conversation, dishes coming in on each other's tails. It was a wholly different experience compared to eating with her Court or even her usual private meals with Yuriko.

Clear soup made from a clarified broth.

"Is this juice?"

Rafalin fish fillet from the Asturian Sound with seasoned vegetables.

"Maybe I should build a boat…"

Sautéed chicken cutlet cooked in a herbed stock simmered into a thick sauce.

"I'm supposed to hold the knife with my right hand?"

A colorful salad drizzled with a slightly sour dressing.

"Y'know," Yuriko poked a piece of diced tomato. "Not being able to get full is cool, but I kinda miss the feeling. Although I guess it was always nutripaste and supplements anyway."

"I don't believe you've ever told me what that was specifically," Draudillon restlessly tapped the Bag of Holding concealed at her side.

"The flavor… um, it kinda had a 'tang?' " The angel nommed on the pieces of fruit with a shrug. "Dunno how to say it; you could tell it was super-duper processed. And the supplements were just pills—not much to those."

"Alchemical medicine?"

"Not really? Sorta?" Yuriko made a so-so motion. "I wasn't sick or anything, but sometimes the nutripaste couldn't give you everything, y'know?"

"You ate that everyday?" Her worry at how the gift would be received was leading her to ask sensitive questions she normally wouldn't.

"Pretty much," her partner cleaned the last of the salad bowl's morsels. "Actual food is waaay better!"

"I'm glad you found it enjoyable," those Baharuthian workers best not have messed this up. "Actually, there's one last thing."

Draudillon took the stasis container out of the enchanted bag and placed it atop the table, lid removed. "It may have been a while, but I recall you saying this was your favorite."

"You remembered," Yuriko stared at the bowl of chilled cream. "I—you remembered."

"Hard to forget with how enthusiastic you were at the time," the angel moved not a single muscle; their breathing, as false and unnecessary it was, ceased alongside every other motion. "I doubt it's a perfect imitation… Yuriko?"

She wondered if there existed a person who made them cry more than she did.

Teardrops fell from Yuriko's eyes with each spoonful of the frozen sweet. "S-Stupid… stupid, stupid, why can't I stop—"

Draudillon reached out and wiped the angel's cheeks with a napkin. "You're not stupid."

"It's g-good," They continued to quietly sob while she stroked their arm from across the table. The dragon queen reminded herself to have another couple hundred containers of the dessert made. "It's super—good. This tastes real."

'Gods, the World, whatever. If nothing else, could you at least protect her? Let her find countless treasures to cherish in her soul—enough for it to overflow.'

"Take your time," she comfortingly reassured. "There's more if you want it."

"Thanks," Yuriko sniffled in a small voice. "Draudillon, I'm… is it dumb? To get all worked up over ice cream?"

"It's not dumb in the slightest," she took a bite of the treat. It went without saying that she had tested it beforehand, but at this moment, in this localized reality where there existed nobody but her and hers, it tasted sweeter than ever. "I can understand why you've missed it."

"Yeah," Yuriko giggled, drying off the last of the dampness. "I loved everything we did today, but I think, um…"

"I won't get offended," the dessert was quickly depleting under their combined assault. "As long as you enjoyed yourself, I'm happy."

"I like this the most," the angel shoveled another bite into their mouth. "Even though you probably went through a lot of trouble to get tickets and a reservation to fancy places…"

'It wasn't really difficult…'

"Like I said: as long as you enjoyed it," She absentmindedly made to scoop another spoonful only for the silverware to clink against glass.

Oh, the bowl was empty.

'I should have packed extra,' the dragon queen watched Yuriko fidget in their seat, mouth opening and closing in hesitant eagerness. 'She's shy about the oddest things sometimes; when it comes to ordinary food, she never holds back. The situation then?'

Draudillon gestured for them to say whatever was on their mind. Seeing all these various expressions her beloved openly displayed might end up becoming her new pastime at this rate.

Yuriko glanced at the bowl and then back to her with a faint tinge of pink coloring their face.

"… can I have more?"

She wished they could have more days like this.


A/N: Intended to post this earlier but forgot (sorry).

I want to shoutout a few fics! "The Overlord of the New World" by Small italian boy ranks among my top five favorite Overlord fics. The beginning is a good hook and only gets better by the chapter—one of the biggest examples of growth and improvement that I've seen in fanfic for a while. Very enjoyable, has a lot of favorites from the NW, and makes excellent use of those who aren't as hyped within the fandom.

"The Golden Princess" by TheNumberOfTheBeast. This one is on hiatus (though I have word the author is still working on it behind the scenes), but there's 300k+ beautifully crafted words for those of you who aren't caught up/haven't started it yet. Also one of my top fives, and I have shilled for it before, but the most recently updated chapters are incredibly fun. Great writing skill, voice, all that complicated stuff I don't really get but feel applies to this fic.

"Shards of the Eight" by iridium248. Probably my number one or number two favorite Overlord fic, and maybe even among my top ten across all fandoms (if I could remember what they were lol). Author is definitely working on the next chapter, so I'm patiently waiting (for realsies). Awesome characters, great "vibe," cool plot developments, and just a lot of amazing promises for the future.

Thank you all for your continued support!