Emperor's Reckoning

The two of them sat on the edge of the balcony, overlooking the beautiful city with the steam from the broth as it swayed against the gentle wind. 

"You know, the city is quite beautiful, but why do you keep looking at me?" asked Lyon as he smiled wryly.

The dragon lady shook her head, "The city might be beautiful, but, they are not as important as you to me. Besides, who knows, in the next blink of an eye, you might be gone."

Lyon shook his head, "Gone, huh, by the way, aren't you going to ask me which sides I'm on?"

She smiled, "Do you think that matters now? My waiting is over."

Lyon chuckled before his eyes turned mellow, "I'm sorry, you see, I don't quite remember you, nor my past at that matter, this is my second life I guess."

The dragon lady raised her eyebrows as her eyes stared in disbelief, "Second Life?"

She was at loss for words. The term second life might be an absurd excuse but with how young his body was, there was no way she could dismiss it as just a fantasy. 

"Unbelievable right?" Lyon chuckled.

"It is unbelievable," the dragon lady nodded, "but seeing you now, it might just be another common thing in your adventures."

Lyon let out a snort with a smile before saying, "C'mon, let's eat it before it turns cold."

The dragon lady nodded before she picked up the spoon and taste the broth with her nose-first. The intense fragrance made her smile before her lips puckered up and slurped it down. Her eyes immediately opened wide as she saw Lyon chuckle.

"It tastes really bad right?! Hahaha!"

Lyon put down the bowl before he took hers too. He grabbed a pair of tissue for her to wipe her mouth off of that noodles of lies. 

The dragon lady smiled after she wiped her lips before she chuckled, "This is so you."

"Really? I guess I never change huh? In the first one or the second one."

"Where do you even buy this... Noodle?"

"Oh, I didn't buy it," said Lyon before a scream was heard.

"Find the bloody monkey! Goddamnit! I can't believe someone would cheat two bowls of noodles out of me!"

The dragon lady looked at him, "You didn't..."

"Oh yes I did!" said Lyon before he grabbed her wrist to her surprise. She looked at his grinning face before turning himself into the cute Devil Ape. 

"Let's take a stroll in the city shall we!"

Lyon jumped out of the balcony before dragging her along, "I'm sorry that the noodle was bad, and even worse I didn't even pay it."

Lyon landed with a loud boom as he grabbed the dragon lady like the title she hated, "But it's not bad considering I just got out of jail right?"

"Let's go and experience the city!" said Lyon.

The dragon lady looked at him with tears in her eyes before nodding. 

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The two of them didn't care about their identity, one was a thief while the other was the princess of the empire. They strolled the big city as if they were in their own backyard. The princess didn't even try to hide her figure nor pretending to be someone else.

"C'mon! Let's eat various delicacies!" said Lyon before both of them entered the bustling market.

Lyon slap the table of an open stall before he shouted, "Mr! Sir! Two bowls of your specials please!"

His shout naturally caught the attention of the surrounding demi-humans without fail and every single one of them opened their eyes wide as they muttered, "P-Princess."

"It's the princess!"

"Huh? Princess."

"Wow you're right it's the princess."

Everyone started kneeling before Lyon furrowed his eyebrows and slammed the table into dust, "What the fuck are you doing? I want my and my woman's meal right now! If you guys are kneeling who is going to serve us?"

The dragon lady opened her eyes wide as she looked at the frivolous way Lyon declared their relationship.

"Hey, monkey! You should kneel! How dare you declare the princess as your woman!" said one of the demi-humans with a shining knight heart.

"Serve us your special."

Lyon smiled as he took a glance at the lady dragon whose words froze their hearts. They looked at one another and couldn't believe what they hear with their ears. A dragon was the woman of a monkey? Not to mention the dragon was none other than their own princess.

"I don't have to say it twice now do I?" the lady dragon furrowed her eyebrows as her menacing silvery pupils gripped their souls.

"Y-Yes!" the owner and his team immediately conjured up the meal at breaking record speed.

*thud

Two bowls were immediately presented under their nose with finger-licking fragrances. Lyon's nose twitched before he took the slice of meat that was glimmering with the broth between his chopsticks.

He slurped it down before his tastebuds explode into a dream, "This tastes really good!" 

He took a glance at the lady dragon before his eyebrows furrowed. She was still looking at him and holding his swordsman robe. 

"Don't worry, let's enjoy the moment, times like these flew past faster than a blink of an eye."

The dragon lady shook her head, "No, I won't let—"

"Say ah!"

Lyon forcefully pushed the meat and shoved it inside her mouth to her surprise. 

"See, it tastes really better than that golden shitstain noodles right, oh excuse my language by the way. Look, you are already smiling, I can see it in your eyes."

"Alright, let's go to another stall!" said Lyon as he grabbed her wrist and ran with her.

"W-wait, aren't you going to finish it first?!"

"No need! If we finished it, we wouldn't be able to taste other great delicacies."

"But, what about paying it?"

"I'm already a thief remember? Stealing again won't upgrade my status to  advance thief now would it?"

"Yeah, but I'm still a..." her eyes opened wide as the last word stuck in her throat.

"You're a what?" teased Lyon.

"Hm-hm" she shook her head, "I'm your woman... right?"

Lyon nodded before he pointed his finger at another stall and slammed their empty table.

"Specials!"

"Specials!"

"One more!"

Lyon was leading the  date and marched on from stall to stall. Either if they were good or packed, he would be there, and with the dragon lady beside him, 'queue' was just a word of the past. 

Soon the news was spread around and finally, it reached the palace.

Inside the dining room was the dragon lady's father and mother alongside their two other children. The emperor was chewing the meal before a butler excused himself and whispered the news into his ears. 

He gulped the food down before raising his arm and let out a grunt, "Hmm..."

"What is wrong my dear?" asked the empress.

"The princess has been sighted to be strolling around the city and eat at various stalls."

"Preposterous! She chose to eat with the commoners instead of with her own family?!" a youth slammed down his hand against the table before standing up. He had a slim figure with jade hair but black pupils instead of silver, unlike her sister.

"Calm down Julius," muttered the empress.

"But dearest mother."

"Mother is right Julius, she is as strong as we combined due to her fused bloodline, rushing without a plan would only end in our humiliation," said a man who was slightly older than Julius but having the same feature except his hair was longer.

"But brother."

"Julius, sit down," muttered the emperor.

Hearing his father's words he could only oblige and sit down like a gentleman. 

"That's not the entire news."

The others immediately raised their eyebrows before the queen asked, "What? There is more?"

He furrowed his eyebrows, "She had been sighted to eat at various stalls with a monkey of four tails, and to top it off, not a single time did they pay their foods."

"Not only she did not eat with her own family, but she is also breaking the face of royalties," muttered Julius with his clenched hands.

"If it were not for her fused bloodline, she would have been disowned already," continued Julius but no one refute his opinion.

"Both of you, bring your sister back but don't bruise her, she is about to be wed in seven days."

"Yes, father!" said the brothers at the same time.

"There is no need, I'm going to sleep."

The dragon lady didn't even present her face toward her family when she passed by the entrance of the dining hall.

The emperor furrowed his eyebrows as he saw her back before a rushing butler came in with a panting breath. 

"Excuse my breath Your Majesty, but, the monkey, he... disappeared."

"What?!"

--------------------

Soon the morning came as a burst of huge lunatic laughter that was louder than the sound of a rooster at dawn reverberated in the cave.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

A dwarf came rushing before knocking on the cell where the crazy old man resides, "What are you laughing about."

The old man with disheveled hair grinned before he approached the bars that held his freedom. His fragile index finger pointed in the direction opposite his cell before the dwarf furrowed his eyebrows.

He turned around before his eyes widened and his pupils shrunken. He stumbled down on his butt as his mouth went agape, "I-Impossible..."

The human that was supposed to be detained there, was gone. Along with the pride their clan put into those bars that were opened.

The old man's voice turned deep before he muttered, "Looks like you guys mess with the wrong person this time. I bet the emperor is now getting dizzy! Hahahaha! Now when will he attack, at dawn, tomorrow, or maybe the plan is already set in motion! Hahaha!"