Chapter 3

Veronica could no longer hide her shock as she entered what Stephen called the home of his friend, Karl Smith. It took the. fifteen minutes to reach around the front yard of the Karl Smith residence. Since they entered this place, she saw several men in black uniforms who did not hide their dislike at the sight of Stephen. The man himself seemed to ignore their rude response, instead of whistling softly, as if not realizing it. 

Ah, no. To be precisely, that man was clearly aware of it. Without hesitation, Stephen crashed the car he was driving into the three men who were standing in front of the car. Stephen casually opened the window, poking his head from the window, laughing softly.

"Oops. Are you okay? Sorry. I really didn't mean to do it."

She did not find any regretful in his tone, so she questioned the man's sincerity when apologizing. Without waiting for the answers from the three men who were grimacing in pain from the impact of Stephen's car, the man sped back the car, taking another route to avoid the men.

“They always act like that. They don't like it if they found werewolves or vampires enter their territory. Even though their leader doesn't have any problem with that at all. The old fools."

That was all Stephen had to say once he realized her expression questioned the man's actions. She turned her body back, watching the people who had been hit by Stephen were busy cursing the man. She turned around, pretend not to look at what she saw before while looked back at the garden filled with various kinds of plants shaped to resemble various kinds of legendary animals, thinking hard about how the gardeners had shaped them into such complex shapes.

"So, here we are. Hold on, lemme open the door."

She did not realize that the car had now stopped as she was being too busy with her own thoughts. Stephen hastily got out of his car, jogged around the car and opened the door for her. As the man said earlier, the man's hand rushed to accept the shoe she had just taken out after he asked for it, crouched down in front of her, tucked the shoe over Veronica's prosthetic leg attentively. As if her prosthetic foot was an expensive item that deserves special attention if he did not want to lose its value. Then the man smiled softly at her—a smile that managed to provoke her heart to beat faster again—kissed the back of her hand, leading her out of the car. The man's free hand was above Veronica's head, the same gesture as earlier. It seemed that she would have to get used to the way Stephen treated her if they were to continue seeing each other in the future.

Not that she did not like it, though.

"I'll lead you. The shoes are the result of hundreds of attempts by us without stopping, making sure you don't trip over and feel comfortable when wearing them. Because your conditions are different, we have to be careful about making them.”

"Thank you. Sorry to bother you."

“It doesn't matter at all. Leading a woman as beautiful as you is an honour for me, Nikki."

The man withdrew his hand, tucked it in her as he walked into the stately home of Karl Smith's residence which made her swallow hard because it was filled with all kinds of expensive furniture. Like a chandelier above her head at this time. Then a candle holder on the table near the entrance. The chairs were arranged neatly with carvings, the figurines in the shape of the legendary animal she had seen in the garden earlier, and the glossy marble floor. All the successes made her eyes, which had only been accustomed to seeing simple things, dazzled because of it. She did not know whether this house could be compared to the house of her two friends who were rich since they were born because she had never visited. To be precise, there was no desire to visit even though the two friends always invited her all the time. Purely because she did not want to mess with their fans who were very aggressive.

Without realizing it, she was standing at the door of a room. She caught a glimpse of the strong aroma of plant roots in the room. Stephen knocked on the door of the room.

“Karl. I've brought her here."

"Just go in, I don't lock the door."

Stephen agreed, opening the door which was not locked according to the words of the man in the room, inviting her to enter. A little worried, Veronica calmed her stomach which was aching from the tension, not daring to look up.

"Finally come. You can go, Stephen."

Veronica immediately turned her head, staring reluctantly at Stephen who just let go of her hand. She objected. How could Stephen leave her with a man with such an intimidating aura that she felt could kill a lion in that instant?

Her hand immediately held Stephen. Give a signal asking for the man remained there with her. At least, until she calmed down. Because compared to that man, she felt much more comfortable beside Stephen. Unfortunately, the man let go of her hand for the second time, looked at her sadly.

"Sorry. I have a business to settle first, so I can't stay here long. I'll pick you up as soon as you're done," Stephen stroked the top of Veronica's head, then turned to the man who was currently walking towards them. "Remove your aura, Karl. It made her feel scared with you."

"Oops. I forgot, "said the man.

As soon as the man followed Stephen's words, the tense feeling she had felt earlier disappeared, along with the scent of plant roots she smelled before entering what appeared to be the study of the man named Karl Smith. She finally dared to look up, staring at the figure that was already standing in front of her. Giving her a smile that reminds her of Harry Shum Jr., one of her favourite actors in the Netflix TV series Shadowhunters she just finished season two because her summer vacation just ended last week. Time seemed to stop, allowing her to enjoy the scenery in front of her now. Who could resist the charm of Asian blood man, right?

"Do you want to sit down?"

The man's deep voice brought her back from her reverie. She nodded awkwardly, walking towards the chair Karl had pointed to earlier. Her feet are used to the heels by now, so she refused Karl's offer.

"I just missed my lunch, damn ...," said the man again as soon as his buttocks, which were wrapped beautifully in black formal pants, touched the chair she was sitting on, making her swallow hard. Her eyes, which had been fixed on Karl's solid ass which looked so seductive, immediately shifted to another direction before the owner of that solid ass realized her gaze earlier.

“You don't mind if I eat first. Did you eat your lunch, by the way?"

Veronica cleared her throat, covering her nervousness at being almost caught by the man. At least, that was what she believed for now. In her heart, she really hoped that the man did not notice.

“Err… yes, not yet. I just ate parfait. I mean, sure. I don't mind having lunch with you, Mr Smith."

The man was silent for a moment, then laughed softly at her nervousness. Inwardly, Veronica cursed her own nervousness. She must have looked like a fool to him by now.

"Just call me Karl. There's no need to be formal," the man said after stopping laughing. "Okay. I'll get my maid to prepare our lunch.”

Karl seemed lazy to get out of his chair now because the man pressed the bell stuck to the wall behind them. As soon as he finished pressing the bell, the man's eyes moved to the red shoes she was wearing now.

"It fits on your foot perfectly. Very nice. As we expected. Do you find it difficult to walk in those shoes? "

"Not. Very comfortable. I mean, I've never worn high heels because of my …," Veronicarubbed her feet. "You know what I mean."

"Precisely because of that, that's why we made those shoes for you," Karl looked relieved to hear her honest answer, leaning backwards with a deep sigh. "Good then. Those shoes look pretty, they suit you very well. Ah, I forgot. What should I call you, Miss Veronica Darren?"

"Nikki is enough. Or Vero, if you mind?"

"Okay, I'll pick Nikki. I think Stephen chose that name too. "

Their conversation was interrupted when the door to the room opened, revealing a flat-faced maid with scales around her left eye and brown hair neatly curled back, pushing a stroller containing their lunch. Unexpectedly, all the food that was now being served on the table in front of them managed to provoke her saliva. She thought, as Stephen had mentioned the identity of Karl who was a dragon, she would not see him eating human food like her. Maybe she would find the man eat only fruit or raw meat. It was wrong. The man seemed very enthusiastic to see all the food neatly lined up just like her, ignoring the maid who had left the room. A few seconds later, she heard a rumbling sound which made her almost startled by it, before knowing that the source of the sound came from the stomach of a man who now looked blushing violently with shame.

"Sorry ...," said Karl, turning his face the other way. It seemed that the man was hiding his embarrassment at the sound of his stomach. “I haven't eaten anything since morning, worried about whether the package I sent through my men got to you safely or not. Thank God it really arrived."

Oh, so Gustav was Karl's subordinate?

Her laughter burst out instantly, looking at the man who was looking down at the embarrassed. “No, it's okay. There's only me here. I used to be in high school, my stomach once sounded so loudly during a flag ceremony, it made all people laugh about it. Much more embarrassing than the sound of your stomach now."

"Is that true?" Karl laughed too at her story. The man then handed her the spoon and fork. "Please have a try. Usually, I would take my guests to the dining room, but I'm so tired. You don't mind if we have lunch in my room, right?”

"No problem," Veronica accepted the spoon and fork happily.

"Bon appetit," they said in unison.

They enjoyed their lunch while talking about many things. Most of the time was spent by Karl who asked her questions so that almost the entire content of the conversation was dominated by the story of her life. About her parents who always fought until they finally divorced, leaving her and her older sister because they did not want to take care of them. She purposely avoided the topic of the assault incident that cost her both legs when she was eight years old, purely because she was not ready to tell about it herself. Then about her school life. And her two best friends who were very popular.

The man himself listened to her words attentively, not distracting his attention one bit. She managed to turn the role but the man managed to reverse the question so that without realizing it, she was the one who came back to dominate the conversation. It seemed that the man had no interest in telling his story. Even though she was curious.

After they finished lunch, the man pressed the bell that had been used to call the maid. This time, a stern-faced maid appeared with a beauty mark near her lower left lip, tidying up the empty plate. She did not say anything, just glanced sharply at Veronica, as if the maid was questioning her presence in this house. The maid attitude, honestly, made her feel depressed.

As if realizing her discomfort with the maid's attitude just now, Karl spoke up. "Agnes, what's with that gaze?"

The maid gasped in surprise at Karl's reprimand. "Sorry, Your Majesty. But this woman ..."

"Is there any problem?"

The maid looked nervous, put the plates on the stroller behind the woman, turned back to Karl, who was waiting for the woman's curt answer.

“This woman is human, right? Why is Your Majesty with a human?"

"That ridiculous rule again?" Karl rolled his eyes, looking irritated. "I ask you right now. Who is the head of the family here? Me or you, Agnes? "

"O-of course you, Your Majesty!" the maid lowered her head in terror, not daring to look at Karl. "Forgive my impudence. But this woman shouldn't be here."

“The head of the Smith family is me. I've been erasing that damn rule since I was head of the Smith family, haven't I?"

"But, Your Majesty ..."

"Try to be open-minded, Agnes," Karl massaged his temples which were throbbing at Agnes' words. “We can't possibly stick to the old rules forever. Those rules were made to protect us who were originally targeted by humans, I know. But times have passed. There are no more threats. After all, the dragon population continued to decline because of that damn rule. You better get out of my room now before I can't hold my anger."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Your Highness! I'll be out of here right now!"

The maid hurriedly pushed the stroller away, leaving the room in an instant. Karl took a deep breath, still massaging his temples while clicking his tongue. "It's always like this. Even though I've said many times to be more open ..."

What Stephen said before was right. This man had a perspective that was far different from his own clan. That said, this man was a bit like Oda Saburo Nobunaga in a fictional history book she bought at a bookstore when she was in high school.

"I'm sorry to make you see something unpleasant like that. If you feel uncomfortable or something's bothering you, just tell me directly. I'll take care of it. Maybe I should just fire Agnes if she still acts insolent like that."

"What rules were you talking about earlier with her?"

"Oh, that?" Karl leaned toward Veronica, looking enthusiastic. Good, now she could find out a little bit of information about the man. At least it was even because she had told a lot about herself. “Silly rules originally designed to protect the dragon clan. That we, the dragon clan, should only interact with fellow dragon clans. Must not be outside the clan. If against that rule, we will be expelled. That rule created a lot of hostility and racism.

“Dragon clans generally think that they are of a much higher rank than all God-created beings because according to legend, we are direct incarnations of the gods. In short, I removed the rule as soon as I replaced my grandfather who had just died. But still, no one has accepted my decision. Besides, I can only remove that rule for my own clan. So well, it's still hard to apply that new policy to the entire dragon clan.”

"Oh," she nodded, admiring the mindset of Karl Smith which she thought was so unique. "Same as the issue of Black Lives Matter and anti-Semitism?"

"More or less so. Are you interested in an issue like this?"

"Of course. That's why I majored in Law. I hope that when I graduate I can become a lawyer or work in a non-profit foundation for the welfare of the community."

"I never thought that the crybaby girl I met would turn into an adult woman with a high social spirit now," muttered Karl. "I wish you success in achieving your dream. Me and Stephen will support you."

She winced at what Karl said, which she thought was strange. "The crybaby girl you met? Have we met before?"

"You don't remember?" Karl looked surprised, then nodded understandingly. "Naturally, though. It must have traumatized you. Yes, we did meet."

That was all the man had said earlier because then the man shifted his conversation to another topic. "I know this sounds rushed, but I'll say the things I've been putting off all this time."

"Yes?"

"Do you want to be my girlfriend, Nikki?"

***