Dragon System: Red Dragon Legacy

Back at the academy, Lilian was walking toward the headmistress’s office.

"Hey, Lilian!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She turned around and saw Princess Julia waving at her. Princess Felicity was standing beside her.

"Oh, hi, Julia," Lilian said as she approached them with a smile.

"What are you doing at the academy?"

"Well, my mom called us and asked us to give her a hand with her work since she’s too busy," Princess Julia replied.

Lilian then looked at Felicity, who was standing there without saying a word. Lilian didn’t mind—it wasn’t like she disliked her or anything. That was just how Felicity was.

"Hello... Princess Felicity," Lilian said in a respectful tone.

"Hello, Lilian..." Felicity replied before falling silent again.

Lilian sighed softly.

Felicity and Julia had different mothers. Although Felicity was two years older than Lilian, they were still in the same class because Felicity had served two years in the military. As the leading contender for the throne, she had always been busy.

"So, Julia, are you also going to the headmistress’s office?" Lilian asked.

"Yes... but we can go later," Julia said as she grabbed Lilian’s hand.

"Let’s hang out for a bit!"

"Wait—I have to meet the headmistress," Lilian protested.

"Aww, come on! We hardly ever get time to hang out. You can meet her later," Julia said, already dragging Lilian toward the café.

Felicity followed them quietly.

They sat at a table and ordered tea.

"So, what have you been up to these days?" Julia asked as she took a seat.

"Nothing much lately... ever since I came back from the Andoria Kingdom," Lilian replied, taking a sip of her tea.

"Aha... what about your love life?" Julia asked with a smirk.

"Why are you asking that?" Lilian raised an eyebrow.

"You know I’d tell you if something like that happened."

"What about that boy named Orion?" Julia asked.

"Rumor has it you two have been living together."

"What do you mean? I only offered him a place to stay because he saved my life, and he’s new to the capital," Lilian replied.

"Of course you did," Julia rolled her eyes.

"Don’t pretend you don’t find him hot. I mean, he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever seen."

She turned to Felicity.

"Don’t you think so too?"

Felicity looked confused, unsure why she had been dragged into a conversation she wasn’t part of.

"Some might find him attractive, yes," Felicity said thoughtfully.

"I’ve only seen him once, but he seems to have a good attitude." She spoke as if analyzing him, and Julia didn’t say anything in response.

"Anyway," Julia’s tone became serious.

"If you really like him, you should act fast. He’s very desirable, and if you’re too late, someone else might snatch him away."

Lilian understood what Julia meant. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought about it herself. She had questioned her feelings toward Orion many times.

Did she have any feelings of love toward him?

Yes.

But she also had responsibilities as a hero candidate, and with the world in its current state, romance wasn’t something she could afford.

She sighed.

’Things were so much simpler when he wasn’t here.’

Just then, they noticed the headmistress approaching them, glaring.

"Where have you girls been?" she demanded.

"Didn’t I tell you to be in my office?"

"I’m sorry, Mom," Julia said with puppy eyes.

The headmistress sighed.

"Anyway, prepare yourselves. The other hero candidates will arrive soon."

Everyone straightened up immediately.

They were curious about what the other candidates would be like.

Soon, they followed the headmistress to the front gate.

A grand-looking carriage stopped before them.

Three figures stepped out.

One was a tanned boy with ashen hair.

Another was a girl with frilly blue hair.

The last was an oriental-looking boy with black hair.

The moment the boy’s eyes landed on Lilian, they widened.

He was instantly smitten.

The headmistress noticed.

’Ah... the problems just keep piling up,’

Back to Orion and Sofia.

Sofia dragged him into a carriage, which rattled over the cobblestones of the Noble District. They stopped in front of a building that seemed completely out of place, its neon lights glaring in the night.

"Is this... a nightclub?" Orion asked, blinking. He hadn’t expected to see something so modern in a world of swords and sorcery.

"It is. Now come on—I guarantee you’ll have fun," Sofia said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand and dragged him inside.

The interior was glamorous, bathed in the soft glow of enchanted crystals. Instrumental piano music drifted through the air, but it wasn’t the refined recital Orion expected. It was rhythmic, heavy, and intoxicating. Here, the nobility threw away their stiff personas and acted like their true, unfiltered selves.

"So, what do you think?" Sofia asked, watching his reaction.

"Not bad, I guess. The music is good, and the atmosphere is... okay," Orion replied. He was hesitant, his eyes scanning the room. Sofia didn’t miss his discomfort, so she did the only thing she knew would loosen him up: she dragged him to the bar.

Several drinks later, Orion was leaning against the mahogany counter, the world feeling a little fuzzy at the edges.

"So," Sofia leaned in, her voice hushed. "Do you have any experience with clubbing?"

"I don’t," Orion muttered, his head spinning.

The atmosphere was shifting. As the night grew older, the "noble" facade crumbled completely. The dancing became more erratic, the laughter louder, and in the shadowed corners, Orion noticed people beginning to make out without a shred of shame.

Orion let out a quiet laugh, and Sofia was mesmerized by it.

"What’s up?" Orion’s voice broke her trance.

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"You had a weird look on your face," he said.

Just as Sofia was about to reply, a young noble approached them.

"Hey, man," the young man said to Orion, gesturing toward the woman on his arm. "Wanna... exchange?"

Orion’s brow furrowed. "Exchange what?"

The boy smirked, his eyes trailing over Sofia’s curves before looking back at Orion. "You know what I mean. A little variety for the night."

The air in the room suddenly turned ice-cold. Orion’s "Dragon Pride" flared like a physical flame. A terrifying aura radiated from him, so sharp that the young noble turned pale and scrambled away into the crowd without a second word.

Sofia felt it too—the suffocating pressure of Orion’s anger. She realized, with a jolt of horror, that she had miscalculated.

"That’s it," Orion snapped. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the club, leaving Sofia standing alone at the bar.

"Orion! Orion, wait!" Sofia shouted, chasing him out into the cool night air.

"What?" Orion spun around. His eyes were glowing with a faint, dangerous light.

"I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t realize—"

"What? That I might hate this kind of shit?" Orion cut her off, his voice tight. "Look, I’m not criticizing your likes. I’m just saying other people might not like what you like."

Sofia flinched as if he’d slapped her. ’My habits? Does he think I’m one of those sluts?’

"Wait, no! It’s not like that!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. "I’m not the kind of girl you think I am! I’m... I’m still a virgin, for God’s sake! The most I’ve ever done is kiss someone!"

Orion groaned, rubbing his temples. "Woman, stop shouting. I don’t care if you’re a virgin or not. Why are you even telling me this? You don’t owe me an explanation."

"What are you saying?" Sofia’s eyes welled with tears. "That you don’t care enough about me to even be bothered?"

"What? No. I mean... yes, but not like that," Orion sighed, trying to clear his head. "We’re friends. And even if you were my girlfriend, your past is your own. I was angry because of that guy’s proposal. That ’exchanging’ crap? It disgusts me."

Sofia let out a long, shaky breath of relief. The weight on her chest lifted, if only slightly.

"I’m really sorry. I hate that stuff too," she whispered.

"Then why do you go there?" Orion asked, his voice softening.

"This place... it’s not always like that," she whispered. "Usually, it’s just high-ranking nobles and couples coming here to let off steam. Those kinds of weirdos only show up occasionally."

She took a shaky breath, her fingers trembling as she clutched her skirt.

"The real reason I spend time here is that I wanted to understand. I’ve never felt excitement toward relationships or... or sex. I always felt like something was broken inside me. I thought if I watched them—if I saw what attracted people to each other so strongly—I’d finally figure out what was wrong with me."

Orion blinked, surprised by her honesty. "Not feeling excitement towards sex? Yeah, that sounds rough."

He opened his mouth to ask if she was perhaps interested in women instead, but the look in her eyes stopped him cold. She was looking at him with an intensity that felt like it could burn.

"But you..." Sofia stepped closer, her breath becoming heavy and ragged. "Whenever I’m near you... I get this feeling. A feeling that makes me want to throw myself at you..."

Orion was caught off guard by her honesty.

Sofia leaned closer to Orion, her face drifting closer to his.

Orion leaned back, gripping the railing on the stairs tightly as he struggled to keep his balance.

"What are you doing? We’re out in public!" he hissed, but his voice lacked its usual bite.

Sofia didn’t listen. She pressed forward until their noses touched. Orion could feel the radiating heat of her skin and the frantic, uneven rhythm of her breath against his lips.

He was already lightheaded from the alcohol, and on top of that, three months of pent-up frustration and suppressed lust were screaming for an exit. The scent of her perfume and the vulnerability in her eyes snapped the last thread of his restraint.

’Ah, to hell with it,’ he thought, his vision blurring.

Orion reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her body tightly against his. He didn’t hold back anymore. He pressed his lips onto hers, kissing her with a sudden, fiery passion.