Chapter 03 …

📖 I Am the Mistress of the Onueve Dragon Ranch

A few days later in the morning, Louiseette left the mansion accompanied by a maid. Since Catherine was still asleep, drunk from alcohol, there was no one to stop her from going out.

The carriage slowly circled around the estate’s walls. Louiseette gazed at the house for a moment, lost in thought.

After her father’s funeral, she had received numerous messages demanding how the debt would be repaid.

To that, Catherine had only responded, “I don’t know. I don’t know anything,” while endlessly crying and drinking wine.

Because her mother was in that condition, Louiseette had resolved to stay sane herself. She drank mint-infused water and spent the entire night writing apology letters asking for patience.

Thanks to that, she had painfully realized just how suffocating debt could be.

But unexpectedly, it might end sooner than she thought.

With a pounding heart, Louiseette quietly opened the wool pouch at her side. Inside was a dragon egg with purple mottled spots.

“This might bring in 1 million laurans.”

At that thought, her heart pounded as if it would burst. If everything went well, the marriage proposal with Duke Truffaut would fall through. She could return to her normal life as if nothing had ever happened.

Of course, she could not afford to be deceived like her father, so over the past few days Louiseette had thoroughly investigated the man named Stellarius.

His achievements flying freely across the northern frontier were too famous to require explanation. He was a peerless Dragon Knight, and even now there was no one who could match his ability to communicate with dragons and his precision in shooting.

But about two years ago, he suddenly left the military.

Losing a war hero like that must have been a huge loss for the army. As for why Emperor Victoire, who never overlooked talented individuals regardless of nobility or common birth, had let him go—Louiseette had no way of knowing. But it wasn’t her concern.

In any case, he was said to be living in seclusion without revealing where he had gone.

However, the man had personally come to Louiseette and told her where he lived.

Cherry Blossom Street.

Even Louiseette had not known there was such a place in the vast capital. The coachman had to ask for directions repeatedly, taking longer than usual.

“Miss, I believe this is the place. You can see the cherry trees, can’t you?”

When they finally arrived, Louiseette could not hide her shock.

“Is this really it?”

Cherry blossoms were in full bloom along the street, so it was certainly the correct destination. But it was completely different from the clean residential district she had imagined.

Mud puddles remained from the recent spring rain. People in shabby clothes shouted loudly while pulling carts. Children running wildly almost bumped into Louiseette.

“A legendary Dragon Knight lives in a place like this…?”

Good heavens. Had she come to the wrong place? But the sign clearly read “Cherry Blossom Street.”

Even the house where he supposedly lived was worse than expected. She had assumed he at least owned a proper house—but that assumption was quickly proven wrong.

The dusty wooden staircase left Louiseette stunned. Instead of a mansion, he lived on the top floor of a three-story apartment building.

“How… how can someone live like this…”

As a noble lady who had lived her entire life as a count’s daughter, she had never even passed through such streets. And this dust—what if it stained her shoes or dress?

But having come this far, she could not turn back empty-handed. Carefully lifting her skirt, Louiseette climbed the stairs. Every step creaked loudly, making her fear it might collapse.

“I’ve been deceived. I’ve been deceived!”

Inside, she was boiling with anger. Clutching the wool pouch tightly, she felt tears welling up.

“How can someone living like this possibly pay a fortune? It was all bluff?”

Or perhaps they had different standards. Maybe he had only intended to pay a few gold coins, while Louiseette—panicked by debt—had imagined something far greater. The thought made her want to die of embarrassment.

“…Still, I have to talk to him. Since I’ve come all this way.”

At this point, even a few gold coins mattered. While she gathered her resolve, she reached the top floor. After instructing the maid to wait, she carefully knocked.

“Come in.”

A response came immediately from inside. It was Stellarius. He didn’t even ask who it was, suggesting he was confident in his ability to protect himself.

After a brief hesitation, Louiseette slowly turned the doorknob. It was not locked. With a creak, the door opened slowly.

Inside, Stellarius stood up in surprise upon seeing her. Instead of his funeral uniform, he wore a casual shirt. His large figure approaching her felt especially imposing to Louiseette.

“Ah, Lady Onueve. Instead of sending an invitation, you came yourself. How unexpected.”

He gestured for her to enter with one hand, as if escorting a young lady. Louiseette frowned slightly but stepped inside.

“You told me to visit if I had the chance, so I came. Here, your handkerchief.”

“Of course I am grateful for your visit. Oh my, you even washed it so cleanly—how honorable.”

He accepted the ironed handkerchief and tucked it into his chest with satisfaction.

“However, I’m sorry, but would you mind waiting a moment? I still have to finish my work.”

So he really was working after retiring from the military. If he was doing odd jobs, then the 1 million laurans would drift further away. Louiseette sat down uneasily on the chair he offered.

As expected, the house was no bigger than her dressing room. Though clean for a man living alone, the visible bedroom was nearly empty.

The long table in the living room appeared to be a workbench. The man sat on a small chair and fiddled with a metal object on the surface. Louiseette was startled when she realized it was a gun.

“Are you selling guns?”

“More precisely, I repair them. Pistols, hunting rifles—these weapons are quite useful everywhere.”

Stellarius wiped the black barrel with a cloth. The veins on his forearm stood out as he rolled up his sleeves. His arms were thick—completely unlike the smooth arms of noble young men she was used to seeing at balls. Louiseette stared out of curiosity before clearing her throat.

“Sorry for interrupting your work.”

“Not at all. In fact, don’t you wish I would quickly quit this and attend to your matter?”

“No, please continue. I’ll speak while you work.”

Her response turned slightly defensive since he had hit too close to the truth. She opened the ribbon-tied document from her wool pouch.

“Here is the transfer contract. I found it again after searching my father’s study. It states that the Dragon Knights entrusted the Egg of Fleur to Count Onueve.”

Stellarius’ hands slowed slightly as he cleaned the barrel. Louiseette ignored his reaction and continued.

“I didn’t know what Fleur was. I only heard the name while investigating. Is that the name of the dragon you partnered with?”

“You’ve done your homework. I was wondering where to begin explaining.”

His tone remained slightly teasing or sarcastic. He set the gun down.

“Yes. Fleur was my closest companion. She died two years ago.”

Louiseette felt she should express sympathy.

“That’s truly unfortunate. I hope your dragon is in heaven as well.”

“It was two years ago, so there’s no need for concern. The problem was that my superior ordered us deep into enemy territory. She was shot down, and since dragons are national property, I even had to watch her body be taken by the Magic Bureau.”

He spoke casually, but Louiseette recalled what she had learned.

He was originally an orphan with no background, even of mixed foreign blood—which explained his unusual name. He worked menial jobs in the military before taming a wild dragon by chance and becoming a Dragon Knight at a young age.

Fleur had been that wild dragon.

Then surely he must have had deep affection for her. He must want the egg as the last remaining legacy of his dragon.

And the more he grieved, the more money he would be willing to pay.

As if sensing her thoughts, Stellarius suddenly hardened his expression.

“Fleur was active in battle at the time, so she couldn’t lay eggs. I believed the Count would raise her properly at the ranch. I was shocked to hear she was displayed in your home like a trophy.”

Louiseette hurried to respond.

“I apologize for that.”

She could not afford to provoke him. Even if it meant humbling herself before a former soldier living in a cramped apartment, pride was worthless compared to debt.

“My parents were not perfect people. Especially my father—he was quite vain. He likely wanted to boast that the egg of a legendary Dragon Knight’s partner belonged to him.”

And Louiseette herself had grown up completely uninterested in dragons.

She hugged the wool pouch tightly.

“In any case, I understand you want Fleur’s egg.”

A glossy purple speck was visible. Stellarius’ gray eyes sharpened.

Maybe she had succeeded in getting through to him.

“But our family is currently in financial trouble… so I cannot give it away for free.”

This was the main point. How much would he offer? Looking at this house, she had almost no expectations. She nervously bit her lower lip.

After watching her for a moment, Stellarius shrugged as if it were obvious and sat down.

“I know the Onueve family is in debt. Surely you haven’t sold the dragon ranch as well?”

“It is still there. It’s just heavily declined and worth very little.”

Even as she said it, Louiseette felt ashamed.

If only her family had managed things properly… if only they hadn’t been deceived… if only they had worked together… she would never be in such negotiations.

Unable to lift her head, she lowered it further.

“Sorry. The debt is quite large. If I may ask… how much can you pay for this egg?”

As she spoke, absurd thoughts crossed her mind. What if he had no money at all and she had to threaten him with the gun on the workbench? No—if she screamed, the maid outside would hear.

She grew anxious imagining every possible outcome.

Stellarius looked at her silently for a moment, then spoke bluntly.

“How much debt are we talking about?”

“70, 80… no, 1 million.”

There was no point in lying.

“If possible… even 10,000 laurans would help. 990,000 is better than 1 million. Please, Monsieur Stellarius.”

“1 million…”

He repeated the number, rubbing his chin.

Louiseette lowered her head even more, thinking he was shocked by the absurd amount.

He must think I’m a desperate, fallen noble girl. Maybe he’ll even try to bargain me down further…

Then he said:

“I’ll pay it.”

Louiseette raised her head.

“…Pardon?”

“1 million laurans. I said I will pay it. Is that difficult to understand?”