Chapter 38: The Encounter of Gaia and Ailin

Chapter 38: The Encounter of Gaia and Ailin

Feeling the overwhelming pressure of the dragon’s might hit him like a freight train, Gaia couldn’t help but shiver, despite having psych’d himself up for it.

It was entirely normal for the Ice Dragon King to be furious about this. When he first mentioned this matter to Ouxs, Ouxs had already warned him that the Ice Dragon King would definitely be upset about it.

“Great Ice Dragon King, please calm your anger and allow me to explain slowly. There are reasons behind my actions.”

Gaia did his best to placate the raging Ice Dragon King, hoping he’d at least listen.

“What nonsense are you up to, you lowly human? It’s already a tremendous concession for me to consider marrying my daughter to your kind, and yet you expect my daughter to be your slave?!”

Clearly, the Ice Dragon King wasn’t paying attention to Gaia’s words; he remained in a furious rage.

“Please, your majesty, calm down first. There are reasons for my actions, and I’ll explain everything.”

“Explain what? Listen, don’t even think about it! Don’t you dare try to make my daughter your slave.”

Before Gaia could finish, the furious Ice Dragon King interrupted him with a roar.

“Father, please calm down first. I think it wouldn’t hurt to hear what this human is planning before passing judgment.”

Unexpectedly, Ailin stepped in to help Gaia, persuading her father to temper his anger and listen to what the human had to say before making any decisions.

“Hmm. Since you’ve said so, I suppose I’ll have to listen to this human of yours and see what he has to say.”

Having been a doting father, the Ice Dragon King indeed suppressed his wrath upon hearing his daughter’s voice.

“Thank you for speaking up for me.”

Gaia hadn’t expected Ailin, one of the key figures in this affair, to actively support his case. He couldn’t help but admire the princess of the Ice Dragon Clan.

“Don’t mention it, human. You just happen to have something about you that catches my eye. But don’t get too happy just yet; whether you walk out of here alive depends on my father’s decision and your next words. Better tread carefully.”

With that, Ailin stepped back behind the Ice Dragon King.

“Alright, Great Ice Dragon King, can we have a proper conversation now?”

“Of course, since my daughter asked me to listen, I’ll hear what you have to say.”

The Ice Dragon King returned to his previous demeanor, sitting across from Gaia, waiting for him to continue.

“Great! Then I’ll carry on.”

To calm his nerves, Gaia took a sip of the water he’d brought along.

“This so-called slave contract is nothing but a piece of scrap paper, not a true slave contract at all. If you don’t believe me, feel free to verify it with magic.”

“Oh? Is that so? Let me see.”

As per Gaia’s suggestion, the Ice Dragon King closely examined the slave contract. Sure enough, it turned out to be just a plain piece of paper with no legitimate binding power. If that were the case, there was nothing to worry about.

“Alright, I’ve confirmed it. Please go on.”

After verifying that the slave contract was a fake, the Ice Dragon King let Gaia continue.

“Actually, this slave contract is just a public declaration that the daughter of the Ice Dragon King is my slave. If it weren’t like this, I’m afraid the residents of Panimir wouldn’t be at ease.”

If all it meant was that the king himself was marrying Ailin, the future Ice Dragon Queen, it wouldn’t have alleviated the residents’ fears.

However, if they announced that the daughter of the Ice Dragon King was made a slave, it would be a different story.

Because once the word “slave” was mentioned, the residents would immediately think, “Our great King Gaia has successfully defeated the Ice Dragon King and made his daughter his slave! We no longer have to fear the Ice Dragon Clan!”

Thus, to ease the residents’ fears and allow them to feel safe again, Gaia deemed this approach quite necessary.

“Hmm… If that’s the case, I can understand. After all, you humans are extremely cowardly, especially in front of our gigantic dragon kind.”

The Ice Dragon King nodded, acknowledging Gaia’s reasoning.

However, it wasn’t just about him and Gaia agreeing; it also depended on Ailin’s thoughts as the parties involved.

“My daughter, what do you think of this method? Do you want to sign this slave contract? Huh?”

Before the Ice Dragon King could finish, Ailin picked up a feather quill and signed her name on the slave contract.

“Is this good enough? And what about the marriage contract? Come on, I’ll sign that too.”

With a few swift strokes, Ailin signed her name on the marriage contract as well.

“Is this okay now?”

Having just witnessed her sudden actions, both the Ice Dragon King and Gaia were left dumbfounded.

“Wait. Ice Dragon King… what is happening here?”

Gaia asked the Ice Dragon King, bewildered by his daughter’s unexpected eagerness.

“Don’t ask me, I’m seeing this side of Ailin for the first time too. Uh, Ailin, you didn’t even look at what these contracts state before signing your name, did you?”

The Ice Dragon King questioned his daughter, wondering if she had any clue as to what these contracts meant.

“Of course I know! It just means I’ll be marrying Gaia and become his slave. So, what’s the big deal? If that’s the case, I’m going down the mountain with him.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ailin walked up to Gaia and wrapped her arm around his.

“Alright, you two go ahead and down the mountain. Gaia, remember to take good care of my daughter. If anything happens to her, I won’t let you off easy.”

Watching the two figures gradually leave, the Ice Dragon King issued a stern warning to Gaia.

“Ah? Oh, right, right! I’ll do my best to protect Lady Ailin, you can count on me!”

Gaia’s mind hadn’t quite processed everything when he heard the Ice Dragon King’s warning, and he hastily agreed.

【What is this Ice Dragon King’s daughter up to? Why can’t I understand her at all?】

As he looked at Ailin, who was happily clutching his arm while heading down the mountain, Gaia felt an inexplicable fear rising from the depths of his heart towards this woman.