Cough!

Drakos almost choked on the meat that was about to enter his throat, swallowing it whole and gulping it with struggle. He jerked his head away, looking at her while rapidly blinking.

Was he that obvious?! He has been trying to hide it, behaving like normal for almost three years, but the more time he spent with her, the further he fell into the hole.

"Ehem, what do you mean? Can’t I be nice?" Drakos questioned while low-key panicking inside. "Also, I need your help now so it’s only natural that I will not cause trouble."

He couldn’t just admit it, knowing very well Bella would not return his feelings and he could only cause them to worsen their relationship. Phoenixes and Dragons didn’t fit well together. She also said she is not really interested as Phoenixes lived a lonely life with no need to find a partner.

Bella narrowed her eyes, gazing deeply into his big golden orbs as if trying to see through his lies. Drakos wanted to look away but he persisted as if nothing happened.

"What is it? You can tell me anything," Drakos added, acting cool. Being in his Dragon body made it much easier to keep the poker face.

"I noticed it for quite a while..." Bella began. "Since the moment you saw this human body of me, you started behaving differently... Don’t tell me you prefer humans over other female Dragons?"

As Bella asked, she skimmed her slim body with her arms, checking it out as if to find out what was so special about it. She squeezed on her plump chest, rubbing and caressing them while observing him.

"You like those? I saw you staring at them."

Gulp.

The guilty Dragon swallowed hard, not knowing know to defend himself.

Bella didn’t stop at that and began jumping on his back while squishing her butt into his scales. She didn’t realize how amazingly soft and nice that was, giving Drakos the time of his life.

"Is it those two fat lumps on my butt? I caught you staring at them too. It must be true, right? You like human women," Bella stated, sounding more sure with each second.

"Wait! I like them but that doesn’t change anything, right?" Drakos argued, trying to cover his himself. "I used to live within humans for a long time, so I slowly became accustomed to human women. You are beautiful, so I will of course admire you. Is that a problem?"

’Oof, that was smooth. I’m so good,’ Drakos praised himself internally but to his surprise, Bella squinted her eyes and puffed her cheeks, looking away abruptly.

"Humph, I talked with the girls and they told me that if someone is staring at your body, it means they are perverts who want to assault me. When that happens, they said I should punch them unless they are someone I want to stare. They also said that if someone is overly nice to me, it means they either want something from me or they like me," Bella explained before gazing back at him with flushed cheeks. "You have been like this for three years so it must be the latter."

"You fell for me, right?" Bella added. "Just like Xuefeng and his wives, right?"

"I—"

Drakos opened his maw to speak and closed it several times, thinking hard what to reply and she quickly took his silence as a yes.

"I knew it."

"Wait!" Drakos exclaimed, annoyed by her questioning. "I’m not saying that I did, but even if I did fall for you, it would be completely normal. Why are you saying it like I committed a crime or something?!"

"Huh? I’m not. I was just asking to know," Bella replied, narrowing her brow at his outburst.

Drakos snapped right back.

"And what would you do if I did fall for you?"

Just as he said it, he regretted it, wanting to bang his head against the wall. Relationship and love weren’t something that could be rushed and he pushed it on her.

Bella, on the other hand, replied calmly as if it was obvious, "What I would do? Nothing. Aren’t we temporary partners? Why are you suddenly falling for me?"

The two words ’temporary partners’ echoed in his mind like a clap of thunder during a stormy night. He knew that very well but it still struck him hard. Too bad, Bella wasn’t done.

"We are staying together only because we have a deal and I promised Yiren not to kill you. Did you forget we were enemies just three years ago? At most, we could be considered friends because I trust you enough to sleep on you. We are a Dragon and a Phoenix, two species that shouldn’t meddle together and I told you already, I’m not interested in any relationships. This is all business and—"

Drakos mind blanked out and Bella’s words mixed together. He was unable to comprehend her any longer.

He wanted it to stop. Each time she spoke was like another nail that pierced into his heart.

Anger brewed inside of him but he wasn’t angry at Bella but at himself.

’Why did I fall for her? I knew this would happen...’

He tried to look at her once again but he experienced a headache for the first time ever.

They were Phoenix and a Dragon. They couldn’t be together, and yet his stupid brain had to become attracted to her.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Bella called out with eyes widening as he picked her up and placed on the ground. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"I need some fresh air," Drakos replied, his voice quiet and dull, carrying no emotion.

Without looking back, he walked out of the cavern, and his wings spread out. With a powerful swing and a bounce of his legs, he launched himself in the sky, a place he could feel at home.

As he breathed in deeply, he felt something was lacking. It was the soft body of a woman who laid on his back for such a long time. He got used to her touch, her weight, and her annoying remarks yet now it was all gone.

’It’s just business... It’s just a deal, huh...’ Drakos repeated Bella’s words as he gazed at the Dwarf Kingdom in the distance and then at the Cavern behind him.

He saw her going out and his heart squeezed once again, hurting his chest.

"I’m such an idiot..." Drakos muttered, speeding up in Dwarf Kingdom’s direction.

"I don’t need her. I don’t need anyone..."

———

"Damn, did I say anything bad? I only spoke the truth..." Bella cursed as she saw Drakos clearly fly away cause of her. He wouldn’t just randomly leave.

Huh?

She planned to wait for him to come back first and continue their talk when she saw him dash away, heading straight towards the Dwarf Kingdom.

"What is he doing...?" Bella questioned out loud, knitting her brows but when she saw he wasn’t stopping, she finally figured his plan.

"Idiot!"

She didn’t hesitate and jumped in the sky, flying after him but her speed was nowhere close to an adult dragon.

"Drakos! Don’t do anything stupid!" Bella cried out after him but he was too far to hear her voice.

’Why?!’ Bella cried out in her mind, unable to comprehend. They were meant to sneak in together and get as many Fate Stones as they could before dipping away. Why was he suddenly diving into a battle solo?

She thought back to the words she told him before he left, but she couldn’t find anything improper. Wasn’t it all truth? Why was he so sensitive?

"Wait..." Bella suddenly recalled something.

She once had a chat with Xuefeng about relationships. Being new to anything human-related, she was interested in the concept of love. Bella never felt it so she didn’t know what it was.

’When you love someone, you want to be with that person all the time. You shower them with affection because you want them to have the very best. You want to give them the world and even your life if that meant to save them. If you wouldn’t give your life to the second person, you don’t love them enough.’

Bella repeated Xuefeng’s words in her mind. She has been using it as the explanation of love this whole time and based on that, Bella knew she didn’t love anyone yet. To give her own life for others? Who would do that?

When she thought of Drakos, she didn’t feel like dying for him at all. She trusted him enough that he won’t hurt her, considering him a friend but it wasn’t love. His Dragon body wasn’t even attractive enough to her to move her.

’Wait... Xuefeng said something about Drakos...’

Bella recalled another conversation.

’Drakos is a dummy and sometimes selfish but when you see he is nice to someone, it means that he really cares for them. He can’t hide his feelings well. He is not even nice to me yet he treats you well. Don’t hurt his feelings, okay? Who knows what he will do. Love can really mess with someone’s mind.’

historical

"Did I hurt his feelings...?" Bella wondered as she stared at the distant figure of a giant dark-blue Dragon. "Could he actually be in love with me? But why?"

So many questions troubled her mind.

All she did was use and abuse him on daily basis. How did he fall in love with her? It sounded so impossible to her that she didn’t even consider it.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t contemplate it more, seeing Drakos getting closer and closer to the Dwarf Kingdom and he wasn’t stopping.

It was the opposite.

He accelerated, his body coated with Golden Qi and he dove head-on against the barrier surrounding the city.

Pa!

It popped like a bubble, without even slowing him down and he finally spread his wings, braking his charge. The giant entrance inside the mountain was open wide with hundreds of Dwarfs working in the processing of ore.

He didn’t pay them any attention as he slipped through the gate, disappearing inside. He was naturally spotted by all Dwarfs and they all dropped what they were doing, chasing after him.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two colorful fireballs burst from Bella’s hands as she flew through the hole in the barrier, stopping the Dwarfs from advancing and she followed Drakos inside.

"Idiot! Come and talk to me! I need answers!"