Chapter Text
If only the advisor could kill their damned prince, they’d do it in a heartbeat.
Maybe then they wouldn’t be forced to check each and every room in the palace, looking for the wayward bastard. The damned place was enormous, teeming with servants who, thankfully, possessed the presence of mind to scatter as soon as they saw them coming. The problem was keeping their facial expression in check and not pinning them with a disdainful gaze — that glare was reserved for their one and only royal.
Now if only they could find him. Preferably before the dragons outside caught on.
'Where the fuck is he?'
The prince rarely left his quarters. Apathetic and dismissive of most things, his preference lay in observing the land through the grand window, watching his subjects enjoying the tranquility. As far as the advisor knew, the prince had recently found a new fascination with the territory at the very border — a prison of sorts styled as a theme park. With his sharp, inhuman eyes, the prince gazed upon it whenever he was awake, uncharacteristically attentive.
Something must have happened there. The advisor hadn’t deemed it important to keep informed about the structure at the very border, but perhaps they should tip their minions to investigate it.
Abruptly, the advisor froze in the middle of the hall.
The prince wouldn’t, right? That damned maniac was too lazy to leave his quarters, not to mention the palace grounds. And if one assumed he had, then what could possibly have prompted him to…
Ah. Fuck. It just had to be humans, didn’t it?
“You don’t have to act as my guide.”
The blue dragon, in its most harmless form, frantically waved its hands. It had met him at the entrance to the theme park and, clearly shocked by his unexpected visit, dropped the colorful flyers it had been carrying. When he bent down to help pick them up, the blue dragon wailed so loudly the closest tree burst with black liquid and evaporated on the spot.
The flyers had to be left alone to preserve the integrity of the park since it looked like the beautiful arch adorning the entrance would certainly crumble next.
That blue dragon was not the only one to express its agitation. In fact, every diligent worker of the theme park seemed to be visibly panicking, going so far as to neglect their duties to keep watching him.
That wasn’t really necessary.
“Should I walk in as a guest instead?”
The thick horns melted away alongside the tail peeking from under the traditional clothing. He probably looked deceptively human like that… Ah, he forgot the eyes. But as he blinked them open the next time, they had changed from haunting red to lightless black.
If it were possible, the blue dragon waved its hands even harder than at the entrance.
b l e s s e d c h i l d
m u s t n ‘ t be b u r d e n e d
“It’s alright. That’s something I want.”
But none of the blue dragons hastened to provide him with an entry ticket. Sighing, he made one himself, placing a simple bracelet on his wrist.
“If you do insist, would you kindly guide me to where the other guests are?”
That was certainly another idea that didn’t sit right with the blue dragons, but none of them could possibly refuse the request.
The blue dragon in the official suit motioned for him to follow, and after confirming his offer wasn’t taken unfavorably, trudged to where the other guests were.
“Ah.”
A quiet exhale left his lips.
Humans. Those were truly… humans.
He hadn’t believed his eyes when he saw them from his chambers at first. Even the advisor had scoffed, muttering how delightful it was for a ruler to start losing their vision so early. Of course, the advisor shut up as quickly as the quip left their lips when those red eyes they’d trash-talked landed on them instead.
‘Had the advisor forgotten the folly that cost them their eye?’
The advisor hadn’t deemed it worthy of a response back then, opting to grit their teeth and stew in silence.
But maybe they were at least partially right. Seeing humans this close truly seemed like a trick of the light. Guests so rare one would be blessed to catch a glimpse of them. And now they had become frequent visitors of this correctional prison that was kindly designed as a theme park.
The humans were looking at him. Ah, that’s right. He must look quite human himself right now, correct? Should he start talking? How should he greet them? Perhaps a greeting like he’d greet a court member — unless it’s the advisor — would be appropriate?
He bowed slightly, causing the blue dragon behind him to become completely speechless, and spoke,
“Gree—“
But as soon as the syllable left his mouth, two things happened in quick succession.
First, blood poured from the humans’ eyes, ears, and mouths.
Second, the blue dragon very quickly shifted in front of him, shielding him from the copious amounts of blood that flew everywhere.
Perplexed, he went to glance behind the blue dragon.
The humans were no longer there. Or they were, but in the form of blood splatters left on the theme park’s ground.
“Oh,” he murmured sadly, which prompted the blue dragon to offer its reassurances.
It seemed humans were more fragile than he’d thought. It would be wise to refrain from speaking when meeting them from now on.