Particles of ash settled on the tea tray, on the dressing table, on the nightstands, but the room was empty. There was no one hiding in the drawers of the dresser. I kept waiting for a gremlin to pop out of them. In case I was with Rose, that’s what would happen. But this was Lisette’s bedroom, the mortal girl. She didn’t have gremlins.
But down the hall, I noticed cages of colorful parrots. I’d have to ask them where the lady of the house had gone so early. I got up, dressed, and went downstairs. There were no servants to be seen, but the parrots were very happy that someone understood their speech. I understood the language of all animals and beasts, so I could have a long conversation with the brightly colored birds. The parrots turned out to be avid talkers. They reported to me everything that happened in the house and all the lovers the mistress had taken before me. On the subject of the latter they were fond of gloating. But as for the mistress herself, my curiosity as to her whereabouts puzzled them.
“She hasn’t come out yet,” admitted a large parrot with a red crest.
“What do you mean, she hasn’t come out?” She couldn’t have flown out the window. “Surely your mistress is not a magician?”
The parrot almost laughed in his hoarse bird tongue.
“We haven’t seen her since last night,” the other parrots replied politely. “She must be somewhere in the house?”
“Are there no hiding places?”
They shook their colorful heads in the negative.
“All right, I’ll come back and look for her later,” I had no intention of playing hide-and-seek with Lisette. There were plenty of other charming ladies besides her. I didn’t like silly games.
On my way out, I came upon a strange man who was on duty at the fountain, looking at Lisette’s window and making a quick charcoal sketch in a blank sketchbook. An artist! I tried not to socialize with artists after my failed relationship with Marcel. I was still drawn to them, though. I found it kind of magical how they create a drawing out of nothing. All they have in front of them is a blank sheet of paper on which an image gradually emerges. And they don’t need magic to do it. I secretly respected painters. Their talent for drawing was akin to my gift of sorcery.
So when the stranger said hello to me, I returned the greeting. Although everyone knows it’s not customary to greet strangers as if they were longtime friends. But he acted as if he had known me for a long time. He was wearing a long crimson cloak with a silver braid. It was fastened at the shoulder by a buckle in the shape of a manticore. I’ve seen one of these buckles somewhere before.
“I know a wonderful shop nearby that sells beautiful urns and chests for ashes,” he said, pointing with a lump of charcoal to the left.
“And you think I need them?” I wondered if he was mocking me.
“I thought one of the fire fairy urns would be for Mistress Lisette,” the guy looked confused that I didn’t understand him. But I never discussed any purchases with anyone.
“Why would you think that?” I grinned and walked on by. If Lisette was going to buy something outlandish, that was her business. I had enough urns, vases, amphorae, and fortress-shaped chests in my castle, so I wasn’t intrigued by a shabby shop where a suspiciously troll-like creature was selling pottery. Yes, the urns were molded with faces and figures of fairies, gorgons, firewomen, nymphs, and mermaids, but it was nothing unusual to me. Only one vase caught my eye for a moment. On its sides stretched in bas-relief a whole circle of magical creatures. And they were all exclusively female. As if there were no men among us. All these intricate things are clearly made by an admirer of female beauty.
The troll-like and gruff salesman, who noticed me through the window, suddenly took off his hat and bowed low to me. I was able to get a good look at his bald head with its huge ears. A troll indeed! All the things he traded must have been stolen from somewhere, or he must have collected them from the wreckage of estates that had been looted. My subjects liked to be naughty, even though I forbade it. But I didn’t care about prohibitions or laws now. I had other things on my mind. So I walked past the troll without giving him a comment or warning for the future in the form of a fiery sigh that could burn the floor of the shop. Let him go on with his trade. As long as he doesn’t cross me, I’ll leave him alone. I don’t care where he got it.
I was busy looking for more beauties, and I was proud of the fact that I wasn’t looking for them to burn, rob, or throw them off a cliff. That’s how a dragon should behave. And in me again woke up the old prince, who was taught to treat ladies gallantly, and not to wring their necks with claws. In a word, I was looking for girlfriends for love pleasures, and filled myself with the thought that there would certainly be a lot of them. So many that I could forget Rose. And for that I would need a very long list and the girls would have to be one more beautiful than the other.
Somewhere nearby was a kingdom, I think it was called Tioria, whose recent ruler was so fond of ladies that his list of favorites was compared to a collection of jewels from a dragon’s treasury. It was said that he had more mistresses than there were jewels in the dragon’s treasury. I doubted that, because I couldn’t even count all my treasures myself. The magical talents of my spirit treasurers were not enough for that either. But the former king of Tioria had kind of gone broke on the ladies. The kingdom fell into disrepair. Parts of it became ruins and wastelands. I don’t know what happened there, but I certainly didn’t raid it. I used to scorch states to the ground. There’s still some of Tioria left. But the king himself is gone. The king’s castle is a ruin. What can women get you into? We must remember that king, lest we do the same to him. I wasn’t about to spend my fortune on pretty girls. It’s enough for me to have a little fun, to feel free to choose. Being Rose’s pet dragon isn’t very dignified for the emperor. Let her know she’s not the only one.
As soon as I saw the purple train in the streets, my heart shuddered. Could it be Rose wandering around the city and teasing me? Usually, she’s the only one who chooses such bright and luxurious fabrics. But mortals can’t afford them. It would take a pack of pixies or magic spinners to weave such a dress. But the girl turned around and it wasn’t Rose at all. Just a statuesque winged fairy who had come to the city, like me, looking for mortal fools to keep her company for the night and then serve her faithfully.
She caught my eye, and I almost went after her, but a lady passing in a carriage was even more attractive. I read in the groom’s mind that her name was Moriella, and she was going to the neighboring town of Foil, where the art of arms and the trade in silks and spices flourished. The cold northern sea is nearby, and Moriella’s father’s castle stands right on the shore. It’s worth a trip there at your leisure. I was sure that Moriella would be glad to see me, because in the thoughts of the same groomsmen I had read that she was married to an ugly old man and even went to some witch to help her to change her fate. A night with a dragon would do her good. Especially since the dragon can take on a young and beautiful appearance. Lovely girl! I’ll visit her for sure. But it is not now. I’ll wait till next night. In the meantime, there’s plenty of temptation in this city. I was dizzy from the variety of different beauties: dressmakers, cocottes, flower sellers, street theater actresses, bourgeois and noblewomen. I’ve lost count of the pretty faces.
Instead of going to Moriella’s the next night, I spent weeks in the same place. It was a shame that the pretty girls disappeared so quickly, and there was nothing but ash around. But they were always replaced by new ones. I was attracted to everyone, aristocrats and commoners alike. And they all began to be attracted to me at last. All young mortal girls are pretty. I like them all.
“How well I understand you in that,” a voice whispered from the void, and it wasn’t clear which side it was coming from, but it sounded like it was coming from everywhere. “I’m a fan of beauty, too. Only I strive to freeze