Claimed by the Dragon King

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Arrogant Intruder
 POV: Gift

I was terrified inside the small bakery, so nervous that my heart literally felt like it wanted to jump out of my chest after hearing that sound outside. Nothing had changed around me. The people living near the bakery seemed fine. They had not even woken up. Maybe I was just imagining things. I did not run. I did not hide under a table or hesitate like any sensible person probably would. Being stubborn was one of my best qualities. I had learned to be strong and fight for myself because I was alone, and there had never been anyone to protect me except myself.

Why would I run when the two strange babies I had personally fed, cared for, and saved from never hatching were now clinging tightly to me?

They called him Papa, but why did they look so scared?

They were using me as their shield, and I would never let them down. Even if I still could not fully understand where they had really come from, I was the one they depended on now. We came from two completely different worlds, yet somehow our paths had crossed, and I was the one they had chosen to call Mama. All I knew was that they were babies who needed me, and they had become my family during the past year.

I jumped when I suddenly heard a loud crash.

The bakery door was completely destroyed, and I immediately ran toward the kitchen entrance. All that remained of the door was gray smoke rising from the floor, as if something powerful, some kind of chemical or fire, had burned it into ashes before its time.

Oh my God. What was this? Was I having a nightmare?

From the destroyed entrance, an enormous man stepped inside, making my eyes widen. He was incredibly tall, and his entire presence was filled with authority and strength, like a bouncer at an expensive club or the bodyguard of a famous politician. His long black hair partly covered his face, which looked as if it had been carved by a cruel sculptor, and the scariest thing of all? There was a strange glow in his eyes. His arrogant aura practically overflowed from him, making my thoughts turn into a complete mess. Who was this man?

I had no idea who he was. I did not know what kind of foreigner, crazy cosplayer, or rich but rude gangster had just entered my store, but one thing was clear: he was not wearing a shirt, and he was seriously muscular!

“My children,” the man whispered.

I immediately frowned. His children? Who? Definitely not me because he was not my father.

His voice was like deep thunder that shook something directly inside my chest. It was so deep that it made my entire body tremble.

He immediately looked in my direction, so I quickly hid behind the wall.

I moved fast and grabbed my children, who were simply standing there in confusion. If I had to jump out the window so we could escape, then I would do it.

That was exactly what I did. After grabbing the twins and holding them close, I climbed onto a shelf to open the glass window.

“Papa,” Lumi said, and I immediately scolded her.

“Shhh. He is not your Papa. He is human. He is an evil bouncer from a club.”

“Stop!” the man growled just as I was about to open the window.

He stepped forward quickly, then raised his large hand to grab Lumi, but before his fingers could get anywhere near her, I immediately stepped in front of him.

I hid my children behind me.

“Hey, hey, wait a minute, giant bouncer!” I shouted, staring directly into his cold, frightening blue eyes.

I did not care if he could snap me in half like a dry branch.

“Who do you think you are? You just walked in here, destroyed my door, and now you are acting like you own this place? Get out!” I tried to sound brave, but when he stepped closer, my head instinctively moved back.

He sniffed me, making me immediately cringe. What did this man think I was, perfume?

The man suddenly stopped where he was standing. He slightly tilted his head, and his expression changed into complete shock and disbelief. He looked like some powerful boss who was not used to being talked back to by his subordinates. His entire face seemed to say that everyone around him normally followed every command he gave without a single complaint.

From the way he was looking at me, I could tell that this man’s mind was already filled with terrible suspicions about me.

He stared at me with obvious anger, as if his enormous pride had been deeply insulted by the way I was defending myself. His eyes traveled from my head down to my feet as though I were nothing more than dirt stuck to his expensive shoes. Maybe he thought I was a thief, or some terrible person who had hidden something that belonged to him. I did not even know who these so-called children he was talking about were.

“Get out of my way, filthy mortal,” he hissed, his voice filled with intense disgust and arrogance.

What did he just say? My head practically started smoking from anger.

“You have no right to touch them or even come near them. They are mine. I will take them, and there is nothing your weak and tiny body can do about it!”

“Mortal? Weak? Tiny? What are you even talking about?! There is seriously something wrong with your brain! I may be small compared to you, but I can still get in your eyes!” I shot back. The more angry I became, the more talkative I got, even while trying my best to stop myself from shaking.

This stupid bouncer was insulting me.

“I do not know you, and I definitely do not know what you are talking about when you say they belong to you!”

“They are my children! They belong to me!” he roared. His voice was so loud that the remaining glass in my window completely shattered. I almost screamed, but as a woman who had spent so much of her life alone, being afraid like a little mouse was simply not something I liked to do.

Cold air rushed inside through the broken window.

“My decision is final. I do not negotiate with an accomplice of a thief.”

“Your face looks like a thief!” I shouted back, literally having to look up at him because of how ridiculously tall he was.

I pointed my finger at his broad chest. “I am the thief now? Hey, Mister No Shirt, I work as a cashier here, and I am not a thief! You are the one who looks like a criminal because you are not even wearing any clothes on top!”

He looked down at his own body, and I saw his jaw tighten. Why was he getting angry? It was true that he was not wearing a shirt. I was only telling the truth. Our argument was getting worse by the second, and this man’s patience finally disappeared completely. He raised his hand, and I saw a strange light flickering around his fingers, like static electricity or sparks jumping through the air because of his anger. For a moment, I wondered if I was imagining it. Was I seeing things? He actually looked like he was planning to use force against me because it was obvious that this man was not used to being denied anything he wanted.