Lucky Vasilisa

* * *

“Gasp…!”

Vasilisa’s eyes flew open as she inhaled sharply.

Her whole body ached, and she couldn’t muster any strength. The pain was far worse than when she’d fallen into the pit. Koschei’s single kick had sent her flying into the cave wall.

“Ugh…”

The worst pain was in her head. She touched her forehead, feeling a dampness, and her fingers came away with small, crusted flakes of blood.

Blood from the gash flowed freely, staining her worn dress and spattering onto the gold coins. Vasilisa’s eyes widened as she saw the messy stains on the glittering gold.

In the distance, she saw Koschei reclining on his throne.

He was lying with his eyes closed, as if nothing had happened. He appeared to be in a deep sleep, but his sharp claws tapped idly against the throne’s surface.

With each flex of his arm muscles, the light reflected off the gold, illuminating the scales on his exposed skin.

Dragons cherished their gold and treasures. If she incurred Koschei’s wrath, she might die before she could even have her revenge. Preserving her fragile life was paramount.

Vasilisa picked up the bloodstained coins and rubbed them with her worn sleeve. The dried, dark bloodstains wouldn’t come off easily. She had no choice but to spit on her sleeve and continue scrubbing the coins.

“What are you doing?”

A heavy, languid voice startled Vasilisa, and she looked up.

Koschei, now awake, watched her with an indifferent gaze. His imposing presence made her hands fumble.

“I’m sorry, Koschei. I… I dirtied your gold… I’ll clean it right away.”

Stuttering out an apology, Vasilisa frantically scrubbed the coins. Koschei’s gaze felt like a burning brand on the top of her bowed head.

“You’re supposed to be the Count’s daughter, yet you act like a servant girl.”

Vasilisa blushed at Koschei’s words, which seemed to criticize her for soiling her surroundings. Even in this situation, she was ashamed of her lowliness being exposed.

She knew how to polish vases without leaving watermarks and how to oil wooden floors, but she didn’t know how to be a noblewoman.

She had thought she understood the life of a noble, having lived as the Count and Countess’s daughter for her entire life. But now, with her life turned upside down, Vasilisa realized she knew nothing at all.

The one good thing about Koschei’s sharp rebuke was that he was paying attention to her, insignificant as she was. It was far more lenient than his previous dismissal of her pleas.

“Then, how does a noble lady behave?”

Having found a thread of conversation, Vasilisa asked, her eyes shining with hope.

Koschei furrowed his smooth brow in disbelief. The muscles of his beautiful face contorted in displeasure, and his golden eyes narrowed like the edge of a gold coin.

“They don’t readily kneel on the floor, their backs are straight, and their haughty eyes are always searching for a suitable husband… Why am I even explaining this?”

He finished his sentence abruptly, as if realizing he was conversing with a mere insect. As if he no longer cared, Koschei closed his eyes dismissively.

Sensing his imminent return to slumber, Vasilisa scrambled to her feet. She had to speak to him while he was still somewhat receptive.

“Wait…wait a moment!”

Stepping carefully on the shifting mountain of gold, Vasilisa reached the throne and knelt before it.

Noblewomen weren’t supposed to kneel, but Vasilisa’s knees had always been close to the floor, so there was no reason to hesitate now.

“Koschei, you seem to know a lot about the world beyond the mountains. I’ve only ever lived in this village, so I don’t know how people outside live.”

What could pique the interest of this bored dragon? If she could capture his attention and earn his favor, revenge wouldn’t be just a pipe dream.

“Do you venture out often, Koschei? Did you see what you just described in the kingdom?”

Her rapid-fire questions caused his long, thick eyelashes to flutter irritably against his closed eyelids. They were as vibrantly colored as the Countess’s peacock feather hair ornaments.

“You visit the village every fifty years. I always thought you slept the rest of the time…”

If she remained silent, she would undoubtedly continue her incessant questioning. His perfectly shaped eyebrows twitched, and a sigh escaped his lips.

“You’re right. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the kingdom, so the ways of the nobility may have changed. Anyway, be quiet. Your story bores me, no matter what you say.”

It was a command to silence, forbidding further questions.

Vasilisa bit her lip. Her attempt to inquire about the dragon’s world, hoping to understand his perspective, had failed.

From the beginning, Koschei hadn’t shown much interest in her. His bored and languid demeanor contradicted the rumors of his greed. After a moment of thought, Vasilisa asked cautiously,

“Then, Koschei… could you let me go? Someone like me will only disturb your slumber.”

“That’s impossible. You are mine now. You cannot leave my lair.”

A cold, indifferent reply came, his voice thick with sleep. At the drowsy tone, Vasilisa nervously fidgeted with her fingers.

She had to capture the dragon’s attention somehow. She calmly reviewed his few words in her mind.

He had said observing human desires was entertaining, yet he showed no interest in her resentment. He had only shown a flicker of interest when she’d cleaned the coins like a servant.

What else could she do that was unbecoming of a noble lady, something that would display her desires?

Lost in thought, Vasilisa recalled the Countess’s words.

…

The Countess had lectured her day and night about why she shouldn’t be vulgar. Back then, Vasilisa had thought it was out of concern for her, but now she realized it was due to the fear of losing Vasilisa’s suitors’ gifts.

Vasilisa’s throat tightened.

The dragon, with his eyes closed like a statue, was strangely beautiful. None of her suitors could compare to his striking appearance.

If the dragon fell asleep, she would die here, unable to do anything. So shouldn’t she try everything she could? She had come here as the dragon’s bride, so no one could blame her now.

With newfound resolve, Vasilisa carefully placed her hands on the throne. Slowly, she leaned forward and pressed her trembling lips against Koschei’s smooth, statue-like mouth.

His lips were cold and soft, unlike their hard appearance.

In an instant, a large hand gripped her waist.

“Gasp…!”

A choked gasp escaped her lips as a powerful force constricted her, like a serpent. The force was so strong that her back bent and her body swayed.

Instinctively, Vasilisa tried to pry away the large hand gripping her waist. But the hand, covered in sharp claws and blue-silver scales, wouldn’t budge.

A chilling voice descended from above.

“What are you doing?”

Koschei, now sitting upright, asked in an irritated tone.

“I was trying to… wake you… gasp… up.”

Was it the vulgar habit of a vagrant to admire the dragon’s beauty while her life hung in the balance?

There were countless tales of knights slaying dragons, but why were there no stories of falling in love with a dragon as beautiful as this? Perhaps it was the awe and fear that came with facing a being so different from a human.

“Ha… I came here as a… bride…”

As her eyes met his golden gaze, Vasilisa froze.

She understood perfectly.

To Koschei, she was truly less than an insect. A being he could crush without a second thought, with a flick of his wrist or a stomp of his foot. It was purely Koschei’s mercy that allowed her to speak so freely.

“A bride. Do you even understand what that means? You don’t even know how to act like a noble, yet you claim to be the dragon’s bride?”

His chilling voice pierced her ears like a thousand blades, sending shivers down her spine. The molten gold within his eyes seemed to burn her alive.

“I’ve lived for centuries, but I’ve never allowed anyone near me. You intend to seduce me for your revenge?”

“Khh, Koschei…”

Nausea welled up within her as the pressure around her waist tightened. Dizziness swept over her, as if death was imminent. Her lower body, deprived of blood, began to tingle.

“You can’t even withstand this much force, yet you claim you’ll take me? Your courage is admirable.”

Any trick she tried would likely appear as childish play to Koschei. Gasping for breath, Vasilisa forced her lips to part.

“I… I told you I’d do anything. If you won’t grant my wish, then kill me. I can’t live with this resentment…!”

At her desperate cry, the burning intensity in his golden eyes subsided.

“You don’t even know what you hate, yet you offer your life. What a pointless death.”