Page 62 of Dragon King’s Duty Bride

“She loves you, Papa.”

The girls’ happiness made his heart swell. He stopped to say something, but Spirit bumped into the back of his heel.

Bleat. The tiny creature was scolding him.

The sound echoed around them as they all erupted in laughter. Sia laughed the hardest and had to grab a stone railing to stay upright. He rolled his eyes. She was entirely unhelpful.

“Your Majesty,” she managed between gasps, “your shadow makes noise.”

Lucas straightened his shoulders. “I will not be mocked by livestock.”

Bleat.

Spirit circled his boots and settled squarely against his ankle. He stared down at her.

She stared up at him.

His jaw tightened. “She will reside in the castle barn,” he announced, as though issuing a royal decree rather than surrendering to a creature with a floppy ear. He refrained from telling them that they made an excellent choice. Spirit was adorable.

Stella pulled on his pant leg. “Papa, should we have three goats like us three? Spirit might get lonely.”

“I think one goat for now will be enough, baby. Spirit will have you girls to keep her company.”

“Can we walk her like a dog?” Luna asked. “We can get a leash.”

Lucas met Sia’s eyes as he shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

The girls cheered and Sia wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. “Oh, this will be delightful.”

Lucas walked with them as they took the baby to the barn, but he soon learned that it was not going to be delightful.

The first escape occurred within the hour. Lucas was reviewing a grain shipment proposal in his office when a distant bleat echoed down the corridor.

He froze. His advisors blinked.

“That can’t be…” he began.

The door burst open and Spirit bounded inside with all the enthusiasm of a creature who had never once considered the concept of restricted access. She skidded across polished tile with her hooves clacking and launched herself directly at Lucas’s chair.

“Your Majesty,” one advisor whispered faintly.

Spirit attempted to climb his leg. Lucas rose with as much dignity as possible while disentangling a goat from his royal robes. He tried to maintain a stern expression even as he melted in the cuteness of the situation.

Spirit darted and leapt onto the long council table. Documents scattered as she bleated triumphantly and trotted straight through a meticulously arranged stack of reports.

Sia burst into the room. “I thought I heard a…” She stopped as she caught sight of the chaos and pressed her lips together. It didn’t work.

Her shoulders began to shake. Lucas walked up to her and shot her a look which obviously pushed her over the edge and Sia lost the battle.

“Oh, she’s fearless,” Sia said as she burst into laughter again. She moved and scooped up Spirit mid-prance. “Just like her owner.”

“I do not own a goat.” Lucas was well aware of the astonishment in his advisors' expressions. Spirit nuzzled his hand.

“Of course you don’t,” she said lightly, her sarcasm barely veiled.

The second incident was worse. A visiting dignitary from a neighboring kingdom had arrived to negotiate a timber agreement. The man was tall, severe, and not inclined toward humor.

Sia had just brought in refreshments and Lucas had nearly secured the deal when the doors burst open and a single, unmistakable bleat echoed through the room.