"Well then, Father, Mother, I'll be going now," Valerie smiled as she excused herself.
The Dragon King and the Dragon Queen watched their daughter go with smiles on their faces.
"Is it me or does our daughter look more beautiful than before?" the Dragon King asked his wife.
"It's not just you," Queen Saphira replied. "She has become livelier, and she also looks happier than before. Perhaps something good happened during her stay in Espoir Frieden."
The Dragon King nodded in agreement. He had observed the great changes in his daughter's look and personality after she returned from the Kingdom of the High-Elves.
Valerie was practically oozing with a charm that was hard to ignore.
It was as if she was a beautiful flower that had finally bloomed, making everyone who saw her feel captivated by her outer, and inner beauty.
"I guess allowing her to go with Faustina was the right decision," the Dragon King stated. "She had become quite attached to that Halfling and his Disciple. When Gaap died, Valerie was devastated, so I thought that letting her visit the Elven Kingdom was the right thing to do at that time."
"It was a good choice," Queen Saphira commented. "Perhaps, we should let her visit other places more often. It will help her grow to be a more mature and better person."
The Dragon King frowned, but he also understood that his wife was right. Letting Valerie stay inside their kingdom every day would leave her too ignorant of the world.
This was also why he agreed to take her to the Divine Empire to witness Gaap's execution.
He wanted to show her the dark side of the world, where the strong oppressed the weak. That way, she would realize how blessed she was to be born as a Dragon Princess.
The Dragon King wanted Valerie to mature and become a wonderful lady who would contribute to the well-being and continuous prosperity of the Dragon Kingdom.
"… I'll let her visit the Crystal Palace more often then," the Dragon King said. "Even though there is tension between our kingdoms, Augustina would not dare to harm our daughter in her domain."
The Dragon Queen nodded her head in agreement. "She knows that the children are innocent and will not go out of her way to antagonize Valerie. Perhaps, aside from Karshvar Draconis, the Crystal Palace is the second safest place where she can wander around freely.
"That child also talks a lot about Aur. It seems that the two of them have become good friends. At least, the younger generation is going in the right direction. Unlike us, adults, who like to make things complicated."
The Dragon King snorted. "If you want to blame someone, then you should blame that bastard, Keoza. If he didn't disappear during the coronation, the Dragon Kingdom would not split into two factions. I was forced to clean up his mess, yet his people accused me of usurping his throne and calling me Fake King behind my back. What a bunch of cunts."
"Language, my Dear." Queen Saphira frowned. "Just because Hereswith came back to life doesn't mean you should copy her style. If Valerie starts using vulgar words, I'll whack you."
The Dragon King lightly coughed and averted his gaze.
"Um, sorry about that," the Dragon King replied. "If you want to blame someone, blame Hereswith. That girl sure knows how to infect people with her words."
"Oh? It seems that you still have a soft spot in your heart for her," Queen Saphira smirked. "Even after getting rejected, you continued to woo her until she died. Must be nice seeing her alive and kicking."
"Saphira, this is already in the past," the Dragon King sighed. "It is true that I still hold a soft spot in my heart for Hereswith, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you more than her right now. So don't be jealous and open a wound that has already closed."
"Fine." Queen Saphira nodded. "I know that you're telling the truth. Also, I don't hate Hereswith. Even I had a crush on her back then."
The Dragon King looked at his wife in disbelief. "You what?"
Queen Saphira's face was flushed as she averted her gaze. "Her charisma is very strong, and back then, she even called me Sister. How could I possibly resist her?"
"Is that why you always asked her to go to the hot springs with you whenever she visited Karshvar Draconis?" the Dragon King asked with curiosity.
Queen Saphira ignored his question and threw out a question of her own.
"Have you heard the latest news from the Divine Army?" Queen Saphira asked. "It seems that they are using a hostage to lure Gaap's disciple out of hiding."
The Dragon King chuckled because he understood that his wife was trying to change the subject.
However, since he had no intention of sleeping on the floor tonight, he decided to go with the flow and nodded his head.
"The Beast King and the Oracle are currently in the Beast Empire," the Dragon King replied. "They have captured the two Dwarf Princesses of a small Kingdom that was recently founded. I believe its name is Xeno Kingdom."
"Xeno Kingdom…" Queen Saphira muttered. "Poor children. They are involved in a war between Powerhouses."
"Indeed." The Dragon King snorted in disgust. "Now that Gaap and Antero are out of the picture, they probably think that they have a higher chance of capturing that Half-Elf."
"Capture, not kill?" Queen Saphira arched an eyebrow.
The Dragon King nodded. "They can't kill him."
"Why?" Queen Saphira asked. "Hasn't killing him been their goal all along?"
"In the past, yes," the Dragon King answered. "But, now, it's different. If they kill Lux, it will trigger a large-scale war. We have signed an alliance with the High-Elves. If they go to war, we will go to war as well. This is something that the Divine Army will want to avoid at all costs.
"Unknowingly, we have become that Half-Elf's protector. Since he has Hereswith's backing, he also has the entire Alliance's backing."
Queen Saphira nodded in understanding. "Well, at least he gets to keep his life. A large-scale war is something we don't want to happen right now. Especially since the Abyssal Gates are starting to appear once again."
The Dragon King was about to say something more when he saw something appear at the corner of his eye.
"You…" The Dragon King narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Specter that manifested a few meters away from him.
"It has been a while, Saphira. You're still as beautiful as ever." The Specter greeted.
"And you're still the charmer, even though you have lost your body," Queen Saphira smiled sweetly after seeing an old and very dear friend of hers. "It's good to see you again, Keoza."
Keoza, who had taken his demi-human form, smiled.
"What are you doing here?" the Dragon King asked while glaring at the hateful Crystal Dragon who left everything behind for reasons known only to him.
"I have come to tell you one thing," Keoza replied as he held the Dragon King's stare. "In the future, when you invite someone on a fishing trip, I will come with you."
"Huh?" the Dragon King looked at Keoza with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I am going with you the next time you go on a fishing trip," Keoza repeated what he said earlier. The Crystal Dragon had an amused expression on his face.
But the Dragon King knew that whenever Keoza had this expression, he was planning to beat someone up to oblivion.
For the time being, the ruler of Karshvar Draconis held back his doubts and focused on the bastard in front of him.
"Again, why would I go on a fishing trip with you?" the Dragon King asked angrily. "I am a busy person. Do you think I have as much free time as you?"
Keoza sneered. "Just remember what I told you. When you go on a fishing trip, I'm going with you. I'm leaving now, Saphira."
A moment later, Keoza's specter disappeared, leaving the Dragon King and Dragon Queen behind.
The Dragon King couldn't believe that the hateful Crystal Dragon was telling him that he would go on a fishing trip with him.
But, he was familiar with Keoza's character.
The Crystal Dragon could be annoying at times, but whenever he said something, there was always a reason behind it.
'Does he just want to go on a fishing trip with me?' the Dragon King thought. 'Does he want to start with a clean slate and forget old grudges?'
The more the Dragon King thought, the more sensible Keoza's words became. Because of this, he came to a conclusion.
"Darling, do you know any good fishing spots in the nearby territories?" the Dragon King asked.
Since Keoza wanted to go on a fishing trip with him, he should at least prepare for the trip in advance.
Although he didn't know who the Crystal Dragon was referring to when he said that he would be coming with him the next time he invited someone to a fishing trip, the Dragon King didn't think much about it.
'So, a fishing trip for three people,' the Dragon King thought. 'I wonder who else I should invite for that trip?'
The Dragon King smiled as he started planning for the trip.
The least he could do was to make it a fun experience for him, Keoza, and the person that he would invite in the future, whoever it may be.
