"No," the Dragon King said firmly. "I already said that I won't help him. I will not change my mind now."
"B-But Father, he really needs your help right now," Valerie insisted. "How can you be so heartless?"
"Valerie, why do you insist on speaking up for that boy?" the Dragon King asked. "Don't tell me that you like him?"
"Yes!" Valerie replied. "I like him, and I want him to stay here in Karshvar Draconis!"
"Not happening," the Dragon King replied and raised his hand. "Guards! Take the Princess back to the Inner Palace and make sure that she doesn't leave that place unless I give her my permission!"
Lady Faustina visualized this scene inside her head as she followed the determined Princess who was marching toward the Royal Palace.
Although Lady Faustina wasn't sure if this was the exact scene that would play out later, she knew to a certain extent that reality wouldn't be far from what she had imagined.
'I better handle this properly, or else, Valerie might develop a rebellious attitude,' Lady Faustina thought.
When they were nearing the gates of the Royal Palace, the right-hand woman of the Dragon King stood in front of the Princess, blocking her way.
"What's wrong, Lady Faustina?" Valerie asked. "I need to see my father."
The Dragon Born smiled before making a few hand seals, sealing the place where she and Valerie were, preventing anyone from seeing or eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Princess, tell me. Why are you going so far for Lux?" Lady Faustina asked in a kind and gentle tone. "Do you perhaps like him?"
"L-Like him?!" Valerie immediately turned beet red after hearing the Dragon Born's question. "I-It's not like I like him or anything. He just told me that he will take responsibility countless times in my dreams."
"Um? In your dreams?"
"I-I mean, he said that he would take responsibility for Kei. Isn't that right, Kei?"
"Zi zi zi!"
The baby Dragon Slime snickered instead of answering Valerie's question, showing his mischievous side.
Lady Faustina sighed as she pressed her hand over her forehead.
"Listen to me, Your Highness," Lady Faustina said. "I can understand that you think fondly and highly of Lux, but your father doesn't feel the same for him. In fact, I think he dislikes Lux very much."
"N-No way…," Valerie felt as if cold water was poured over her head. "That can't be right. Father is a very just and righteous King."
"Of course, he is," Lady Faustina replied. "But, this only applies to the Dragon Race as a whole. In the end, Lux is a Half-Elf and belongs to the Lower Realm. Your father's righteousness and justice doesn't extend to him."
Valerie's face paled as she looked at Lady Faustina in disbelief. However, she knew that the Dragon Born wouldn't lie to her because she had cared for Valerie during her younger years and treated her like a granddaughter.
"Then what should I do?" Valerie asked. "I don't want to be separated from Sir Lux."
Lady Faustina didn't give the other party an answer right away. She closed her eyes and pondered for a few minutes before opening them again to look at the despairing princess, who was still looking like a plain girl.
"I have an idea that will allow you to see Lux from time to time," Lady Faustina said. "But, you have to promise me one thing. You will not tell your father that you like Lux. Trust me when I say that your Father would pose a far greater threat to Lux than the Divine Army of Light if he came to know that you fancy the Half-Elf."
Truth be told, Lady Faustina had no obligation to help Lux. However, her grandson, Cethus, had become a better person after becoming part of his Guild.
Since that was the case, the doting grandmother decided to extend her help to the clueless Half-Elf, who had no idea that he was so close to being pinched to death by the Dragon King, who ruled over Karshvar Draconis.
"If I listen to you, Aunt Faustina, will I be able to see him?" Valerie asked. "Can I see him even if he goes far away?"
"The possibility exists," Lady Faustina answered. "I can help you pull some strings, and I will even accompany you when you go and see him. All I ask of you is that you keep your feelings safe inside your heart, and don't let your father know about them."
"T-Then, how about my mother?" Valerie asked. "I don't want to lie to her."
"Actually, we will need your mother's help with this," Lady Faustina replied. "I alone will not be able to keep this secret. If she is on our side, our chances of making the Dragon King not hurt the Half-Elf once he finds out about this are higher."
The Dragon Born then shifted her gaze to the two maids, who both had a determined look on their faces.
"I'm sure that I don't need to tell the two of you to keep this a secret as well," Lady Faustina said to Ali and Ari. "If you value your oath to protect the princess by all means, then you will keep this secret and help her if need be."
"We hear and obey, Your Excellency," Ali replied.
"We will keep this secret safe with everything we have," Ari stated.
Lady Faustina nodded before cupping Valerie's face.
"Go back to the Inner Palace for now and wait for my visit," Lady Faustina said. "Also, don't tell your mother anything yet. I will talk to her first and relay your feelings to her. Also, you must also behave and listen to your father's words so that he won't suspect a thing."
Valerie nodded and promised to do what she was told. She then took Ali and Ari to the secret passages that led directly to the Inner Palace, leaving Lady Faustina alone with her thoughts.
'For the time being, I need to contact my sister,' Lady Faustina thought. 'As long as she agrees, I will have an excuse to take Valerie to the Crystal Palace.'
The Dragon Born sighed in her heart as she thought about what needed to be done.
She fully understood that love blinded people, making them unable to think properly.
However, if this matter wasn't handled carefully, the Princess and the Half-Elf, who didn't know that the Princess of Karshvar Draconis had developed a crush on him, might suffer terrible consequences if things got out of hand.
In order to prevent this unwanted future, Lady Faustina cooked up a plan inside her head.
A plan that would rekindle the connection between Karshvar Draconis and the Crystal Palace, who had broken their ties with each other due to circumstances that happened many years ago.
