Upon hearing Dysis' words, Prince Alden suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine.
Though Dysis may not be able to physically harm him because of his status, her capabilities extend beyond the physical, prompting Prince Alden to become silent. Therefore, he took her words seriously.
A familiar voice rang out behind them.
"Why don't you take it easy on him, Dysis? After all, he's been through a lot today," Princess Morgana said, approaching them.
"Morgana, you're here!" Dysis exclaimed, realizing her mistake. "Sorry, I didn't recognize you earlier." She swiftly apologized, explaining that she had rushed over upon hearing about the assassination attempt and hadn't paid attention to anyone except Prince Alden.
Princess Morgana shook her head in response. "Don't worry, I understand," she responded.
Despite Dysis being much older than her, they were close friends, so she had no reason to take such things to heart.
Dysis nodded, then redirected her attention to the person she had been glancing at. Instantly, she was shocked by his appearance.
Withdrawing her arms from Prince Alden, Dysis bowed towards Orion. "Mr... Mr Orion, it's an honour to finally meet you up close. I'm deeply sorry for not noticing your presence earlier."
"It's okay, I understand the current situation, so you don't need to worry," Orion responded, shaking his head.
Dysis nodded with a warm smile. From the guards' gossip, she had heard many vile things about the man before her, tales of how Orion had tried to destroy the Garden countless times.
However, hearing his response and seeing him up close, she pondered whether those rumours had been exaggerated.
Nonetheless, now that she had discovered Orion's presence, Dysis saw no longer reason to linger.
She redirected her attention to Prince Alden. "Come on, let's go," she said, seizing his wrist firmly and soaring with him.
Prince Alden remained silent this time, quietly following behind Dysis as she led the way forward.
"That was Dysis," Princess Morgana explained to Orion, revealing Dysis's identity as Dysis had forgotten to do so. "She's Prince Alden's future partner, and she loves him so much that she's overly protective of him."
Princess Morgana could tell that Orion didn't care about which household Dysis came from or the amount of authority she possessed, so she didn't bother explaining all of that.
Orion furrowed his brows in confusion. "Aren't they already partners?" he couldn't help but ask.
According to Maeve's explanation, choosing a partner was one of the most complex and challenging times in a Pixie's life, so he couldn't understand how they were future partners if they weren't already partners.
Hearing Orion's question, Princess Morgana nodded. "Unlike the rest of the Pixies, who are given the right to choose their partners alone, the royal family and households don't work that way. Instead, the marriage between two individuals is arranged based on the purity of their bloodline."
"So, even before we possess the right to choose our partners, we are already assigned a partner we should spend the rest of our lives with. Sometimes, the relationship works out like Dysis and Prince Alden, but other times, it's merely a death sentence to both parties," Princess Morgana responded, a tired sigh escaping her lips.
"Although we might possess the greatest authority in the Pixie kingdom, that doesn't mean it doesn't come at a large cost," she added.
Listening to Princess Morgana's words, Orion nodded in understanding. 'So, it's like this?' he thought.
Nevertheless, sensing the tone of her voice and her expression, Orion fixed his eyes on Princess Morgana. "What about you? You've also been given a partner, right?" he asked.
Princess Morgana displayed a wry smile, realizing she might have allowed her emotions to slip into her words while explaining. Regardless, she nodded in response, "Yes, based on the purity of my bloodline, which is presumably one of the highest among the High Queen's offspring, I've also been given a partner - he is High Prince Kael."
Orion's eyes slightly widened when he heard Princess Morgana's words. Though he didn't expect that the Pixie royal family would literally wed their children to each other just to keep their bloodline pure, after experiencing the diverse cultures in their territories, he quickly regained his composure and nodded in understanding.
Princess Morgana observed the various expressions that rippled across Orion's face in such a brief time that she couldn't help but smile.
She had never met someone from outside the Garden except for the Prismerion workers who usually came to take their share of the harvest. However, they mostly respected the Pixies and would do anything to avoid offending them.
So seeing someone like Orion, who found their culture strange and wasn't afraid to show such an expression, amused her.
She even inclined to take him around the Pixie kingdom and show him various other Pixie cultures to see how he would react to them.
Orion was about to speak when he suddenly sensed someone hiding in the corner of the hall. He focused forward and narrowed his eyes toward the hidden individual.
"Reveal your identity, or I'll help you do so," Orion said, his resounding voice spreading into the distance and startling the hidden individual.
Princess Morgana followed Orion's gaze and observed as a familiar figure entered her senses. "Elder sister Kelani!" she exclaimed.
"You don't need to worry, Mr Orion. That is my first elder sister, Princess Kelani; she is the royal family's third child," she added, redirecting her expression towards Orion.
Orion nodded but still didn't relax his guard. Although he doubted that anyone could possess the strength to harm him within the Pixie Kingdom, he had to be prepared for the unexpected.
Orion observed the woman dressed in a knee-length light golden dress with short blonde hair that flowed freely around her as she arrived before them and bowed. "It's an honour to meet you, Mr Orion," she said.
Orion nodded. "It's an honour to meet you too, Princess Kelani. If you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave since you are also here to check on High Prince Kael's condition," he said.
