READING GUIDANCE
" This is a direct sentence in the present time."
" This is a direct sentence in the past time."
' This is a character's inner thought in the present time.'
' This is a character's inner thought in the past time.'
[ This is a direct sentence in sign language in the present time.]
[ This is a direct sentence in sign language in the past time.]
HAPPY READING!
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"I am so bored," he said several times already, and he still did not seem satisfied.
"... Then just go die." Ivy, the first princess of the Malum Empire, could no longer tolerate the nagging of her only little brother. She looked at him, who was sitting lazily in her favorite spot to sip tea—the palace her father had given her as a birthday gift. The very palace where the view from its balcony was the second-best in the entire castle. "... Why don't you babysit the little girl like you always do?"
She expected him to be embarrassed by what she had just said, but... he had changed.
"... She has something to do with Irisha."
Ivy sipped her tea calmly, watching him remain unfazed by her mocking. "Then just go to your place and don't bother me."
He sneered. "You really are not cute, are you?"
She gasped, spilling her tea in shock. "Where the hell did you learn that word?"
He shrugged. "You're really different from Irisha."
"What do you mean?" she twitched.
"That's what I mean," he said. "... It's better if I just stay with them."
Prang!
"... Then go to them," she said, giving him a deep stare with her shining golden eyes. The intimidation was so palpable that even Ash knew she was not joking around as usual.
He glanced at the broken glass on the floor before looking at the beautiful woman he knew as his sister. "... You're just jealous," he said before leaving her in deep silence.
A heavy silence followed as the beautiful princess of the empire sat, gripping her hands tightly.
'... Jealous, you say?'
'Me?'
It was too absurd for her to even laugh at. Too idiotic to even consider. The term "jealous" was something she had never thought of using because, ever since she was born, fate had already decided her position.
"The beautiful princess of the Malum Empire."
"She is the one blessed by the holy dragon."
"Greetings to the Dragon's Blessing, the First Princess Ivy Isaac Malum."
Then they would bow to her with disgust, while at the same time cursing her as the monster they never had a chance to overcome. How vividly all the glamorous things surrounded her world as she sat on the throne that no one could ever reach.
'... And you say I am jealous?' How could it be possible? It was funny to think about. It should be, yet—why was she so angry? The fact that she could not even laugh and struggled to control the power inside her now.
"Ahava!" she shouted, standing suddenly.
WHoooose!
A strong wind blew her beautiful green dress with silver ornaments. As her grayish platinum hair fluttered wildly, her feet remained firmly planted as if it were nothing at all. In an instant, the bright balcony darkened as an elegant white dragon landed beside her, its vast wings casting a magnificent shadow over the palace.
"Go, Ahava!" she commanded, leaping onto its saddle with effortless grace, undeterred by her long, beautiful dress. With a powerful beat of its wings, the dragon soared upward, and the palace shrank beneath them.
The air grew thinner and colder, yet she felt nothing but relief.
In just a moment, she arrived at the place where she truly belonged.
The vast sky unfolded endlessly before her, boundless and untouched. The magnificent blue stretched beyond sight, wrapped in drifting clouds that parted obediently at Ahava's approach. Far below, the empire became small and insignificant, its noise swallowed by the wind.
Up here, there were no whispers.
No bows filled with hidden disgust.
No suffocating expectations.
Only the majesty of the two suns shining proudly above, bathing her and her dragon in radiant light as if acknowledging her dominion over this realm.
This was her sanctuary.
"I need to calm down," she muttered, feeling the power lingering in her veins. She frowned in disgust as she remembered the thick blood coursing through her—so heavy, so restless, as though it longed for destruction.
But her expression changed suddenly.
Her face became that of an emotionless beauty, seemingly unaware of everything except the thin trail of billowing smoke staining the horizon.
Then she smirked as she detected the faint yet unmistakable fragrance of fresh blood carried by the wind.
"Ahava," she said, dreadfully calm, before they swooped away toward the place her instincts called her to.
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***
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The screaming was so clear—piercing through the air as everyone shouted for help while running frantically through Arha's forest. The sacred woodland, once serene and untouchable, was home to a beautiful lake where the fairy familiars gathered in harmony. That very lake used to create a magical phenomenon, its surface shimmering like a sea of scattered stars, glimmering softly beneath both the daylight and the night sky.
Yet now, that utopian sanctuary was swallowed by chaos.
Thick flames coiled hungrily around the ancient trees, devouring bark, leaves, and magic alike. Smoke rose heavily into the sky, staining the once-pure air as the fire advanced without mercy, threatening to consume everything in its path.
"Ahava!" The first princess, fighting amidst the wild blaze and surrounded by sorceresses, calmly commanded her dragon to unleash a terrifying fire. However, the sorceresses had cast a protective spell that trapped the fire within their barrier.
They smirked wickedly. "DIE, YOU MONSTER!" They watched as the dreadful fire seared the beautiful princess from all sides.
But then—
GRAAAAAAAHHHHH!
The terrifying roar of the dragon forced them to watch in horror as the princess and the elegant white dragon remained unscathed. They were astonished by the terrifying scene unfolding before them.
"... fucking sorceresses," she muttered, then commanded her dragon to flap its wings, creating a powerful gust that shattered the magical shield. The impact shook the sorceresses, and a tremendous force cracked the barrier before sending them crashing into the trees. She clung tightly to her dragon's saddle. "DIE YOUR FUCKING SORCERRESSES!" Her rage fueled her power, and the dragon fired a massive fireball.
However, melee combat was not her forte. Surrounded by knights and sorceresses, she found herself in a precarious situation.
"GET THE PRINCESS!"
"AHAVA!" she called again, and the dragon stood gallantly as she commanded, "FLY!"
She prepared to attack from above, but her eyes caught sight of a familiar brunette she had frequently observed in the palace. In the midst of the chaos, she contemplated whether to burn everything in her path—including the woman now fleeing desperately.
... even though she knew exactly who that woman was.
With a chuckle, she opened her mouth. "GO, AHAVA!" She leaped from the dragon to the nearest tree, swiftly moving from tree to tree to follow the frantic woman heading toward a cliff. "HEY! STOP!" But the woman, oblivious to her calls, continued to run. Ivy remembered that this woman could not hear anything in this world.
... and she questioned why she chose to do this.
"STOP THERE, IRISHA!" she yelled, leaping to grab the woman, who was carrying another child in her arms, just before they plummeted off the high cliff. "AHAVA!" In a second, her dragon appeared, ready to catch them, but a massive light arrow struck him in the neck. "AHAVA!!" she screamed, her eyes wide in horror as the arrow's impact caused Ahava to groan loudly.
SPLASSHH!!
She could do nothing as the three of them tumbled into the river below the cliff.
***
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Irisha was not coming to the palace.
Her subordinate reported that she had taken a day off to accompany Arisha while she spent time with her friend.
He understood this, despite the fact that he was now alone in his study room, consumed by thoughts of her all day. With a dark expression and his bright golden eyes shining in the dimly lit room, he touched his lips as he contemplated what was troubling him.
"... She is not running away."
She could not, anyway.
Yes, she could not.
... Because if she really did, he would simply bring her back and ensure she could not leave again.
He sighed. "... It would be better if you weren't so stubborn, Irisha." He hoped for something that seemed almost impossible,
... because she would always be Irisha, standing firm in her convictions, with her bravery and adventurous spirit. It felt as though she vanished every time she was out of his sight.
It was frustrating.
Frustrating, as he desired for her to be in his embrace right now.
"Your Grace!" Ray, who had been instructed not to disturb him, entered the study with a pale expression. "Jahar's troops have ambushed Arha's forest!"
"What?" he asked calmly.
"They brought high sorceresses and have blocked the area with powerful magical protections," Ray explained, gulping nervously. "Someone reported that the First Princess fought them, but they saw three people fall from the high cliff."
He stood abruptly. "Three people?"
Ray nodded. "The other two are Ms. Irisha and Ms. Arisha."
"Sir Luke has already dispatched his troops, but the battle is— Your Grace?!"
But he was already running to the palace balcony. From there, he spotted a small plume of smoke in the distance. "Izel, come!" he commanded,
The grey dragon landed with a thunderous stomp, its scales shimmering like molten steel. Eyes like polished silver glowed with intelligence, and a faint mist curled from its nostrils. Wings folded neatly against its massive frame, yet the sheer presence radiated power—silent, commanding, impossible to ignore.
Without hesitation, the wicked crown prince mounted his dragon, and they soared into the sky, leaving everyone behind.
Ray watched in concern, nervously clasping his hands and silently praying.
"... Please be safe," he murmured. His concern was not only for their safety but also for the ancient myth of their ancestors.
... The tale of the Holy Dragon who blessed mankind.
"The dragon that rules the rocky mountain."
"The Holy One above all."
"He dearly loves his treasure, he blesses the chosen one—"
"... But if the dragon loses its treasure, only disaster will follow."
***