~ Chapter 50: Proof of my resolve ~

[Alkelios’ point of view]

 Kataryna’s words that night were not something I was going to forget any time too soon. They were spoken through tears and smiles, but also with a wisdom gathered throughout centuries. If it wasn’t for that, I might have had a hard time believing her.

When we returned to the city, Kataryna lent me a few coins to pay for another week at Brekkar’s Inn... in another room, seeing how she destroyed the previous one. I also had enough coins left to buy myself some new clothes and take a bath. As for the rest of my equipment, including a [Purse] ring and camp supplies, she promised she was going to take care of them.

Because of our battle, most of the dragons and even the guards were keeping their distance from us. I felt bad about making a mess of so many buildings, but Kataryna assured me the Third Princess would see to it that everyone was going to be reimbursed properly, especially the owners of Brekkar’s Inn.

The silver-scaled dragoness escorted me all the way to the street where the inn was located on, but then she made a U turn and left. When I called out to her, she excused herself by saying that she didn’t like the ominous feeling the inn was giving off, but I didn’t feel anything like that.

The wreckage outside was mostly cleaned up, so I stepped inside with the thought of first apologizing to the owners for the disturbance I had caused even if I had a good excuse for it. As a friend of Brekkar and his family, it was unsightly of me to behave that way.

Upon seeing my ragged and beaten-up state, Collentra took a good look at me from head to toes and then politely asked “Have you sobered up now?”

“Yes, I apologize for my unsightly behavior.” I bowed my head.

“Good. If it wasn’t for Kataryna, I might have been the one to go up there and slap you to the other side of Drakaria!” she narrowed her eyes at me.

“I appreciate your intention to help me, but I can assure you Kataryna punched me throughout the WHOLE of Drakaria.” I showed her a wry smile.

“Did you deserve it?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

I looked down and closed my eyes “Yes.”

Collentra walked up to me and tapped me on my left cheek. When I opened my eyes, she was showing me a gentle smile.

“I may not know what happened to you when all of you went to the Seyendraugher Palace back then, but I do know that when you first arrived here, it was the first time in a long while since I had seen either Seryanna or Kleo look so bright and happy. After their parents died, 38 years ago, they never were the same.” she shook her head and sighed “It doesn’t take a genius to realize that you were the one responsible for their smiles.”

“Even if the one who brought those smiles was a human?” I asked.

She smiled “More so because this means our Queen was right, and there’s still hope for your species... You may very well be the embodiment of that hope. Well, that’s probably asking a bit too much of you right now, but at the very least... don’t give up on those two girls. If you can still be their friend and help them in their time of need, do so.”

She tapped my cheek and then returned to sweeping.

“Also, tell that silver-scaled dragoness that I’m not letting her off that easily for breaking my home!” she said.

I smiled and replied “I will, but first... I need a bath.” I laughed.

“Thank the gods he noticed it!” Bayuk said as he raised his hands to the sky.

“Hey! I don’t stink that bad!” I pointed a finger at him.

“Oh yes you do! You could kill an entire herd of sheep with that stench of yours! I’ll give you a bath on the house just go get yourself cleaned up!” he retorted.

“Yes, mister Bayuk... and thank you!” I made a small bow to him.

A week later, at sunset, Kataryna and Kleo dropped by. Instead of staying at a table downstairs, we went up to my room, where we could have a bit more privacy and a lower chance of being overheard by unwanted fellows.

For some unknown reason, the silver-scaled dragoness was grumbling something about a waitress uniform, while the black-scaled one was trying hard not to laugh.

We first looked through everything Kataryna bought for my long journey ahead. I had to spend a few months in the Seculiar Forest, and no matter how high my Luck was, I learned that simply relying on it wasn’t going to get me to the finish line every time. Actually, it had some very nasty flaws and possible side-effects whenever I forced it. As such, I had to look at my current situation as though I barely had any Luck at all.

The ring Kataryna brought wasn’t as excellent as her own, but it could hold about the same amount of items as the one Seryanna used when we first met. She also bought me a few bags as well for any sort of materials or plants that couldn’t last inside it.

Once everything was set and ready, I explained the rest of the plan and how I was going to attempt the breaking and entering inside the most secured and well-guarded building in the entire Albeyater Kingdom.

“That’s insane...” Kleo expressed her opinion.

“My first plan included borrowing Seryanna’s pet squirrel and having you summon all sorts of fiends from the underworld, but I figured bringing forth the Apocalypse was a tad bit too much for this mission.” I shrugged.

Kataryna laughed when she heard this.

“Yeah... that would have been too much.” the black-scaled dragoness looked back at me with a raised eyebrow and then said “The Four Horsemen are just a myth, there are actually over 500 of them... and expensive. Greedy bastards...”

Apparently, my joke had a seed of truth in it.

“Then once you are done talking with Seryanna, you’ll return here?” Kataryna asked.

“Yes. I will then fly together with you two back to the edge of the Seculiar Forest.” I said.

“Fly?” Kleo asked.

“Your beast form is faster than a typical Khosinni, and you can go there in a straight line.” I pointed out.

“Is that so? A human riding on the back of a dragon... That will be... unheard of.” giggled Kataryna.

“Well, what do you think?” I asked with a smirk.

“It’s good, but you are forgetting about one thing though.” she pointed out.

I blinked surprised.

“What?”

“This.” she then handed me a letter with the emblem of the Third Princess on the red wax seal.

“Is that...?” I asked.

“Yes. The Princess wrote it and sealed it in my presence, so you can rest assured that it’s authentic.” she nodded.

“Great! Then this means I only need to get something to prove that I am Brekkar’s friend.” I said with a big smile on my face.

“I have that one. Here.” Kleo said and then handed over another sealed letter, but this one held the emblem of the Draketerus family.

“When did you get this?” I asked as I carefully received it.

“When we left Tomeron, grandpa gave it to me and told me to hand it over to you if you were ever going to visit the King.” she smiled proudly.

“I see... Thank you.” I nodded.

“Alkelios, I have a feeling even now you don’t understand what it means to have healed grandfather and also to have become our friend...” she showed me a soft smile.

“Is it about the battle from 38 years ago?” I asked.

She nodded.

“What you have in your hand... is basically the proof that two of the families who have suffered the most by human hands have put their entire faith in you, a human.” she said in serious tone of voice.

“Remember her words when you meet with Seryanna, Alkelios. You are not someone who should think lightly of himself. In my eyes, you are already someone well on the road of becoming the most ridiculous individual on all of the known continents.” Kataryna said.

“And who would that be?” I asked.

“The human hero of the dragons who rule Albeyater Kingdom.” she smirked.

I gulped and even though I was short of a few achievements, I didn’t feel like it was such an off-shot prediction.

However, having these two letters also meant that I had to make a couple of changes to my infiltration plan.

[Three hours and 24 minutes later]

In the middle of the night, when every dragon was asleep, I opened the window of my room. I closed my eyes and then took a deep breath to calm down my fast-beating heart.

With a calm mind and every fiber of my being, I thought I wish to be able to reach Seryanna’s room at the Seyendraugher Palace tonight without having a single dragon or dragoness spot me as I make my way there. I wish that when I reach her room, I will find her there. I wish to succeed in the goals that I had set for myself tonight.

Any wrong move from now on could land me in jail or get me killed on the spot. What I was about to do was risky, stupid, and unthinkable for the common dragon, but for me... this was my only shot.

I wasn’t doing this for a country. I wasn’t doing this to save Earth. I wasn’t doing this because I was ordered to. I was going to do this because I fell in love with a redhead dragoness. That was all...

Thus, I climbed out the window and jumped down into the alley below. With a speed far surpassing that of a human, I began to run on the streets between the buildings, staying only in the darkness of the shadows.

For tonight, I wore black clothes with a black cloak and a hood to hide me better as I moved along. Just in case, I also wore a pair of black leather gloves, to avoid getting pricked or cut. At that time, it didn’t occur to me that thanks to my stats, this sort of thing would have been near impossible to do.

Thanks to the information those two dragonesses had provided me with, avoiding the guards on the ground and hiding from those up in the sky wasn’t going to be such a difficult thing to do.

Even so, there were moments when I waited for several minutes in the shadows before I was able to advance, but little by little I arrived at the walls surrounding the palace. On top of them, the patrols were made out of Royal Guards instead of City Guards. They were different in both skill and strength, with the former being the elites of the latter. Half of these groups moved clockwise on top of the walls, while the other half counterclockwise.

Using my strength and agility, I climbed swiftly all the way to the top and waited there for a bit until two patrols walked past by each other. It was then when I jumped over the wall and dropped down in a bush on the other side. There, I waited for about two minutes before I advanced again.

All those bushes and statues were perfect for me to hide behind and slip through unnoticed. The number of patrols here was also smaller than the ones on top of the walls, showing that they focused more on keeping intruders out than trying to spot those that may have gotten through. As such, I safely reached the palace. From where I was to Seryanna’s room, it wasn’t that much of a distance, but I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

With a good timing and always on the watch, I managed to get through and finally reach her window, which I opened with ease since it wasn’t locked from the inside. This marked the ending of the first stage: breaking and entering into the Royal Palace at night.

But truth be told, although on the outside it was a smooth ride, on the inside, I had more than one moment when I almost panicked and prayed like a maniac to not be spotted by the guards. The biggest danger for me were the air patrols, which although smaller in number than those on the ground, they had a top-down view of the whole area.

Despite the danger and doing something that many would have thought to be both impossible and crazy, I was finally able to reach this place, and before me, I saw the one I wanted to meet with.

“Hey! Long time no see.” I said with a soft smile as I pulled back my hood.

Seryanna was standing on the opposite side of the room. She was wearing her armor and had her sword unsheathed. It was pointed at me, and the look in her eyes was one that told me she wasn’t joking.

“You are trespassing on the palace grounds.” she told me in a harsh tone of voice.

“I know.” I nodded and took a step forward.

“Stop right there! If you back away now and leave this place, I won’t kill you.” she declared.

“Harsh words, but you won’t do it, and I won’t leave until I got what I came for.” I said and approached her.

“I said stop! I am a Royal Knight! It’s my duty to stop intruders!” she retorted and glared at me.

“What I came for is right in front of my eyes, so why should I leave?” I asked.

“Because I will kill you for trespassing! For... breaking your oath to Sir Draejan, my fiancé.” she declared.

“I don’t care about some stupid duel. I don’t care that he was forced upon you as your fiancé.” I narrowed my eyes and grabbed her sword with my hand.

I was wearing leather gloves, so unless she put some strength into it, I wasn’t going to get cut.

“L-Let go...” she stammered, but she didn’t pull or push.

“What does your duty, your laws tell you to do?” I asked her as I pulled the sword out of her grasp and tossed it aside.

Seryanna stepped back until her back hit the wall.

“To stop you... T-To kill you... T-To defend the honor of my fiancé... and the... and the laws of this kingdom!” she declared, but she was stuttering.

I stopped when I was just a step away from her.

“You won’t do it.” I said.

“I will!” she retorted.

“You won’t.” I shook my head.

“W-Why do you keep saying that?” she asked.

“Because you love me.” I showed her a soft smile.

“I don’t!” she shouted and lifted her hand up to slap me.

I grabbed her before she could do so and pushed her against the wall. She looked away.

“Seryanna... I didn’t come here to take revenge on Draejan. I didn’t come here to threaten you or kidnap you.” I said.

“Then why did you come?” she asked.

“Because I love you, and I want you and only you...” I let go of her hand and stepped back.

Seryanna was a proud woman, but I wasn’t here to break that pride or force her to submit to me. I wasn’t an animal... I stepped back because I wanted her to choose to come to me.

When I said those words, a few tears formed in the corners of her eyes, and she didn’t look back at me.

“I’m a dragoness, Alkelios... not a human.”

“I know.”

“I’m a knight... You had an official duel with the dragon that was pushed onto me as my fiancé by the King whom I serve!” she said, raising the tone of her voice a little.

I wasn’t worried about the noise, Kataryna told me she was going to do something about it, but I didn’t know what exactly. Either way, I trusted the silver-scaled dragoness. That was why I could maintain my calm, listen to her, and answer as though I had all the time in the world.

“A duel which I lost because of my own foolishness, but of which outcome I don’t care. A King whose orders I can’t follow because I’m a human and whose orders are against our love.” I replied as I took off my gloves and stuffed them in my pocket.

“Have you no honor, Alkelios?” she asked and glared at me.

“No.” I smiled.

“Have you no shame or respect for the King?” she asked.

“Not really.” I shrugged.

“Do you want me to betray my King?” she asked pressing her right hand on her chest.

“No.” I shook my head “Just Draejan.” I declared.

“Alkelios, the King gave me a direct order to marry Draejan! Do you want me to go against this order?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Why? Why should I betray my kingdom, my family, my King, and my future fiancé for you, a human?” she asked through her clenched teeth.

“Because I love you.” I answered, and I couldn’t have been more honest about it.

“That’s not a good enough reason, Alkelios. You are asking me to give up on too much! You are asking me to do something every fiber in my body tells me not to do!” she retorted and looked away.

“Then why do you tremble and wish to come to my side? Why do you say every fiber in your body tells you not to do it when your heart is screaming for me?” I asked as I tapped my chest with my palm.

“Because I don’t know if you... if you really want me... I don’t know if this is just a ploy, a trick, or a spell... I don’t know if you really love me... When I tried to confirm it, you pushed me away once, twice... then with the duel... three times.” she said with a soft whimper as she looked back at me.

Taking a step forward, she looked into my eyes, and with tears flowing down her cheeks, she said “I don’t want to go through the same pain a fourth time...”

“You won’t...” and I closed my eyes. “I wish to marry the dragoness known as Seryanna Draketerus. I wish to become her husband and to raise a happy family together with her. I wish to become her lover and I wish for her to become my lover. I wish Seryanna Draketerus to become my wife. If I spoke a lie right now. If the gods are against this union, then I wish for something to happen in the next five minutes that will take me away from here.” I opened my eyes and looked straight into hers.

“Alkelios... if you said something like that... if the gods really are against... or...” she grit her teeth and looked down. She grabbed me by the collar of my clothes and held tight as if she herself didn’t want me to go. “You fool... what if it really happens?” she asked through her tears.

“Then let’s wait. If it does happen... then this is what the gods have decided and no matter how powerful I become, I won’t ever be able to go against them. It could also mean that maybe... someone else is meant for us. But honestly, I don’t want anyone else but you right now.” I said and lifted up her chin.

“Why me? Why a dragoness that’s been promised to someone else? Why me who can offer you no support in politics or the army? Why me whose voice in this kingdom is far weaker than that of many others?” she asked as her warm tears dripped down her cheeks and onto my hand.

“Because I love everything about you... and I want you to be mine just as you are now, Unawakened, with no voice in politics, with no might in the military, with no assets of economical value. I want your lips, your embrace, your breath, your love... everything else is just... an extra.” I smiled and then I tried to kiss her.

If she pulled back, I was prepared to stop, but she didn’t. If she pushed me away, I was prepared to let myself be pushed, but she didn’t. What she did was the contrary, she pulled herself closer to me, she moved her arms around me, locking me in her embrace and then she savored this kiss as though it was her last one.

As we kissed, time passed by, and when we opened our eyes, I asked her “Do you think it’s been more than 5 minutes?”

“Yes...” she nodded.

“Then I am yours...” I told her.

“I know... but inside... I feel like I’m betraying everyone, my very purpose as a knight. Even by the simple fact that I let you inside my room and didn’t immediately chase you away is an offense... You sneaked inside an engaged woman’s room in the middle of the night, Alkelios. That won’t stand well with the others...” she shook her head.

“No, it won’t, but how else can I show my resolve to you? I am willing to become a criminal in the eyes of this kingdom’s laws. I am willing to cast away any pride or honor I have inside of me to be with you. I am willing to listen to my heart rather than the laws and words spat out by those who don’t even understand me... or you.” I said.

“And you are asking me to do the same...” she closed her eyes.

“You know? Maybe you are thinking too much about this, about the consequences and what others will say or think. Why not just... go with the flow and see where it leads you? In the end, all of this treason you speak of might end up being pardoned or completely ignored.” I smiled.

“That’s a very risky ‘maybe’.” she told me.

“Then, I’ll reinforce it once more.”

As I said this, I knelt down in front of her just as I saw in all of those movies back home, and although I didn’t come prepared with a ring, I had been thinking about this moment for the past two months. After all, if I was willing to go this far, I had to behave like a grown man and take full responsibility until the very end, not play around with her heart and show insecurity regarding our future. I had to show her that this was also something I wanted, that I was willing to bet the rest of the years of my life on the happiness she could offer me.

I wanted to show her that I was the type of man who had the courage and strength to fight against an entire kingdom’s army if it meant having her by my side, if it meant kissing her one more time.

“Seryanna Draketerus, I know I am young and foolish. I know I am a human, and you are a dragoness. I know that you are a Royal Knight and I am not even at the rank of a commoner. Even so, Seryanna Draketerus, will you be my wife?” I asked in a clear and firm tone of voice.

To be honest, I repeated these same words every day for a whole week but saying them for real felt way more intense than I had imagined. Actually, from the very beginning, I felt that she had more reasons to reject me than to accept me. I didn’t believe I was prepared for a rejection, and I didn’t know how I would be able to handle it. The intensity of the moment was simply too much, and my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest any second now.

I didn’t want to be rejected, and I was firmly convinced that this was what I wanted to do, especially after my battle and talk with Kataryna. True, I came here from another world, I came here from a more advanced world than this one by centuries or even millennia, but I came here as a child.

If one were to ask what I was 2 months ago, I would answer them simply: an 18 years-old child who was too afraid of all the changes that happened around him at a speed that seemed unnatural. An 18 years-old child who until now never bothered thinking seriously about his own future and what his own choices might bring. An 18 years-old child who saw the world and lives of those around him as part of a mere game until reality struck him hard. An 18 years-old child who fell in love like this for the first time in his life and had no parents or childhood friends who could run to and ask for advice. An 18 years-old child who came from a world where loving, respecting, and trying to understand a woman at his age was seen as a joke or statistical impossibility.

If I was asked what I was now, I would like to answer that I was a grown-up man who was willing to take his first steps into a mature life by sticking to his own decisions and not running away from them at the last moment.

I proposed to Seryanna tonight as proof of my own resolve as well as my courage to stick with my decision to love this woman until the end... I was not a child anymore that saw love as a play where men and women spoke honey-filled words that only ended with tears when asked to live up to them. To love meant more than anything to feel love, not just have the courage to utter those words.

That was why when I met Kataryna a week ago, I treated her as I did because I was still afraid of this truth. I was still afraid of the fact that I was not a child anymore and that I had to be truthful towards myself and Seryanna. I was afraid that I truly had the strength inside of me to play the make-believe love game of life, and I loathed myself for this fact. I was afraid that I could love a woman like Seryanna and that I was willing to stand by her side my whole life. I was afraid of a foolish thing...

It was a messed-up way of thinking, and I felt like my love for Seryanna was fake, just an illusion created by my overactive imagination. That no matter what, it couldn’t be possible for me to feel like this because I was either too young or not even a member of her species. Yet, her tears... her whimpers... her pain... her struggle... they were all real. Only I was the one unwilling to accept them so far as real, the only one acting like a child.

These thoughts of mine, these facts I became aware off, they didn’t come to me overnight... These were the result of my struggles and pains, my muffled cries and silent tears for over two months. No, they were the result of my inner turmoil, my inner battle since the moment I realized that I really did love Seryanna. Yet, to break through that fear, I just needed one last push... and Kataryna stepped up for the job.

Funny how all this time I was able to say that I love Seryanna, yet still wonder if I can accept her. But at the very least, I was able to learn my lesson. Now, everything came down to her answer. Our future and our love could truly begin or end with her decision.

“Is it... is it alright if I answer what I want and not what I should?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

I nodded.

“Then... Yes... I want to be your wife and not Draejan’s! I want to be loved by you and be together with you!” she cried “I want this... us... but...”

I was happy and relieved by her words, however, I didn’t want her to enter doubt, so I quickly got up on my feet and sealed her words with a kiss.

When we parted lips, I told her “No but... Not tonight...” I said and shook my head.

“Is this really alright? Is it really fine for me to go against my King’s words?” she gulped and trembled.

“Yes... For tonight, there’s no King or Albeyater... It’s just us...” I told her.

“For tonight...” she smiled.

“I love you, Seryanna.”

“I love you, Alkelios.”

We ended our talk with a kiss, and what came afterwards was the moment when we became one in both body and heart. Taking off her armor was far easier for me now than it was before, and I didn’t struggle with mine either. Seryanna relinquished herself to the heat dwelling within her core and didn’t hold back in showing how much she wanted me, and I didn’t allow myself to fall behind either.

Without going into too many intimate details, our first time together was pretty awesome, and thanks to some potions she had at hand, we were able to continue on for much longer. I severely underestimated her desires...

When it was over, it was almost the break of dawn. We were resting while embracing each other naked with only a thin blanket to cover us. My hand was stroking her long red hair, while she was smiling softly back at me.

“We actually did it...” she said.

“Yes.”

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I think after this, I might need to replace my bed.” she giggled.

“Yeah, I heard a crack at one point...” I showed her a wry smile.

“I blame you.” she said and nuzzled me.

Her lips landed a kiss on my chin and then asked “What are we going to do now?”

“We can’t elope... It would be too cowardly, and we still have more hands to play.”

“It crossed my mind, but I wouldn’t want to abandon Princess Elleyzabelle or my sister. My grandfather would also be very sad, and with father gone, I wanted him to be the one to bring me to the altar on my wedding day.” she let out a soft sigh.

“You have that custom here too?” I asked surprised.

“Usually, fathers are the ones who bring their daughters to the altar, while the men must wait there to receive them. In some cases, the fathers punch their future son-in-laws. If he can withstand the punch, it’s said that he will become someone who can take care of his daughter. If he doesn’t, it’s said that the daughter will be the one who will lead the household.” she smiled.

“So... I’m going to get punched in the face by Brekkar Draketerus? The one who pushed back the human invasion 38 years ago?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, but don’t worry. I’m sure he won’t send you flying into a dangerous wall.” she patted my head.

“But I’m still going to be sent flying INTO a wall?” I blinked surprised.

“Yes.” she giggled.

“Well then, I better make sure to train hard to withstand his punch.” I laughed.

“Then... I ask again, what are we going to do?” she showed me a smile and came closer to me.

I gently squeezed her in my embrace and then told her what I had planned to do... everything, including what I had yet to tell Kataryna and Kleo.

“That’s... dangerous... and stupid.” she told me and shook her head.

“Yes, but the prize for succeeding is totally worth it!” I said and slapped her bottom.

“And you really didn’t tell Kataryna about this part?” she asked.

“She knows I’m going to come back stronger than ever, but not about this part. Knowing her, it would just spoil the fun. It’s my treat for her. Let her know this when the time comes.” I winked at her.

“Sigh... Well, what I am most surprised about is your [Dragon Tamer] skill... Do you really want to go through with it?” she asked me with worry in her eyes.

“I love you, Seryanna. One day, I’ll have that old geezer Brekkar carry you down the aisle, and when the time comes, I want to be able to have children with you. Maybe not now or in the next few years, but sometime soon... I’m taking this one step at a time... Still, like this, I’ll have better chances.” I nodded.

“Then why didn’t you do it sooner, if you had done it...” she then stopped and looked down “If you would have done it, you would have become a target for the countless noble dragonesses here... in a good and a bad way.” she squeezed me in her arms.

“That too, but I was simply too afraid of losing my humanity...” I let out a sigh and gently patted her head. “Right now, I don’t mind giving it up if I can have you.”

“We call it draconity. Dwarfs calls it dwarfity. Elves call it elfity. Relliars call it relliarity. But in the end, it’s the same thing with minor differences... I don’t think you will lose your humanity, Alkelios, on the contrary, you might gain draconity as well.”

“Really?” I furrowed my brow.

“Yes.” she giggled.

“Hah~ That make me feel better, and now that I think about it, you might be right... Having humanity is not something that’s defined by being a human, it’s more about how we think and act, right? Actually, now that I think about it, there were stories back in my world with characters that weren’t exactly human but acted more human than humans in that story did.” I said as I looked up, trying to remember how exactly I came to the conclusion that I would lose my humanity if my body changed.

“You’re silly. If I knew you had such worries, I would have been able to tell you far sooner not to worry about it.” she said and rubbed her nose against mine.

“Then, from now one, if anything bothers me, I’ll come directly to you, my lover.” I told her with a smile on my lips.

“The same for me, my love.” she kissed me.

After that we talked about a few other things, and she gave me some survival tips for when I was going to be out hunting in the Seculiar Forest. She also told me that I should also keep my eyes out for monster eggs because with my luck, I would be able to easily find a pet.

When it was time for me to leave, I got dressed and gave Seryanna a goodbye kiss. I also made a wish for her to be safe while I was gone and for Draejan to stay away from her and my friends.

“Goodbye, my love. See you in nine months.” I told her.

“Goodbye and be safe.” she replied.

With this, I climbed out her window and left, heading up for the King’s balcony.

After this night together with Seryanna, I felt quite confident in the upcoming talk with his Majesty. I had wished for this event to end smoothly from the moment I left the inn, and on this upcoming talk hanged in balance the success of my big plan. The only one who could keep tabs on Draejan was him. At the same time, he was also the only one with whose approval I could make a comeback and ensure that Seryanna’s wish was going to be fulfilled as well.

I will see you in a wedding dress, Seryanna, and I’m going to be the one waiting for you at the altar, not Draejan or anyone else! Me! Alkelios Yatagai! I thought as I jumped over the rail of the King’s balcony.

Taking out the necklace and the two letters, with the two wax seals visible, I opened the door and came forth.

There, I saw the King of Albeyater, Feryumstark Seyendraugher sitting at the bedside of his wife, the Queen of Albeyater, Elliessara Seyendraugher. His imposing big golden-scaled wings laid folded on his back, but his imposing presence was making me feel as though my life had been forfeited the moment I stepped in.

“Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t kill you, human.” he spoke to me with a low growl without turning around.

“I come in peace as a friend of Kataryna Greorg, Brekkar Draketerus, and your daughter, the Third Princess Elleyzabelle Sojourn Seyendraugher. I hold the proof in my hands.” I said in a firm tone of voice, but I couldn’t help but gulp at the end.

The dragon in front of me was giving off enough killing intent to make an entire army shiver in their boots. He most likely had the strength to do it too. Every cell in my body was warning me that the entity in front of me was by far the strongest dragon I had ever met so far, and he wasn’t in a friendly mood at all. One wrong step was going to mean the end of me.

“That’s one name I haven’t heard in over 500 years, and I can hardly believe that my friend Brekkar, who should be dead by now because of those foolish humans 38 years ago had sent you.” he growled.

“Huh? What do you mean by dead? The potion I made for Brekkar healed him completely. I mean, sure it tasted bad enough to make him faint, but he was up and running the next day screaming that he couldn’t wait to get back on the battlefield. Are you sure you are up to date with the latest affairs in your kingdom?” I asked a bit surprised by his comment, and for a moment, I completely forgot to speak in a composed and respectful tone of voice, going back to my casual one.

“What?” the King turned around, and with a pair of bright golden vertical slit eyes he cast his piercing gaze at me.

I gulped.

I screwed up. I thought.

“Did you speak the truth just now?” he asked.

I nodded so fast I felt like my head was going to fly off of my shoulders.

“Give me those letters and that medal. NOW! I will assess with my own eyes if they are indeed the original ones or not.” he held out his hand.

I gulped. “Sure... Here...”

He grabbed them and then squinted his eyes at me.

“You sure have the guts to come her right after you bedded with a woman. Well, never mind... if it’s your last day, it’s excused.” he said.

“Nope, I don’t think so. I properly wish to take Seryanna Draketerus as my wife.” I nodded and smiled.

“What?” he narrowed his piercing eyes at me.

“She’s also the main reason I’m here. So, go ahead, read the letters and see for yourself whether or not they are from those dragons.” I smirked.

This was it...