Kaladin Shadowheart’s POV
“Voker Winterheart, Dragonslayer, you are to be knighted here and now. As soone who holds no lands or titles, a title shall be bestowed upon you now.” Queen Maxwell eyed Ren with an expecting smile. “Princess Arene Maxwell, you are to perform the ceremony and knight Sir Winterheart.”
A title, huh? Clever, Queen Maxwell…I guess that handles the protecting my family and friends part. Extraditing or killing a noble is more of a challenge than killing a commoner. Of course, she isn’t doing this from the kindness of her heart either.
I had been expecting sothing along those lines. It was essentially unthinkable for not to receive so kind of noble title. I was even planning on it being a mid to high-tier title, but a knight? Well, all the better for . Fewer restrictions and expectations for a knight than, say a Baron or Count.
Then again…a knight? That seems surprisingly low…there has to be a reason for that.
But I had to wonder, why Ren? Why would the queen want her to knight specifically? If I were a knight, I’m still a knight under the crown regardless of which royal performs this ceremony.
“Mother?!” Ren blurted out. “I—I can’t do that! Lauren should—”
Queen Maxwell interrupted her daughter’s stuttering. “It is uncouth that a princess of your standings does not have a single knight under her command. Your sister and brother have plenty; therefore, you shall receive one that can equal all their combined power. Princess Arene Maxwell, you are to knight this man.” The queen spoke with a finality that would have deterred most people, but not Ren, it seems.
She wants Ren to be equal to Xander and Lauren? Why? Ren isn’t striving for the throne and is actively attempting to help Lauren ascend. Is the queen trying to pit all three siblings against each other? Could having as Ren’s knight really sway the balance of things that much this late in the ga? No, I feel like it’s sothing else that I just can’t seem to figure out.
What are you planning, Queen Maxwell?
Ren looked to her siblings and father for guidance, but they all turned her down. I was surprised that Prince Xander isn’t up in arms about this. If he were to knight , that may swing things in his favor to the point Lauren would have little chance. Yet, he is just sitting there with his arms crossed and eyes closed, almost like he is brooding or sothing.
Prince Xander…what is going through your head right now?
The queen procured a massive golden sword from her Spatial Ring. The two made a show of removing it from the ornate scabbard for all to see. I rember reading sothing about this sword as it had so kind of story behind it.
Sothing about lting gold and using gems from a corrupt noble or sothing: it didn’t seem all that important at the ti, so I just decided to pass over it. A mistake, it seems.
Ren walked over to while effortlessly wielding the sword that was almost twice her size. Even the thickness of the blade was nearly as wide as her torso. Wielding such an unwieldy weapon took a different kind of strength that only mana enhancent could allow.
However, I could still see muscles flex underneath her sleeves, and her shoulders were toned. It seed that not working out with for a few months hadn’t stopped Ren from training on her own.
Good for her.
I tried to make eye contact with Ren, but she was gazing off to the side. She was doing her absolute best to remain calm and not allow any emotions to show on her face, but I could tell she was nervous as she death gripped the hilt. I hadn’t spoken to Ren since the whole ripping off her childhood friend's head incident. And it was undoubtedly still weighing on her mind.
It probably didn’t help that I died after slaying a Dragon…yeah…that definitely is assisting in this situation.
“Would you kneel, sir? It would be difficult for to reach your shoulders,” Ren said loud enough for everyone to hear.
I suppressed a sigh and felt sowhat bad for what I was about to do. It was a gamble, and I’ve co a long way, but I would be a fool if I didn’t use this opportunity before .
Besides, the king and queen both stated how I was a hero and deserved to have all my cris pardoned. So lying to them should count as well. What better way to secure my freedom, right?
I looked over Ren’s head and stared straight into the queen’s green eyes. “Actually, there is one thing, Your Majesty.”
I saw a mont of confusion play out on the queen’s face, but she recovered in an instant. “And what would that be, Sir Voker?”
Sir Voker? I wonder what everyone’s reaction is going to be…rage? Hate? Surprise? Confusion? A little bit of everything?
I could still feel the presence of two spell cores being maintained directly behind . The two Dark Elves holding the spells know full well that I knew those spell cores were there and were using them to threaten silently. Before, I would have never been able to visualize a maintained spell core…but I could now.
I could see much more than that.
“You see, Voker Winterheart isn’t real. If you are going to be knighting soone, you need to knight ,” I said clearly.
I imdiately took off my mask and didn’t give the queen a chance to say anything. Perhaps it was rude, but I was going for pure shock factor here, and I didn’t want to get caught in a word battle with her. I knew my limits, and besting the queen in negotiations, even more so in a public space like this, was not going to work in my favor.
When we eventually et, I’ll just have to be blunt and do my best not to get trapped by her.
I had spent a lot of ti weighing this option. I ran it past Sylvia and Bowen, and they both agreed that now was the ti. Even Sylvia opted to keep her identity a secret for . If she had revealed her eyes to the world before I showed my face, my impact would have been significantly lessened. I’m sure an ancient Vampire of the ti of Talgan may rank just as high as soone who slew a Dragon in terms of shock value.
Once my transformation was completed, I looked Ren in the eyes for the first ti. Well, without a masked face. Her sky blue eyes were wide as saucers, and her mouth was agape, pure confusion written all over her face. Scanning the room showed much the sa reaction from everyone else.
“You’ll be knighting Kaladin Shadowheart,” I said proclaid.
My eyes fell onto Adria for a mont, and I felt a montary pang of guilt despite knowing it was unwarranted. I also regretted involving her, but back then, I had no choice. I also never expected she would find at the party and speak with , let alone confide in about the past.
Hearing her sound so regretful and hurt really pulled at the heartstrings. Adria never wanted to harm …she was just a sheltered kid.
It must have been over a minute of complete silence in this massive room. Everyone was so quiet it was almost comical. I could feel the hundreds of gazes all bearing down on . The queen and king seed just as surprised and confused as everyone else. However, I wasn’t expecting the first move to be in the form of a spell.
It’s so quick! Is magic always like this?
I fed mana into my new eye, and I could see the thin wispy white line that connected the spell core behind to the female Shadow Dancer. It grew in size, and that’s when I felt the usual sensation of a spell coming my way, but this ti I could see it happen in real-ti.
A tendril of inky darkness stretched across the floor as the Shadow Dancer disappeared from sight, and by the ti I turned around, she was already behind . I started forming a spell core for a Lighting Bolt in hopes of imdiately incapacitating her, but I stopped as she gently grabbed the sides of my face.
I could see her singular purple eye move over from behind her mask as the clank of her spear dropped to the ground next to the king. Her hands were sweaty and shaking, and she brought her face close to mine.
“Kaladin, you said your na was, right? What is your father’s na?” she whispered hesitantly. The way she enunciated her words made it very difficult for others to understand her. Even an Elf in the crowd behind would have only heard a whisper.
I also talked to Bowen about this, and he told not to ntion my father’s na today. It would just muddle things, and it was the last thing I wanted during this crucial mont. I trusted in Bowen, but oddly enough, I felt sothing different with this woman.
“Alanis,” I whisper back to her.
The Shadow Dancer ripped her mask off and threw it to the floor with a loud tallic clank while bringing in for a hug. Her Mythril armor was cold, but the hug left a warmth in my chest. She pulled back from , and tears were streaming down her beautiful face.
I felt my heartbeat get faster, and sothing in the back of my mind told I knew this person. And it only took one good look at her face to know who she was. This woman…she’s Dad’s sister and my aunt.
They look so much alike.
“I…I—I have so many questions for you…I—I…wha—what do I even say? What?” she stuttered out. She wiped the tears from her as I bent down to pick up her mask.
I handed it back to her and smiled. “I’m sure you have much to ask , but now’s not the ti, Aunt,” I made sure to whisper the last part.
She looked relieved, confused, and concerned, all in one package. I also felt all those things as I watched her put her mask back on while nodding at . I didn’t get the sa feeling when I looked at her masked face, but I knew now who she was, so I couldn’t unsee it.
Family is right around the corner, huh? But if she is my aunt…then what did Dad do that was so bad Bowen feels that telling people would be a bad idea? Even she whispered to instead of making it a big deal about it…huh…
“I understand, Kaladin,” she whispered. I felt her and watched her form a spell core, and the sa thing happened again. A black shadow stretched out from her, and she disappeared instantly, reappeared in her original position next to the throne, and imdiately began whispering into the king’s ear.
I winced slightly and closed my left eye. I had been putting too much mana into it for too long, and now it’s starting to hurt again. Looking over at the king and my aunt also caused imnse discomfort and pain.
Avasta had told to treat my new eye like a limb with mana enhancent and see why. It works similarly to how I prioritize strengthening my legs instead of my arms or whole body.
But my new eye is like a muscle. It seems…overworking it causes damage and a considerable amount of pain. And I can’t look directly at a War God without instantly regretting it as their overwhelming mana blinds . Saying it’s uncomfortable is an understatent.
I rechecked the entire room, and everyone was still watching . The little show between my aunt and only served to bolster everyone’s confusion. Ren had backed away from hesitantly, and I was afraid her mouth was going to be sore from keeping it open for so long.
I straightened my suit, cleared my throat while nodding to myself, and looked at the queen. Her eyes bored into as she was most likely attempting to gather all the pieces to this puzzle, but she was coming up short. It seems Bowen had done a fantastic job hiding my identity if even Queen Maxwell wasn’t aware. Unfortunately for her, it appears she didn’t expect this outco at all.
The queen took a deep breath and was about to speak when she was cut off before even getting a sound out. “Seize that Elf! He is the most wanted man in all of Sandervile!” soone shouted with apparent hostility.
I followed the voice and found a familiar face glaring at with pure hatred. Gal Sandervile was sitting up from his chair and pointing an accusatory finger at . It appears he has lost a bit of weight since I last saw him, and he is looking surprisingly good for himself. His short brown hair was slicked back, and he wore a copper orange and white suit that looked hideous even to my standards.
He looks a lot like his father, which may not be the best of things.
“This man is wanted for attempting to assassinate my little sister as well as killing a royal guard! He even maid a noble lord’s son!” Gal yelled indignantly while moving around the table.
Gal had made it around the table and was marching towards as people began to whisper loudly. He began to unsheathe his sword from his hip. The blue and black blade glimred in the light. But he never did get to point it at as he was surrounded by my aunt and the other Shadow Dancer and a few others.
Lord Vasquez, Ms. Taurus, and Professor Garrison had shot out from their positions the second Gal started unsheathing his sword. And they were far faster than the young future mayor could ever hope to be.
“Gal Sandervile, I believe you heard what I said. Or perhaps your hearing has left you at such a young age?” Queen Maxwell asked him from her throne.
Professor Garrison, or should I say Margrave Garrison, was holding Gal at sword point. Gal snarled at both of them and looked to the queen. “You can’t be serious!? What are you doing? Know your place,” he yelled while moving the sword away from his throat. He pointed a finger toward the queen. “I demand that you have this Elf turned over to imdiately! He is wanted for capital cris worth over eight large gold marks!”
Queen Maxwell’s eyes which generally had a warmth to them, seed cold all of a sudden as she glared at Gal. Her blank and unimpressed expression implied that she was bored of his outburst. “It appears your hearing has left you, Young Lord of Sandervile, so I shall repeat myself just this once for your sake,” the queen said dangerously.
Gal backed down slightly but didn’t let the anger fade as he returned the queen’s stare. “This man, regardless of his na, has been absolved of all his cris. I’m fully aware of who he is now, but it changes nothing. His heroic deeds shall not be tarnished for your petty gain. You claim he attempted to assassinate your dear sister, yet she still breathes. If this man can slay a Dragon, your little sister and guards stood no chance. You still existing in this world is a rcy he afforded to you and your family. You should be thanking him for his benevolence,” the queen said mockingly.
Wow…that was…brutal. I guess the queen is tossing all the eggs in my basket and doing it in public as well. Is she really trying to destabilize their relationship with Sandervile? That may not be good for this nation or …
Gal backed down reluctantly but not before sending hateful glares out to everyone while muttering under his breath. I looked at Adria; she was still watching with wide, confused, and conflicted eyes.
A single tear was rolling down her face, and she was in the middle of deciding to run toward or yell at . Instead, an old man gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and she seed to relax just a little.
She really had grown up quite a bit these last few years. She’s turned into a beautiful young woman, but in doing so…she seems to have lost a bit of herself…that more playful or childlike side of her.
I suppose that’s my doing.
The queen clapped once and smiled down at Ren. “Now then. Princess Arene Maxwell, would you do the honors of knighting Sir Shadowheart?”
Ren looked at hesitantly but nodded firmly after looking into my eyes. She strode forward with purpose befitting a princess. “Please, kneel, Sir Shadowheart.”
I obliged and dropped to a knee without any hassle. Ren gave a confused look, and I didn’t miss the snicker that left the king as they watched my movents. However, I was doing okay for the most part, and my limp was all for show. It turns out that having a few years of practice really does help sell the act.
I was just tired, and I felt drained. Even the smallest amount of exertion made want to take a nap, but I could push through if need be. I was afraid this would be my new norm, but it appears I just lack stamina as I’ve been getting progressively better over the last few days. Of course, it’s no surprise as to why. After all, being bedridden and having your soul saved by a Dragon will do that to sobody.
Ren planted the sword's tip into the ground and took a quiet breath. “Voker— I an…Kaladin Shadowheart, do you swear and acknowledge that I, Princess Arene Maxwell, is your true liege?”
Wait…what am I supposed to say? Yes? Of course? No, not really?
I have no intentions of actually going through with this and honoring… whatever this is. It’s just a political move to guarantee my safety until Avasta gathers my family for . The last thing I’ll ever do is swear my loyalty to soone else again.
I don’t really like lying, but it appears I have no choice. It’s not like I can scorn the queen and king after what just happened. And sothing tells they don’t want to force . So I suppose going along with all of this is the least I can do.
“I do,” I said.
“Do you swear fealty to , to defend and obey until death?” Ren asked with a bit of hesitation.
I looked up at her for a mont, but her face was just an expressionless mask. “I do.”
“Do you, Kaladin Shadowheart, swear to protect this kingdom and its people with virtue, honor, loyalty, and your skills?”
“I swear.”
Ren moved the sword and rested the flat of the blade on my shoulder. “I, Kaladin Shadowheart, do solemnly swear and pledge my sword to Princess Arene Maxwell and the Kingdom of Luminar. I shall serve as an example for all those to follow and in mory of those who ca before . To uphold my honor and the oath I am making today until the day death claims .”
Been there…done that..twice, it sucked. But…what happens when a knight just leaves a country, I wonder?
“I, Kaladin Shadowheart, do solemnly swear and pledge my sword to Princess Arene Maxwell and the Kingdom of Luminar. I shall serve as an example for all those to follow and in mory of those who ca before . To uphold my honor and the oath I am making today until the day death claims ,” I repeated back.
I swallowed the spit pooling in my mouth, and it took all my willpower to surpress the scowl about to form on my face. Even if I didn’t an it, just uttering the words left a bitter aftertaste.
Not having my face hidden anymore would take so getting used to.
I looked at Ren, and I could see sothing different within those blue eyes of hers. Was it pity? Regret? Did she feel bad for , or was she mad at ? I couldn’t tell.
Ren moved the sword to my other shoulder. “And I, The Second Princess of Luminar, Arene Maxwell, do swear to defend and honor Kaladin Shadowheart as a true knight.” Ren lightly tapped the sword on my head and planted it back on the ground. “I hereby grant you the title of knight. Sir Kaladin Shadowheart, may you serve and this kingdom as a stout and righteous man.” Ren stood back and pointed the sword into the ceiling with ease. “All hail Sir Kaladin Shadowheart, the Dragonslayer!” Ren shouted.
She managed to hold herself together the entire ti. Good job, Ren. You may be a better royal than you think.
And with that, the room exploded into a chorus of cheers, all in my na. My real na.
Huh…I suppose this doesn’t feel that awful.
—
After speaking to the hundredth noble, I eyed a group of familiar faces. It hadn’t even been twenty minutes since I had been knighted, and people were already coming up to in droves. I just started glaring at people as they walked up to , which was a sure-fire way for them not to bother .
The first person to notice was Varnir. His face was a mixed bag of emotions, but he managed to form a half-smile at least. “Hello there, Dragonslayer.” He tried to make it sound like a joke, but I could tell he was nervous as his voice was a bit shaky.
“Varnir,” I said with a nod.
I caught Tsarra staring at for far longer than I expected. And when I stared right back at her, she didn’t look away, which surprised . Instead, she stepped closer to and looked up into my eyes. “You…you really do have two different colored eyes…” she muttered.
“I told you that I did,” I said while raising an eyebrow at her. “I’m not a liar.”
Varnir chuckled and rubbed the back of his head while shaking it. “Yeah…I don’t know about that one, Kaladin.” I winced slightly, but Varnir kept looking over. His eyes eventually fell to my ears than my face. “So…are you just a burnt High Elf, or are you really a Dark Elf? I’m having a hard ti figuring that out…”
Tsarra looked at expectantly as well. “Wa….wha… what are you, Vo—uh…Kaladin?”
That sort of sounds racist…a burnt High Elf? There had to be a better way to say that…
“My father is a Dark Elf, and my mother is a High Elf. So yes, I am both,” I said while looking at Tsarra.
She slowly extended a hand toward , retracting it quickly and taking a few steps back from and into Varnir. It was good to see that the two of them had grown close, but now… the atmosphere amongst us was tense, to say the least. I hadn’t spoken to these two in a while, and so much had happened. They also undoubtedly felt the bloodlust I sent towards the Chaos Dragon, and they watched kill it.
Both of them are doing an okay job at hiding their fear…but I can still see it plain as day. These were looks I hadn’t seen in fourteen years…the look of sobody conflicted. They didn’t know whether to be thankful or fearful that I was standing before them.
Maybe I shouldn’t look at this in such a negative light. Perhaps this is a way for to restart…be genuine with these people. I don’t need to hide from them anymore…I don’t need to pretend.
“It’s nice to get to et both of you, for real. And I’m glad I got to fulfill that wish, Varnir,” I said. I managed a smile as well.
Varnir looked at in surprise, then confusion, and then realization. “Oh…man… I guess I did ask to learn about the real you before you went and disappeared. Didn’t expect things to turn out like this,” Varnir muttered. Then Varnir grinned and nodded to himself. “But hey, it’s nice to et you, Kaladin. Say are we related by chance?”
I looked Varnir over, and I didn’t get the sa sense of family I did when I looked at my aunt. “You too. But no…I don’t believe we are related.”
Varnir tapped his eye and looked at suspiciously. “Uh, is your eye always like that?”
I shrugged. “Recent addition, thanks to a certain dead Dragon,” I said nonchalantly.
Varnir nodded along, and I caught Tsarra staring again. But she didn’t look away from as her light green, and pale yellow eyes gazed into . Instead, she reached out to again but stopped herself and frowned.
“Is…sothing the matter?” I asked her.
“I don’t know,” she whispered as she shrank away from again.
“Mmm… okay then. Well, it’s good to see you, Tsarra. And thank you for saving during the battle,” I told her.
Tsarra smiled ekly, and I watched as her gaze went behind . I let out a sigh at the clicking of heels on the smooth floor. A small bubble had grown around as people watched from a distance. I could still hear all their muttering, most of it about my general appearance more than anything. But that wasn’t going to stop her…
I turned to face Lauren and Ren and gave them a slight bow. “Princesses.”
Lauren stopped in her tracks, and Ren bumped into her. She tilted her head and looked at , slightly annoyed. “What happened to your limp, and do you always look pissed off? Or is this just for ?”
I sighed again and shook my head. It seems even after all these years. My face hasn’t changed all that much. “I’m not even mad. And I was faking my limp…” I grumbled to myself more than her.
Lauren placed her palm under her chin and smiled. “At least it’s a handso pissed-off face. I’ve seen worse,” Lauren said with a giggle.
Ren jabbed her quickly in the arm and gave a strained yet apologetic look. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or offended,” I grumbled.
Lauren extended a hand to and flashed a dazzling smile. She dropped her head low and looked up into my eyes. “You should be honored. And speaking of honors, may I have the honor of this first dance, Sir Dragonslayer?”
“No, thank you, I’m good. I don’t dance,” I told her.
Lauren let out so kind of sound that was in between a grunt of pain and an internal scream that was let loose, and she didn’t look all too pleased. I could tell she was about to say sothing when Varnir’s laughter cut her off.
Lauren glared accusingly at Varnir and scowled slightly. “What’s so funny, huh? What was funny about that?”
Varnir wiped his eyes with his fancy black suit. “It’s just good to know he’s the sa with or without the mask,” Varnir said through gritted teeth that were failing to suppress his chuckles. Even Tsarra was giggling to herself.
Lauren turned on her heels and pointed a finger at . “You know that’s a capital cri! Didn’t you just swear fealty to the kingdom? Imagine tossing away the request of your future queen! I have hundreds of babbling foo—”
“Daddy!”
I turned towards the shout and was t with an orange blur as Mila threw herself at . I caught her and brought her up, and before I could even muster a response, she was rubbing my face with her hands.
“Mahhllaaa whhaatt arree youuu dOoooOoing,” I managed to get out in between my face and mouth being smashed together.
Mila was giggling all the while and didn’t seem to have any intentions of stopping as her little tail kept swaying side to side. I pulled away one of her hands and brought my face out of her attack range.
“Mila…your hands are all greasy from that food. Please stop,” I pleaded while she kept trying to reach for .
Mila humd to herself and swayed back and forth in my arms. “Mmmmm…okay.”
Thinking I was safe, I brought myself closer to her again, only for her to grab by the face. She had a dopey smile plastered on her adorable face. “Pretty eyes! Daddy is pretty!”
I let out a laugh I hadn’t heard co from in a long ti. Hearing that made my heart swell with happiness. I was surprised that Mila didn’t seem all that bothered by my sudden appearance change. She didn’t even watch the ceremony as she was far too young, so she had been waiting in a room with Bowen. She must have just slled …
“You think so? Well, I’m not as pretty as you,” I told her.
I looked over to everyone else, and shock was written all over their faces. They looked at like I was so kind of world wonder they were seeing for the first ti. “Uh…what’s the matter?” I asked them.
Lauren blinked a few tis and looked over at everyone else before speaking to . “I…I didn’t know there was such a smile hiding behind that mask. Even more so when it’s coming from you,” Lauren said honestly, not even a hint of playful banter in her voice.
A smile, huh? What do I look like to them, I wonder?
“Mila?! Mila! Mi—la...oh, she found you,” Sylvia said from behind .
I gave Sylvia a once over and the tips of her pale ears burned bright red. She was absolutely stunning in that tight purple dress, and I had to say I was quite a fan. Even if it wasn’t the most modest…it just added to her alluring charm.
“C—ca…can you not stare at like that?” she muttered under her breath while looking away from .
Adorable.
I hadn’t gotten a chance to see Sylvia and the others before the ceremony. I’ve pretty much been locked in conversation with people I don’t care about for what seems like the entirety. All the people I actually wanted to speak to were…busy…or so I was told.
But there was that old lady from the Holy Kingdom…she just sort of stared at with a blank expression and then was carted away on her massive mini-throne by those paladins. What an odd encounter that was…
Mila poked gently in the neck and pointed out to the dance floor, where people were gathered for the first song. “Daddy, let’s dance!”
“You want to dance, huh? Can Sylvia join us?” I said while setting her back on the ground.
Mila nodded enthusiastically, grabbed by the hand, and caught Sylvia on the way. She was humming to herself, and I looked back to see Lauren seething and Ren just giving her a half-smile. Varnir was talking to Tsarra, and I gave them a wave goodbye.
We were just missing one…I’ll go see her soon.
I turned and faced forward as Mila led us through the path people made for us. Seeing her like this was a relief, as Mila was physically back to normal for the most part. She still had difficulties balancing, and her stamina was still questionable but comparing her to when I left her with Bowen and now is a night-and-day difference.
But the shakiness in her voice is still worriso. She is putting on a front because she is scared of everyone sending stares her way. I suppose it will take more ti for those wounds to heal, but she is doing a phenonal job.
I squeezed Mila’s hand, and she looked back at with a confused look. “You are doing wonderfully, Mila,” I told her. Mila returned my words with an ear-to-ear grin, and sohow she managed even more pep to her steps.
This was all thanks to Sylvia as well. Despite all the backlash that had happened with the Dragon and Sylvia being outed as a Vampire, she never once stopped helping and caring for Mila. Unfortunately, Bowen had to take them in under his care until things cooled down, but they used that ti wisely.
Mila also never stopped trying to learn to read and write in Human. Bowen was telling she would read to every night and that it took her over a month just to read the first three pages of that Holy Kingdom fantasy book.
I wish I could have seen that…
Mila brought us to the center of the floor, and I could feel everyone’s gazes. “…wh…how are you even used to this?” Sylvia asked .
I had to raise an eyebrow at that one. “Used to what? The stares? You act like we never got this kind of attention before.”
Sylvia fidgeted slightly as Mila tugged on her hand. “Well…yeah…but it’s not really the sa, is it?”
“Feels the sa to ,” I admitted. “I don’t really care what others think of . Only those closest to matter.”
Sylvia sighed and patted Mila on the head as she was bouncing around. “If you put it that way….I guess…”
Sylvia must be having a difficult ti after being outed. I can’t imagine the entire kingdom scorning you even after you saved so many lives. The stares I’m getting are more inquisitive than anything. I am the first of my kind, after all. I’m bound to attract attention.
So I just need to distract everyone so that they overlook Sylvia. Seems easy enough to . If my weird Dragon eye doesn’t entice them, I’ll just have to get creative.
The music started, and Mila was bouncing up and down. “Let’s go! Dance!” she shouted with a giggle.
Dancing with three people of varying heights was…not really a dance. I was bending down at the waist so that I didn’t yank Mila up by her arm. I grabbed Sylvia by the hand, and she let out a surprised noise. I figured I’d just ignore it and go along with the flow as Mila started spinning around.
As that was all we were essentially doing. I’m pretty sure we are breaching just about every basic etiquette protocol known to man, but I don’t really care. Mila’s fun and enjoynt were paramount compared to the desires of so stuck-up nobles' way of doing things.
And hearing these two laugh and enjoy themselves is worth every glare.
Sylvia and I took turns spinning Mila around whenever we felt like it. We weren’t even bothering to follow along with the cadence or even the rhythm of the instrunts. Instead, the three of us tuned out the world a few tis and just enjoyed the mont.
The song ended, and I wanted to ask Mila if she had fun, but I watched as her nose wrinkled and her ears twitched. Then, a smile ford on her face, and she bolted off into the crowd. “Mila! Wait!” Sylvia called out to her.
I squeezed Sylvia’s hand a little harder, and she turned to quickly. I pointed off into the crowd, and she followed my finger and sighed. “That girl…she has the attention span of…well…a cat.”
I chuckled and waved back to Ms. Taurus, standing with her daughter. Apparently, she and Mila had beco fast friends as they spent a lot of ti together during my absence. Of course, I also owe Bowen and his wife a lot for helping all three of us out so much.
“Good, I hope Mila continues to act this way,” I said with a smile.
Sylvia flicked around and tilted her head at . “Huh? Why?”
“What? It’s good for her to be like this. I want Mila to act on her impulses. Play around and do all the things she wants to do, even if they are unreasonable. Then, she can make all the mistakes she needs to. Mila has a lot of catching up to do,” I said solemnly.
Sylvia let out a sad sigh. “All the things you wished you could have done, huh?”
I looked at her in surprise, but I nodded after quickly thinking it over. “Yeah…I suppose that’s the case.”
Sylvia squeezed my hand back. “I told you that you could do this.”
“Well, you’re the one that raised her alone for three months during the most crucial ti period. So thank you for that,” I said honestly.
Sylvia shook her head. “Not at all and I did have so help. A promise is a promise, right?”
Not as much help as you probably needed…
“Mhm. Anyway—”
“Excuse ? May I have this next dance, Sir Dragonslayer?” a different yet familiar voice asked . I turned around, and although I heard soone walking toward , I didn’t expect it to be her.
“Adria…”
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