Two days later.
Inside the Royal Castle of Sualan.
Isak stood before the throne, a look of worry replacing the usual confidence he wore like a second skin.
Before him, seated on their respective thrones, were the two rulers of the mighty kingdom.
To the right sat King Terence, a man dressed in regal red robes with a heavy, round crown resting on his head. Beside him sat the Queen, Lalatina.
They both stared at Isak as if he were a common criminal.
While his mother looked amused, anticipating the punishnt to co, Isak was terrified. The cold, hard gaze of his father was enough to make him want to soil his pants right there and then.
"F-father. I was told you summoned ." Isak finally broke the heavy silence.
"Isak." King Terence grunted.
"Y-yes, Father?"
"I just returned from my trip. And before I left, I was sure I gave you a task to complete in the Kingdom of Lumberg."
Terence’s words sent shivers down Isak’s spine. He understood exactly where his father was taking the discussion.
And there was no way for him to win against it.
Though he tried to hide it, his limbs were visibly shaking every ti his father’s voice increased in volu, even if it was just a tiny bit.
"I told you to secure a trade deal with their Duke. You were to acquire their energy generators before any other kingdom does. Seize control so no other country could get their hands on it without going through us first. So, tell , why is it not yet in our control?"
’I am screwed if I reply the wrong way,’ Isak thought. ’What do I tell him? That I lost a bet against the Duke’s wife and that led to signing a contract that could have put us in debt?’
Either way, regardless of how he tried to spin the story, he would still get scolded. Even worse, his reputation would drastically reduce, and his father would undoubtedly never trust him with foreign affairs again.
Thus, the best he could do in that mont was try to mitigate the damage as much as possible.
Seeing the look of anticipation on his mother’s face, he could guess she was the one who reported the news to the King.
Isak decided to take a gamble.
"The Duke of Aurelian is a Dragon Master, Father." Isak began, keeping his eyes focused on his father the entire ti.
That was how he was able to see his father’s reaction.
After all, King Terence was a Dragon Master too.
"What?"
Most of the anger that had been on the King’s face cleared instantly, replaced by sudden curiosity.
"Yes, Father. When we t with the Duke to finalize our decisions, I expected the eting to be tricky, so I went with my most capable n. But instead of facing n of their own, we were t with dragons. More than the eyes could count."
There was a bit of hesitation before he said the next part.
"I do believe they called him the Dragon Monarch."
The King went from curious to terrified at the ntion of that na.
For years, the royal line had held the title of Dragon Master. It was passed down from his father, and his father before him.
And each generation warned of a specific man. A man called the King of All Dragons. A living legend from the Age of Gods.
Truthfully, rumors of soone who fit the description of the Dragon Monarch had spread to Sualan not too long ago. But to think it was the Duke of a rival nation?
Terence clenched his fist, searching for the right words.
"So you an to tell the Dragon Monarch is roleplaying as a Duke?"
There was silence for a while.
Then Isak raised a single finger. The look on his face was one of fear, but he pushed on nevertheless.
"Yes. Even his wife was just as terrifying. And I know, as a Dragon Master yourself, the last thing you want is the Dragon Monarch speaking to you and asserting dominance. That is why I agreed to their terms. Although we paid, we still get the chance to trade with them first. We are building a bridge for trade."
His words flowed like water, making sure he didn’t stop even for a single second.
Terence saw wisdom in his son’s words. His son might be irresponsible, but even he would not think to lie to his father about sothing this grave.
Since Lalatina had told him the sa thing about seeing dragons, it was probably best he tread carefully.
The Dragon Masters do not et before the war.
However, what the King didn’t know was that Isak was lying about the entire thing.
He had no knowledge of whether Dorian was the Dragon Monarch or not. It was simply sothing he speculated about when he saw the number of dragons present in the Aurelian Duchy.
Every single thing he said was made up right on the spot.
Even his mother could tell he was spinning a tale, although she had doubts about whether or not it could be true as well. She also saw the dragons, after all.
"Good. I am proud of you, Isak. You have grown into a man." Terence stood up from the throne. "No matter what happens, that man must not know that I am a Dragon Master. Keep him far away from the capital and make sure you secure the trade as well."
"Yes, Father. I shall head to the site where he currently is and keep a watch on him myself." Isak bowed his head.
Queen Lalatina remained on her chair, her eyes blinking continuously. She wondered why her husband would suddenly let it go like that.
She had expected the King to punish her son, since it was because of him she got disgraced in front of Seraphina during the eting.
And yet, all he did was issue him the sa task again?
"Urgh!"
She grunted in frustration and stord away.
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