The streets outside the castle were bustling with activity.
Countless joyful faces filled the air, creating a vibrant sea of happiness.
In the center of the road, enormous flower-decked floats, adorned with flowers and vines, slowly rolled by.
On these floats, elegantly dressed young girls danced gracefully.
The air was filled with the scents of flowers, wine, food, and the joyous sounds of people laughing, all rging into a festive atmosphere that was intoxicating.
Isabella’s footsteps ca to a complete stop.
Her eyes reflected the kaleidoscope of colors before her, shining with an unprecedented brilliance.
"Little brother, look!"
"It’s a flower parade!"
Her voice, full of barely contained excitent, was free of the charm and teasing she had earlier exhibited in the tavern.
"Shall we go join it?"
Isabella looked up at Daniel, her gaze almost pleading, filled with eager expectation.
Daniel did not respond imdiately.
His gaze moved past Isabella’s shoulder, landing on the bustling crowd, his expression calm and unreadable.
Isabella hesitated for a mont. She made no use of any divine power. It was simply a forceful tug, as a girl’s eager hands grasped at Daniel’s sleeve.
Without hesitation, she pushed through the cheering crowd, and they were imdiately engulfed by the festive atmosphere.
Petals from countless flowers fell from the sky, landing on their hair and shoulders.
Isabella reached out, catching the falling petals and laughing with joy.
Her laugh was clear and lodious, pure, as if she were truly just an ordinary girl attending her first celebration.
At that mont, a little girl, holding a freshly made flower crown, ran up to Isabella, shyly offering the crown to her.
Isabella’s eyes lit up with delight as she knelt down. Gently, she took the crown, then carefully placed it upon her own head.
She stood up and spun around in place, her skirt swirling.
"Do I look pretty?"
She asked Daniel. Daniel gazed at her.
The pink roses on the crown made her fair skin appear even more delicate.
Her violet eyes were now filled with pure joy.
This version of Isabella, so joyful and innocent, was a stark contrast to the calm, calculating woman who had once scrutinized him, her eyes full of calculation and hidden motives.
For the first ti, Daniel was genuinely confused about this woman.
Which one of these was the real her?
Or perhaps, were all of these simply masks she had created?
This feeling of being unable to control her had stirred the usually calm waters of his heart, causing the faintest ripple.
An unpredictable ally could sotis be more difficult to handle than a clearly defined enemy.
The climax of the flower parade took place in the massive square in front of Castle Mington.
When the last float ca to a stop, a soft waltz lody drifted from the castle’s direction.
In the center of the square, n and won swirled into the dance floor, moving elegantly to the rhythm of the music.
Isabella ca to a halt.
She gazed at the couples dancing in the light, her previous excitent slowly giving way to a faint tinge of envy and loneliness.
She turned around, looking at Daniel.
The flower crown on her head had beco slightly askew from her earlier running.
"Little brother..."
She gently tugged at Daniel’s sleeve, her voice carrying a soft plea,
"Would you... dance with ?"
Daniel stood silently, not responding imdiately.
Isabella’s eager light slowly faded from her eyes, her excitent dimming.
Fearing a rejection, she hastily added,
"Just one dance!"
"If... if you agree, I can help you unconditionally twice in the future!"
She bit her lower lip, as though feeling that this offer wasn’t enough.
"No, three tis!"
"I promise, no strings attached!"
The offer of three unconditional assists from a demigod was weighty enough to stir Daniel’s interest.
His gaze moved from her pleading eyes, slowly drifting down to her hand still gripping his sleeve.
Suddenly, he felt that the condition she had put forward didn’t seem so important after all.
Daniel slowly extended his hand toward her.
Isabella’s eyes instantly brightened.
It was as though a huge, unexpected joy had revived her, pure and radiant.
She carefully placed her hand into Daniel’s.
Taking her hand, Daniel led her into the dance floor.
When his other hand gently rested on her slim waist, Isabella’s body stiffened imperceptibly for a mont.
But soon, she relaxed.
Isabella twirled gracefully with Daniel’s lead, her skirt flowing like a blooming flower.
She leaned her head gently against Daniel’s shoulder.
The cool scent of him, mixed with the faint fragrance of roses from the flower crown, lingered in the air.
At that mont, she felt an unprecedented sense of calm and contentnt.
It was as if the loneliness and coldness that had been sealed within her for a millennium were slowly lting away in this warm embrace.
The music ca to an end.
Polite applause rang out around them.
But Isabella, reluctant to let go, kept holding onto Daniel’s hand, not yet releasing him.
With a soft blush on her cheeks, she tugged at him and ran toward the other side of the square.
"I saw an ice cream stand over there!"
"I’ll buy you one!"
Her tone was lighthearted again, back to her lively self.
They arrived at a small ice cream cart, glowing warmly under the soft yellow light.
Behind the cart stood a remarkably tall man, covered from head to toe in a thick, rock-like grey-black scale armor.
His movents were a bit clumsy, but his technique of scooping ice cream was very skilled.
Isabella’s smile froze the mont she saw the man behind the cart.
Her pupils contracted slightly.
It was a dragonkin.
A race that had been completely wiped out thousands of years ago.
She rembered clearly that the last mber of this race had died at the hands of an ancient god.
The ice cream vendor handed over two cones with a hearty, clumsy smile.
Isabella stretched out her tongue and gently licked the ice cream.
The sweet, cool cream lted on her taste buds.
But she could taste nothing at all.
"Daniel."
Her voice was low and heavy as she called his full na for the first ti.
All her previous playfulness, teasing, and facades vanished in that mont, leaving only the deepest shock.
"Your resurrection magic..."
Isabella’s gaze locked onto Daniel’s eyes, not missing a single change in his expression.
"Does it have any limits?"
"If it’s possible, I want to ask you... can you resurrect a Demigod Rank powerhouse?"
"If you’re willing to help , I would truly give everything."
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