The Guardian of The Dragon

Chapter 10

As long as she would inherit the family title, there were no prerequisites for adoption.

Obtaining the king's permission would be necessary, but Emily assured she would handle that.

"We'll depart as soon as the wedding festivities conclude, so ensure you're prepared, and..."

Emily scanned Frea's attire with a critical eye.

"Your wardrobe is in desperate need of attention. I'll have to summon a tailor tomorrow."

"Princess, could I possibly have your unused clothes?"

"My clothes?"

"Well, you're going to throw away all the clothes you don't wear because you're tired of them or they're out of style, so I'll take them and fix them up, and if we make new ones in the costume room, we won't have enough by the time the Princess leaves."

"Hmm, very well. You may keep the ball gown for future use; I'll provide further instructions."

"Understood. Also... Princess."

"Hmm?"

"There's something I wish to investigate in Ost."

Frea mixed the story the archbishop had told her with her own experiences.

She omitted the part about the giant snake entirely.

Not only was it implausible, but as the archbishop had advised, it was best kept as her own secret.

In Frea's new story, it was the Archbishop, not the Good King, who first discovered the newborn baby.

The archbishop found a mark in the swaddling clothes that wrapped the baby.

Fearing that the mark would harm the baby, he hid it secretly.

After listening to the half-true, half-false story, Emily nodded in understanding.

"Not knowing what the mark was, he must have been wary of showing it to His Majesty, fearing that it might brand the baby. The Archbishop is a merciful man."

Frea took the paper from her arms and laid it on the table.

"Is this?"

Emily picked up the paper curiously.

"Yes. Do you happen to know which family's sigil this is?"

The paper showed a grainy drawing of the sigil on the ring Frea had found in the forest, enlarged.

"I know you're busy with wedding preparations, and I apologize for asking."

"No, it's just a matter of getting someone to look into it. I don't recognize the sigil, so I don't think it belongs to a prominent family."

"It could be a family from another country."

"Hmm. Okay. I'll find out and let you know. "

***

"Brother."

Wesley shot his sister a disapproving glance as she roused him from his afternoon slumber.

"Don't give me that look. It's nearly time for you to rise."

King Wesley of Lehen cherished his afternoon naps in the tranquility of his terrace garden.

No one dared to disturb his rest—except, of course, his sister.

Wesley grumbled and straightened up.

He felt a pang of sympathy for his sister, whose mother had passed away when she was young.

He had even attended to Emily's needs with her seated on his lap during her infancy.