Soaring Through the Imperial Skies
Having made her firm decision, she stepped forward slightly.
“If everything is ready, I would like to demonstrate the Drakan flight. As I mentioned before, I will skip the ground-walking part and simply draw three large circles from here to that point over there before returning.”
Silas pointed beyond the knights toward the inner palace walls.
“Lady Pay, there are noble ladies and young misses over there who came to watch the Drakan. I kept them at a distance on purpose, worried the creature might grow agitated with too many people around. I hope you won’t be startled even if you hear shouts or loud voices from that direction.”
“Yes, that’s perfectly fine.”
Given Momo’s playful nature, distant cheers would likely excite him. He would probably enjoy the attention and flop around on the ground once the flight ended. Still, he remained serious while his wings were spread, so there was no need for concern.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
Lucius handed Pay a hood to keep her hair from whipping in the fierce wind and placed it on her head himself. Cassel’s eyes, which had been watching Pay with a warm gaze, twitched faintly.
Who is that man?
“Then I’ll mount now. The Drakan’s wings are enormous and will stir up strong winds, so I ask the mages to cast Windy Shields to protect the spectators.”
Lucius merely folded his arms while the imperial mages busily raised magical barriers around the Crown Prince and the knights. Pay also cast a spell around herself before takeoff.
Soon the massive Drakan beat its wings and carried Pay into the sky. From the very edge of the imperial palace, the creature soared freely across the heavens.
Lucius’s head turned slowly, following the direction of Pay’s flight.
Hmph. Not bad at all. Teaching her was worth the effort.
His gaze stayed fixed on Pay, who sat steadily atop the Drakan, rather than on the creature’s rounded belly or its flapping wings.
She could not fly endlessly as she had practiced with Lucius. The spectators were all nobles; even a novel sight would soon grow tiresome.
Pay glanced downward, traced three wide circles, and landed safely back at the starting point. Once she was in the air, her tension eased, leaving no time to drink the fatigue-recovery potion Lucius had given her.
When the notoriously ferocious Drakan stood quietly without tearing up the ground, and when—with a soft pop—it transformed into a fluffy baby bird and nestled into Pay’s arms, several people could not contain their astonishment and let out gasps of wonder.
The Klein Duke burst into hearty laughter.
“Haha, I never knew a Drakan could look so adorable. This is truly remarkable, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“According to ancient texts, Drakans have low intelligence and cannot use magic well. That claim appears to be false as well. If it can change its appearance at will, its abilities must be considerable.”
The Crown Prince looked thoroughly pleased.
Pay added her own thoughts, just as she had planned.
“I believe it is because Drakans are a subspecies of dragons. From a dragon’s perspective, they are seen as evolutionary failures, which is why such harsh descriptions were recorded.”
“An interesting analysis.”
“Many other ancient creatures share similar traits, yet few receive such dismissive judgments about their intelligence.”
“Well done, Lady Pay.”
That day, after sharing tea with the Crown Prince, Pay rode back in the imperial carriage. He had explained that leaving her alone would invite a flood of curious nobles and their endless questions. She found his thoughtful consideration quietly touching.
I experienced plenty of that during my Eina days… Ugh, thank goodness I’m a mage of the Magic Tower. Otherwise they might have followed me all the way home.
Seeing the Klein Duke today had stirred up old, melancholy memories she had tried to forget. Even so, she did not regret officially declaring herself a Drakan rider and stepping into the imperial palace.
After bathing and preparing for bed, she recalled the unexpected sight she had witnessed earlier. She had wanted to forget it, but that proved difficult.
The man I saw was definitely Morris Klein. There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize him.
Before fitting the saddle onto Momo, she had asked the imperial stablemaster to check if any repairs were needed. The Crow Knights had assisted her, and among the squires following behind them, she had spotted Morris’s face.
Morris Klein—proud and fond of amusement—playing the role of a squire? He would never have been forced into it. Could he possibly have volunteered?
It was astonishing. She had not rushed over to ask if his name was truly Morris, nor had she shown any outward reaction, but her heart had pounded violently.
Of course, seeing the Klein Duke and Cassel afterward had not resolved her confusion either. How could she possibly ask whether their second son and younger brother was truly serving as a squire instead of a knight?
Even though no one could hear her, she whispered into her pillow.
“…You’ve changed from before, Morris. Surely it wasn’t that after Dot was recognized as the ducal daughter, your fate turned to being despised by the family and cast out.”
She continued softly.
“So I’ll believe that you, too, underwent some inexplicable change of heart. Even if your memories haven’t returned.”
Besides Dot, only I—only I alone—carry the weight of this entire tragedy and pain. Sometimes that fact terrifies me. On nights like this, when the bitter sorrow of the past threatens to overwhelm me, I feel like crying. That is why I want to believe there is someone else out there like me.
Even if that belief is false…
The arrogant Morris Klein, who knew nothing of the past and would never beg forgiveness from the deceased Morgana.
I still hate you. It was because of your influence that you were so triumphant before Dot stole my place.
The second son of the ducal house—you were a terrifying and oppressive figure to the young, weak girl I once was. Even so…
I hope you have changed, even a little.
You don’t need to know what kind of existence I was, or how much I suffered. You don’t have to remember my pain. Do it for your own sake.
Pay’s eyes, heavy with fatigue, slowly closed. Unlike the night she had learned Cassel’s true identity, she did not cry tonight.
A small, gradual step forward had been taken once more.
At that same moment, in the brightly lit Klein ducal residence, a conversation that ignored the late hour was in full swing.
“Did you enjoy today’s spectacle, my dear?”
“Yes. Goodness! I nearly fainted watching that monstrously large creature fly. Who would have thought people would actually enjoy such a terrifying sight?”
When the Klein Duchess shuddered as though the very thought disgusted her, the Duke laughed heartily.
“Haha, it’s quite different from the elegant, refined creatures you prefer. You only like white horses with neatly braided manes, after all.”
“And they say the person riding that monster was a woman? Pour more milk.”
As the Duchess instructed more milk to be added to her tea, the Duke spoke casually.
“She’s a mage from the Magic Tower. Her name is Pay, and she comes from Grace Monastery.”
“A monastery?”
The Duchess’s tone grew noticeably cooler upon hearing the origin.
“Her hair is a light pink, her appearance is striking, and she possesses both ability and eloquence. She seems like a thoroughly decent person. If the opportunity arises, you should become acquainted with her.”
Clang!
The spoon the young lady had been using to stir a small amount of sugar into her tea fell with a loud clatter. Hot tea splashed onto the tablecloth, and the Duchess quickly attended to her daughter. It was a display of maternal care she had never shown during Dorothea’s Eina lessons.
“Have it cleaned up and bring a fresh one. Tiana, dear? It’s all right. You must have been quite startled by that strange sight today. Did you burn your hand?”
“N-no…”
“Strange indeed. Our Akadnia Empire earned great renown for slaying dragons in its founding era. To make such a fuss over a single Drakan?”
“Oh, I still didn’t care for it at all.”
“Tsk. You needn’t attend such events from now on. Tiana, you may skip these spectacles as well.”
“Yes, I will.”
The moment the young lady’s composure finally cracked was when she heard that the Magic Tower mage named Pay was from a monastery…
Cassel, who had accompanied the Duke to the residence after a long absence, sensed something amiss but chose not to show it and remained cautious.
Once the teacups had been cleared, the young lady hesitantly spoke.
“You mentioned that the rider on that… strange creature today was from a monastery?”
“Yes. She wore a hood before mounting, so you probably didn’t see her clearly. Her hair was long and light pink—quite beautiful. From what I glimpsed, she appears to be about your age.”
Light pink hair! From Grace Monastery, with light pink hair—there was only one such person. Morgana!
Dot’s stomach twisted with revulsion. Beneath the tablecloth, she clenched her fists tightly.
When that girl had suddenly appeared in Akadnia Hall, Dot had suspected she had obtained some new identity. But this? She had changed her name and become someone who commanded a terrifying monster? She must have gone mad!
As someone who had only just become the ducal daughter, Dot felt her mind go blank and nearly fainted on the spot, yet the Duke continued speaking with admiration.
“That mage supplied ice through magic during the last festival, didn’t she? To control both magic and a Drakan is truly impressive.”
“I heard from another mage that her progress has been unusually rapid. The Magic Tower holds her in high regard. She seems to possess remarkable innate talent.”
When Cassel casually joined the conversation, the Duke laughed boisterously.
“Haha, Cassel. If you knew of such an outstanding individual, you should have introduced her to your father first. Why did you let His Highness the Crown Prince meet her ahead of me?”
“If I had, multiple families would have moved to interfere at once.”
The Klein Duke understood his son’s difficult position perfectly.
“Of course. Well done. There’s no need to rush building a relationship. You can take your time. That aside… hmm, this mage named Pay isn’t the daughter of some noble house, is she?”
“She came from a monastery to the Magic Tower, so that’s unlikely.”
The Duchess, who believed every word her daughter said, could not possibly respond kindly.
“Since she’s from a monastery… Tiana, dear, are you perhaps acquainted with this mage named Pay? Our family has little connection to mages, which makes me all the more curious.”
“……”
The young lady’s face, sitting dazed, turned from pale to ashen.
No… What on earth is happening?
Don’t pay any attention to Morgana! I’ve finally been recognized as your real daughter. I can finally breathe a little easier.
So why are you looking at that orphan instead of me, your legitimate daughter?
“Tiana?”
Seeing her daughter’s terrible complexion, the Duchess recalled something she had once said.
Our Tiana wasn’t loved much at the monastery, was she? How despicable. All the children raised there are the same. Accomplices, the lot of them!
Already displeased by the hideous Drakan, she abruptly cut off the Duke.