Splendid flower powder flew, a shower of gifts poured down, and the Duchess of Drasia, more beautiful than flowers, responded with a smile more dazzling than sunlight.

Today the ducal couple of Drasia matched in white. Clementina wore a white dress laden with lace and frills, adorned from head to toe with gold accessories. Dion matched her clothing color and wore a scabbard made of gold.

Dragons continuously breathed fire in the sky, evoking fear and awe.

“Wow! Mom, look there. Those must be the newly born dragons!”

“Whoa! They’re breathing fire too!”

Of course, the two baby dragons were doing their part admirably among them. Though they knew nothing, Pink Lili and Leon kept creating small flames, pleased by the enthusiastic cheers of Derin’s people.

“Is this right? How long do we have to do this?”

“Right, you’re doing great. Wave smaller if you’re tired. Don’t lose your smile, Duchess.”

Dion and Clementina had somehow mastered the method of conversing secretly without moving their lips in crowded places.

Clementina recalled the letter enclosed with the Empress’s ball invitation. The Empress had ordered them to wear the most splendid clothes when entering Issiliad Palace and create the world’s most magnificent procession through the village’s central road.

Though she didn’t know the exact reason the Empress was publicizing the ducal couple of Drasia while preparing the ball, the one who would shine brightest at this ball would be Clementina Aeskis, Duchess of Drasia.

The floor of Issiliad summer palace was jade-green marble. Water flowed in the small grooves where walls met floor. Maids wearing clothes made of white, thin cloth walked around barefoot carrying plates of fruit, quenching the thirst of parched people.

Smiles always hung on the servants’ faces, and their behavior toward guests was always leisurely.

Having splendidly completed the Empress’s orders, the ducal couple of Drasia finished a brief audience with the Emperor and Empress and entered the room prepared for them.

The room had sand-colored stone walls and floor, with orange pottery flowerpots planted with trees filling every corner. Everywhere was like a forest.

“Where are the dragons? They can’t stay here in the palace, can they?”

Clementina thought the dragons couldn’t stay at Issiliad Palace. With Kitan and the babies, they’d increased to fifteen dragons—too many.

“Why not? Of course they’re staying together.”

“Staying together here?”

Clementina rolled her golden eyes around, surveying the room. More precisely, picturing all of Issiliad Palace.

“How?”

“Come here. Issiliad Palace has excellent scenery.”

Dion stood before the glass door leading to the balcony. He turned back and extended his hand to Clementina.

Clementina approached the massive glass door extending from ceiling to floor. Her dress hem rustled like waves. When she stood before him, Dion smiled and pushed open the glass door to the balcony.

Whoosh.

A purple dragon flew before Clementina’s eyes. A red dragon swiftly followed behind.

Arakan quickly flew onto Mago’s back and bit then released Mago’s neck.

“This is called Tarian Gorge.”

Tarian Gorge, famous for its sheer rough cliffs preserving traces of an ancient river, was perfect as a dragon playground with the fun of vertical flying from dizzying heights to the bottom.

The historic river flowed between the gorge and fell to the bottom, creating a massive river flowing to the sea. Short trees grew over red earth and rocks, and dragons hunted goats.

“Good heavens!”

Hot wind blew from below. Startled, Clementina couldn’t close her mouth. Dragons flew leisurely through the sky. Then two baby dragons shot into the balcony like arrows.

“Leon! Pink Lili!”

The moment Clementina stepped onto the balcony, the two baby dragons began spinning round and round her body competitively.

Looking closely, Leon spun ahead while Pink Lili followed behind trying to bite Leon’s tail. Pink Lili seemed angry from playing around, but Leon kept teasing and running away. Flying like that, Pink Lili suddenly stopped breathing and dropped to the floor with a thud.

“Oh!”

“Pink Lili! What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

Dion and Clementina knelt in surprise. Clementina placed her palm near Pink Lili’s chest. Warm energy transmitted. Unlike adult dragons, baby dragons had high body temperature.

Leon stuck his head between Clementina’s chest and arm, sniffing toward Pink Lili. When Pink Lili still didn’t respond, Leon approached close to Pink Lili’s face and sniffed. That moment, Pink Lili opened his eyes and grabbed Leon’s head with his front paws.

“Kyuut! Kyuut! Kyuuut!”

Leon’s desperate screams continued, but Pink Lili wouldn’t let go easily.

Clementina calmed her startled heart and raised her head to look up at Dion. Dion was holding his belly laughing—kek, kek.

“Ah! Really cute! Where did these creatures come from! There, there, just like whose babies, so perfect!”

Dion was even shedding tears while laughing—she’d seen him laugh so unreservedly often since Leon and Pink Lili were born.

“Perfect?”

Clementina thought she needed to give these three males—no, one male and two dragons—a stern warning. They couldn’t turn Issiliad Palace into a sea of fire with excessive pranks.

Though still babies who could only light small campfires, Clementina tended to overestimate the two dragons.

“This is perfect enough. Look, they barely cause accidents. Just adorable.”

“Of course they’re perfect. But they do cause accidents. This isn’t Aeskis Castle! If we don’t properly educate these creatures, big trouble could happen.”

“But Clementina, as you said, these creatures are no different from wild dragons. How do you educate them? They don’t listen to anyone except Kitan or Lili. They at least listen to you somewhat.”

“Yes. Very slightly. They barely listen. This will really cause big trouble. It could be an even bigger problem when many people come from other kingdoms like this.”

“Don’t worry. They haven’t caused any major accidents yet. If you’re that worried, should we send them back to Aeskis Castle now?”

“……Not that.”

Dion tickled Leon’s nape with his finger. Leon and Pink Lili were now tumbling and rolling around, occasionally making soot marks on the balcony floor.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the ducal couple of Drasia’s door. Dion stood and entered the room. Clementina grabbed Leon and Pink Lili’s feet and separated them.

When Clementina actually separated them after they’d been fighting with bodies twisted, they began whining and reaching front paws toward each other regretfully.

Tap, tap.

When Dion knocked on the balcony door, Clementina raised her head.

“Everything’s ready.”

A cool energy circulated in Dion’s blue eyes.

“Bella just left her room. Let’s follow right away.”

Clementina heard about Bella the day before leaving for Derin.

Dion had kept silent about Bella for quite a while, and Clementina got angry at him for the first time. She couldn’t understand at all why he hadn’t told her.

Even when things were incomprehensible, she’d just let them pass until now. She hadn’t bothered digging. Not only was it not her domain, but words kept dominating Clementina’s mind.

Our marriage is just a contract.

Though she’d told Dion she liked him, Dion had never properly expressed his feelings. He’d just willingly played along with her attitude of wanting to date. So she hadn’t crossed the line until now.

But this time was different. Bella Sustain was her sister. This wasn’t something happening within Dion’s boundaries but a problem within her own.

Before angry Clementina, Dion hedged. That sight was so absurd she almost forgot to be angry.

What more could she say when he said he’d worried about hurting Clementina more and agonized over how to tell her?

Hearing Dion’s explanation, Clementina had no choice but to close her mouth. Clementina felt pathetic always being in a weak position before him.

Dion always stayed beside her without particularly opposing what she wanted to do. Things like searching for someone together during the day here. Had thinking such things were grateful, a blessing, become ingrained? Was that why she remained weak?

Today too, Clementina swallowed her noisy inner feelings without expressing them.

“Where is she going?”

“To that bastard.”

“How do you know? Even though it’s a palace, this place is too vast. How does Bella know where he is?”

“He contacted first. No, he sneakily leaked information through a maid. I really don’t like that guy.”

Dion and Clementina wore the white cloth hoods of maids and hid between palace corridors.

No one particularly monitored Bella, and she wasn’t a key figure so there was nothing conspicuous, but wandering the Emperor’s summer palace alone was improper.

So now Bella was shamelessly walking Issiliad Palace’s corridors with her head held high wearing white clothes maids wore. Though her appearance clearly showed she wasn’t from here, her confident attitude only made people tilt their heads—no one readily suspected her.

Because so many people from foreign countries visited for ball preparations, they mistook her for their maid.

Dion and Clementina whispered while stealing glances at Bella, but actually Dion stood out more than Bella. His body wearing the maid’s hood was too large.

Bella boldly slipped between servants. Compared to Derin people with slightly tanned skin, Bella’s exceptionally white skin stood out.

“Why do you dislike him so much? Ah, of course I dislike him too. But that’s because I don’t like his character. But Your Highness, he’s still…… your cousin.”

“Haha. You say the same thing as His Majesty the Emperor. So what if he’s a cousin? Should I overlook everything? Where’s that written?”