Lian

The leader of the imperial guard bowed to the elegant and proud royal, saying, "Princess Charlotte, Lady Lian is waiting for your report."

The imperial princess was slightly surprised. "Is Lady Lian placing such importance on this?"

Normally, Lady Lian would not summon her immediately upon returning from a mission. Toward her children, the true dragon was always very lenient; most so-called missions were issued in the form of requests.

This time, the fact that she was summoned as soon as she returned to the imperial capital, without even a moment to rest, showed how much Lian valued this alliance mission.

However, it was just as well. The demigod Charlotte had already planned to head straight for an audience with the true dragon. Knowing that Lady Lian held her task in such high regard truly invigorated the princess.

Without even taking the time to change her clothes, Charlotte strode across the suspended platform, heading toward the sanctuary at the rear of the palace.

That place had once been where successive generations of the royal family offered sacrifices to the guardian fairy. After the fairy's dragonfall, it naturally became Lian's residence.

Unless she went out for other matters, Lian usually stayed here.

Stepping onto the hundred-meter staircase paved with white jade, Charlotte heard the sound of a choir before she even reached the sanctuary. It was the clear voices of many children singing in unison, a sound so holy it could cleanse one's heart.

Lian loved listening to the voices of children, so in the Second Empire, there were specialized choirs that took turns singing near the true dragon's residence.

To the singing of the children's choir, Charlotte finally entered the sanctuary that had once housed the royal family's offerings to the guardian fairy.

Though called a sanctuary, it had long since been converted into living quarters. Carpets with intricate patterns covered the entire floor, and warmth rose from the heating. Various pieces of furniture—not necessarily precious, but strange and eccentric—were scattered everywhere, along with leftover fruit peels, snack bags, and empty wine bottles.

Looking at the state of the residence, it was difficult to associate it with anything solemn or grave.

However, Charlotte was accustomed to this. She took off her boots and removed her shimmering white stockings, stepping barefoot onto the carpet. Holding her breath, she advanced cautiously.

She continued until she saw a low tea table by the window and a graceful figure leaning against the windowsill, drinking alone.

Historical legends regarding evil dragons always spared no effort in describing them as terrifying natural disasters.

A dragon's wingspan could blot out the sky, a dragon's breath could incinerate the earth, and a dragon's roar could shatter the surface... These descriptions were not necessarily wrong, but a true dragon was by no means limited to that single form.

A dragon was not some unspeakable, inexpressible entity. In fact, when a dragon did not manifest its full form, it was hardly different from a son of man. On the contrary, by human standards of beauty, a dragon's charm was simply unparalleled.

Supple, sky-blue hair was tied in a high ponytail at the back of her head, with the remaining strands cascading down like a waterfall, reaching all the way to the carpet.

A loose, moon-white robe and shirt, even without adornment, did nothing to hinder Lian's breathtaking flawlessness. A dragon tail peeked out from beneath the hem of her coat, swaying lazily.

Charlotte did not dare to look closely at Lady Lian's face, but the imperial princess could swear on her life that it was a face of near-perfect beauty. Every wonderful thing humanity could imagine seemed to have condensed into physical form before her eyes.

"Charlotte, you've returned."

Lian's gentle voice reached her, like a clear spring flowing through the mountains.

Charlotte immediately dropped to one knee and pressed a hand to her chest. "Yes. Fortunately, I have not failed my mission. It has been completed, and I am here to report on my work."

This princess, who always maintained a haughty posture in front of Faust, was now terrifyingly respectful.

"There's no need to be so stiff, child. Come forward. Am I going to eat you?"

"Of course not!"

Charlotte answered hurriedly, moving forward step by step until she reached the low tea table.

Far from eating people, Lian was, in Charlotte's heart, the undisputed sun!

The imperial princess did not know what the evil dragons of history were like, but for this fairy who had protected the Radiant Dynasty for eight hundred years, she felt only gratitude—only the word gratitude could define her feelings.

Back when she was a fairy, Lian had always done everything in her power to benefit humanity. Her blessings were not even limited to the citizens of the empire; she used blessings and revelations to protect all living beings.

And after her transformation into a dragon, Lian had personally visited the fiend defense line, swinging her hand to cut a rift that severed space itself. This ended the nightmare that had plagued the empire for centuries, saving millions from senseless sacrifice.

There was no elder more merciful, no ruler more selfless, and no leader more qualified than her.

Charlotte did not just think this; she spoke it.

"Our guardian, the savior of humanity, the true master of the empire, please forgive my presumption."

The imperial princess took a deep breath before finally lifting her head.

Lian gave her a helpless look. The true dragon's eyes were as brilliant as gemstones, impossible to describe with a single color. Similar to Charlotte's, they seemed to be a mix of sky-blue and rose-purple flames.

Or more accurately, it was Charlotte, as the dragon's kin, who resembled Lian.

"I'm not as remarkable as you all say. Words like 'guardian' and 'savior' are far too hollow."

Lian poured a glass of honey wine and handed it to Charlotte.

"I simply like you all. I like the son of man. That is all."

The imperial princess solemnly accepted the nocturnal jade cup and looked toward the true dragon of the empire.

Lian rested her snow-white, delicate chin on one hand and raised her wine glass with the other, looking out the window.

This was the highest point in the imperial capital. The unobstructed view allowed the entire magnificent and massive city to come into sight. Beneath the dark sky, the radiant imperial capital was a city that never slept; even the imperial civil war had failed to destroy its prosperity.

Rather, it had not been affected at all. The moment Lian underwent her dragonfall, the imperial capital was taken without a single drop of blood spilled, and subsequent fires of war failed to reach the core district protected by the true dragon.

Lian's gaze could observe every detail of the millions of people in the capital, making those beautiful eyes with their vertical dragon pupils reflect the light of ten thousand homes.

She took small sips, sighing, "You Sons of Man are truly adorable. I can never see enough of you. And yet, you are so fragile, born at dawn and gone by dusk. It seems that in just one moment of distraction, you turn to dust and leave me."

Charlotte immediately expressed her loyalty. "That is why we, your kin, exist. We will follow you to the ends of the earth and the end of time!"

"Good child!"

Lian smiled upon hearing this and patted her snow-white thigh. "Charlotte, come here and let me hold you."

"I wouldn't dare..."

The imperial princess did not dare to move an inch. With lowered eyes and a bowed head, her delicate body trembled slightly.

Even though she was already the extremely powerful 【Radiant King】, she still could not defy the instinctive fear ingrained in her bones.

This was the dragon's curse that the evil dragons had once etched into the world. The son of man was meant to fear and hate dragons; even if the mind had awakened, the flesh remained bound by it.

The dragon-maiden with sky-blue hair saw this and her eyes dimmed, but she could only shake her head.

"Never mind. Tell me about your trip instead."