Dragons are lonely beings.
You, who face the dragon…
You must definitely know this fact.
In the distant past…
The 2nd Princess, Hedera, was immersed in her magic training from dawn.
She was such a dullard that she could not afford to be lazy for even a day. Once she learned to read, she never neglected her reading, willingly training even on dreary days.
Everyone around her clicked their tongues, feeling sorry for her. It was only natural. Even with her unquenchable passion, there were no results at all. Was there ever a scene more heart-wrenching to witness?
But then, one morning…
Indeed, without any forewarning…
Dragon’s Blood…
The purest Dragon’s Blood, exalted, manifested within the girl. Naturally, she also awakened Dragon Speech and Command, and the news of a Dragon’s Blood bearer appearing in the Imperial Family swept across the continent.
Dragon Speech. Command.
Their power exceeded imagination.
Hedera’s status flipped upside down overnight. Just by looking at the titles now attached to her, one could tell. The girl who was once called dullard was now regarded as a genius and a dragonborn.
Academy and Magic Tower invitations flew to her periodically. They didn’t expect her to teach, merely requesting her to demonstrate for the inspiration of other mages.
Craving human connection, Hedera gladly accepted the proposals, but again, there was no one who matched her level. All she wanted was to make friends, yet neither students nor professors treated her that way.
─Rise up.
─Break apart.
─Explode.
Ordinary folk had to stake their entire lives to grasp such levels of magic, yet she could accomplish it with just a single word. However, Hedera wasn’t a bad girl who would get cocky over this.
Thus, she merely thought so, knowing she wasn’t born a genius.
…It’s lonely.
During her days of being a dullard, there were those around her who worked diligently day by day. The results may have been meager, but the time spent with them and the sweat shed from their efforts felt gratifying.
I want to be with everyone.
Hedera was a girl who valued togetherness over personal accomplishments. She wished for those around her to grow rapidly to her level. So they could mingle once more.
However…
The world wasn’t as accommodating as she thought.
In fact, it began to flow in a direction entirely contrary to her intentions.
─2nd Princess? Just a case of luck.
─She succeeded overnight without any effort.
─Why did Dragon’s Blood have to appear in the 2nd Princess…
The gap between before and after obtaining Dragon’s Blood was so stark that Hedera had unknowingly become someone who had never made an effort in her life. She couldn’t easily understand why she was hated.
So, she tried even harder to do well and put effort into being cordial with those she met. It was only after pouring everything she had that she realized one thing.
─Seeing Your Highness makes my motivation wane…
─Everything of mine seems so trivial.
─We’ll just handle things among ourselves.
Being a genius alone could be a reason to be hated.
Simply existing could trigger someone’s inferiority complex and dampen another’s motivation. Ironically, to get along with them, Hedera had to remain hidden.
How much time had passed?
Hedera no longer went out.
She merely watched her peers through the window, waiting without promise for the day they would be able to associate again, looking forward to the day of reunion while uttering Command.
─Become great.
─Become magnificent.
Utterly abstract words. Commands that wouldn’t take root.
─Hurry and become great.
─Quickly become magnificent.
Still, Hedera repeated them countless times.
She was already suffering from severe depression. She was lifeless, crumbling like a withered plant.
She might have really died if that man hadn’t appeared in the girl’s life.
─I am Zeekiel. From today, I will be in charge of Your Highness.
How long had it been since someone else intervened in her life?
Though towering high and hardly visible, the man’s clear blue eyes stood out. His demeanor was exceedingly polite, yet he bore a sharp and frightening presence.
On the first day of class, Hedera exhibited the bare minimum of skill.
There was only one reason. If she showed a performance beyond expectations, he would leave, citing he had nothing more to teach. She dreaded that.
─Is this really your best?
Hedera felt relieved upon hearing that. As planned, he wouldn’t leave right away.
─Your Highness…
However, the words that followed were ones Hedera had never heard before in her life.
─If you wish to learn from me, you’ll need to do at least this much.
The man began to weave ice into the air.
The beginning was indeed ice Hedera was familiar with. But as the spell and technique overlapped, it transformed into a scenery she had never even imagined. It was a sight that left her mouth agape.
This is magic.
Even more astonishing because it was performed by a human.
Even if the girl utilized Dragon Speech, she couldn’t guarantee mimicking this magic. Moreover, could human magic really be more sophisticated than that of the dragons? She pondered at that moment.
─Your Highness…
─Ah, yes, yes?
Hedera jolted, trembling in shock.
Upon reflection, there had never been good things after the title of ‘Your Highness’ in her life. Hopes fluttered at the thought he might leave without another chance.
But the man said but one line.
─You must always give your best before me.
From the next day, she was simply happy.
The ability to put forth her best without holding anything back felt like a blessing to Hedera, who always had to hide something in her life.
The teacher was stronger than she imagined, so even when Hedera gave her all, he always surpassed it. She felt at ease.
Thus, Hedera gradually began to foster the hope that humans could surpass the magic of the dragons through her teacher.
Indeed, nothing is impossible for humans. If more mages like my teacher arise, we can all get along… The girl’s heart was gradually filling with happy thoughts.
The girl talked incessantly.
─Humans will be able to surpass dragon magic!
─It’s possible.
─We’ll all surpass and live together happily!
She didn’t know when that day would come, but Hedera could always shout with conviction that, with her teacher, that day would definitely arrive. Until then, she would stick closely to him.
However, the teacher was exceedingly busy.
He had to teach other princesses besides Hedera and, with countless small tasks, would often be called away during class. Even though she thought it was unavoidable, she still felt truly disappointed.
Perhaps that’s why…
She dared to vent her frustrations on the only one in her corner.
She had been unreasonable.
─I don’t quite understand. Please clarify.
─Is this how it’s done?
1 hour turned into 2 hours.
2 hours stretched to 4 hours.
Hedera’s demands for time from her teacher increased gradually.
─Could you make an ice sculpture resembling me?
Eventually, she began to demand more than just time.
─Teacher, why don’t you play with me?
─You do all kinds of things with the other princesses…
─I want to play too, not just study!
As soon as she let that slip, she regretted it, but surprisingly, the teacher readily accepted. The girl’s heart raced with excitement.
At last, the promised day for play arrived.
The teacher was different than usual.
Dressed formally in a uniform and boots, with a hat that obscured his eyes. He hadn’t come alone.
─Captain, we need to depart immediately.
─…Time is…
─Urgent…
Beside the teacher stood a dozen others dressed in the same manner, all bearing the same serious and intimidating expressions.
After a while, the teacher approached Hedera and said:
─Your Highness, the game we’ll play today is hide and seek.
─You absolutely mustn’t come out until I find you.
Hedera could finally understand the situation. All those in the same clothing as her teacher were the seekers; she thought it would be quite challenging and nodded vigorously.
And the teacher couldn’t find her.
No, he completely vanished.
Hedera hid for a full two days, waiting.
What is two days? She could wait longer. However, the palace soldiers found her first and forcibly dragged her out.
─ Your Highness, here you are!
─ Found you! I found Your Highness!
─Let go! The game isn’t over yet…!
At first, she denied it and continued waiting.
But a week…
A month…
A year…
The teacher never returned.
Perhaps it was just a matter of finding the other seekers?
─Those people do not exist.
Yet, despite rummaging through the entire Imperial Family’s records, she could find no one who had been with the teacher at that time. Could it be that she had been too demanding, causing him to leave?
If so, then she wanted to apologize somehow.
But the teacher ultimately never returned. Even going to His Majesty the Emperor offered no useful answers.
─There were various circumstances for his departure.
Hedera was alone once more.
Alone once again, she resolved to build the Magic Tower with her life on the line.
One day, when the teacher returns, she wanted to show off what she had accomplished, as if to say, “Look what I’ve created while waiting for you!”
And soon after, she realized…
Other humans weren’t as impressive as the teacher.
What she had seen as potential wasn’t human after all; it was merely something her teacher possessed. Her hope gradually turned to dust.
She cried daily, spending sleepless nights with hollow eyes.
─Come back.
─Please come back.
That Command was never fulfilled.
(Long years passed.)
She who had grown, fed by her tears, one day stopped crying.
Finally, she bloomed into the flower of adulthood.
At the same time, her emotions dried up completely.
Abandoning the Magic Tower, she shut herself away in the Celestial Realm where dragon kin resided. Because she had recognized that her teacher would never come back, she no longer held onto futile dreams.
However… sometimes, she tried hard to forget.
─Let me forget.
─Let me forget.
─Let me forget.
Like ashes left behind, her once blazing passion had dwindled to embers. All she wanted was to forget. If she could never meet him again, it would be better to leave those feelings behind.
If she forgot the taste of hope, the present wouldn’t be painful either.
That day, she was practicing diligently in the Celestial Realm as usual. Out of nowhere, a letter arrived.
…uh?
She read it once and then again.
…What?
After reading it ten times, Hedera had no choice but to narrow her brows.
What kind of reaction should she show? The letter consisted of just a single line, accompanied by a seemingly hand-drawn picture.
Moreover, a proposal.
…A proposal? That was utterly unrealistic.
…
Between her and him lay too much time that had been stripped away. Yet, suddenly proposing without explanation? Complex emotions surged from her long-dried heart.
She made her decision.
The Hedera of her childhood, the Hedera of now.
The biggest difference between the two was her capacity for action. The girl who had been extremely afraid to step outside her home had finally grown into a woman who could confidently traverse the world.
Thus, she would check directly.
She had to meet and ask something and hear something.
…It has to be.
…
…
…
…
…
And now…
In the corridor of the Imperial Magic Tower…
…
The man stood before Hedera.
His unreadable gaze seamlessly blended fatigue and composure as he mumbled something about Sunweed. He looked just as she remembered but in another way, also starkly different from the memories.
What on earth was he thinking when he sent the proposal letter?
She couldn’t fathom it at all.
She truly couldn’t even begin to guess.
…It’s been a while.
Hedera finally parted her lips with difficulty.
The beginning of a reunion that would shake the entire continent.
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