Alon remembered very clearly the first time he had met Airinna Polanticia in the Seeker’s tower.

It had not even been that long ago, and besides, what he had heard from Serdea back then had been shocking.

And at least in Alon’s memory, the feelings Airinna had held toward him had been close to indifference.

Indifference.

Meaning, quite literally, that she had held no particular feelings at all, and Alon had not found that especially strange.

No—if anything, Alon thought Airinna Polanticia’s reaction had, in a sense, been the most reasonable of all.

At the very least, she had not picked a suspicious fight with someone she had just met, nor had she acted suspiciously warm and friendly, nor, failing that—

had she suddenly proposed marriage out of nowhere.

Yes, she definitely had been like that, and yet—

"......"

Alon looked ahead.

Airinna was sitting there.

Her face was stiff, and for some reason, her whole body was trembling.

"......Haa."

"Hiiik—"

Airinna reacted oversensitively to the sigh he let out because of his headache.

"??"

Serdea tilted her head at her as though finding her behavior strange.

Seeing that, Alon recalled what had happened earlier.

'...It didn’t seem like she was reacting like that until right before she saw me.'

More precisely, even when Alon had first arrived at the audience chamber after hearing that the two imperial princesses had come to see him, Airinna’s expression had been one of tension, not the fearful look she had now.

It was only a little after Alon had entered that her complexion had changed, and as he thought about that—

a new question suddenly began to rise in his mind.

'Come to think of it, why are these two together?'

As far as Alon knew, the Empire had split /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ into four, and the four imperial princesses and princes who had been separated were all tearing at one another in order to become Emperor with legitimacy.

"...By the way, how did the two of you end up coming here together?"

In other words, it was strange for two imperial princesses to be seated together in a place that was not even an official occasion.

When Alon pointed that out, Serdea, sitting beside Airinna, looked at her and shrugged.

"Hm— originally I was alone, but when I arrived near your territory, she was already there."

So that was why they had come in together?

'...No, even so, they’re in the middle of pointing blades at each other, so how are they sitting together this amicably?'

Alon still did not understand, but unfortunately, he had no time to think.

"Aren’t you curious why I came to see you?"

Because of Serdea’s next remark.

Serdea, who until just a moment ago had been staring at Airinna with an unreadable expression, now asked proudly.

"...May I ask what brings you here?"

When Alon asked in return, she cleared her throat.

"Ahem— I have come especially to forgive the discourtesy you committed at the bor—ughk—!"

—and failed to finish.

The reason being—

"Sorry. She’s still immature—"

The frozen Airinna had suddenly slammed Serdea’s head downward.

"W-what do you think you’re doing—! Ughk—!"

Serdea protested with a dumbfounded look, but Airinna only showed Alon an awkward smile and kept wordlessly pressing down on her head.

"Kehk— ughyat— wait—! Why all of a sudden—!"

Serdea kept sinking farther and farther below the desk, while Airinna desperately pressed down on the imperial princess’s head.

At the sight, Alon’s face went blank.

"Let go—"

"......"

"I said let go—!!"

Even at Serdea’s scream, Airinna somehow forced up the corners of her trembling mouth.

No, um... was this really okay?

Weren’t they supposed to be in a vicious struggle with each other...?

A flood of thoughts passed through Alon’s head.

He discreetly turned his eyes and looked to the side.

Evan’s reaction was much the same.

His eyes had narrowed at Airinna as if he were looking at a madwoman.

After checking Evan’s expression, Alon let out a short sigh.

Of course, Alon did not yet fully understand the exact situation.

But one thing he did know was that the two imperial princesses—

no, more precisely, that Airinna Polanticia was misunderstanding something.

Because unless it was a misunderstanding or a mistaken assumption to begin with, such an abrupt change in attitude made no sense.

'...Just what exactly is she misunderstanding?'

The answer to that question was not hard to find.

'A dragon... is it?'

The Father of Dragons.

Because of Arculainysis, Contanias too had mistakenly believed Alon to be the Father of Dragons.

That was probably the reason.

But then Alon tilted his head.

Looking at it from every angle, it still did not quite fit together.

Even so, he decided to lightly bring up the matter of dragons first.

At least, as far as he could tell, there was nothing else Airinna could have mistaken him for.

"...Imperial Princess."

"Y-yes, yes! Please, speak."

Still smiling while continuing to keep Serdea’s head pressed down despite Serdea’s cries of 'L-let go already!!', Airinna looked at him.

Alon found himself puzzled once again.

No matter how much they were family, they were each the highest authority directing their own nations, and competitors holding blades at each other’s throats, so was this really acceptable?—that was the thought that came to him.

But he soon shrugged.

"It seems there is some misunderstanding, so I should clarify—I am not a dragon."

"...Huh?"

The first to react to Alon’s statement was Serdea.

Her eyes plainly said, 'Huh? So you weren’t?' while still holding a trace of doubt.

Exactly the reaction Alon had expected.

But—

"Yes, I know."

"?"

"?"

At Airinna’s answer, Alon ended up wearing the same expression as Serdea.

"...Pardon?"

"I know...!"

Apparently not even able to spare the composure to hide it, she was trembling so openly that anyone could see it.

"No, I mean. I truly am not a dragon."

"Yes, I know that."

"......"

Then why are you shaking like that...?

The thought suddenly rose in Alon’s mind.

And yet, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as though he had experienced this situation somewhere before.

Then—

"F-first, we should get up now!"

"Wha—? Wait— I wasn’t planning to leave yet—"

Suddenly Airinna jumped to her feet, grabbed Serdea, gave a quick bow, and walked out at once.

"...Evan."

"Yes."

"What does it look like they came here for?"

"No matter how perceptive I am, even I can’t figure this one out."

"......"

"......"

"......"

"...Ah."

"What is it?"

"No, it just feels a little awkward not to get corrected."

Watching Evan scratch his head, Alon tilted his own head once again.

"...For now, find out a little more about the two imperial princesses."

"Understood."

He gave the order.

'...What on earth was that?'

Thinking of Airinna’s face made another sigh slip from him.

####

Outside the capital of Palantia.

More precisely, inside Serdea Polanticia’s enormous carriage.

"What in the world was that supposed to be?!"

Serdea glared at Airinna with a deep frown.

Her voice was thick with open irritation.

But despite that heated reaction, Airinna said nothing for quite some time.

"...Are you ignoring me?"

Serdea’s frown deepened all the more.

"Even if we’ve formed a temporary 'vow,' that was a clear violation!"

A vow.

The other siblings aside, Serdea and Airinna had in fact secretly formed an alliance under the name of a vow.

Strictly speaking, though, it was less an alliance and more the feeling of being business partners who would walk together only up to a certain point.

In the end, the only reason the two of them had been able to sit facing each other at all was because of that vow, so Serdea’s fury was only natural.

"Unfortunately, that wasn’t it."

Airinna, who had been lost in thought until a moment ago, finally spoke.

"...What do you mean by that?"

"You didn’t know, but if anything, I was the one who saved you from danger."

"...What nonsense are you talking about?"

Serdea still growled, unable to understand.

At that, Airinna let out a sigh.

"As you know. Just as you gained a 'mouth,' I gained 'eyes.' That’s information we already shared, so you know that, right?"

At Airinna’s words, Serdea gave a light nod.

She had understood what Airinna was trying to say.

"...Was there something there?"

Serdea asked back, her force diminished now.

But Airinna did not bother to answer directly.

She only recalled it.

"......"

That scene.

"Hoo......"

Airinna let out a deep sigh.

Ever since meeting Alon for the first time, most of what Airinna had felt had been curiosity.

Curiosity over whether Alon was truly a dragon hiding his identity, and curiosity over how, exactly, Alon had managed to keep that brilliantly golden dragon as his slave.

And the next thing she had felt was a plan.

If Alon truly was a dragon—

if he really was her father, as the guardian dragon had said—

then from now on, her relationship with him would become extremely important.

All the more so for Airinna, whose combat abilities were relatively far weaker than those of her other siblings, who were at least capable in their own ways of holding back Divine blood.

That was why she had no choice but to remain in Palantia in order to confirm Alon’s identity, and during that time, she had prepared many plans.

But in the end, none of those preparations had been of any use.

More precisely, the moment she met Alon, they had all lost their meaning.

"......Haa."

Clenching her trembling hand without realizing it, Airinna recalled that moment.

The instant Alon entered, as if they had been waiting for him, her eyes activated—and what entered her vision was black flame, dark as pitch.

Airinna had seen that black flame before.

Not in a human—

"......"

—but in Divine blood.

"......"

Of course, Airinna had been greatly shocked to learn that the King of Palantia’s true identity was Divine blood.

But while that fact would certainly make her tense, it would not have made her tremble in fear.

Because even if the other party was Divine blood, the fact that he had taken human form meant that, so long as she did not reveal it right away, there was no reason for her to be attacked on the spot.

And yet there was another reason she had been consumed by fear.

The first was that the flames inside Alon’s body were not just one.

As far as Airinna knew, all living beings, including Divine blood, were supposed to possess only a single flame.

At least, that was how she had 'understood' the knowledge that had entered her when she gained those eyes.

But the King of Palantia was not like that.

'There were definitely... four.'

The King of Palantia possessed four flames.

He carried four black flames—the kind that Divine blood possessed.

And that was not all.

She had seen it.

No—strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say she had been drawn there.

In a red temple,

beneath a crimson moon.

Airinna had no choice but to see it.

A red-eyed girl with brilliantly shining white hair, smiling at her and pressing an index finger to her lips—

[My apologies, but please keep your distance.]

—and bearing black flames so enormous they looked as though they could burn the whole world away.

And she had heard it too.

[There are too many gnats swarming around.]

That cool voice the girl had spoken in passing.

And so—

Tremble, tremble, tremble—

Airinna felt her hand shaking again before she knew it.

'Just what... is the true identity of the King of Palantia?'

Holding onto that single question rising even through her fear.