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"How great could he be just because he showed some talent in Magical potion class? It's best not to get close to him if possible. Other nobles also disapprove of that commoner, so there's no point in making enemies with them."
Despite Lona's long explanation, Peony answered indifferently.
"I'll think about it."
Lona frowned when the princess didn't immediately give a satisfactory answer.
Peony relied heavily on Lona, who was responsible for her health.
Thanks to that, she could sometimes give advice that crossed the line for a maid.
And in most cases, Peony tried to listen to her.
'But why is she hesitating so much about advice to stay away from a mere commoner?'
Lona knew very well that the mistress she served was plotting something with the Blanche Noble house.
So, she intended to prevent Peony from interfering and hindering the matter, even by mistake.
'If I had known this would happen, I should have made her rest longer……. No, no. Still, she's royalty, so she wouldn't want to associate with a commoner like Ayla.'
Peony was more compassionate to her subordinates than other royals, but she was still a princess.
Even if her answer was lukewarm, she didn't think she would really keep the commoner Ayla close to her.
The two had become beings of different status now.
'She'll distance herself eventually.'
Lona smiled faintly and said.
"Hmm. I was being presumptuous. The princess will take care of it herself. But you know my heart, right? It's all for the princess."
"……."
"I only ever think of the princess's happiness. You know how much I like the princess."
Lona then offered Peony a vial of medicine with a gentle attitude.
"Now, it's time for your Cure, Princess."
Peony obediently received the Cure from Lona as usual.
Meanwhile, at that time.
Ayla was reading a book borrowed from the library late into the night in her dormitory room.
It was to uncover the identity of the egg she received from Felix.
The egg with a distinctly different appearance among the Drake eggs.
'Felix said it's definitely a Divine Beast egg, so if I search through related books, I'll find something similar…….'
But even while reading the book, Ayla couldn't concentrate.
It was because she kept thinking about Felix's reliable figure, standing in front of her in the moment of crisis.
Honestly, Felix's appearance at that time was…….
'He was dependable, quite.'
Her face still flushed when she thought of that time.
The vivid muscles visible through the torn clothes due to the Drake. Even the sight of him awakening his Aura in the moment of crisis.
It was hard to believe that he was only a high school student in modern terms.
'He was truly like the protagonist in a novel. Well, in reality, he's just a supporting male lead…….'
As she continued her thoughts, she suddenly remembered Felix's unfortunate future and shook her head in surprise.
'No, what am I thinking now? After all, he and I are just in a simple contractual relationship.'
Ayla didn't want him to be involved with her and suffer together, like in the original story.
Even if a happy future was guaranteed for her later.
'My goal is to defeat Rosia and eliminate those behind her. But I can't drag other people's lives into that process.'
She tried to calm herself and then focused all her attention back on the book in front of her.
'What kind of Divine Beast egg is it?'
Turning the pages and examining the contents thoroughly, Ayla's eyes finally fluttered.
It was because she had found a part in the book that overlapped with her case.
[Occasionally, Dragon eggs are found in Drake nests. These are mostly Black Dragon eggs, which happens because Drakes have a habit of incubating eggs very diligently…….]
'Drakes tend to have strong maternal instincts. That's why it got angry and rushed at me.'
Ayla felt a slight sense of guilt. It was her carelessness that caused the egg to break and that incident to happen.
But the existence of the Drake had to be subjugated.
If left alone, the students who entered the forest would eventually get seriously hurt someday.
Ayla continued reading the book.
[……Black Dragons are a very intelligent species among Dragons.
However, they have individualistic tendencies and do not form groups separately, and are sometimes very lazy.
To the point of abandoning their own eggs in the nests of Superior Magical Creature Drakes.
This is quite different from other Dragons who cherish their offspring until they become adults.
Black Dragon eggs usually hatch before other Drake eggs, and as soon as they are born, they kill the other baby Drakes and make the mother care only for them.]
Ayla chuckled.
They abandon their eggs, but they abandon them in a place where they will be raised in the best possible way.
It was like referring to Ayla, who was known to have been switched by a nanny.
'People who don't know the truth will see me as a cuckoo chick.'
What's a little different from cuckoos is that Dragons are treated as creatures with outstanding abilities and intelligence in this world.
For example, the symbol of the Blanche Duke Noble house was the Gold Dragon.
It is said that the eldest daughter of the Blanche Duke Noble house has inherited outstanding magical talents for generations thanks to the protection of the Gold Dragon.
On the other hand, the Black Dragon in the book is a very rare species among Dragons, and each individual has very outstanding abilities.
That's why the Black Dragon became the Divine Beast symbolizing the imperial family.
'There is a legend that the one chosen by the Black Dragon can become the next Emperor.'
But they were a species whose numbers gradually decreased due to their individualistic tendencies and were almost extinct.
Ayla looked down at the egg, which had a smooth white color and a mysterious glow, with suspicious eyes.
Strangely, the appearance of the newly born egg described in this book was similar to the appearance of this egg.
'Um, no way. Could it really be a Dragon?'
Ayla laughed in disbelief, thinking so.
However, after a while, a suspicious expression crossed her face.
If what she brought was really a Black Dragon egg, there was a high possibility that she would be involved in complicated matters in many ways.
Black Dragons were beings that anyone would covet.
'I hate being swayed by unnecessary things…….'
Ayla reached out to the egg with a confused face.
Perhaps because it had been well wrapped in a blanket, she felt a warm warmth from her fingertips.
'Well, it's not certain yet. Let's hatch it first.'
It couldn't really be a Black Dragon, but she felt sorry for it, thinking it was an egg abandoned by its mother as soon as it was born.
'Right now, I've been kicked out of the Blanche Noble house and am in a situation not much different from this one.'
Ayla wrapped the egg even warmer with a pitiful heart, adding warmth to it for a long time.
The headmaster was sweating profusely, hurriedly following Duke Argenta, who had suddenly appeared at the academy.
He had no idea why the man called the only sword of the empire had suddenly appeared without even bringing his subordinates.
"May I ask why you are looking for Felix?"
"I want to see his skills."
"I see……."
The headmaster had many complaints, but he couldn't dare to object to Duke Argenta's words.
Before long, the two arrived at an empty training ground.
Duke Argenta leisurely enjoyed the blowing wind, thinking about the boy named Felix that his aide had reported on.
"He's a boy who has lived a very unfortunate life. He stayed at an orphanage as a child, and the director there was said to be quite violent."
"So?"
"He overpowered the director after being abused and ran away. After that, he wandered the streets and was sold to a mercenary group where he learned the sword."
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