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Ayla knew he cherished Peony, but this was the first time he had so highly valued her abilities and achievements.
The Empress's lips trembled as she felt a sense of alarm.
'At this rate, Darian's position will be greatly threatened.'
Lately, the Empress had been frequently tempted to simply eliminate Peony.
However, according to Lona's report, Peony seemed to have recently developed some kind of resistance to poison.
As a result, she was gradually recovering her health, and there were even rumors that she was not following the doctor's instructions well.
'Did that docile child suddenly get a late puberty...?'
Thanks to this, the Princess was showing remarkable recovery and was active enough to appear at various official events.
In this situation, it would be difficult to avoid suspicion if she were to be forcibly killed.
'Besides, Darian is suspecting me now too.'
She recalled his sharp eyes, as if he saw through her inner thoughts.
The Empress's mood instantly plummeted.
Wanting to remain a good mother to her son, she decided to lie low for the time being, even if it meant allaying Darian's suspicions.
But that didn't mean she intended to remain idle. The Empress opened her mouth in a subtle tone.
"By the way, I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Dragon will change after this Shedding is over. Why don't you take this opportunity to summon her to the Imperial Palace?"
"Summon her to the Imperial Palace?"
"Yes, His Majesty's birthday banquet is coming up in a few months. By then, the Shedding will be safely over, so we can summon the Divine Beast's owner and impress everyone with the Black Dragon's majesty."
"Oho."
"And at the same time, we can commend Ayla's achievements and show the Imperial family's dignity in front of the nobles."
At the Empress's gentle suggestion, the Emperor covered his mouth and cleared his throat.
But he seemed to like the idea of showing off his dignity in front of the nobles.
He replied with the most nonchalant expression possible.
"That's a good idea. I was just thinking that the reward I gave her recently was not enough. If I promise her greater support as the Dragon grows, she will surely be pleased."
"Yes, everyone will be moved by His Majesty's grace."
At the Emperor's reaction, who readily accepted the proposal, the Empress gave a bitter smile.
In fact, she didn't have much of a plan in inviting Ayla to the Imperial Palace.
She simply believed that if she pressured a commoner with no backing in front of everyone, she would inevitably side with Darian.
When she learned of Ayla's new usefulness, the Empress gladly abandoned her plan to eliminate her.
But if she ultimately refused to become Darian's strength...
'There's no choice. I'll have to crush her as originally planned.'
The Empress thought so and smiled coldly.
Ayla was slumped on her desk, dozing off.
She hadn't been able to sleep for days because she was worried about Piyo.
"Ugh..."
Creak.
At the sound of the door opening, Ayla thought with her eyes closed.
'Is it Peony?'
There weren't many people who would visit Professor Stefan's lab at this hour.
But the footsteps approaching from around the corner sounded heavier than Peony's.
Ayla was very tired from not sleeping a wink, but she struggled to get up to see who the visitor was.
She straightened her disheveled hair and peeked out from her seat.
Soon, her eyes met a familiar light green gaze.
"Felix?"
Startled, Ayla reflexively covered her cheeks with her hands and averted her gaze.
She was embarrassed to greet him as soon as she woke up. Come to think of it, it was the first time she had faced him since that kiss.
Ayla, who soon came to her senses, greeted him awkwardly.
"Oh... what brings you here?"
Felix didn't answer right away and looked around the lab for a moment.
Dragon-related literature and observation logs were scattered haphazardly on the desk and floor.
Ayla, standing there with a haggard face, caught his eye.
"Senior Peony asked me to take care of your meal. But..."
He strode over and put down the basket of food. Then he looked at Ayla with a worried expression.
"You don't seem to have slept properly. Are you okay?"
Ayla covered her face as if embarrassed and replied.
"I couldn't help but worry about Piyo. What can I do if my heart keeps feeling uneasy if I don't do anything?"
Ayla said that and hurriedly took the basket he handed her. Inside were sandwiches, fruits, and milk that were easy to eat.
"I was hungry, so thank you."
"But make sure to eat."
"Yeah, I will."
Felix smiled with relief and plopped down next to her. Then he began to organize the scattered documents one by one.
"What did Professor Stefan say? Is the Dragon okay?"
"Well, that's..."
Ayla sighed deeply and continued.
"The Shedding method is different for each type of Dragon. The time it takes is also different. So Professor Stefan can't be sure if Piyo is really okay."
"Yes?"
Felix paused, then made a face as if he had realized something.
"Then... is the reason you're looking through all these books to find information about Shedding?"
"That's right. Fortunately, Professor Stefan and Peony worked hard to get the necessary data. Other researchers are also helping to find data whenever they have time."
Felix looked around the lab with a dumbfounded expression for a moment.
"Are you really going to read all of this?"
"I have to until I find the information I need."
"Has there been any progress?"
At Felix's question, Ayla's face darkened.
"No... there wasn't much information about Dragon ecology in all these books."
Ayla shrugged and continued.
"Everyone is interested in the Dragon's abilities and lifespan, but not so much in its ecology or history."
"..."
"Besides, the Black Dragon is a rare species to begin with. I didn't even know that Piyo was Shedding until now."
At those words, Felix looked at Piyo, who was wrapped in a membrane, with a fresh look.
Piyo, surrounded by a pure white cocoon, was inside the Magic Circle created by Professor Stefan.
It was a Magic Circle that maintained a constant temperature suitable for Shedding.
"How long does it usually take for other Dragons to Shed?"
"If there's no owner, it takes six months to a year, and if there's an owner, it seems to end within a month or two. And they're very vulnerable during Shedding, so they can die if they're not careful."
Ayla's face darkened. She sighed softly and said.
"Everyone tells me not to worry, but after hearing that, I couldn't rest assured... I couldn't stand still."
"I see..."
"What if something happens to Piyo?"
Felix's expression became serious as he saw Ayla's worried face.
He wanted Ayla to worry less and feel comfortable, but he didn't know how to help.
He was lost in thought and reached for the pile of documents when.
The Fire Dragon Debens, whom he had met a long time ago, flashed through his mind.
'...Ah! Maybe that guy knows something?'
According to Duke Argenta, Debens was a Divine Beast born before the Noble house was even created.
If so, he would have seen, heard, and remembered much more than ordinary humans.
Then he might be of great help in the Black Dragon's Shedding.
After thinking for a while, he looked at Ayla and opened his mouth.
"Ayla, can you keep what I'm about to tell you a secret?"
"What is it?"
"I'm only telling Ayla this, but the Argenta Noble house's Divine Beast is still living in the territory."
"The Argenta Noble house's Divine Beast..."
Ayla's expression, who was thinking hard, was soon filled with shock.
"Don't tell me you mean the Red Dragon?"
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