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Thanks to that, even Ayla was sometimes startled by how unfamiliar he looked.
'...It's not just that.'
Having fully grown into an adult, Piyo had strangely reduced his emotional expressions.
He didn't laugh, get angry, or burst into tears like he used to.
And above all, he himself seemed to regard this change as very natural.
Ayla frowned as she looked at Piyo, who was silently looking down at her.
His indifferent expression suddenly reminded her of Debens.
'That world-weary face really resembles Lord Debens.'
Could it be that all Dragons lose their emotional fluctuations when they reach adulthood?
She could no longer recall Piyo's cute, spoiled behavior at all.
It felt as if Piyo had become a completely different being, which made her feel somewhat sad.
"...Why are you making that face?"
As if guessing her troubled mind, Piyo asked in a puzzled voice.
Ayla bit her lip and said,
"It's because you grew up too fast. How did you grow so quickly?"
"Curious?"
"Yes, I know it takes at least a few years for a Dragon to reach adulthood... but you haven't even been hatched from the egg for a year."
Piyo narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment.
"Well. I don't really know."
"You don't know?"
He nodded and continued in a stiff voice.
"Yeah, it just feels like I've returned to normal. Like I've finally found my lost body."
Ayla tilted her head at his enigmatic words.
"Lost body? Then does that mean your previous body wasn't yours?"
"......"
Piyo closed his mouth again as if he was too bothered to answer.
Ayla let out a frustrated breath and changed the subject.
"I didn't want to pry because you seem reluctant to talk, but honestly, you've been acting a bit suspicious lately. You even know spells that aren't in any books..."
The Magic he had used to save Peony flashed through her mind.
She had only watched from the side, but Ayla immediately recognized that the flow of Mana was completely different from the existing ones.
"Where did you learn those spells?"
At her question, the man's eyes rolled around.
"I just, suddenly remembered it in my head. What kind of Magic I needed to use to save Peony. And then my body suddenly grew."
"......"
"It feels like all of this isn't the first time. Like I've experienced it once before."
Ayla narrowed her eyes as she listened to his words.
For some reason, she felt a familiar sense of déjà vu from his words.
'Come to think of it, I've also experienced all of this once before. Maybe Piyo is like me...?'
However, she couldn't get any more answers from him.
He had lost interest in the conversation and had already turned around and started walking somewhere.
Ayla sighed briefly as she watched the man's back.
"Haa..."
Still, listening to his words, she could be sure of one thing.
No matter how magical Dragons are, they can't perfectly use Magic they've never even encountered before.
There must be a reason.
'Thinking about it, it was Piyo who told me how to break the Paternity test magic tool.'
Ayla's lips hardened at the belated realization.
"Hoo..."
The Emperor took a nervous breath and stood in front of Peony's bedroom.
Then, the maids guarding the door looked at him and asked.
"Shall we inform the Princess that His Majesty has come to visit?"
But the Emperor shook his head with his mouth tightly shut.
"No, I'll go in and talk to her myself."
Having steeled his heart, he slowly moved his feet.
As soon as he opened the door and entered, he carefully called out his daughter's name.
"Peony."
Peony, who was lying in bed, slowly turned her head at the familiar voice.
And soon, her eyes met the Emperor, who was standing weakly at the door.
As soon as she saw his face, which looked even older today, her heart ached strangely.
"...Father."
Soon, she slowly raised her body, but the Emperor waved his hand and stopped her.
"No, keep lying down. You must have had a hard time. How is your body, how is it?"
"Ah..."
Peony blankly opened her mouth and then nodded.
"Yes, thanks to Ayla and the Black Dragon, I'm fine now."
"I heard you've been taking poison for a long time, are there any side effects left?"
"...You knew?"
"I only found out now."
The Emperor slowly moved his feet and approached her, sitting down beside her.
And he carefully took Peony's hand in his. Peony stared blankly at his hand and bit her lip.
The Emperor, who always seemed big and strong, felt small today.
"I only feel sorry for you. How could I have been so indifferent..."
The Emperor's voice echoed pitifully.
"I heard everything from Ayla. Everything about the terrible things you've been through."
"I'm fine, Father. Everything has been revealed now."
"Peony..."
The Emperor couldn't speak for a moment, and looked at her with trembling eyes.
"Did you hear what happened?"
"...Yes, that the Empress was the one who tried to kill me."
"Don't even call her Empress. She's already been kicked out of the Imperial Palace and is confined to a separate palace anyway."
The Emperor muttered in a voice dripping with coldness.
It seemed that he had completely lost all affection for the Empress because of this incident.
"Confined to a separate palace?"
Peony asked with her eyes wide open. The Emperor frowned and replied.
"Don't be surprised. It was the punishment she deserved. Of course, it won't end there."
"Then what will happen to her in the future?"
"...Considering that she is Darian's birth mother, I will not take her life. However, I can't let such a woman be the Empress of the Empire. I plan to depose her from the position of Empress and confine her to a separate palace for the rest of her life."
Peony's eyes widened in surprise. The Emperor's decision was much more ruthless than expected.
Soon, the Emperor muttered in a self-deprecating voice.
"I should have done this sooner, I'm sorry. If it weren't for Ayla, I would have gone through life without knowing this fact."
A bitter smile spread across Peony's lips.
"I told you I'm fine. I'm just happy that Father is back on my side."
Even though she knew that the Empress had tried to kill her, she was surprisingly calm.
That attitude only made the Emperor's heart ache more.
"So, how is Brother doing now? He must have been very shocked."
"...Darian is also a very commendable fellow. He said he didn't want to hurt you and confessed his mother's crime himself. And he also said he would give up his right to inherit the throne."
"I see, Brother..."
Peony was inwardly surprised.
Just as Ayla had said, Prince Darian had given up the throne and confessed the Empress's crime.
'Honestly, I didn't think it would be easy.'
With this incident, almost all the people who could threaten her in the Imperial Palace had disappeared.
In addition, she had come one step closer to the throne she had dreamed of.
But why?
It was a moment that should have made her happy, but strangely, her mood sank.
'Brother Darian's dream was to become Emperor.'
She felt sorry for him for making him give up that dream because of her.
At the same time, she also felt a sense of relief.
'The words that he cared about me weren't completely false.'
Just the fact that Darian wasn't the one who poisoned her made her heart strangely full.
Peony quietly closed her eyes.
Suddenly, she remembered the time when she was suffering from a high fever as a child and couldn't even open her eyes.
Every time that happened, someone would change the cold towel and wipe away her cold sweat.
At first, she thought it was her nanny, but later she realized it was Darian.
"Prince Darian is also very amazing. He strongly refused even when I said I would do it. He said that family should be by your side at times like this."
"...I see."
Although she couldn't find him when she opened her eyes again.
However, Peony's small heart pounded at the fact that there was a family who had been by her side while she was sick.
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