Theo entered the luxurious room after the princess let her. It was a huge room located on the top of one of the castle towers. Gold and expensive decoration filled the walls. There was a big open balcony overlooking the entire city.
"Please Sir Theo, enjoy yourself looking at my room." Princess Aria said when she noticed Theo looking all over her room.
"Thank you Princess, and please, I'm not a sir."
"But you are a hero, Sir Theo."
Theo proceeded to look at all the decoration in the room, but one thing caught his attention more than the other. There was a cage in one corner of the room, and the small lizard thingy sleeping inside it.
He couldn't believe it at first. He thought that it was only a statue. But upon closer inspection, he could see the yellow scales on its chest moving up and down. He inspected it as close as he could without disturbing its sleep. "Is that truly..."
"Yes." The princess answered before he could finish his question. She joined Theo at looking at the little thingy. "She's only a newborn. I got the egg from a trader from the Free Cities who said he got it from a merchant from Westrend. I bought it for only 200 gold. Ff only that merchant knew what was inside that egg, maybe the merchant thought it was just a very good replica. She's a cute one isn't she?"
"Yes.. she is. A wonder." Theo said. He was lost for words. Theo couldn't believe what had happened that day. Before, he was getting one of the best swords in the kingdom. Then, he saw one of the wonders of the world. Wonders that had gone extinct since before the first human ever set foot on the continent.
Many scholars have speculated about the dragon race, but it was all speculation. Many claimed to have seen a dragon or a sighting of one, but no real expedition ever found a dragon or even any dragon egg. So the creature in front of him is probably the only one of its kind left. Not counting Ed that was. "Princess, do you know what this could mean to the intellectual world? This..... This could change everything we know about dragons."
"I know, that's why I never told anyone, but a few friends, and you." She replied with a smile. "He is the kingdom's national treasure. If anyone hears about this, there's no doubt many will try to get him. Forcefully or not. I hope you won't tell anyone after this."
"I won't."
"Let's sit and talk business shall we?" They both walked away from the cage and sat on the chair in that room opposite to each other. Theo's eyes gazed her thoroughly. Now that he was able to look at her without any distraction, he realized her face was attractive. Not only that, she also She had a nice appeal. While her body proportion couldn't match Ana, when it come to the face, she fit more with his preference.
"Okay." Theo rubbed his hand together. "I come here to.."
"To ask me about te succession war am I correct?" She said before he could finish his sentence. Theo was a bit shocked to hear it. "What? Do you think I don't know that you know?"
'Did she already know that I sided with Ana?' Theo Thought. His heart beat faster as he thought about it.
"I hope your recent encounter with Sir Roderyk didn't give you the wrong impression about me. I know what he had done and what he's trying to accomplish and I'm not proud of it. He acted on his own without my command, trying to solve the succession war in a bloody way." She took a long breath.
"Then why? Why are you so insistent about taking the throne?"
"Believe me Sir Theo, if I could, I don't even want this succession war. I don't want this already crumbling family to be ripped apart even more, but I have to. After father fell to despair, corruption ran wild in the kingdom. The noble house acted like they wanted the best for the kingdom but they only work for their own agenda. They are the leech of this kingdom. If I let this going on I could only see this kingdom in ashes in the near future. What we need is a reform to limit the nobility power and control. I believe you haveseend such corruption first hand."
"Yes. But why didn't you let your sister take the throne then? That would also solve the problem and you could take the position of her advisor." Theo suggested.
Princess Aria made a small smile and stared at the floor. "Sir Theo. After what happened these past few days I believe you have gotten pretty close with sister right?"
"Yes."
"Then according to her, what kind of person am I?" She asked with a bitter voice. "I believe she doesn't think highly of me. Who do you think supported her in the council, Sir Theo?"
"Emilia, other than that I don't know."
"Yes Emilia the general of Penguin corps, or known as the blue corps. She's a good and smart person, but she and sister are backed by the house of nobility of the council. Which as I said before are the leech of this country. They gave Emilia and sister false rumor about me, hoping to make us hate each other, and they have succeeded. Not only that, they planted their conservative idea in sister's mind. They made Sister and Emilia think that a reform will only destabilize the country. While it might be true for short term. In the long run, a reform that reduces the nobility control will surely make this country better." She bowed her head. "Please Sir Theo, I need your help to fix this country. This country, need your help."
"Wait-wait a moment, I need to think this through." Theo grabbed his forehead.
Princess Aria stood and sat next to Theo. "It's fine. I know it's hard for you, thinking you trust someone then the next moment you know that person is lying to you, but that's politic." She placed her hand on Theo's shoulder. "And I know my offer is nothing compared to my sister's. If she became the queen, you might as well be her husband. She's infatuated with you, and I'm afraid I can't offer you more than that. But hear me, Sir Theo." She placed her hand on his cheek and pulled his head so their eyes met. "I know about your relationship with many women, I don't think that's wrong. A strong, handsome men like you deserve more than one woman. If you marry sister and become the royal consort, you have to keep a good image, you won't be able to have other women. Even if sister let you have your way, the public and the nobility won't. But if I become the queen... I can arrange a few... things." Her hand slowly moved down from his shoulder to his chest then lower and lower. She bit her lower lips. "Even I..." Her face turned red. She stood up and walked away. "I'm sorry, I-I get carried away."
"N-No-No it's fine." He stuttered. "But well, you do have some point. While I don't know much about the political situation, I have seen the decline in trade and the increase in criminality and corruption in the past few years. And well, your offer is tempting." He stood up. "But I still need time to get my mind right."
"Please take your time. You can come here anytime you want, Sir Theo" She replied with a smile.
Theo walked closer to her and took out Roderyk badge from his pouch. "This." He gave it to the princess "He is a precious subordinate to you isn't he?"
The princess took it. She looked at it with sadness in her eyes. "Thank you. Sir Theo."
"I'm going to leave now princess. If I may ask, IF I decided to support you, what would you want me to do?" He said emphasizing on the 'if' part.
"You're not going to be here for long, right? A man like you, your name will be known far and wide sooner or later. A true hero. So go out there, seek your dream and when the time come give me your support. By that time the whole population will follow their hero." She said with a big smile on her face.
"Then I take my leave princess." He bowed and left the room. Theo's face turned red a little. It was rare for him to be embarrassed after all that he had ever done, but it was different. The charisma the princess has was on another level than anyone he ever met. Her smile, her stare, something felt different about her. He suspected the princess to have a charisma talent class 4 if not class 5.
As Theo headed outside, Emilia was already waiting for him. Unlike before, They didn't head to a room but walked to the castle courtyard. "Is it okay like this?" Theo asked unsure whether it's safe or not to speak.
"It's fine. It's harder to spy on someone on the courtyard and I already have taken some measure." She said.
Theo found no lie in Aria's word. While she might only telling him half-truth, it did shake his resolve quite a bit. Not only her offer was tempting, if what she said about the corrupt noble supporting Ana was true, then supporting her might be more beneficial in the long run. He did not care about Amaryn political state or the corrupt noble that run it. But if he could, he wanted to make Amaryn better for his women in Aeston.
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Unable to hold back her laughter, Princess Aria finally lets it all out.
"Princess." A green haired mature woman, Natalie, came out from the side room. She was Aria's most trusted advisor, her closest aide, and her head maid.
"What a fool! What a fool! HAHAHAHHAH" her laughter became louder and louder. "I hope you see his eyes, Nat. It was priceless, he believed me. What a fool! Men like him are soo easy to manipulate. Either you bring out the cry or the seduction, and they attach themselves to the string."
"I hope you don't underestimate him, Princess. He's someone who killed Roderyk after all."
"I know Nat, I know. I'll play along with him a little bit more. He could still be useful to us." Aria handed Natalie Roderyk's badge. "Unlike certain someone."
"What do you want me to do with Roderyk's lover?"
"Oh yeah, I remember that's the reason we're able to use that person. What a shameful display for a royal guard. Not only did he take a lover despite his vow, he chose boys over girls. His lover is just a commoner, kill him. We don't need him anymore now that Roderyk is dead."
"At once your highness." She bowed and left the room.
The princess sat back on the chair and stared at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and recalled Theo blushing face. She laughed again and placed her hand on her eyes. "What a joke. He's a womanizer yet fall to a woman's lies all the same." She glanced at the opened balcony. "Subaru! Kanae!" She called.
Two women appeared on her balcony the moment she called. They both wore a black cloak that covered all, leaving only their eyes uncovered. ""You called us Princess?"" They spoke in unison.
While Aria did not have control over the spy corps or the secret police, some of Amaryn spies are loyal to her more than to the kingdom. The two were her most trusted spies.
"Yes. I need something." She said. As she stood up. They both immediately kneeled. "Are you sure that he is the manipulator we believe? He didn't seem like it."
"I'm sure, princess. Maybe it is exactly because he's so good at seducing women that he couldn't tell if a woman truly interested in him or not. Not to mention your Class 4 acting talent, Princess."
"So you are saying that because he never failed, he does not think that I might be tricking him?"
"Exactly, Princess."
Aria poured a glass of wine and drank it. "Subaru you're going to follow that man. Take caution and don't let yourself be noticed."
"Yes, Princess."
"Kanae, you're going to Aeston and gain information about that man lover. He should have many, choose one that he is closest to or most vulnerable. Her daily routine, her job, her friend, everything about her that we could use against that man. And prepare to kidnap her the moment I give the message."
"Yes, Princess."
"Dismissed."
The two women disappeared. Aria walked to the now empty balcony and looked down at the courtyard, where Theo and Emilia were walking together. She let out a disappointed sigh. "What a disappointment. I thought you're going to be more interesting than this."