"Dragon drool might be useful for something," Commented Cythrel. "It's magical, isn't it?"

"No, just no," Dawn answered while she pressed her temples. The bracelets did a number on her, sending her back to that state of mild fever and headache. "I don't want to think about dragon drool for a moment more than I have to. if you want, feel free to roll on the bed and soak up in power. it is not going to happen though."

Skippy spent the last several hours lying over a sleeping Dawn, slobbering the big cores storing the mana drained from her bracelets and sucking the Cosmos mana out of it. It seems the dragon is an aficionado for the supreme Element, or maybe even an addict. The end result was a dragon with a full belly of mana and a girl covered in drool sleeping on a drenched bed.

"Ash..." Dawn didn't finish the spell. Some scary beastkin was glaring daggers at her.

"If you incinerate another bed, I'm grounding you, 'Princess'," Sora was the one to go fetch a dress from the dormitory just because she was the fastest one without using magic.

"Seriously, I can feel magical power emanating from the bed. Don't burn it," Cythrel insisted on her theory. "Shouldn't we get a jar or something?"

"No. This thing is as useful as Princess Tears to us. Or elven hair. Sora, fetch the scissors," Dawn threatened.

"Once you get this dress off of me, 'Your Highness'." Sora rolled her eyes.

'Why was Sora annoyed. Did she resent the errand? Did I do something wrong? Is it Astro's fault for being too harsh a teacher?' Dawn thought.

"Sora, why?" She asked. Dawn let her arms hang by her sides, the weight of the bracelets tiring her out. She really needed to work out some muscle but who has time?

"I got a bad feeling, okay? Some premonition. It is like I feel a storm brewing," She answered.

"Well, it is still spring. A storm can come. Your senses might've improved now that you awakened to magic," Dawn dismissed absentmindedly. "Well, time to get rid of the drool."

"Evaporate!"

The dragon drool vanished from both Dawn and the bed. A glistening powder was left behind.

"Genius!" Cythrel squealed. "This dust is concentrated dragon drool. It is almost like raw crystallized mana powder."

"Sora, how long is this girl going to drone about dragon drool?"

"I don't know but you have other matters to attend. You are glowing by the way."

She lifted her arms and looked at the bracelets. The thin powder from the dried dragon drool was glistening and flaking off of her skin.

"I guess you are right." A knock on the door interrupted them. "Come in!"

Pearl entered the bedroom. She was already dressed, her makeup impeccable and there was almost a kilogram of jewelry on the petite princess.

"What are you guys doing here? And why aren't you already dressed, Darling? We have an appointment at the bakery!"

"What?" Dawn did a double-take. "Why would Princesses have to arrive on time? Shouldn't we let them wait? Is there something you are not telling me?"

Pearl glanced at Sora and the beastkin avoided her eyes. Behind them, Cythrel was scooping the powdered dragon drool in a jar.

"Anyway," Dawn continued. "What aren't you telling me?"

Sora and Pearl fidgeted and Dawn only got even more suspicious.

"He, he. This is worth a fortune!" Cythrel giggled, intoxicated by greed. She sorta ruined the mood but since it was a tense uncomfortable mood she actually did everyone a favor.

Dawn turned around to both chide the elf and let the two obvious conspirators room to breathe. She was too tired to deal with those shenanigans.

"We are not selling Skippy's drool. One, we don't need money. Two, that's Skippy's drool. Three, that mana type cannot go out into the market." Letting something with Cosmos mana out would eventually draw trouble. Big trouble. Like a score of greedy and crazed archmages scouring the town for the source of that resource. Or a flight of dragons wanting the source of ultimate mana. There was a fourth reason, that stuff was impossible to price. Huge no.

Even though it would be a marvelous material for enchanting. Each grain of that stuff could be used in place of low-rank cores and with more precision...

"Cythrel. Please take this jar of dust to Aidan upstairs. He needs it for his current project."

The little elf saluted and grinned. "Told you the stuff was useful. It looks so good I wonder how it tastes."

"Eww. That's Skippy's drool," Dawn grimaced. "Hurry up and go now."

"As you will, taskmaster!" She bolted for the door with the almost full jar.

After Cythrel left, Dawn focused and released a glob of Ether mana to neutralize the particles glistening on the bed. Who knows what effect that much magic concentrated in a single place would cause on that bed. Especially given her track record with such sleeping implements.

Aidan was busy enchanting the items he picked up at the jeweler. The fact that the girls were going to the bakery was a godsend. They were together all the time, he barely had time to work on it. With Astromelicus' guidance, he carefully engraved the circles in the inner part of the pieces using a special cockatrice feather pen embedded in acid. He really hoped this time things would go well and that this would work. He was running out of options.

He stopped to ask Astromelicus a favor. "Headmaster, Cythrel will knock on the door in a few moments to deliver an item, could you get it?"

"Surely. Take care to let the excess acid out of the pen before using it. You don't want to ruin the piece."

"That is why I have three of them but you are correct. Thank you."

The stone feather of the cockatrice was one of the few avian monster pens that had three distinct advantages. They could both endure the caustic acid he was using and was safe for humans to manipulate. Add that the fact that they were not as difficult to procure and you had the enchanter's go to pen for delicate work. There were other feathers that made awesome pens like a Couatl's rainbow feather even those from heavenly beings, but good luck getting one of these.

Astromelicus took the jar without letting Cythrel glance inside.

Back in the bedroom, Pearl was looking at Dawn's bracelets. "Are they already fully charged?"

Dawn looked at them and at the engorged sleeping dragon. "No. Skippy kept draining them."

Pearl sighed, "Then how are you using magic while wearing them? Those are modified mana-draining bracelets! The kind that is used to imprison really dangerous mages."

"Oh." Dawn looked back at the bracelets. "My guess is that my mana recovery surpasses the capacity of them to drain mana. I can't use too powerful magic but right now I have about the same magical power as Cythrel."

"Why you belittle me so, S-ranker?" Cythrel whimpered from the door, pretending to be hurt.

"Well, we can't have Lumina using what is basically a torture instrument. Get them off and get dressed."

"Okay."

Dawn stashed the bracelets in a locked trunk and after dressing up, putting on makeup and jewelry she looked at herself in the mirror.

"There is only one thing that tells you are not Lumina," Pearl commented from her side while Sora fixed the last details of the round skirt. "The hair."

"That is easy to fix." Easy for her, Dawn meant.

She gathered Creation mana and directed it to the tips of her hair. She was getting really good at improvised magic. Wasteful as cutting an oak to make a single toothpick, but she had nothing better to do with her mana at the time. Dawn's hair grew to reach her knees. A good portion of an hour later it was also styled for going out.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Let's go."

----------------------------------------

"We are honored with the Princesses presence in our humble bakery!" The bakery staff greeted them in a way that was obviously rehearsed.

Decorated bread of all kinds was on display. There was even one that resembled Lumina's head if you squinted very hard. A table with six places was set in the middle of the main room and it was visible that other pieces of furniture were moved away. There were four of them present and it made Dawn wonder who were the other two. A high stand held a woven basket with a fluffy pillow, probably meant for the sleeping dragon currently carried by Sora.

Pearl glanced at Dawn, and she knew she had to address the baker.

"Master Baker, we will be in your care this afternoon. We expect your best service." She spoke alternating between kind and haughty. Maybe she should take more time to sift through the memories they stole from Lumina.

"Please, your Highness, allow me to show you your seats."

They sat and the staff brought a silver three-tier curated stand, with porcelain plates rimmed with gold and several pastries. Now that she was focusing on Lumina's memories, she recognized they should eat them from the bottom up. Dawn looked at the pastries and found no raisins. She made a note to research a raisin detection spell. And by that, she meant that Aidan stopped engraving with the cockatrice feather to write a proper note on his notebook back at the laboratory.

"I hope you find our humble afternoon tea adequate, your Highness Lumina. Would you like black tea, your Highness?"

Dawn nodded.

"One or two cubes of sugar?"

"Two, no cream."

The servers poured steaming black tea for all of them. Dawn silently placed a heat resistance spell on Cythrel. Sora and Pearl had Fire affinity and were naturally resistant enough to withstand their tea. She took the cup and sipped. The rich flavor of the black tea filled her mouth and prepared her tongue for tasting the first dish, savory bread and sandwiches. They were small but Dawn knew they were made to be eaten in just a few bites so the participants could chat between themselves.

Dawn caught all gazes on her, including her fellow girls. Pearl's was aquiline, like an inspector looking for a fault but Cythrel and Sora were waiting to see how it was done so they could imitate. Dawn noticed that this style of tea service was not that common outside the court. She went first to show how it should be done.

They chatted and ate. Meanwhile, back at the Academy...

"It is finished. Headmaster, could you please re-check the diagrams for any flaws?"

"Of course. I am pleased that you took to enchanting, cadet Aidan. It is almost a lost art these days and one I wouldn't want to see vanish while I still live. The age of great heroes is past us because we abandoned enchanting but the mage wars left a taste sour enough to make everyone eschew enchanted tools. Almost everyone, of course. The S-ranked hunters still need to clad themselves in magic to withstand the dangers of high-ranked monsters."

Astromelicus' words unwittingly hurt Aidan as they remembered him of his missing parents. But he had to solve his Princess problems before going out looking for them. Astromelicus kept analyzing the diagrams engraved in the inner side of the mithril pieces, humming and making surprised faces. He used a few diagnostic spells and after a quarter of an hour returned them to Aidan.

"They are perfect. All it needs now is to activate using the mana signature of their intended user."

"Thank you, Headmaster."

Aidan assembled the parts of the two objects by snapping them back in place. Unless you knew where the seams were, you'd think it was a single piece. He placed the felt inner lining on the two enchanted pieces and clasped it in place. They were finally complete and ready for use. Aidan packed his enchanting gear, taking care to remove all the acid from the cockatrice feather. He was about to go away with the big jewelry case when someone knocked on the door.

"Busy day, it seems." He chuckled.

He opened the door to find Princess Claire, dressed to kill in a light orange gown with white elbow gloves and a lot of jewelry. Some knights were with her as escorts and Aidan noticed she was here in official business.

"Your Highness, what is the matter?"

"Lord Aidan, your presence is necessary. Follow me, please." She turned her head away and Aidan knew he wasn't supposed to reply, just follow. He scratched his chin but decided to follow anyway. He, Aidan had no qualms with the Royal Family and especially none with Claire. It was Dawn that had problems with the Prince and the King, he had to remind himself of that.

They went to a carriage that had the windows shutters completely closed. The interior was dark but Claire used her magic to set a light inside. Funny thing, Aidan didn't remember Claire using magic during their tenure at the hospital or their winter runaway. maybe something to do with the fact that every single person in the royal family could use Light magic and a late awakening. Or something else. Like they had some secret ingredient that grants Light affinity like the Elder Fairy Wings.

The carriage clopped in the cobblestone streets and Aidan had no idea where they were going but he had a hunch. The strength of his soul tether was increasing, and it meant getting closer to Dawn. If they went away after a while he would know he wasn't being surreptitiously taken to the bakery. Those two empty seats Dawn was looking at right now were a dead giveaway. He decided to just clutch the case in his arms and go with the flow. If they were going to the bakery, it would suit his plans just fine.

"I see you are wearing your own Regalia Ring," Aidan told the Princess.

"Yes. Father thought to make all of us wear ours, so she wouldn't stand out. Because of our soon-to-arrive guests," Claire explained, making a disgusted face when she said 'guests'.

He changed the subject and made some small talk with her while they went on their way.

The vehicle stopped and Aidan knew they were in front of the bakery. Dawn was making a big effort to keep her poker face. Lumina's lessons really helped. She slowly sipped lukewarm tea to cover her mouth as she eyed Cythrel feeding herself with a Sylph's Hand spell.

"We are here," Claire informed.

The Princess was trying to read Aidan's face but the boy just tapped his case and smiled.

"Let me be your footman, your Highness." He told her as the door opened. The footman of the carriage took a step back to let the Lord help the Princess. Aidan handed him the wooden case so he had free hands to help Claire down.

"Why, thank you, Lord Aidan." Claire saw the smirk on his face and was sure he knew where they were.

"You're most welcome, your Highness. I can sense my counterpart from afar if the thought crossed your mind."

"Not at all," She told a white lie. "I heard the pastries here are marvelous."

"I can surely taste some of them." He took her right hand and guided it into the fold of his left arm.

"Lead on, Lord Aidan." The Princess commanded with a mirthful tone.

Aidan took the case from the footman and crossed the porch into the bakery. The girls pretended to be surprised by his entrance as if it wasn't scripted but Aidan found it endearing. He led the Princess to her seat and after his escort quest was complete he took a step back and bowed to 'Lumina' and to Pearl in the appropriate order. He then stood up near the table. The thought of making Dawn invite him crossed his mind but now that the First Princess was seated, it was Claire's duty to say it.

"Please, Lord Aidan, I'd be delighted if you took the seat next to me." Claire finally told him.

He sat between Claire and Sora. Sora was next to Cyhtrel and Dawn was between the Elf and the guest Princess. It gave him a full view of the entire bakery after he compounded his two pairs of eyes on opposite sides of the table.

They made some small talk and two other three-tiered plate stands came from the kitchen for the newcomers, Princess and Lord. After they got through their first course with a bit of haste, the doors to the kitchen were thrown open and a tiered cake covered with decorated frosting came on a cart.

Pearl waved a hand and the candles on the cake flared alight. Otherworlders in this kind of occasion would start to sing a very common song in their world but it fell from grace after some minstrels made funny parodies and now nobody sang it anymore.

"Happy Birthday, Lord Aidan." The two real Princesses, Sora and Cythrel cried at the same time.

Aidan was really surprised. Between his frantic research and Dawn's affinity training, he lost track of time. His birthday was indeed at the end of Spring but he had no idea it was today. He glanced at Sora but she read his surprise and nodded. Yes, it was today.

The girls congratulated him and after a round of handshakes and polite kisses, they all ate cake. Even Skippy woke up to put something that was not raw mana in his belly. The sight of the little dragon with cake frosting all over his neck, wings and front paws was endearing.

The master baker came and they all congratulated him on the quality of his food. They kept talking and partaking on the pastries and tea. After some back and forth, Aidan decided to break the conversation.

"Could I have a minute of your attention, my Ladies?" Aidan asked, pulling the case up.

They all saw the case but none of the other four girls knew what was inside. He let a dramatic pause linger for a while and moved once he noticed some of them holding their breaths.

"I have a gift here for a very important person." He opened the case.

Inside were two bracers made of a silvery-white metal. The surface was crafted to remember entwined vines with leaves and some flowers here and there following no specific pattern. In the middle of each flower, there was a light blue crystal that caught the light and sparkled. The work felt delicate enough that the flowers would bend just from touching.

"These are amazing," Claire whispered with wide eyes.

"That's mithril, isn't it?" Sora asked Aidan.

"Whose are..." Pearl started to ask but stopped when she saw that the front of the bracers was closed off.

Aidan took them out of the case and crossed behind Sora. Cythrel didn't know what to do and Dawn rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Cythrel. Raise your arms." Aidan asked.

The girl squealed and raised the stub of her arms out of her cloak. Aidan slowly slid the bracers over, covering the arms and the lower part of the elbow.

"Feels so good!" She almost moaned.

With the bracers firmly in place, Aidan told her to channel mana through them. She did and the gems glowed with the light blue mist mana for a while and the bracers shifted slightly in size to fit snug against her arms.

"Does it hurt?" He asked.

"No, no! It is tight but feels very good."

The unintended double entendre sparked laughter among them.

"How is the mana drain?" Aidan kept checking the devices with his mana sight. The enchantments seemed to be working fine, but given Cythrel's D-rank mana pool, the drain was a source of concern.

"It is still sucking a lot but I can endure it." This time only Sora chuckled. "What? Oh." Cythrel blushed when she noticed why Sora chuckled.

"Once the cores finish charging, it will be only a trickle. But they have to charge up with your mana signature or the enchantments won't react properly."

They kept chatting and joking around while the bakery staff serviced them.

Everything was fine, until...

They were interrupted by a boasting male voice coming from the front porch.

"Oh. Is this a welcome party for me?"

Everyone looked at the bakery door. There was a man there, maybe in his twenties with a beautiful woman next to him, both in very fine clothing. Skippy growled, angry. Smoke was coming from the little dragon's mouth. Dawn and Aidan both shivered as if a wraith was playing with their spines. Pearl recognized the heraldry and sighed. Cythrel and Sora were just alert, without fully understanding the situation but already smelling the trouble.

The man walked inside, theatrically sniffing the air. He put his hands on his waist and smiled like only a jerk full of himself could smile. Dawn had to hold herself to avoid sending a beam of disintegrating Destruction mana his way. Aidan felt his very core stir with hatred.

"What is wrong, Lumina? Aren't you happy to see your fiancé?"

Crown Prince Brody of Heath had arrived in Yutis.

The game was on.