Chapter 360: Daydreaming

In the capital of the Lockman Kingdom, named after the royal family, Skarlet, within the magnificent palace, Muria looked somewhat painfully at the spirited King Beleradin. By his appearance, one would never guess that he was a man nearing death.

"How many more people do you intend to invite to my regency ceremony?" Muria asked helplessly. Over the past few days, aside from transferring various secret rights to him and teaching him how to handle state affairs, the king had been eagerly dispatching a multitude of messengers.

Beleradin had notified not only all the major and minor nobles within the country but also the three neighboring nations of different races, as well as every notable country and power on the Nokiao-Europe subcontinent with legendary figures stationed within. It seemed he wanted the entire subcontinent to know of Muria's upcoming position as the regent of the Lockman Kingdom.

Of course, this was not entirely feasible, with only fifteen days to prepare. However, making half of the subcontinent aware and getting them to participate in Muria's ceremony was certainly achievable.

The teleportation networks of the current Erathia world were quite developed. Any power with a little foundation could construct and use them, and kingdom-level powers could set up teleportation arrays across their entire territory.

"Of course, the more, the better." As Muria had anticipated, Beleradin indeed wanted all of Nokiao-Europe to know that Muria would be taking over as the regent of Nokman.

The Skarlet family, having tied their fate to such an impressive figure, naturally wanted to publicize this widely, ensuring no power would dare to provoke the Nokman Kingdom.

"Alright, as you arrange."

"By the way, have you contacted those ancient dragons? When you take the scepter from me, you'll need to summon them all. It would be quite embarrassing if there were any mishaps." Beleradin, a man facing imminent death and having spent days and nights with Muria, had lost all regal dignity and cunning, speaking his mind freely.

"You've asked me that question no less than a hundred times, eighty at the least. I've already made the arrangements, and the ancient dragons have all agreed," Muria responded with a hint of exasperation to the increasingly anxious king.

"That's good, that's good." Beleradin, slightly embarrassed by Muria's complaint, laughed it off but soon asked, "Can we do a rehearsal now? Summon those ancient dragons for a trial?"

"What do you think ancient dragons are?" Muria looked at the king with a mix of annoyance and helplessness.

Although it was somewhat amusing, Muria understood the king's perspective. Beleradin's soul had been severely corrupted by a curse, leading to a fate worse than a typical death, where his soul would shatter entirely.

Surprisingly accepting of this grim fate, the king had no extreme reactions and was calmly dealing with his impending end. Now, his concerns were focused solely on the success of the ceremony and the future of his kingdom and his daughter, Remilia.

...

On the sixteenth day since Muria was summoned to the Nokiao-Europe subcontinent, early morning before sunrise when the sky was still a dim gray, the capital of the Nokman Kingdom stirred with activity. Soldiers maintaining order and nobles entering the city for the ceremony filled the streets.

"Why is it so noisy?" In a small estate spanning just two or three acres, a noble youth wrapped in velvet blankets grumbled due to the city's commotion, unable to sleep any longer, and groggily opened his eyes.

"Anderson, have you lost your mind? Did you forget why we traveled all the way to the capital?" As the noble youth complained, his door was kicked open. A young noblewoman in an elegant court dress, revealing smooth, rounded shoulders and a delicate clavicle, stood at the door, looking at her brother with a mocking expression.

"Oh, Lydia, when will you learn to knock on my door politely and quietly like a true noble lady, instead of barging in like a common maid without manners?"

"A true noble lady?" Lydia sneered at her brother's comment. "My foolish brother, do you really think those dignified, eloquent noble ladies are as they appear in public? Don't be naive; in private, they are no different from me."

"I won't believe a word you say. A true lady would never be as crude as you," Anderson said expressionlessly.

"The ladies you've seen before are sometimes cruder than you imagine; you just haven't seen it," Lydia bluntly shattered her brother's unrealistic fantasies. "Even if there are true ladies in this world, they wouldn't bother with someone who can't even remember the time."

"Someday I will find a true lady to be my wife. Just you wait."

"Naïve and foolish," Lydia shook

 her head, unwilling to discuss further with her brother, who had yet to see the harsh realities of the world. "Get up and get ready, no more lazing in bed."

"The sun hasn't even risen yet," Anderson protested. "Even if today is the day the Regent takes office, it's still too early."

"What's early about this? A legendary duke has already entered the palace to wait; we need to get ready and head to the palace right away," Lydia urged, "Father is already preparing; it's just you left."

"Why are you so excited?" Anderson looked curiously at his sister, who usually woke later than he did.

"The ceremony is indeed grand, but it's irrelevant to us minor rural nobles; we're just here as part of the backdrop."

"Don't you know? The one replacing King Beleradin as regent is a Gold Dragon," Lydia said dreamily. "I heard Gold Dragons are all wise and when they take human form, they are handsome, elegant, and gentlemanly."

"Daydreaming again. Do you really expect a Gold Dragon capable of governing the Lockman Kingdom to take an interest in a human noblewoman from the countryside?" Anderson mercilessly teased his sister.

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT