Chapter 29

The air was thick with the smell of the freshly made food that had been prepared for the banquet. Seraphine Baelaeron sat at the table with her parents, enjoying a sumptuous feast. Platters of roasted chicken, glazed with honey and herbs, were placed before them. Beside the chicken were bowls of rich, creamy mashed potatoes, and steaming green beans lightly tossed in butter and garlic.

Together with the other 39 families of the Dragon, they sat on a platform raised high above the stands, giving them a fantastic view of the festivities. Below them, lesser nobles, Valyrian citizens, and visitors from all over the known world filled the grand arena, eager to witness the spectacle. The platform was adorned with banners of the Freehold, their sigil proudly displayed for all to see.

It was time for a spectacle that occurred only once every two years, a tournament in which the families could engage in a peaceful competition among themselves.

The Bōjurlion was filled to the brim with over 200,000 souls crowding the arena. She had never seen so many people in one place before. Thousands and thousands and thousands of them.

She sat prim and proper in her chair, looking out over the teeming people as she ate her delicious chicken.

The people were cheering loudly and wildly, and she couldn't have imagined sitting here if it wasn't for the runes who dulled down the sound for them.

This was the most anticipated event there was in Vaylria and the people were cheering as loud as they could, and the main competition hadn't even started yet.

Before the Children of the Dragon could compete, there was a small tournament between the children of the lesser nobility, a foreplay to properly excite the crowd.

She blushed madly as she found the double meaning in her own thoughts. She cursed her cousin Lysandra for this. In the weeks leading up to the great tournament, the whole family came together, and that included Lysandra.

When she first heard about her and her brother, she was beside herself. Her brother belonged to her and her alone. They came into the world together and should live their lives together. The gods, and especially Meleys, the Goddess of Love and Fertility, willed it so. It was their destiny.

She couldn't stop blushing as she remembered her brother's face.

They were destined for each other. Like her brother, her body matured faster than others. At this, she looked down at her dress and cupped her breasts, which were already so big they no longer fit in her hands, but that didn't mean she was fat. Far from it, she was the perfect woman. Her parents called them blessed, but she knew that the person who was truly blessed was her brother.

Part of her had felt jealous of all the attention and praise her brother had gotten, but another part of her was just proud of him. He was hers and she was his.

But then Lysandra came and snatched him away from her. She had been sure that he was bewitched and wanted to fly there immediately, but after the many stunts her brother had pulled, her parents kept a tight lock around her, preventing her from just sneaking off with her dragon.

The past few weeks gave her the first opportunity to confront Lysandra, and she did just that. She hurled every possible insult at her cousin, calling her a deceitful and double-faced woman and saying it was no wonder her name began with "Lys," the city of whores.

But when she finished and was out of breath, Lysandra said only one thing: "I know your feelings, and I feel the same for him."

She wanted to tear Lysandra apart right there for that statement; she was furious. But no matter how much she imagined it, she couldn't do it. Lysandra was still her cousin.

She turned on her heels and left Lysandra alone, but over the next few days, they met again and again, talking more and more. Gradually, her anger faded and was replaced by mere annoyance.

That was until the night Lysandra visited her. She was confused, even scared, thinking Lysandra was there to kill her to have Kaelarys for herself. But that wasn't the case. Lysandra grinned mischievously as she sat down on her bed that night and asked her one question that turned their entire relationship around: "Do you want to learn it?"

At first, she was confused. The question was so vague that it could mean anything, but when she asked for clarification, Lysandra's answer was very clear. Yes, yes she wanted to learn how to please her brother.

She had these conversations often with her mother, but her mother always said that there was still time before going into detail. Maybe for her mother, but not for her.

So the lessons began. Lysandra told her everything about her brother, and each story brought about another wet dream. It wasn't seldom that she found her hand wandering down to her womanly parts. She imagined every possible scenario and could hardly wait for her married life with her brother.

It was there that she also heard for the first time how good Kaelarys apparently was in bed. She humphed as she heard that. Of course he was; he was better at everything than any other man.

She woke up from her daydreaming as she felt a slap on her head.

She looked to her left to see her mother leaning forward, her head slightly stinging. "What-"

"Keep your hands away from your body, we are in public. What are you thinking?" her mother scolded, and only now did she realize that she still had her hands on her breasts. She blushed in embarrassment and quickly removed them.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, keeping her head low. "I wasn't intending to do that."

"So your body just decided to act on its own?" her mother questioned. "You were so out of it, one could have thought you had a dragon dream, but we both know that you don't have them."

"No—I—I'm sorry," she mumbled under her mother's intense stare.

Her mother sighed quietly. "It's okay, no one saw that. Just behave from now on."

She nodded, still feeling the warmth of embarrassment on her cheeks.

She continued eating her food as she watched the tournament. A duel was taking place in the arena, and the crowd roared as the valyrian steel swords collided. The dark-haired man was taller and more muscular than his opponent but not particularly skilled with a sword.

Anyone with a bit more skill with a sword could have defeated him, but it seemed that his opponent was not only smaller and slimmer but also worse with the sword.

She winced slightly as she saw him getting the pommel of the sword square in his face.

She felt a hand on her back and turned to see Lysandra next to her with her ever-present grin on her face as she whispered, "Aunty wasn't quite right about that. I did see that."

She groaned into her hands. "Why you of all people?"

"I have a sixth sense when people around me are thinking about Kaelarys. We call that women's intuition. In your case, girl's intuition."

She pushed Lysandra lightly at her poor joke. Even though she had learned everything from her cousin about bedroom activities in the past weeks, she was still a virgin—something she intended to save for her brother.

"You're impossible," she muttered, taking an apple and biting off a large piece before turning to her father, curious about something that had been bothering her all day.

"Father, where is Kaelarys? Didn't you say he would come today?"

Her father's annoyance was clear for all to see. "I would like to—"

"Did I just hear my name?" An arrogant voice came from behind her.

She turned quickly, her eyes lighting up as she saw Kaelarys approaching with a confident grin. He looked as self-assured as ever as many a head from other families turned towards him.

"Kaelarys!" she exclaimed, forgetting her previous embarrassment and rushing to him.

Her brother opened his arms with a smirk. "I see I've been missed."

She ignored all the eyes on her as she ran full speed into her brother's embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"I missed you so much," she whispered, her face buried in his chest as she inhaled his scent. His incredibly addictive smell of lavender mixed with the scent of dragons. It seemed he had just arrived, but she didn't care about the rather odd mix of smells. She was just glad to be in his arms once again.

Kaelarys chuckled, hugging her back just as tightly. "I've missed you too, little red"

Their father cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "It is good that you are back. Come sit with me, son," he said as slaves brought another bottle of wine.

She recognized the look in her father's eyes. He was angry, but he didn't want to cause a scene in front of the other families.

May the Gods help her brother.

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So, somehow, I managed to finish this chapter in record time. I am so stupid, hahahaha! I've got an exam in quantum physics tomorrow and haven't even started studying, hahaha!

But don't worry, guys, I got this :D

So if there are any errors, then my bad.