Recently, the incident involving Prince Celeste has been spreading like wildfire throughout the kingdom.
The common folk were deeply worried—after all, the King was already over eighty years old. No one knew when he might pass away, and rumors kept leaking from the palace.
For instance, word had it that the King couldn’t control himself and had an accident during a meeting with a minister...
Or that his failing eyesight made it impossible for him to read letters, and his hearing was so poor he couldn’t make out what people were saying.
Still, the people could understand. After all, you couldn’t expect an eighty-year-old man to have the energy of a young person.
But they couldn’t help feeling a little envious... just a tiny bit envious of the neighboring kingdoms with their young kings...
A king was vital to a kingdom, and theirs seemed to carry a bit too much of an old man’s smell...
So every commoner prayed for Prince Celeste to come home.
They had been waiting for their young heir for a very long time.
Outside the palace stood many soldiers, their expressions stern.
“How did that ball of fat even get in?” the Commander said coldly, standing to the side.
The other soldiers dared not speak. Silently, they stamped the word “FAKE” onto the round, fake prince’s forehead.
“Isn’t this humiliating! I’m not a pig! How dare you stamp my forehead!” the round man fumed, his flesh jiggling with anger.
The Commander gave him a frosty look. “Deception has its price.”
She was already annoyed enough dealing with that foolish dragon every day. The last thing she needed was these fakes adding to her workload.
Just then, a good-looking man wearing a crown stormed out, indignant.
“How dare you claim I’m fake? I am Celeste! I’ll have you all killed!”
He tried to take a step forward, but tripped and fell flat on his face—his tall shoe inserts flying out.
The Commander calmly kicked the two shoe inserts three meters away.
The man’s face flushed red with embarrassment as he scrambled to retrieve them.
The Queen’s daughter, Eva, was also driven out. The Commander unceremoniously yanked off her wig.
Eva’s hair was a messy tangle. Annoyed, she said, “Hey, we’re both women. Can’t you be a little gentler?”
The Commander’s expression didn’t change. “I am loyal only to the King.”
Since Eva was the Queen’s child from a previous marriage, the soldiers didn’t dare stamp her. She left in a huff.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, sprinkling golden spots on the ground. The animals were napping, and the forest was filled with steady breathing.
But inside a cave, a heavy, restless atmosphere lingered. A certain dragon lady furrowed her brows impatiently as she combed her hair, her dragon horns twitching with irritation.
Celeste usually napped as well, but he simply couldn’t fall asleep with all the noise she made.
He sighed and walked over.
“Miss Dragon, let me comb your hair for you.”
“If you pull too hard, I’ll make you regret it!”
Celeste figured no matter how he combed, it couldn’t be more painful than when she did it herself.
Miss Dragon’s hair was very long. As far as he knew, powerful dragons always had attendants to comb their hair—and she clearly didn’t have one yet.
Slanting sunlight streamed into the cave; countless tiny specks of dust floated in the air.
Celeste’s eyes were downcast. Holding a wooden comb, he gently ran it through her long hair, from root to tip, his movements tender.
Ji Zhaoxi sprawled across the soft, cotton-filled bed, sinking deep into it, her cheek pressed against the pillow. Her breathing was so faint it was almost inaudible.
It was already afternoon. The animals who had napped were now waking up to work, each going about their daily tasks.
A large tree winced as a woodpecker pecked at it. “Miss Woodpecker, it’s just one little bug. Are you sure you have to make such a big hole?”
Weren’t you over-treating it?
The woodpecker’s face showed a trace of guilt, but she kept a straight face. “Who’s the doctor here, you or me?”
The tree dared not argue, though one of its relatives had told it that some illnesses didn’t need a doctor at all—seeing one only made things worse.
That evening, the dragon and the human sat down to eat.
Celeste did the hunting, and Celeste did the cooking, but most of the food ended up in Ji Zhaoxi’s stomach.
Ji Zhaoxi was very satisfied with Celeste, and growing more fond of him by the day.
“Celeste, from now on, I’ll give you two gemstones every month,” she said, hoping for his gratitude.
After all, her previous servant only got one gemstone a month.
Celeste was silent for a moment. He remembered how Miss Dragon had once robbed him of all his gemstones, even taking the ones from his shoes.
Seeing the anticipation in Ji Zhaoxi’s eyes, he thought about how her life wasn’t exactly easy.
“Thank you, Miss Dragon.”
Ji Zhaoxi was finally pleased. “You’re welcome. From now on, stick with me. I’ll make sure you eat like a king—much better than Lorian’s servant ever did.”
The Magic Mirror cast her a sidelong glance. Before Celeste arrived, she often survived on just fruits. Now, she had meat every day. Truly, one had to wonder who was better off.
The next morning, Ji Zhaoxi eagerly proposed sword practice with Celeste.
If her swordsmanship ever improved enough, who knew—maybe she could defeat Lorian someday.
Celeste trained very seriously. He had practiced swordsmanship since childhood and had experienced plenty of real combat.
As they sparred, many animals hid in the background to watch.
The gems from Celeste’s sword were now set into Ji Zhaoxi’s blade. She struck first, launching herself forward with a kick, the tip of her sword aiming straight for his throat.
Celeste’s expression turned focused. Quick and decisive, he drew his broadsword and swung it in a sweeping arc.
Clang!
A sharp clash of metal rang through the forest.
Ji Zhaoxi felt her hand go numb, her entire arm losing sensation. Just as the weight of Celeste’s blade pressed toward her,
she instantly shifted into her dragon form and soared into the air, slapping his sword to the ground with her massive wing.
Celeste: ...
The watching animals: ...
“That’s called outsmarting your opponent,” Ji Zhaoxi said, landing back on the ground smugly. “Celeste, consider this your first lesson from your master.”
Celeste said nothing. He didn’t see Ji Zhaoxi as his master; there was no way he’d accept a dragon as one.
He had to return to the palace as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, in a clear river, a frog struggled onto a lily pad. He was a prince—there was no way he’d die that easily.
Then he spotted another glowing orb. This was a sign from God, guiding him to find his destined princess.
All the trials had taught him that he just needed to wait.
