In the warm cave, Celeste was telling Miss Dragon about knowledge concerning dragon horns.
“As the most sensitive conductive terminals, dragon horns are densely packed with nerves. Since your dragon horns, Miss Dragon, have not yet reached a steady state…”
Ji Zhaoxi grew sleepier and sleepier as she listened. She simply didn't understand any of it.
She shoved her dragon horns into Celeste's hand and prepared to sleep.
Celeste was silent for a moment. “Miss Dragon, did you hear what I just said…”
“I didn't understand.”
Ji Zhaoxi rubbed against his palm impatiently. Celeste sighed, helplessly brushed aside her hair, and gently pinched the dragon horns.
This absolutely couldn't go on like this.
By now, the palace had completely fallen into chaos. Physicians came and went, one after another. First, they examined the False Prince's mental state, then they checked the Old King for dementia.
“Your Majesty, I have specially tailored this robe for you. It was made according to your measurements, and I've added the elements you mentioned last time. Do you like it?” Four Eyes stood beside a human-shaped clothing rack, pointing at the nonexistent robe hanging there.
The palace staff had grown accustomed to this, but they didn't dare say they couldn't see the robe.
Still, they all felt that the tailor wasn't quite right in the head either. He had made so many nonexistent robes for the king, yet he himself wore real clothes.
Very shrewd…
The Old King nodded with satisfaction. He squinted, speaking very slowly. “The belt should be a little wider.”
The tailor immediately adjusted the belt in the air. He bowed and scraped. “Your Majesty, is this acceptable?”
The Old King nodded approvingly.
A nearby maid glanced at the king. Wasn't his eyesight failing? How could he see from that far away?
It turned out Prince Celeste had been right to give the king medicine for his brain, but the king felt as though Celeste was mocking him.
Dark clouds gathered. The dragon's wings churned up a gale. It had already realized that Celeste had been replaced by someone else, and this time, it was determined to take him down.
The False Prince had no idea why he had to go to battle. Everyone knew he was incompetent at everything. Now, the battle was in dire straits, and he had no clue how to command.
Clad in armor, he scrambled in panic, crouching behind a shield.
“Loose arrows! Loose arrows!”
He kept screaming in terror. The soldiers followed his orders and shot arrows into the air. Just as they were about to form an encirclement, the False Prince started shrieking again.
“Protect me! Protect me now! Retreat!”
The soldiers fell into chaos. The False Prince's orders continued.
“Protect me immediately, or I'll have you all killed!” He crawled forward frantically, vowing never to come again.
Just as the soldiers were losing all hope, a spear pierced precisely through the Great Dragon's wing root. The dragon roared in agony.
“Block off its left wing. Its reverse scale is under the third rib.”
The soldiers in the forest stared dumbfounded at the figure who appeared. Their eyes went wide. Everything was identical, except there was no mask.
Celeste calmly picked up the crown. The False Prince panicked, lunging forward with a scream. “That's mine!”
When he saw Celeste's face, his heart filled with terror. How had he returned? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?
“Celeste, you—”
Before the False Prince could finish, Celeste said nothing. The tip of his sword pierced straight through the False Prince's throat, and his body slumped softly to the side.
Everyone held their breath as they watched this scene unfold.
“Bang—”
Another shot hit the Great Dragon's wing root. The other soldiers finally snapped out of it and followed Celeste's orders to attack the dragon.
This dragon wasn't particularly powerful, but the False Prince's incompetent commands had wasted too much of their strength.
“Chop off the dragon's claws and report back,” Celeste said calmly.
The commander hesitated for a moment. “Yes, sir.”
Every time a dragon was killed, Celeste would cut off its claws and present them to the king. But after the False Prince had taken over, they had stopped bringing back dragon claws.
By now, it was completely dark.
Celeste's instinct was to rush back to the cave, but he suppressed the urge.
The kingdom was in such chaos now; he had too many things to do.
He thought about sending a soldier to deliver the gem to Ji Zhaoxi, but he worried that the soldier would expose her location.
He sighed and ended up returning to the cave with the gem himself.
By this time, the forest had sunk into deep slumber. When Celeste reached the cave, a piece of paper was stuck to the entrance.
“Celeste Not Allowed Inside!”
The writing was furious, making it clear how angry the writer had been.
Celeste opened the door. She was already asleep. The cave was dim inside. Skillfully, he lit a fire and ignited the candles along the wall, brightening the space.
She was nestled in the middle of the bed, the corners of her eyes still glistening with tears. Her hands clutched at her dragon horns, which had become scratched, as if she had exhausted herself completely.
Celeste took out a jar of ointment from a nearby chest. Gently, he stroked her scraped dragon horns, pressing with a steady rhythm as he carefully dabbed the ointment onto the tiny wounds.
In her sleep, Ji Zhaoxi rubbed against him comfortably, her tense back relaxing slightly. Celeste held this awkward posture, his eyes lowered as he lightly tapped the tips of her horns.
Miss Dragon simply couldn't take care of herself.
Perhaps he should bring her back to the palace…
