Chapter 1344 Dragonkin Princess
Under his arm, the girl squirmed, so Karl set her on the ground and
straightened her clothes.
"And who might you be, little one?" He asked.
"Princess Rue, bastard daughter of the King!" She replied with a formal bow that didn't suit her simple dress.
Karl smiled. "So, Princess, what is fun to do around here?"
The girl simply looked confused for a moment. "Lord Emissary, where are your bodyguards?"
Karl laughed. "You think that I need bodyguards? That's adorable. But I did bring one. Meet Cara."
Cara came out, and the girl flinched. "That looks like it really hurt. I've got scars on my back from when the Princes wanted to find out if dragonkin could heal after being whipped, but this looks much worse."
Karl sighed. "Would you like me to fix that? It's really not a problem."
Princess Rue panicked and shook her head rapidly. "No, thank you, My Lord. They would never forgive me if I did. But can I ask a favour? Please forget that you saw me today."
Cara rumbled, the noise halfway between a purr and an idling chain saw.
"Sorry, it appears that my friend likes you. Why don't you spend the day with me instead? It's less of a cardio workout than running from those boys, but it could be fun." Karl offered.
Before she could answer, a guard patrol came around the corner and stopped with their hands on their weapons.
"Halt! Who goes there?" The man, clearly a transformed Bronze Dragon, demanded.
"Karl, Emissary from the Darklight Host."
The dragons paused for a moment, as if only just realizing who and what they were looking at. An unfamiliar face had been enough to put them on guard, but this one was a Mythic Rank guest, with a class they didn't recognize, and strange markings around his name that would normally indicate a boss monster in a dungeon.
Could a dungeon boss have gotten loose to rampage in the Palace?
But he did say that he was from the Darklight Host, so perhaps he was sent here by the ancient Chaos Dragon of Cyhosasa?
"Welcome to Nar, Emissary. Have you found time to check in with the Castle Steward?" The guard asked.
"Not yet. This lovely young lady has agreed to escort me for the day, so we will check in once we find the Steward." Karl replied with a shrug.
The guards gave the Princess a curious look, then nodded.
"Understood. I will inform his Majesty that the Supreme Lady has sent an Emissary, and that the youngest Princess is with you." The guard agreed.
Then he led his patrol past Karl and the shocked dragonkin.
"How did you do that? You just told them who you were, and they left us alone. Normally, they force me to go back to my room." She whispered.
Karl patted her on the head. "You just need to learn the rules, Princess. You see, it is only proper for an Emissary to have a Royal escort. I am assuming that we're not in a restricted portion of the Palace, so there was no infraction for them to enforce.
The fact that you are escorting me means that you have an assigned duty more important than the directive to remain in your room.
Bronze Dragons do not break the rules.
Not ever."
Curiosity flashed in Princess Rue's eyes, and Cara mentally laughed.
[She is learning. This one is a bit too innocent for her own good, she never thought about using the rules against the bullies, even when they were tormenting her.]
That gave Karl an idea of what they needed to do here. Not just getting her to trust him, but helping her to understand that there were standards and limits she could work with to punish those who bent rules to do evil.
Some rules would be ignored if you were the favourite. But if the Bronze Dragons caught the young Princes misbehaving, they wouldn't get off easily. "Now, where were we? Right. Let's go do something fun. What is there to do here?"
Rue smiled slightly. "Didn't you just tell the guards that you would go to the Steward?"
"No, I informed them that I would check in when we found him. The timeline wasn't established. I will keep my word, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything fun in the meantime."
"Well, we can go to the Library if you enjoy reading? I've been studying magic, hoping to activate my Class. I am what they call a late bloomer, since I'm only half dragon." Rue explained.
Cara laughed, and Karl smiled at the girl. "Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea. I know many types of magic, and I can help tutor you while I am here. I believe you said that was what you were supposed to be doing right now, was it not?"
"Yes, Emissary. Before I fled the Princes, I was with my tutor. But she's just a servant, she won't stop them doing what they want."
Rue's bitterness was clear in her tone, and Karl could already feel the building death energy in her body, resentment being given form before she awakened
her Class.
That at least explained why Misty had sent him to this particular moment. Given another few weeks of bullying, she would awaken a death oriented class. If it was a powerful rare class, there was a chance that it would twist her personality, or that the newfound power would let her finally get back at those who had wronged her, and she would warp her own personality into a serial killer as she learned the joy of getting revenge.
The Time Dragon's targeting was spot on, Karl decided. He was in exactly the right place at the right time.
Cara nudged Rue to get them moving, and the dragonkin Princess led them into the Palace, through what were clearly servant's stairs and service corridors, until they came out from behind a hidden door in the Library.
Well, partially hidden. The door had wear from regular use, so it should be the regular servant's entrance for everyone who cleaned the Library or was sent to
fetch books.
"Find us a quiet spot to sit, and I will study with you. I have a knack for teaching." Karl whispered, keeping to the Library rules, as he could sense a Totem Ranked blue dragon in the room.