Dragons were once the ruler of the entire continent. Mighty creatures of the olden days. They ruled the world through the Heart of Magic, the heart of the first primordial dragon. Some said it was a gem, while some theorized that it was a beating heart. Whatever it was, the heart of magic was the source of all the arcane arts, the source of all mana.It was also known to have brought the first life to exist. The very origin of magic arts.The heart of magic allowed dragons to rule for a thousand years, deigning them nigh immortality. Despite this, their rule was just and brought prosperity to the entire continent of Endymion.Until that fateful day when the first human stumbled into the tallest mountains, where the dragons live. It was a man. A man blessed with a gift of tongue. A master of arcane arts. He came wishing for the young dragon princess' hands, claiming that he loved her so. And in three years, with his honeyed but poisoned words, he convinced the dr

The sprawling hallways were nothing but a giant labyrinth in Lili’s eyes. Each corner they turned skewed her sense of direction. It turned haywire. She couldn’t even determine which was north or south anymore. What’s worse is that even though the magicites illuminated their path, she could feel that someone was watching them from the thinly veiled shadows.Lili trudged forwards, keeping her eyes focused on the middle-aged lady named Loth. Death could only be the ending once she loses her way in this place. She was sure of it. She could feel that the deeper they go, the worse the feeling became.She stared at the back of the middle-aged lady, thinking whether if she should ask a question.“The castle itself is a maze,” said Loth as she started a conversation, breaking the suffocating silence of the eerie castle halls. Perhaps sensing the confusion of the young lady trailing behind her. “A spell to deal with thieves and trespass

"Please provide better accommodation and education for the orphans." Lili lowered her head, waiting for the response of the old noble magus. She originally wanted to ask for the orphans' freedom, but immediately double-take after she realized that it’d be a big mistake and would only make things more difficult if she did that.The old noble magus's influence, through the old headmistress, was probably the one shielding the orphanage from other forces. Perhaps it was also the reason that fake fat noble limited his actions and could only act as much as the old magus had allowed.After meeting the old magus, Lili determined that every child in the orphanage was the old powerful man’s possession. Thus her wish for the orphan’s freedom would only set the children to a far worse scenario. The old noble’s protection in exchange for the orphanage’s freedom. That was the price the orphanage had to pay, and that included her.And so, she wish

Lili opened and closed her mouth as her brain shut down for a moment. She rubbed her ears, wondering if she heard it wrong. She felt muddled and confused. Her face slowly turned ashen white. Not only her but also the middle-aged lady and the guard who wore full-plated armor had a flabbergasted expression on their faces. Slack-jawed and floored after hearing the incredulous proposal coming from the mysterious noble.And then… there was silence.Lili had read a lot of romance novels about knights from the books in the orphanage’s attic. She even read a few ones with bizarre plots just like this one from an author named Ms. Carman. Still, she never thought that it’d actually happen to her in reality, especially when she’s not some princess like the main female character in those stories.‘This noble is probably playing with me.’ Lili shut her eyes, recollecting her thoughts. A stiff smile slipped out of her lips as she thought a

The pitch-black door swung wide-open, and soon closed with a loud bang as the shadows of the duke left the room, leaving Lili and the old magus alone once again. Lili felt giddy as she felt the old man staring at her like he was planning to dig a hole in her face.“Do you know of the Duke, lassie?” The old magus asked, and his eyes shone with a glint of curiosity. His pupils slowly turned into a snaky slit as he tried to smile. It was as clear as day that he was nothing but curious about Lili’s relationship with the infamous Duke of Avalon.“I have not, old master.” Lili took a deep breath and answered. The duke’s strange interest in her had also made her puzzled. “Truthfully, today was the first time I have met him. I, myself, know nothing why the duke reacted like that to me.”Lili suddenly remembered how the Duke went to his knees and asked for her hands as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Her chee