It was a fine morning after the welcome party for Dio and Cassandra was already beaming with nervousness and excitement. Though it was a shock that her brother insisted on Dio touring her around, she did not dislike it. “Why are you dolling yourself up when you are just going to tour around the capital?” Casper’s voice was heard near the open door of her room. “Don’t tell me that you have a crush on that guy?” Her brother’s statement sounded more like a warning than a question. She could feel him glaring at her back as she looked at herself in the mirror. “I don’t have a crush on him. I just don’t want to look like a nobody if I’m going to walk around with him,” she defended. “And what do you mean by that?” Casper folded his arms as he looked at her suspiciously. “Dio Armani is such a handsome man,” she said as she smiled sweetly. “I don’t want to look like a rag beside a commoner.” “Is that so?” Casper’s suspicious gaze continued on.

Cassandra stood in front of the fountain where the statue of the emperor and the crown prince stood. She felt so proud that it stood tall to remind the people that their ruler was someone powerful and the empire was stable because of the imperial family.“Are you a fan of the emperor?”Compared to the excitement he had while they were eating, Dio seemed to be somewhat annoyed as he stared at the statue.“Do you not like the emperor?” She asked out of curiosity.“I’m not in a position to like or dislike someone.” Dio looked away. He didn’t want Cassandra to see through his bluffing.“The emperor is kind but he’s also a little scary.” Cassandra smiled. “I met him before in the palace. He told me to be good friends with Princess Cassiel.”“You sounded like the emperor is a doting father.” Dio chuckled as he turned his back on the statue. “Shall we ro

“Mika!” Kael shouted as he looked around for his twin sister.Dio spread his mana on the ground and used his magic to search for Mika but it was useless. He couldn’t feel her presence so it would be one of the two possibilities: she was transported out of his tracking range or her presence was weak compared to the presence of the one who took her.He wanted to believe the second option because he felt a strong presence running away from the forest towards their tent.‘Blur!’ He activated their mind link and searched for his Bond’s location. After knowing that Riguel and Royce were with Blur, he asked Kael to follow him.“Dio, Kael!” Royce called out to them and hugged them.“Father, Mika is missing!” Kael said in a panic.“She’s not missing. She’s being held by that monster.” Dio pointed out the giant orc in front of them.The four men of the

“Good evening, everyone.” The emperor’s voice rang around the hall. Everyone looked at the terrace that served as a platform in the place. “Today, we are not just celebrating the coming-of-age of these young people of the empire but also the birthday of our deceased crown prince.”The emperor lifted the glass in his hand. “To Princess Cassiel and the others, congratulations on your coming of age. To my son, happy birthday. I hope that you are doing fine out there.”The emperor’s speech ended with everyone giving him a round of applause. Dio just stared at the imperial family who seemed like a happy family in front of the people.“Are you jealous that the princess has a mother?” Mika asked when he noticed that Dio’s eyes were on the empress.“Why would I? My mother was the best mother I could ever have and I have been blessed by a second family that I truly love.” Dio smiled. &ld

The bright light coming from the window woke Dio from his slumber. He squinted his eyes and saw a familiar build opening the other curtains in his room. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead!” Mika’s voice echoed around his room. He had no choice, he sat up and rubbed his eyes as he tried to suppress his yawn. “What are you doing here so early in the morning, Sis?” “Have you forgotten? Today is a special day!” The excitement in his sister’s voice reminded Dio of the special event for that day. They were supposed to apply for admission to the academy. “You better prepare yourself, Dio. I’ll come back after two hours.” Dio nodded his head nonchalantly. He stood up when Neil entered his room with his change of clothes. Dio went to the dining room and he saw that his family was already there. “You look good on your clothes, Dio.” Riguel complimented him with a smile. “Thanks, brother.” He sat beside Riguel and across Mika. “A