Over a century ago..

That very day had been the coronation celebration of King Leon Tudor. The sound of music drifted through the grand ballroom while nobles moved from one conversation to another beneath the glow of countless chandeliers.

Lady Audrey Desdemona, dressed in an elegant fit, stood by one of the open balconies overlooking the capital.

At this point in her life, she was no longer a concubine belonging to Lord Desdemona.

A few years after her reawakening became public news, she had become one of the kingdom’s most respected women. Wealth, influence, and reputation had carried her into circles where even the oldest noble families now treated her as an equal.

A sudden voice reached her. "Lady Desdemona."

Audrey turned, and inclined her head. "Your Majesty."

"I’ve noticed something." King Leon Tudor continued.

She tilted her head slightly. "Oh?"

"You’ve successfully avoided every nobleman who’s attempted to invite you onto the dance floor." he said.

A smile appeared across her face. "I didn’t realize anyone was paying that much attention."

"I was." He laughed softly before extending his hand. "So... would Your Majesty succeed where everyone else has failed?"

Audrey looked at the offered hand for a brief moment before placing hers within it. "I suppose refusing the King would be rather difficult."

He smiled. ’It certainly would.’

The musicians changed melodies as they both stepped onto the ballroom floor. The dance itself remained simple going.

After a short silence, Leon sighed. "I’ve discovered something rather unfortunate since becoming king."

"And what is that?" she asked.

Leon sighed. "Apparently every noble family in the kingdom has suddenly remembered they possess an unmarried daughter."

Audrey couldn’t suppress the smile that formed. "What remarkable timing."

"I know." Leon shook his head amusingly. "But until I find someone who is truly interested in me, I shall remain tragically alone."

The two shared a brief laugh and for a few moments they simply danced quietly.

Then Leon spoke again."I hope House Tudor hasn’t given you any reason to dislike us."

Audrey smiled and said, "Well.. your late father did slap my mother once."

Leon was taken aback suddenly. The dance continued for several steps before he finally answered.

"I..." He searched for words. ’I wasn’t expecting that."

"No.’ she smiled I don’t think anyone would."

There was a brief pause before he said "Well I’d like to state that my father’s actions were his own."

Then Audrey added almost casually, "It happened a very long time ago your majesty, you don’t need to apologise for the dead."

Leon studied her expression to see that she wasn’t angry nor resentful.

Eventually, he let out a quiet breath before chuckling. "You certainly have an unusual way of keeping conversations interesting."

"So I’ve been told." she always had a reply to follow through with.

That earned another laugh from him before he said, "I like you, Lady Desdemona."

She only smiled but said nothing before her gaze drifted toward the royal throne standing at the far end of the hall.

"Tell me something, Your Majesty."

"Hm?" Leon narrowed his eyes.

"Do you ever think, maybe this throne was never meant for a man at all?"

Leon looked almost surprise at the question, then laughed a bit as it felt like she was trying to joke.

So he played along. "You believe a woman would rule better?"

"I believe..." Audrey answered softly, "...that the kingdom has never truly been given the chance to find out."

Leon looked at her strangely. He wasn’t offended, but he was puzzled.

The music came to an end at that point, and Audrey curtsied gracefully. "Congratulations once again on your coronation, Your Majesty."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and disappeared into the gathering of nobles, leaving Leon standing alone on the ballroom floor.

His eyes followed her until she vanished from sight.

That evening became the beginning of a contest that would span decades.

Audrey’s growing influence became inseparable from subtle calls for change, her words gradually shaping the belief that the kingdom deserved different leadership.

Unfortunately, even though Leon had become aware of it, the fact that Audrey was the most powerful mage of that era made him cautious in how he responded.

Neither of them ever acknowledged the rivalry publicly.

But Leon ruled with the constant awareness that the greatest threat to his throne did not come from foreign kingdoms...

It came from the woman with whom he had once shared a dance.

———

In a house at the outskirts of the city...

Anton had just staggered in, one hand pressed tightly over his abdomen, as if trying to hold down the pain of the wound inflicted on him by that last lightning attack.

The healing spells he knew weren’t that strong, so getting back to prime status was going to take a while. However, he had been able to teleport away from that ruckus at the palace.

The room he had just stepped into was dark and silent for a brief moment, until a playful voice spoke.

"My, my...I expected you’d look terrible, but this is even better than I imagined."

Anton’s pupils immediately narrowed as he turned toward the source.

Sitting comfortably in one of the old wooden chairs further inside the room was a blue-haired man dressed in white. A monocle rested over one eye while a harmless smile remained on his face.

It was Merlin, who then added, "I’ve come on behalf of my summoner. I’m afraid he entrusted me with... a rather unpleasant task."

Anton’s mana suddenly intensified as he slowly stretched one hand towards the Trickster.

"Take another step, and I’ll kill you."

Merlin let out a chuckle. "There he is."

He adjusted the monocle resting over his eye before taking one calm step forward.

"This won’t take long."

——

Three days later...

Ethan’s eyes slowly opened. His vision remained fixed on the ceiling of his bedroom for a few seconds before consciousness fully settled in.

He exhaled, then gradually pushed himself upright. The movement immediately drew his attention toward the Arcphone resting on the bedside table.

He reached for it and glanced at the screen to realize over seventy-two hours had gone by.

"Damn."

Almost immediately, the screens from the system filled his sight, and it started with a [Welcome back.]

It was as if the system had recognized days of inactivity.

There were lots of experience points reward screens that followed right after, but Ethan only cared to stare at his new experience points balance now amounting to a 220,000 total before moving his attention to the next set of screens below

[Congrats! Your Skyreaver Stage is complete]

[The accelerated aging your body underwent has compensated for the lost developmental time your dragon growth suffered while your dragon nature was sealed.]

[Your true form has been restored. You are now an Adult Dragon.]

[Warning: Reaching the Adult Dragon stage is a qualitative change. You may experience changes in your diet and behavior as you lean further into your draconic nature.]

[Dragon Physiology - Adult Stage: 1% Complete]

[Your Charge Aspect has Leveled up]

[Aspect of Charge Lv.2 → You have gained limited control over Electromagnetic fields]

[Congrats! You have gained a new aspect]

[Aspect Of Dominion Lv.2 → Grants the ability to manipulate gravity within a limited range]

[The other aspects of the world dragon affinity can be attained with further growth as a dragon]

[You have a special reward to open]

"Oh.." he whispered, then smiled and asked, "so now that i’m back to what it was meant to be, what’s the next stage after this? And how long will it take to get there?"

[The Elder Dragon stage is next. Most dragons require an entire lifetime to reach it.]

[The System grants you accelerated physiological growth beyond the natural limit. At your current rate, you will reach the Elder Dragon stage within one year.]

[However, your rate of growth depends entirely on how frequently your draconic abilities are used.]

"One year..." Ethan murmured, looking thoughtful.

That was longer than the seven months the System had once estimated it would take him to grow from a hatchling into an Adult Dragon.

But then again, he recalled that it had taken him less than three of those estimated seven months to progress through the Hatchling, Wyrm, and more than half of the Skyreaver stage.

Even if Audrey hadn’t indirectly accelerated his growth, he would have reached the Adult stage earlier than the original estimate.

As though the System had read his thoughts, another notification appeared.

[Alternatively, you may use the Growth Sprout Rune Stone in your inventory to advance your dragon physiology by one complete stage.]

Ethan smiled.

He remembered that special reward; the one he had obtained after dealing with Victor Keating.

"Nah..." Ethan said. "I’ll leave it. Its time will surely come."

He still had a few things he wanted to get clarity on, so he went on to speak on them, "I noticed I have no upgrade to my Dragon’s trait"

[Next upgrade for your Dragon’s Trait: Inverse, will be at Elder Dragon stage]

Ethan rolled his eyes dramatically before asking, "And what exactly are these dietary and behavioral changes? Don’t tell me I’ll start eating humans."

[Should you choose to do so, your body will neither reject nor find human flesh repulsive.]

[As a dragon, your physiology possesses an overall preference for raw food. Alternatively, the less processed a meal is, the more compatible it is with your body.]

[The behavioral changes you may experience are primarily instinctive in nature, centering around territorial awareness, and an increased desire to protect and acquire anything or anyone your instincts deem valuable.]

—-

A/N: King Leon was Carson’s Grandfather, and Leon Square is named after him.

I will get some Art ready for the Late King, but I might just share this alone for Discord Users. Do well to join the link below

I wanted to post more Chapters but my sisters are forcing me out with them today. Will come back with more chps soon!

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