Chapter 222

Morpha lightly ignored Varen's request and turned toward the remaining people.

The family we had transformed into was the Litmus family, one of the members of the Elder Council. They were nobles among nobles, a lineage that had produced royal physicians serving the palace for generations.

A prestigious family did not travel with a sparse entourage. Centered around Beloan, the form Morpha had taken, there also needed to be sons and attendants accompanying him.

This time, eight rebel informants had been selected. Among them were Swan and Crow.

Since they were merely attendants to nobles, there was no real need for them to transform, but for the sake of protecting the identities of the rebel members, they decided on light disguises.

They changed the color and length of the hair that most strongly defined their appearances and altered them to look older or younger than their real ages.

People in their forties became men in their twenties, while those in their twenties were turned into people in their fifties. Everyone stared at each other's faces, whispering in amazement.

As the tent grew noisy, Morpha clapped once to draw everyone's attention. Then they spoke with a grave expression.

"As all of you already know, I will explain once more. The purpose of this covert operation is solely information gathering. Under no circumstances are you to cause a disturbance."

For some reason, Morpha's words felt particularly aimed at Varen and me.

I vigorously nodded to demonstrate my vow to behave quietly.

"The thing we absolutely must confirm is King Laskar's condition. Determining whether the death army is bound to him is our highest priority."

Morpha stopped before the three of us disguised as members of the Litmus family.

"I will personally make contact with King Laskar. During that time, you are to prevent anyone else from approaching us. Understood?"

"Yes, understood."

I answered in a voice sharpened with discipline.

Morpha glanced at me with satisfied eyes before turning toward the informants this time.

"Once you enter the royal palace, you will split into two groups. Swan will remain with us and guard the king's bedroom. Crow, search the underground prison."

The underground prison of the royal palace. That was where Kaldrok's child was imprisoned.

Startled by the unexpected order, I looked toward Varen. He only twitched his silver brows without showing much reaction.

Morpha handed a bracelet to Crow, who had disguised himself as a man in his fifties.

"If there is a dragon nearby, a mark will appear on the bracelet. Do not act recklessly under any circumstances. Simply confirm the dragon's exact location and condition."

"Don't worry. I'm not the type to do dangerous things."

What Morpha handed him was a thick silver bracelet. It looked completely out of place with Crow's shabby clothing.

Instead of wearing it on his wrist, Crow wrapped it in a leather cord, hung it around his neck, and concealed it beneath his shirt.

Morpha nodded at his meticulous behavior, and I turned a warm smile toward them.

You little punk. Earlier you were furious, calling him the child of a traitor.

Seeing them ultimately step forward to save one of their own people kept making me smile.

At that moment, Morpha met my eyes and immediately frowned, their composure breaking.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Instead of answering, I merely winked one eye at Morpha.

Seriously, you just can't be honest.

When you look closely, you're a dragon overflowing with affection more than anyone else.

"Ceryl, why are you only blinking one eye?"

"......"

"And stop looking at me with those filthy eyes. It's unpleasant."

It would've been nice if they reflected even a tiny bit of that warm heart in the way they spoke.

I pulled my gaze away from Morpha, who somehow managed to incur a thousand debts with a single sentence, and looked down at Varen tucked against my side.

Apparently uncomfortable with my arm draped over his shoulders, Varen kept squirming endlessly.

Tilting my head toward him, I whispered quietly,

"Kaldrok's child... were you the one who suggested saving him?"

At my question, Varen froze briefly. He stared into empty air for a moment before nodding.

"Father would never abandon him."

"......"

"The same is true for me. Dravergh never abandons its own kind."

The new king of Dravergh quietly strengthened his resolve.

Watching him like that, I pulled Varen's shoulders against me once more.

***

More than ten people concealed their appearances as they flew. After traveling nonstop for an entire day and arriving nearby, we regrouped.

Morpha had prepared everything thoroughly. Those acting as nobles boarded a carriage drawn by two horses, while the informants playing attendants matched pace on foot.

The soldiers guarding the entrance to the capital lowered their heads respectfully the instant they glimpsed Morpha's silver hair through the carriage window.

And the moment we passed through the city gates, admiration escaped my mouth.

"Wow. The capital really is the capital."

Belua, the capital of the Alberian Kingdom.

Located at the very center of the island nation, the city's scale was massive enough to fully deserve the title of capital.

Buildings stretched endlessly into the distance, packed tightly together, yet broad roads extended in every direction, making the view feel open and expansive.

The regions outside the capital were mostly filled with wooden buildings, but Belua consisted primarily of stone structures. Sunlight glittered across the stone walls and caught my eye.

Carriages piled high with goods constantly moved along the main roads, while shops overflowing with customers filled every alley with life.

Most of all, what distinguished it from other cities was how easy it was to spot nobles.

Male nobles wandered the streets wearing long coats embroidered with silver or gold thread. Dressed in formal attire regardless of age, they carried jewel-adorned canes.

Open-top carriages were also a common sight. Women wearing lavish dresses sat upright atop them, leisurely admiring the surroundings.

There were even properly dressed musicians performing in the middle of the plaza. Young children danced to the lively music.

The scenery was so peaceful and vibrant that I momentarily lost the ability to speak. Without realizing it, I glanced toward the rebel members walking outside the carriage.

They all wore calm expressions, pretending nothing was wrong. However, their trembling fists and tightly clenched jaws revealed their anger.

Noticing my gaze, Theo spoke quietly.

"Most of the rebels are originally from the capital. They don't show it, but a lot of them are nobles too."

That applied to Theo as well.

I wondered what had driven nobles who once lived peacefully in the capital without lacking anything to choose the harsh path of rebellion.

But I couldn't pry into everyone's circumstances, so I merely kept silent and guessed to myself.

The carriage carrying us headed straight toward the royal palace. The closer we got, the more sweat gathered in my palms from tension.

The thought that I would soon see King Laskar in person made my chest churn.

"Hoo... looks like I'm the only one nervous."

Morpha rarely displayed emotion to begin with, and Theo maintained a perfect poker face, seemingly accustomed to the capital.

Out of everyone riding in the carriage, I alone had frozen stiff.

As I wiped the cold sweat onto my trousers, a hand smaller than mine overlapped with my own.

Varen quietly stared forward with a calm face. He didn't say anything, but the warmth from the back of his hand alone reassured me.

Even in the form of a human noble, his dragon body heat remained unchanged.

I leaned into that warmth and slowly closed my eyes.

The reason my insides felt especially noisy was because the capital itself was overwhelmingly loud. Tens of thousands of voices simultaneously clawed into my mind.

With my eyes shut, I decided to focus on only a single sound.

Clop, clop.

The sound of the horses' hooves pulling the carriage. As I concentrated on the repetitive rhythm, my pounding heartbeat gradually slowed.

And a short while later, the carriage we rode in finally reached its destination.

"From here onward, we proceed on foot."

Following Morpha's guidance, we stepped down from the carriage. Tilting my head back, I stared up at the imposing royal palace.

The place where King Laskar resided, and where all the kingdom's ugliest secrets were hidden.

The walls surrounding the palace were excessively high and thick. Black iron fortifications that clashed with the neat stonework revealed signs of later expansion.

Armed soldiers continuously patrolled atop the walls without rest. The tightly arranged watchtowers alone were enough to make it hard to breathe.

The gatekeeper of the palace was a rugged-looking man with a thick beard. Swan, disguised as a Litmus attendant, approached him.

Wearing a natural smile, Swan greeted him.

"It's been a while. Are there still swans on the lake these days?"

The gatekeeper slowly examined Swan's face before answering in a deep voice.

"The lake is perfectly still without a single ripple."

"Then it must be good weather for swans to swim."

After exchanging their metaphorical code phrases, the gatekeeper turned aside and allowed us through. Then he cast his gaze deeper into the palace grounds.

I sensed someone who had received the signal hurrying away.

Lowering his voice, Varen whispered to me,

"Let's go in too."

At that single sentence, the heart I had only just calmed began pounding wildly again.

But this time it wasn't tension controlling me. It was exhilarating excitement and surging dopamine.

I'd been dragged into a fantasy novel, and now it felt like I'd become the protagonist of a spy movie.

A line I had always wanted to say at least once started itching at the tip of my tongue.

"This is the kind of moment where you absolutely have to say something like this."

"What?"

"Hoo... contestants, enter."

Varen stared at me with a puzzled expression. But after seeing the blazing excitement in my eyes, he didn't bother asking what it meant.