Chapter 206: The Future Lord of the Red Dragon

Elvira lifted the cumbersome and luxurious princess gown and strode directly out from behind the curtain.

The moment she saw who was standing on the balcony, her emerald-green eyes instantly filled with joy.

Elvira quickly stepped forward, completely disregarding royal etiquette, and gave her dear friend a firm embrace.

“You have no idea how unbearably dull the socializing in there is.”

Resting her chin on Cecilia's shoulder, the princess spoke with unconcealed frustration.

“Those old men keep repeating the same hollow compliments over and over. My palms were starting to itch. I genuinely wanted to draw my sword and smash every wine glass in the room.”

Hearing the complaint, Cecilia could not help but let out a soft laugh.

The moment she smiled, two sweet dimples appeared on her cheeks.

“Your Highness is now the brightest genius in the entire kingdom.”

Cecilia gently patted her friend's back and softly comforted her.

“Of course they want to get close to you and earn your favor.”

“How many times have I told you? When we're alone, just call me Elvira.”

The young woman muttered unhappily before releasing her embrace.

Taking half a step back, Elvira carefully examined her dear friend beneath the moonlight.

Although Cecilia still appeared to be the same youthful, soft, and seemingly easy-to-bully girl—

Elvira could still sense that something about her had changed.

The Cecilia she remembered had once seemed like an exquisite porcelain ornament displayed in a glass cabinet.

Beautiful.

Fragile.

Gentle, yet always carrying a sense of insecurity and hesitation toward the outside world.

But now, there was something new in the girl's eyes.

A quiet resilience.

It was the sense of stability that came from having someone to rely upon and no longer fearing any storm.

“How has your internship at the Adventurers’ Guild actually been?”

Leaning casually against the cool jade railing, Elvira asked curiously.

“I've heard from Instructor Reinhardt that places frequented by Adventurers are usually rough and chaotic. With your personality, you didn't suffer any grievances there, did you?”

Cecilia lowered her head.

Her pale fingers unconsciously rubbed the Moonlight Moss bracelet on her left wrist, which emitted a faint glow.

“I had to walk through mud, venture into forests, and end up filthy all over.”

Thinking back to her earliest days of the internship, Cecilia smiled involuntarily.

There was no complaint in that smile.

Only sweet nostalgia.

She lifted her head and looked at the princess standing opposite her.

Then she softly said,

“Elvira, I'm in love.”

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

Elvira stood rooted to the spot.

Her emerald eyes widened in extreme surprise.

“In love? With who?”

The princess's tone instantly became urgent as countless candidates flashed through her mind.

“Which young noble with real authority? Or one of the other top students from Violet Academy?”

“Neither.”

Cecilia gently shook her head.

A rosy blush appeared on her cheeks in the night breeze.

Though her voice remained soft and gentle, it carried unmistakable pride.

“He's just an ordinary Adventurer. He doesn't have an illustrious family background or remarkable wealth.”

“A commoner Adventurer?!”

Elvira's voice immediately rose several octaves.

She grabbed her friend's slender wrist, her previously relaxed expression becoming extremely serious.

“Cecilia, have you lost your mind?”

“You are the sole heir of the Rosenthal Family—the future Grand Duchess of White River Province!”

“Leaving aside the difference in your social standing and the political storm that would erupt if this became public.”

“Just look at his profession. Do you have any idea how dangerous being an Adventurer is?”

“They live every day on the edge of a blade. How can he guarantee your safety? If he dies in an Underground Dungeon one day, then you—”

Apparently having expected this reaction long ago, Cecilia was not frightened by the stern questioning.

Instead, she gently squeezed Elvira's hand and softly interrupted her.

“He's very strong.”

“Maybe even stronger than you.”

The corners of her lips could not help but curve upward.

The moment she thought of that tall and reliable figure, it was as though she was bathed in warm light.

“Senior is different from all the people we've met in the capital or the academy.”

Cecilia's voice was as soft as a bedtime story.

“He doesn't possess any of those rigid virtues that knights worship, and he doesn't care about maintaining noble dignity at all.”

“He'll argue with cunning merchants in the marketplace for half a day just to save a few insignificant copper coins.”

“In fact, on the very first day he brought me into the forest, the first lesson he taught me was that if I ever encountered danger I couldn't overcome, I should abandon my pride without hesitation and run.”

As Elvira listened, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The confusion in her eyes deepened.

Greedy.

Cowardly.

Lacking a sense of honor.

This sounded...

Like someone who was not only low-born, but whose character wasn't particularly admirable either.

“But...”

Cecilia's eyes reddened slightly.

She remembered the time they encountered a Fate Spell Formation and how he had protected her behind his back.

She remembered the birthday candles he had lit for her alone that night.

“But when I truly faced mortal danger, he was also the person who stood in front of me no matter how hopeless the situation seemed.”

Taking a deep breath, Cecilia met the princess's gaze without hesitation.

“Elvira, I used to live in fear.”

“I was afraid of not being perfect enough.”

“I was afraid of failing my magic examinations.”

“I was even more afraid that my Half-Elf bloodline would be looked down upon by my family.”

“But Senior is different from all of them.”

“He gave me the feeling of being chosen without reservation.”

“That feeling wasn't built upon society's standards.”

“Nor was it because of the title of duke's heir above my head.”

“It was simply because I, as a person, was worthy of being chosen by him completely.”

“I know Senior isn't perfect.”

“He even has many ordinary flaws.”

Cecilia slightly raised her head, allowing the night breeze to stir her silver hair as she gazed at the beautiful yet artificial stars overhead.

“But Senior also made me truly understand something...”

“If you love a summer, then you must love not only its sunrise, but also its storms and mud.”

“So I love all of him.”

“I love his cautiousness and careful planning.”

“And I love the courage with which he draws his sword and moves forward.”

“I accept his status as a commoner.”

“And I accept all the worries that may come with him.”

In Elvira's eyes, Cecilia seemed to be radiating light.

She could genuinely feel the determination within her friend's heart.

“As long as I can be with him, I feel that even hiding together in a swamp while being hunted by magical beasts would make me ten thousand times happier than sitting in this palace.”

A cool night breeze swept across the balcony, causing the curtains to flutter loudly.

Silence settled over the balcony.

Elvira stared blankly at her friend.

Within Cecilia's seemingly delicate body, she saw a vibrant and burning vitality unlike anything she had ever seen among the nobility.

That strength did not come from power.

Nor from centuries of family prestige.

It came from something pure.

A love firmly rooted in reality.

Looking at Cecilia's face, flushed with both shyness and happiness, a sudden ache appeared in the softest corner of Elvira's heart.

“So this is love?”

Elvira lowered her head and murmured to herself.

For the first time, her usually confident voice carried a trace of envy she herself did not notice.

“So truly loving someone can make a timid girl become this brave.”

“So thinking about another person can put such a beautiful smile on someone's face.”

Elvira slowly exhaled.

Raising her head again, she looked at Cecilia.

The tension on her face finally disappeared, replaced by a sincere smile of complete understanding.

“It sounds like, although he's not a noble...”

“In your heart, he's already more dazzling than any knight wearing shining armor in this world.”

Hearing her friend's change in attitude, Cecilia nervously pinched the edge of her evening dress.

“Elvira... do you really not oppose us being together?”

“Why would I oppose it?”

Elvira placed both hands gently upon Cecilia's slender shoulders.

The familiar determination returned to her eyes.

“If that man can bring forth such a beautiful smile from the depths of your heart, then in my eyes, he is the only person in this world worthy of the Violet Pearl.”

Her emerald eyes were filled with affection for her friend.

“However...”

Elvira suddenly changed the subject and teased her half-jokingly.

“Duke Rosenthal definitely won't be as easygoing as I am.”

“If one day your love is truly opposed by your family because of your difference in status—”

She released one hand and firmly patted the ornate corset around her waist.

Although she was not carrying a weapon tonight due to the banquet, that place would forever belong to a knight's longsword.

“Write to me immediately.”

The princess's voice rang out with absolute certainty.

“My sword, Elvira Pendragon's sword, is not only capable of expanding the territory of the Iris Kingdom upon the battlefield.”

“It can also cut through every thorn in this world that stands in the way of my friend's happiness.”

Cecilia's eyes immediately reddened with emotion.

Unable to maintain any noble lady's etiquette any longer, she threw her arms around the domineering princess.

“Thank you, Elvira.”

Elvira gently returned the embrace.

Looking beyond Cecilia's shoulder, she gazed into the distant night sky hidden beneath the celestial canopy.

At that moment, for reasons she could not explain, this prodigy who stood at the pinnacle of the kingdom's power and talent felt a powerful sense of envy.

Even now, she did not fully understand what love truly tasted like.

Yet she could not help imagining—

If one day in the future she met someone capable of making her willingly lay down all her burdens and defenses...

Someone she could love with reckless devotion, just as Cecilia loved now...

How wonderful that would be.

Resting her chin upon the princess's shoulder, Cecilia's voice returned to its usual softness.

“The day after tomorrow is your Heroic Spirit Baptism ceremony.”

“I hope that after entering the Astral Realm, you'll draw the Holy Sword that exists only in legend—the one symbolizing the Red Dragon destiny of the Pendragon Royal Family.”

Hearing the blessing, Elvira gently patted her friend's back.

The pride that belonged solely to her returned to her voice.

“Of course.”

“You'd better arrive early the day after tomorrow.”

“Come and witness my glory with your own eyes.”