Chapter 38

Chapter 38: The Palace And The Residence Are One And The Same

Is this an illusion?

Or could it be that she was transported here?

Naya hovered in midair, gazing down at the land. The royal palace stood on a solitary island, surrounded by a vast sea.

“Iris, what on earth is going on?”

Naya was utterly astonished, the situation before her was completely unexpected.

Iris, clinging to Naya’s dragon neck, replied, “Do you think I would feel safe tossing you out in the wilderness? You’ve always been in the royal palace, just isolated from the outside world.”

Looking down at the densely packed buildings, Naya couldn’t find her castle, the home she had lived in for six years.

“This is amazing! How did this happen?”

“This is the power of the earth’s veins. The veins folded space, creating a hidden realm here. You’ve been living in this hidden realm for the past six years.”

“I see.”

With that explanation, it made a lot more sense. It was like a dungeon often found in games; a small point could lead to an entirely different world once opened.

“But why didn’t I just come out directly from the entrance of the hidden realm?”

“The hidden space overlaps with this space. Once you exceed the range of the hidden realm, you will appear here in this space. So the height of the hidden realm is approximately this distance. To enter the hidden space, you must go through an opening, which is the entrance.”

“Then, does only you know about this space?”

“Only a few of my trusted confidants know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have left you there. It was to ensure your absolute safety. Now, would you like to see my royal palace? Didn’t you say this morning that you wanted to explore the palace and understand me better?”

“Is that possible? Can we land there now?”

“Of course.”

Naya flapped her wings in the air, her gaze directed toward a spacious plaza within the palace.

“Can I land there?”

“That’s a designated area for takeoff and landing in dragon form. Go ahead and land there.”

“Okay.”

She adjusted her angle and dove toward the ground, her feet lightly touching down, though her massive wings kicked up clouds of dust.

Flying seemed to be a deep-seated ability ingrained in the dragon race.

Even though Naya had never learned how to fly, she instinctively knew how to do it upon transforming for the first time.

As the dust settled, Iris jumped off Naya’s back. Nearby were dragon guards watching over the area.

Naya shrank her form, transforming back into her dragon-girl self.

“Are you planning to go home, or would you like to explore the dragon palace?”

“Why don’t you show me around?”

“Sure.”

Iris reached out her hand, and Naya placed her hand in Iris’s palm.

“Let’s go, my princess.”

Her beloved queen smiled gently at her, a warmth spreading through Naya’s heart.

Iris held Naya’s hand as they strolled through the palace.

Along the way, they mostly encountered soldiers.

There were also some high-ranking officials who greeted Iris respectfully but didn’t inquire about who Naya was.

It wasn’t until they encountered a golden-haired dragon maiden in a splendid light gold gown in a corridor that someone asked.

“Your Highness, good evening! It’s rare to see you out at night.”

The golden-haired dragon maiden smiled at Iris, then looked at their intertwined hands.

“Who is this guest?”

“The Queen of the Dragon Clan.”

Iris’s response and her cold gaze toward the golden-haired dragon maiden carried a hint of detachment.

“Oh… Your Highness, you’ve finally chosen to take a consort. Hello, Your Majesty, it’s a pleasure to meet you. No, I believe I’ve seen you before—six years ago, Your Highness brought a silver-haired dragon maiden to the palace, and that seems to be you.”

Before she could finish, the golden-haired dragon maiden scrutinized Naya’s features closely.

Iris replied coldly, “That’s right, it is her.”

“Indeed, it’s really you! What a coincidence. It’s our first meeting, Your Majesty. At that time, you were in a coma, so you must be meeting me for the first time. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Your Highness’s younger sister, Chloris.”

Naya smiled back at her.

“Hello.”

“I never expected to see you again after six years. I thought you…”

“Chloris, don’t say unnecessary things.”

Iris interrupted Chloris, who simply chuckled lightly.

“Sorry, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave now. I wish you and the queen a pleasant evening.”

Iris nodded, and Chloris brushed past them.

Naya felt the atmosphere between the two was strange, not resembling that of a normal sisterly bond. This awkwardness seemed to stem more from Iris’s coldness.

Sensing Naya’s hesitation, Iris began to explain, “In the royal family, there’s no such thing as affection. She would wish for me to remain unmarried forever so that one day, when I perish in battle, she could inherit the throne. Don’t be fooled by her smile, she definitely doesn’t welcome you.”

“Oh.”

“That’s why I didn’t want you living in such an environment. I kept you in the hidden realm. For six years, except for occasional outings, you’ve been living in that paradise.”

“Doesn’t she even know about the hidden realm?”

“Why should she? Every royal family member has their own trump card, and it’s normal for each to keep their secrets.”

“Hmm…”

Naya looked up at the brightly lit palace.

With so many houses, it felt rather suffocating.

“Are your parents still alive?”

As soon as the question escaped her lips, Naya realized how foolish it was. She quickly covered her mouth, wishing to retract her words.

Iris merely smiled slightly.

“My father is dead, that’s why I ascended the throne. My mother has long since left me. Chloris and I were not born of the same mother. Our royal family is different from ordinary families, there’s nothing worth missing. You don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

“I see…”

“Is there anything else you want to know? Can we wait until we get back to ask? This place isn’t suitable for conversation.”

“Okay.”

Iris continued to hold Naya’s hand, giving a rough tour of the palace before preparing to return.

The palace was divided into different areas of influence, with many public spaces.

The area where they had just met Chloris was one of the public zones.

The entire palace resembled a maze; without Iris as a guide, Naya felt she would easily get lost here.

“Let’s go home. There’s no way to finish exploring in such a short time, and it’s dark at night, so we can’t see anything. We can explore more thoroughly next time.”

“Sure.”

They arrived in Iris’s area of influence.

According to Iris, the palaces where the Dragon King resided were called the Celestial Dragon Palace, while other places were named the Earth Dragon Palace, Sea Dragon Palace, Flame Dragon Palace, and so on—quite a simplistic naming convention.

The hidden realm was located within Iris’s Celestial Dragon Palace. The guards there were clearly twice as numerous as those outside, with dragon soldiers in armor stationed everywhere.

They entered one of the palaces within the Celestial Dragon Palace.

Upon opening a door inside, they revealed a mysterious, abyss-like passageway. Once they crossed through this tunnel, they would return to their castle, their home.

Iris had been holding Naya’s hand the entire time.

“Naya, tonight was a good opportunity for you to see what the world outside the castle is like. Tomorrow afternoon, there will be an exciting play performed. I’ll bring you and Illya to see it then.”

“A play?”

Iris turned her head, a smile curling on her lips.

“Yes, the play is called ‘The Hero’s Battle with the Dragon.'”