The atmosphere was congenial during the half-hour wait.
"You know, when I was your age, I also longed for adventure."
Marquis Orlando leaned back on the soft sofa, lost in his mories.
"I wasn’t eligible to inherit a title, so I had no choice but to take a rundown ship out to sea. I traded with the Sea Race in the Sea of Storms, dodged pirates in the Mist Islands, and even traveled to the Southern Continent, where I exchanged a shipload of ironware for spices worth ten tis the price. Those were truly thrilling days."
Raylo listened quietly, sensing the passion and drive of a pioneer in the man’s words.
’This is a powerful man who built his own fortune with his own two hands,’ Raylo assessed inwardly.
However, half an hour passed, and Miss Avril was still nowhere to be seen.
Marquis Orlando’s brow furrowed slightly. Just as he was about to order the butler to hurry her along again, the guard he had sent to deliver the ssage ca jogging back, a troubled look on his face.
"Lord Marquis..."
The guard’s voice was faint.
"Speak! Where is Avril? Does it take this long for her to co and et a guest?"
Marquis Orlando’s tone grew heavy, and an invisible pressure seed to make the temperature in the living room drop.
The guard dropped to his knees with a THUD, his voice trembling.
"M-Miss... she... when she heard that the Lord Earl from Black Stone Territory had co... co to propose marriage, she... she ran away from ho!"
"What?!"
Marquis Orlando shot to his feet and slamd his palm on the oak coffee table beside him. The solid table groaned as if unable to bear the force, and the teacups on it jumped.
"Insolence! That rebellious girl!"
He was furious, the veins on his temples bulging.
"Which way did she go?"
"The guards saw... saw the young miss riding her Dragon Eagle, heading southeast toward Eagle’s Nest Castle."
"Eagle’s Nest Castle?"
Marquis Orlando’s fury blazed.
He spun around and roared at the guards outside the door.
"n! Assemble the Sea Eagle Guard imdiately and bring that rebellious girl back! Now!"
After giving the order, he turned back to Raylo, forcing a sliver of an apology onto his face as he suppressed his anger.
"Count Raylo, please excuse the scene. She’s just a child, she doesn’t know any better. This is truly embarrassing."
"Lord Marquis, there’s no need for that. It’s normal for young people to have their own ideas," Raylo said as he stood up.
"Sigh!"
Orlando let out a heavy sigh.
"Count Raylo, I know you have Griffin Knights under your command, and their flight speed far surpasses that of my Sea Eagle Guard. Could I... could I ask you to lend a hand and help find my daughter? The terrain around Eagle’s Nest Castle is complex. I’m afraid she’ll be in danger on her own."
’Eagle’s Nest Castle?’
Raylo’s gaze sharpened slightly.
The na triggered a piece of intelligence in his mind.
’A castle usurped by an Otherworld Demon, an "Illusion Monster."’
Raylo stood up, his expression turning serious.
"Lord Marquis, please, think nothing of it. This is a matter I cannot simply ignore."
He paused, his tone resolute.
"In fact, I will go myself."
A perfectly asured flash of gratitude and surprise crossed Orlando’s eyes.
"The Count is willing to go personally? This... How can I accept! It is too great an imposition!"
"The matter is of great importance and cannot be delayed."
Raylo didn’t explain further.
This wasn’t just about retrieving the daughter of a potential ally. As a noble of the Duchy, he could not tolerate a piece of the Duchy’s territory being occupied by an Otherworld Demon.
"Good! Good!"
Orlando nodded heavily.
"With you on the case, I can rest easy! Count Raylo, I, Orlando Baisha, owe you a favor!"
Raylo said no more. He gave the Marquis a bow and then turned and strode away.
Watching Raylo’s upright figure disappear through the doorway, the anxiety and anger on Marquis Orlando’s face receded like the tide.
He picked up the now-lukewarm black tea and took a gentle sip.
"My lord, the Sea Eagle Guard has assembled."
A middle-aged man in black Leather Armor, his presence as steady as a mountain, stepped out from behind a screen. It was his Personal Guard Captain.
"Duncan."
"You’ll lead the team personally."
"Yes, sir!"
"Rember," Marquis Orlando’s voice drifted over.
"Find Miss Avril, but don’t be in a hurry to bring her back."
"Create an opportunity for our young Count to be the hero who saves the damsel in distress."
A smile played on Orlando’s lips.
"My foolish daughter, doesn’t she yearn for the free, romantic love you find in stories? Then let her experience it firsthand."
He paused, then added,
"You can take your ti on the way. It’s fine if you run into so ’trouble,’ as long as you ensure no harm cos to Avril."
"I understand."
Duncan bowed, accepted his orders, and silently withdrew.
Marquis Orlando slowly walked to the window, just in ti to see an agile figure leap onto the back of the Griffin King and soar into the sky.
Beside him, a dazzling golden light flew in accompanint. It was a magnificent Golden Dragon, shimring brilliantly in the sunlight.
"A Griffin King for a mount, a Giant Dragon for a companion..."
Marquis Orlando narrowed his eyes, musing softly.
"Since the young people of today dislike the quiet happiness arranged by their families, and insist on pursuing that illusory thing they call love..."
"...then I, as a father, will have no choice but to prepare it for them myself."
...
Thunder Dragon City.
The heart of the Duchy.
The study of the Duke’s Mansion.
Duke Aiden set his quill pen down next to the inkwell, raised his head, and looked at the minister of intelligence standing in the shadows.
"Ramon, speak."
"Yes, Lord Duke."
The minister of intelligence, Ramon, seed to lt into the shadows, his voice steady and without inflection.
"There are three new pieces of intelligence. First, Marquis Orlando intends to marry his youngest daughter, Miss Avril, to Count Raylo. He has already sent an envoy to Black Stone Territory with a request for a marriage alliance."
Duke Aiden’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
’That old fox Orlando certainly moves fast.’
"And the second?"
"The second also concerns Count Raylo."
Ramon paused for a mont, as if choosing his words.
"Count Raylo recently knighted a new retainer."
"Oh? Has Black Stone Territory produced another talented individual?"
"Not a human, Lord Duke."
For the first ti, a subtle fluctuation entered Ramon’s voice.
"He knighted a Giant Dragon."
A mont of silence fell over the study, broken only by the occasional crackle of sparks from the fireplace.
"A... Giant Dragon?"
Duke Aiden leaned back in his chair with great interest.
"Interesting. That boy Raylo... his mind is always full of things no one else would think of. Knighting a Giant Dragon, only he would co up with that. Which one is it?"
"Based on its description, it’s likely the young Golden Dragon that has been active in the Black Stone Mountain Range and the Jade Swamp for the past six months."
"That one?"
Duke Aiden rembered, a peculiar look appearing on his face.
"The sa Golden Dragon that subjected three Viscounts and two Barons to a ’righteous judgnt’ and spanked them?"
"Yes, Lord Duke."
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