Checking pockets. That was what Cara was doing. But she was being discrete about it, and using the proximity of Nobles who had co to greet the King's heir as an excuse to assess the contents of their pockets.
It was disappointing, really. Nobody brought much with them to this sort of formal event.
"Lady Cara, I see that you have volunteered for Royal Babysitting duty for the day. Tell , how are the Crown Prince and his ladies getting along?" One of the Nobles asked.
Cara smiled up at him. "Quite well, really. I'm sure you know that his relationship with Consort Mildred is a love match, and they are adorable
together. But they have both been spending quite so ti with Princess Rue, helping with her training"
Her combat training, mostly. But it was much less fun if she didn't give ambiguous responses.
"So, she is prepared for her new role?" The Nobleman asked as he noticed the sharp claws of the hatchling digging through his pockets.
There was nothing in them for her to take, so he wasn't worried about it. In fact, if the tiny Princess did manage to tear his clothes, it would be a most wonderful story to tell the others tonight.
It was unlikely, given the magical nature of the fabric. But she was a Commander Rank Shadow Dragon hatchling, so it wasn't entirely impossible.
Not like Cara's dress, which was Mythic Ranked spider silk, and completely immune to small poking claws.
Dissatisfied with her find, and not fully understanding why Cara enjoyed this ga of checking pockets so much, the little one squawked an annoyed complaint, not bothering to use her words out loud.
But her ntal voice ca through clearly.
[Why don't they have anything? You said that there would be shiny things or snacks.] She complained.
[You can't win them all, or you would get fat and sleepy.] Cara consoled her with a gentle pat on the head.
That was not an acceptable answer.
The little dragon glared at Cara, sure that she was being teased, until Cara liberated a wrapped candy from soone's pocket and passed it to her.
[Oh yeah! Toffee. I love toffee.]
Perhaps it was all about luck? Or maybe she was not supposed to search with her hands, but her other senses, and then just recover the snacks? She still had much to learn, it seed.
The Nobles smiled indulgently as the little dragon chewed happily on the toffee with a confused look on her face, as if she had never tasted it before. Only when the aging Noble who always carried candies for the grandchildren saw the wrapper did he realize that it had, in fact, co from his pocket.
"What exactly are you teaching the little one?" He asked Cara, who was doing her best to pretend nothing strange had happened.
"The joys of candy. As it turns out, she's a huge fan of Toffee"
The old dragon just shook his head and sighed. It would be rude to accuse the Avatar's friend of stealing here in such a public place. But what he was more impressed by was the fact that he hadn't even noticed until she had already unwrapped it and given the candy away.
"What is the process here? Nobody bothered to tell . Do we just snack and wait for them all to co back? Or is this like an all-night party, and we just go until we get sleepy, then return to our rooms.
Well, I suppose we need to find a new room, since soone blew ours up last ti we were here, but you get the point." Cara asked.
The Nobles all winced at the reminder, as the rescue efforts had only just been completed and the worst of the rubble cleared. It would be months, or years, before the Palace was completely rebuilt, but the circumstances had called the Avatar of the World Dragon and the young Princess back to the Castle already. While the dragons weren't superstitious, they also weren't stupid. Having them back was a bad on. The investigation into who had set off the explosion wasn't even over, and the intended targets were back in the Palace.
Unless the new King did sothing drastic, like interrogating everyone who was in the building at the ti of the explosion, there was no way that was safe, and that ant there was no way that anyone else in the Palace knew if they were safe.
You could just be doing your job, sitting in a eting or running an errand when the next attack ca.
It might not be another bomb, but what if it was poisoned food, toxic gas, or sothing else that would kill everyone in an area, just to be certain that they got their target this ti?
Ironically, the return of Princess Rue had done what the attack on her had not. It had turned the public sentint among the Nobles in her favour.
When she was just a forgotten Princess in a remote wing of the Palace with her tutor, the news about her was nothing more than interesting palace gossip. But now she was in the main Royal wing, with the King and his closest advisors, and the threats on her life were threats on everyone with influence.
Or everyone who hoped to have influence, as the factions within the Court would rapidly shift with the crowning of a new King.
Karl smiled as the Nobles gossipped about the recent events, while he wondered if he should give Rue at least one more skill, just to ensure that the lived up to her potential and did eventually beco an Immortal.
Or perhaps it was the next attack that Misty was waiting on, before she sent him and Cara back to their own ti?
It was impossible to guess what the Ti Dragon was thinking, or what she would deem as mission complete. But as Rue was still young, Karl did hope that Misty wasn't going to leave him here until she was actually Queen.
Though, she might be announced soon, just for security's sake.
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