"Eeeeeeh..." Chang Xiuying muttered as she eyed that particular castle.
"Why? Is something the matter?" Oscar asked.
"Well… why do I have to go with you in that castle?"
"You saved my life."
"... nope. Not going. Take me back to Avarice!" Chang Xiuying stomped her feet then cried. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Seeing this, Oscar was dumbfounded and was stammering on how to soothe the girl.
"Your highness!" A man came out of the gate and then called Oscar.
Oscar felt cold sweats permeating through his back as he slowly looked at the man who called him. "A-ah… Kiel..."
"What happened?"
"U-uh… uhm..."
"Take me back to Avarice!" Chang Xiuying wailed.
The man, Kiel, looked closely at the crying little girl.
"Your highness… did you kidnap her?"
"Haha… well… now that I look at it… it seems like I did..."
"Elaborate," Kiel coldly glared at Oscar.
"You-you see, I went to the Cold Plains---"
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Kiel then sighed, exasperated. "What did His Majesty say?"
"To not go to the Cold Plains..."
"Right. Furthermore, you kidnapped a girl from Avarice! What are you going to do about this?!"
"Wait! I can explain!" Oscar fumbled.
"Big brother! I want to go baaaaack! Take me baaaack! I wanna go home!" Chang Xiuying cried harder as she latched on to Kiel.
"See what you did?!"
"I said I can explain! Hear me out first!"
Chang Xiuying momentarily glanced at Oscar before wailing again. However, the man himself saw this and his eyes twitched in irritation. "You brat!"
"Uwaaaah!!!"
"Your highness!"
"This brat is making fun of me!" Oscar flared.
"Big brotheeer!" Chang Xiuying looked at Kiel's clear emerald eyes as she vigorously shook her head. She clutched on his robe and then said, "I wanna go home! Take me hooome! Please!"
Kiel sighed and ruffled her hair. "I remembered that your home is in Avarice, right?"
Chang Xiuying nodded, sniffing.
"Wait a minute! Consider me here, Kiel!"
"What more excuses are you going to spout, your highness?"
"Ugh. It's not an excuse! She saved me from death, really!"
"You're kidding," Kiel scoffed.
"It's true!"
However, suddenly, there was a huge commotion at the gate. When they looked over, they saw a man dressed in royal clothes and a crown was on his head.
"Your Majesty! Why did you come out?" Kiel immediately kneeled before them, disregarding the crying child beside him.
"What's happening?" He said to Kiel.
"Your Majesty, prince Oscar went to the Cold Plains and came back with a girl who he kidnapped."
"Wait! Isn't that too blunt?! Think of my dignity here!"
"Oscar," called the King.
"Yes, father."
"We have to talk about this. For now, let the child rest in one of the guest chambers and then we will take her home tomorrow."
"I wanna go hooome!" Chang Xiuying wailed and grabbed the king's robes. She gave him a pleading look and the king's expression softened.
"You poor child… come. Why don't we play?"
"Pla… play?"
"Of course," then he looked at his son, saying, "And go to the throne room. Wait for me there."
The king grabbed the child's hand and then went inside, leaving Kiel and Oscar on their own.
"..." Oscar pulled his hair and groaned. After all, he didn't get to clear his name.
"Kiel… that girl really did save me from a Primordial species..."
"Again with that joke."
"You'll know… you'll definitely know someday. I'll make it happen."
"You… what are you planning?"
"Just wait and see..."
Kiel sighed then left Oscar to go back to his duties.
Next morning came and the imperial family was dining with Chang Xiuying. When she looked at the dishes prepared before her, her face held surprise. "This is..."
"You have good eyes, little Ying," the king, Flynn Huen, said with a smile.
"This recipe came exclusively from when we visited Avarice," the queen, Adelyn Olivia Huen, said in a light tone. It was almost too angelic and soft that Chang Xiuying wanted to hear it everyday.
Indeed. The food was what they served in the ChangHao firm.
"In Avarice, there was this restaurant that served these dishes. It was a good experience for me and my husband."
Lawson laughed then nodded, "True! I also heard that their boss is unbelievably a small child! He's only a child and is already so successful. Unlike my only son here, who keeps on disobeying my orders. Can you believe that?"
"Father!" Oscar, rather, Oscar Reid Huen blurted out.
"Now, now, dear. Don't tease your son too much," Adelyn said then wiped her mouth gracefully.
"Ahahaha. Okay, okay."
That concluded their breakfast. However, Oscar looked at Kiel behind him and then Kiel looked intently at Chang Xiuying. The prince stood up and then quickly threw a fork towards her. At the same time, Chang Xiuying pushed the spoon out as it clattered on the floor. She immediately ducked down and then retrieved the spoon, barely dodging the fork coming through her.
When the fork clashed together with the wall and it created cracks, the family immediately reacted with their weapons towards where the sound came from. They were relieved when they saw that it was only a normal fork.
"Eh? Mister monster, where's your fork?" Chang Xiuying said just as after she picked up the spoon.
"Mister monster?" Flynn asked as he looked at where the girl was looking.
"... Reid," Oscar's mother coldly said.
"Ye-yes, mother?"
"What did you just do?" Her glare emanated bloodlust.
"I… I just slipped and accidentally---"
However, before he could finish talking, his mother already pulled his ear and took him out of the dining room.
"Ouch! Ouch! Mother! It hurts!"
"Shut up!"
Chang Xiuying snickered secretly but she found Kiel looking at her.
'Oops,' she thought.
"Now then, we still have to send you to Avarice, right, little Ying?"
"You'll take me home?"
"Kiel will take you home," Flynn said as he gestured at Kiel who was at the side of the room.
"Thank you!" She cheered and threw a hug at the king.
Flynn accepted the gesture then hugged back, warmly. When Chang Xiuying went out of the dining room, the king flopped down on his chair and then sighed contently.
"Aaah… I want a daughter. I wonder if Adelyn will conceive one someday..."
-----
Chang Xiuying and Kiel traveled at a relaxing pace as the city of Caer Cori disappeared from their sight. Their travel was awfully quiet since the prince, Oscar, decided to come. He could only glare and observe the little girl in front of him as Kiel drove the carriage.
It was silent all the way until they approached the woods, Avira. It was the only short way they could take to get to Avarice. Also, there was the mountain path which divides the territory of Caer Cori and the Lasirion Kingdom.
Kiel initiated, "We have to be wary now since monsters usually congregate in Avira."
"I can take it from here," Oscar said.
"Your highness?"
"Since I can fly, there's no problem. You can go back now, Kiel."
"Yes, your highness," then he got down from the driver's seat and then followed after them.
"What… are you doing?" Oscar asked after he transformed into a Griffon. Kiel also transformed into a small dragon.
"If you both can fly, why bother using a carriage?"
"We never let anyone ride on our backs. However, if it's the person who saved their lives---wait… how did you come to Caer Cori?"
"I rode---" she stopped.
"She rode me," Oscar continued with a scoff.
"Then… it's true that she saved you… you've been hiding your real power by this much?"
Chang Xiuying sighed and then nodded. "Yeah."
"Thank god!" Oscar sighed in relief.
"I'm sorry for not believing you, your highness."
"Hah! It's fine now. However, you chose to deceive us. How will you compensate for that?"
"I can treat you to my restaurant, no matter the price."
"You have a restaurant?" Kiel and Oscar asked in unison.
"Yes. The food you ate in the morning came from my restaurant."
"You… you're the kid His Majesty was talking about!"
"Yeah… yeah, I am."
"Well then, we won't be polite!"
"Yeah. Sure. Can we go now?" Chang Xiuying said as she rode Oscar's back.
"Let's depart!" Oscar cheerfully announced as they flapped their wings to fly.
When they reached this certain point of Avira, they encountered a huge dragon flying while releasing flames from its mouth. Then a wyvern entered their line of sight. There seemed to be a person riding it as it attacked in the blind spot of the dragon with their broadsword.
Since Chang Xiuying's group wanted nothing to do about that activity, they swerved to avoid it. However, it was too late as the dragon rampaged. Its flame breath hit Kiel's wings as he went down.
"Kiel!!!" Oscar screamed.
"Oscar! Dive down!"
"Alright!"
Oscar dived and landed near from where they could see Kiel writhing in pain. Chang Xiuying immediately got down and injected her life energy to Kiel's burnt wing. After a few minutes of healing, they heard a loud growl near them. It seemed like the party was leading the huge dragon to where they were.
"What are they doing?!" Chang Xiuying stomped the ground in exasperation.
Then, the party of ten came as they ran and constantly attacked the dragon. While only one sky rider remained in the air for a diversion.
"Move away! You will get your life in danger!"
However, Chang Xiuying mused, "I never tasted dragon meat before..."
Then Kiel's back shivered as he looked over at Chang Xiuying.