"After my friend was dragged away forcibly, I vowed to avoid such a fate. I am of the twelfth generation of Siferina's daughters, and the only solace for me was that Lady Siferina treated me well. Red dragons also reach maturity around a hundred years, plus or minus fifty years depending on their fortitude. During this time, they actively sell them to clients or take them as concubines. Since childhood, I studied diligently to be able to conquer a new owner with my mind rather than my beauty in case of sale. Lady Siferina respected me for it, and one day, when the heads of the house went to the next ceremony of ascending the throne of the new king of Leran, I asked to be taken in the entourage. Usually, the heads took a couple of nobles and several servants not below the eighth generation. They would take slaves to events only if they intended to sell them or give them as gifts to establish relationships. I was still too young to be sold, so my request was considered a silly joke. But fortunately, Siferina took me seriously and brought me along, despite Valraz's protests.
A smile returned to the queen's face.
"That was the first time I managed to escape the confines of the red house. Iringar was a magical place for me, and I wanted to stay there no matter what. There were servants and slaves there as well, but they were still treated better than at the hands of the dragons. Unfortunately, as a little dragoness slave in the palace, the servants didn't want to talk to me even. So, during the reception, I was left alone. I was too young to be sold, so I decided to wander around the castle while I had the chance because soon I had to return to my prison. In the palace, I stumbled upon the library, the largest in the country; only the Royal Library of Varengard could be larger. There worked an old mage who had served at the court through four kings already; he knew a lot and quickly guessed my situation. He offered me to read books from the library since I had nothing else to do, but in reality, by that time, I had already read almost a third of the books available there, and that amazed the old man."
"Hmm, that old tea and book lover," Rector thoughtfully scratched his beard. "Yes, he was cantankerous and stubborn, but still a fair man. You were truly lucky to meet him, young lady."
Sheraza chuckled lightly.
"The old librarian was over ninety years old, and he couldn't boast of having read all the books in the library. But by that time, I was already almost fifty years old. Luckily for me, the old man felt that his time on this earth was running short, and he had long been looking for a replacement. The position of the royal librarian was considered quite honorable: a life in the palace, a high salary, and the librarian was one of the few who could easily get an audience with the king at any time. You wouldn't believe how many applicants there were for this position, mainly children of wealthy minor nobles, whose rich parents tried to push them closer to the court. The king left the choice of the successor to the old librarian's discretion, and it was a very wise decision. Most of the candidates were not interested in the fate of the library, and some were completely illiterate, only having held a couple of books in their hands their whole lives. However, the position of the librarian was not that simple; unofficially, he was also the king's advisor. Therefore, the librarian had to know the content of the majority of the books, or at least know where to find it. So the old librarian had given up hope of finding a replacement, but my appearance became a new hope for him."
Sheraza fondly smiled, reminiscing about the kind old man who gave her a new life.
"At first, he didn't believe that I truly knew the content of so many books, so he tested me on history, magic, laws, and the structure of states, and of course, he checked my manners. He was satisfied with all aspects and immediately went to see the king. At first, the courtiers in the banquet hall laughed at the feeble old man in his dusty robe, daring to come to such an important event in such an inappropriate state. But the old man was undeterred; he briskly pushed away the young courtiers with his staff and headed towards the young king, who had ascended the throne just a few hours ago. As the direct advisor to the king, he had the privilege of coming to meet with him once a year without warning, and the king could not refuse him that."
"It must be a very important position if such privileges are granted," Katrina remarked.
"Well, as you thought, there are no insignificant roles in the royal palace. All servants must be scrutinized. That's why the young king put me through a small test."
"If you allow me, I can even show you how it all happened," Rector took a deep drag from his old pipe and exhaled a massive cloud of smoke. "I was there, and I remember everything. Just a simple light illusion and a bit of my memories."
Rector took another drag and exhaled an even larger cloud. The smoke slowly filled the room and didn't seem to dissipate. Gradually, it enveloped us from all sides, and the world around darkened.
"Preparations are ready; it's time to recall the old tricks," Rector's words dissolved in the smoke, and a bright flash of light blinded us for a moment.
When my vision returned, I saw that we had all been transported to a magnificent hall with snow-white walls adorned with golden decorations and chandeliers with precious stones. Nobles in expensive foreign attire passed by, chatting, laughing, and dancing. It didn't seem like our appearance had affected them. I tried to grab a passing girl, but my hand passed right through her, and she briefly turned into a puff of smoke.
"It's an illusion, and quite a good one," Katrina admired the surroundings.
"Rector did all this?" I asked.
"The main hall of the castle. It's only used for the coronation, weddings, and the birth of kings," Seleria recognized the familiar place. "I used to love playing here; on these polished floors, you could slide if you laid down a silk fabric."
The princess attempted to run to check if the floor was real, but unexpectedly collided with a figure of one of the guests – a gray-haired old man in a black cloak with a staff.
"No need to run like that, young lady, it's just an illusion," Rector turned to us; he seemed to be the only real object in the room. "Better look over there, it's about to begin."
Rector pointed to another old man who was brazenly pushing aside young courtiers in his way. He stood out from the crowd of well-dressed nobles. His brown cloak was dusty like the farthest shelf in the library, and he carried a simple wooden staff, which was likely just an ordinary stick. He hobbled slightly while walking but was careful not to let go of the hand of a little girl whom he was guiding forward.
The young girl, around twelve years old, was dressed in a cheap red dress that made her look like a servant. She had red hair, yellow eyes, and a pair of long red horns on her temples.
"Mother," Seleria smiled at the girl. If this truly was Sheraza, her horns were much larger in her childhood than they are now. "In Leran, it is not customary to rule until death. The king usually reigns for twenty to thirty years, and when he deems his successor worthy of the throne, he passes it on. Therefore, most often, the old king hands the crown to his successor during the coronation. My family has ruled Leran for thousands of years, although during the struggle for the throne, other houses briefly held power, but they didn't last long. In the end, over the years, a dynastic rule of the Eileran family has been established. However, the right to challenge the throne if your family becomes the richest in the country is still recorded in our laws, so the king can change."
"Hmm, you have a complicated system; we have clear inheritance by seniority," Katrina rolled her eyes thoughtfully.
"It reminds me of our system," Hilda chimed in. "The High Jarl is chosen from my family for centuries, but the law of the strongest is still in force, and if someone defeats the acting Jarl and his Tanov, they become the sole ruler of Nordrune."
"Quiet, you two, look at this cutie," Vina observed the little dragoness with a happy smile.
"Well, actually, that's me in my youth," Sheraza suspiciously glanced at the merchant but didn't argue.
"Respected king, representatives of the great houses, please forgive my tardiness to the beginning of the celebration," the old man bowed to the king, then turned and bowed to the guests. "In truth, I had no intention of coming, but it turned out this way... Cough-cough."
Muttering the last phrase under his breath, the librarian coughed, but the nobles were clearly displeased with what they heard.
"Young prince," the librarian addressed the young man in a golden-embroidered mantle and a crown adorned with large rubies, "I see I can congratulate you. I apologize for not attending the coronation; my health did not permit it. Cough-cough."
Of course, the old man was lying; he had spent all this time in his dusty little room in the library because the company of books was much more enjoyable to him than that of "greedy vipers," as he himself put it. The pretentious old man was not well-liked by the nobles, but he had offered advice to rulers for generations, so no one dared to argue with him.
"But I'm glad you've recovered and were able to come to the reception after all," the young king's voice was calm, but it was clear he was annoyed.
"Well, you see, I wouldn't cut short my not-so-hasty years if I didn't have a serious reason for it."
"And what did you want?" the man shifted his gaze to the young girl hiding behind the old man and then looked back at the interlocutor. "Today is a big celebration, and I could fulfill your request if it's within my power."
"How nice of you to say that. You see, I recently remembered that it's time to find a successor who could take care of the books in the palace library," the old man lied shamelessly. For five years, queues of people seeking his position had lined up in front of him every day, and even during the last two years when the old librarian didn't admit anyone else, it wouldn't take more than a month before some young dandy tried to break into his sanctuary. "I thought that finding a suitable Person would be such a problematic task, and not everyone is suitable for this position."
The old man deliberately emphasized the word "human," which caused disapproving gossip among the nobles.
"Here, I thought, why not take someone more long-lasting for this position, a dragon, for example," the old man continued to irritate everyone around with an unruffled expression. "And it so happened that this little girl accidentally ran to me today."
The librarian nudged the little Sheraza forward, and she, feeling embarrassed, curtsied to the king.
"She is quite well-read and intelligent, which is rare to come by these days," the old man barely glanced at the young nobles with a disdainful look. "So I thought, why not take her to work for me?"