The Seventh Princess

Sitting on the bed, hands strategically placed, Magnus offered a wry smile towards the woman who still pointed her sword at him, now understanding her identity from the round-faced maid's exclamations.

"Well, uh, dear cousin, greetings! I've heard tales in Dragon City of a princess unparalleled in martial prowess, grace, and beauty, a true heroine. To see you in person, you certainly live up to your reputation!" Magnus blurted out, throwing caution to the wind and hoping flattery might save him.

Hearing Magnus's attempt at flattery and his forced smile, along with the term 'dear cousin', only seemed to sour Elowen's mood further.

As Magnus was about to continue his onslaught of compliments, Elowen suddenly moved her arm. With a 'clang', she sheathed her sword, which turned out to be a thin, wing-like blade that hugged her waist—a hidden soft sword.

"Don't let me see you again, or you'll regret it!" With those final words, Elowen turned and left the villa without another moment's hesitation.

The round-faced maid, still standing in the room, only came to her senses after Elowen had left. Instead of fleeing, her demeanor shifted dramatically from arrogance to humility.

She bowed deeply to Magnus, still visibly shaken on the bed, and said, "My apologies, Your Highness, for the misunderstanding. Had I known it was you, I never would have spoken so out of turn. Please forgive my ignorance."

"Hmph, you may go now!" Seraphina, clearly unimpressed by the maid's quick change of attitude, dismissed her with a wave.

Grateful for the dismissal and sweating profusely, the maid hurried out to find her mistress, pondering the predicament of her princess potentially wronged by a prince. After all, Magnus was the son of the Peerless King, a figure even the reigning emperor held in high regard.

Once Elowen had departed, Magnus turned to Seraphina with an expression of innocent grievance, resembling a wronged child, eliciting a mix of frustration and amusement from her.

"Seraphina, was that fierce lady really a princess?"

"Calling her a fierce lady now, were you not the one affectionately calling her 'dear cousin' just a moment ago?" Seraphina retorted, unamused.

"Well, that was because she had a sword pointed at me. Otherwise, calling her 'dear cousin' and not 'vixen' was already generous of me! Hmph, this fierce lady took over my villa, slept in my bed, and then dared to try and kill me. Truly a woman with a heart of a scorpion!"

Seraphina shook her head with a resigned smile at Magnus's melodramatic grievances.

"Your Highness, please, when I entered the palace, I heard that indeed Princess Elowen was staying in your villa. That woman is undoubtedly the princess. It's said she's naturally proud and domineering. Even the princes highly regarded by the emperor tread carefully around her. You're lucky she didn't stab you."

"Is she really that formidable?" Magnus seemed genuinely unaware of Elowen's reputation.

"Of course. It's said that once, disguised during her travels, the Princess Elowen was accosted by the son of the Minister of Rites, who mistook her for a common lady and attempted to dishonor her. She castrated him on the spot!"

Seraphina narrated the princess's fierce deeds, leaving Magnus instinctively protecting his groin area with both hands.

"Goodness, I can't believe I've crossed paths with such a fearsome star!" Magnus couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Indeed. Had I not arrived in time, who knows if you might have been 'accidentally' killed by Princess Elowen!" Seraphina boasted slightly, her lips curling into a smirk.

"Ah..." Magnus looked at Seraphina with a grateful expression, "It's only my little wife here who cares for me. When disaster strikes, that's when true marital bonds are tested!"

"Ah... Your Highness, there you go talking nonsense again!" Seraphina, caught off guard by Magnus's playful banter, blushed deeply.

After a moment, Seraphina brought Magnus a new set of clothes to change into, then suggested, "Your Highness, now that you're back in the palace, shouldn't you go and meet with the Peerless King first?"

Hearing Seraphina's suggestion, Magnus was quick to dismiss the idea of meeting his father, shaking his head vigorously. "No way, he doesn't care about me anyway. Meeting him would just make him uncomfortable and me unhappy. It's better for everyone if we just keep out of each other's sight."

After merging with his memories, Magnus harbored considerable resentment towards his father for his harsh actions, despite the saying that even tigers do not eat their cubs. With such a ruthless father, Magnus felt no inclination to seek him out, suspecting his father probably barely remembered he had such a son.

Seraphina looked at Magnus helplessly, knowing well the deep-seated issues between him and his father, understanding that a few words from her wouldn't bridge the gap between them.

Changing the subject, Seraphina mentioned, "By the way, Your Highness, I heard that your second brother has also returned. Perhaps you'd like to see him?"

"Second brother is back?" Magnus's eyes lit up at the mention.

Of the three sons of the Peerless King, Magnus felt closest to his second brother, Alaric Astor. Alaric, though often distant, had always been protective of Magnus. When their father, Gideon Astor, had nearly ended Magnus's life on several occasions, it was Alaric who fervently intervened.

Alaric used to bring Magnus military weapons and armor as toys and made efforts to ensure his well-being even when Magnus was exiled to Silverwood City. In contrast, their eldest brother, Orion Astor, showed little of the same warmth and understanding, often harsh and disdainful towards Magnus.

Eager to reconnect, Magnus prepared to visit Alaric, taking along a redwood box from the caravan, hoping to share his experiences over the past year with his brother.

Together with Seraphina and two guards, Magnus excitedly made his way to Alaric's Garden, where the servants, recognizing him, allowed him to enter without hesitation.

Upon reaching Alaric's room and finding the door closed, Magnus took the box from the guard, then gestured for Seraphina and the guards to wait elsewhere. He placed the wooden box on the ground without making a sound and crept to the window. With a dab of saliva, he gently poked a hole in the paper window with his fingertip, peering inside.

Inside, he saw a young man, strikingly similar to Magnus, sitting upright in an armchair behind a desk, engrossed in a thin book, seemingly studying a military strategy or historical text with intense focus.

Knowing his brother's stoic exterior but playful interior, Magnus didn't need more than a glimpse of the book's cover to guess its content.

With a mischievous chuckle, Magnus stealthily picked up the box, approached the door, and placed his hands on the wooden panels, counting to three in his mind. On three, he burst the door open, shouting, "Second brother, Father is here!"

The sudden intrusion and shout startled Alaric, who was sitting in the armchair. Reacting swiftly, he conjured a flame, hiding the book under his seat cushion, then grabbed a military text from the desk, pretending to study it intently.

Magnus's timely entrance and Alaric's quick reaction showcased their respective talents, only visible to those with keen senses.

"Heh, heh..." Magnus's laughter filled the room before he stepped in.

"Little brother!" Alaric recognized the voice instantly.

As Magnus walked in, he found Alaric sitting even straighter in the armchair, a look of surprise and joy on his face. "Second brother, what are you doing? Locking yourself up in the daytime?"

Alaric didn't immediately respond to Magnus's question. Instead, he peered over Magnus's shoulder, checking for anyone else. Seeing no one, he realized the "Father is here" announcement was just Magnus playing a trick.