Note:

To the lovely Maude Fluckiger: thank you for gifting this book another castle. You are so generous and kind. We can't thank you enough. xx

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Mars could barely recognize Edgar when he saw his friend came through the Grey Tower's huge doors. Edgar looked messy and dirty. His body also looked like he lost some weight. What happened to him and how did he end up with a dragon?

"Edgar!!" He called out the man and walked to get to him fast. "Are you all right?"

The young general grew his beard and hair during the trip and didn't bother to cut them even for convenience. Since flying was really cold, he actually felt having extra-long hair helped in keeping his face warm.

While Maxim predicted Edgar would reach Draec in four weeks, Edgar tried to get home faster. He barely slept or rest. They only stopped for Sand to sleep and hunt animals to eat.

Edgar knew he must make sure the dragon was in the best condition so they could both reach Draec fast and in one piece. Fortunately, Sand's stamina and spirit were much better than his.

The dragon could fly for hours and hours on end with a few short breaks per day and five hours of sleep.

So, he let Sand fly and took him as far as he could before the dragon decided it was already time to land somewhere and sleep.

Edgar's stamina was not as good as Sand and he often had to tie himself to the dragon's back with a rope so he wouldn't fall from Sand's back if he dozed off from fatigue.

It was an arduous journey and that's how Edgar could arrive in Kingstown in only 3 weeks. However, it didn't come without a cost. His body almost broke down and gave up. If they didn't reach the capital today... he might die tomorrow.

"Your High... uhm, Your Majesty..." Edgar almost forgot that Mars was now the king of this country. He quickly adjusted his honorific and bowed down deeply. His voice was hoarse when he spoke. "I am well..."

"No, you don't look well!" Mars looked around and motioned his men to help Edgar. "Bring him inside and call Mr. Vitas."

"I am fine, Your Majesty... look, I am okay," Edgar insisted.

He straightened his back and smiled. His face looked tired and dirty, but his smile was very bright. He was happy to be the bearer of good news and couldn't wait to tell Mars that his mother could be revived.

When he caught sight of the baby in the king's arms, Edgar squinted his eyes. "Is that....?"

Mars looked down and nodded with a smile. "This is Harlow."

"Oh..."

The baby's ears perked up when she heard her name mentioned. She looked toward Edgar and narrowed her eyes too. For a moment, Edgar was mesmerized. He had never seen a baby this beautiful before.

Harlow's silver hair was very thick and it was now growing to her neck. It made her head look much bigger than a regular baby's head. Edgar thought Harlow was really adorable.

This sight tugged his heartstrings when he remembered Emmelyn's flowing tears in Castilse when she told him all the injustice that she had suffered... and how she was separated from her baby.

Oh, gods... Edgar felt really sorry for Emmelyn. As a mother, she couldn't see how beautiful her daughter looked today.

Mars furrowed his brows when he saw Edgar's expression. He didn't understand why Edgar looked really sad when he saw Harlow. He walked closer and touched the man's back. "Are you REALLY okay?"

Edgar wiped his eyes and shook his head. "Can we please get in and talk in private?"

Mars felt that Edgar's behaving strangely. Did something bad happen? He nodded and motioned to the blue dragon perched on the tower roof. "What should we do with the dragon?"

"Ah... let him be. I will get to him later and take him to my family's castle. He had been flying for three weeks with only a little rest. The least I could do is to make sure he eats and sleeps well in my home," Edgar replied.

Mars looked up again and admired the dragon. It was really majestic. He couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration. "It must have been one hell of a ride."

"Yeah... once in a lifetime. It was amazing," Edgar replied. He smiled and then ruffled Harlow's thick hair and chuckled. "Such a beautiful baby. She looks like you."

"Thank you." Mars kissed Harlow's hair and positioned her to lean on his right shoulder, then he walked inside the main palace. "Let's go in. I want you to tell me everything."

"Very well, Your Majesty." Edgar walked toward the main palace, following Mars. His steps were weak because he spent most of his time in the past three weeks sitting down on the dragon's back.

However, Edgar kept his spirit high. He couldn't wait to find out what actually happened in Draec from Mars' own mouth. And then... he would tell the king about Emmelyn.

John quickly followed them. He motioned the servants to bring water, food, and whatever things that Edgar might need. The man looked parched and weak.

Mars raised an eyebrow when he saw Lorian was still lying down on the floor, passed out, when he entered his lounge. Ilma was sitting next to her, looking like she just got an anxiety attack.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked them.

"I am sorry, Your Majesty... we are too anxious," Ilma replied. "We just saw a dragon...! How amazing!!!"

The king cleared his throat and turned to John. "Could you please help Lady Ilma and Lady Lorian?"

The butler nodded respectfully. He waved at four maids and told them to help Ilma and Lorian got up from the floor and took them to their chamber.

While helping with Harlow's care, the two Athibaud sisters were given temporary chambers where they could stay and rest all they wanted. And that's where they were brought now.

"Please have a seat, Edgar," Mars pointed at a big fluffy sofa across from him, while he sat on another one behind him. Harlow decided to continue her nap, now that she realized they were back to where they were earlier.

Edgar sat on the sofa and his eyes keep looking at the baby. He was still in awe at seeing her. Ahh... if only he brought Emmelyn with him to Draec. She could have seen her baby today.

"My lord, please take this," said John who came soon after with some maids carrying trays filled with food, drinks, and water.

"Oh, John.. thank you. Uhm... can I have wine, please?" Edgar asked the butler. "It's been a long time. I miss Southberry wine."

"Absolutely, my lord," said John with a smile. "Here you go."

John quickly poured wine into a cup and gave it to Edgar. The young lord nodded to say thank you and downed the wine in one go. As he wiped his dirty beard with his dirty sleeves, Edgar let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ahh... this is good," he said, and he closed his eyes. Mars observed Edgar and waited for the man to share his story. Albeit feeling really impatient, he decided to give Edgar a break and let him take his time.

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From the author:

Yes, we will soon hear what Edgar has to say and how Mars finds out about Emmelyn. Wut wutt!!

I will post another chapter soon. ^^

Appreciation post:

To Lalove, thank you so, so much for gifting a dragon to this book earlier. What a fitting gift to celebrate Edgar's glorious arrival with a dragon!! Uwuu..!

To everyone, your support and enthusiasm are rubbing on me and make me feel so excited to write more chapters. I want to see Mars and Emmelyn reunite as soon as possible. I hope you notice the chapters are slightly longer (and hopefully can be more frequent too). xx