Billard had been feeling restless for a quiet while especially after seeing the name on the report. He didn't want to doubt Seraphina but there was a bad feeling that had been eating him from the inside. He had sent gifts to the human King and had sent Hans to ask them for a portrait.

He had used an excuse that their painter would be painting her portrait in the family picture and that was why he needed it. It was a lame excuse indeed as they had the princess here already but he could not come up with a good excuse.

Billard's thoughts raced as his eyes stayed on the inked reports. Wind blew on his silver hair as it swayed in the air like silk strands.

Saving Demian from the Wizard attacks...

He rummaged through his reports as there was a pile of paper in a drawer that had the reports on all those attacks that happened on Demian. Yellowish papers stayed leisurely on his hands as he opened them one by one and spread them on his table.

His eyes scrutinized the reports one more time. The first attack was in their Garden shortly after Seraphina had arrived. She had saved him. The next was at the Rockmond market when she snuck out taking Demian with her. She was heavily injured but then it was Master Valentine's guard-dogs who had saved both of them.

It could be a trap to make them believe she was innocent... His inner voice told as his eyes widened.

He shook his head. No that can't be happening. He thought. She was his brother's wife. What was he thinking? He should be glad that she saved his brother whenever danger had occurred.

Saved him with her fighting, of course... His mind mocked him.

Somehow the things that Seraphina had done didn't seem like a princess would do. Fighting? Why would a king teach his only daughter fighting? They had enough men at arms to protect her.

Was that enough to doubt Seraphina?

He took a deep breath and released it. He must be going insane because Demian's transformation day was nearing. Yes, it must be the reason behind his restlessness. He was just worried as he had started to doubt everyone. He might as well doubt Zenith someday.

"Alright!" He got up as he put every important report regarding Demian into the drawer. He tried to shake off the worry from his shoulders but he paused as he recalled what one of his guards said to him days ago. The guard was from Rockdelia and he had a sensitive smell.

'I had caught an unusual scent on Princess Seraphina.' He had said when Seraphina and Demian had come from Rockdelia. He said he saw everything on that day about how swiftly she was carrying a sword and moving it as if it was a part of her body. Billard excelled at sword fighting as well and he knew it takes years of practice to move a sword like that.

He tried to calm his negative thoughts on the human princess and assured himself, the portrait was just to prove him wrong. There was no harm if nobody knew that he had asked them for a portrait.

He wasn't sure and was confused at what he should do. At the same time, he was troubled as dark thoughts didn't seem to leave him alone. What if he was proven right?

He clenched his jaw. No... He could not be a coward now as he had already sent the men.

Nonetheless, he was glad she saved his younger brother but at the same time he needed to be sure that his doubts were false. There wouldn't be no one else who would be happy if his doubts proved false.

He was going to the breakfast table and it seemed today, Seraphina would join them as well. She had been sick and he heard Demian had brought the royal physician. He wanted to go see her but Seraphina had warned everyone that her fever was contaminated. Besides, he had been preparing some guards over Demian's wings as the transformation might not go so well.

As he was walking, he saw in the garden, three maids were chatting. One of them was sweeping the garden as the other two were taking the leaves. He moved his eyes away from them as he headed ahead.

"I heard a rumor about a wizard in the castle."

He wasn't certain that he had heard it clearly but the sentence got him to halt in his place. His feet suddenly didn't move at all as if it glued to the place.

The servants were gossiping among themselves as they were working to gather the leaves from the ground. They were so engrossed in their conversation they hadn't noticed that Billard was crossing the passageway.

Billard slowly stepped back and taking the stoned dragon statue as his cover, he tried to concentrate on their conversation. It wasn't a good thing to pry on women's gossips but as they mentioned a wizard he couldn't hold himself.

"Have you heard, a wizard has been staying in the castle for many days." One of them said, her voice coated with excitement that made Billard scowl.

"I heard it. Do you think it is true? We have two dragon princes, how can a wizard stay under them?" Another one said. At that Billard's jaw clenched. Was that how the servants thought of them?

"Maybe the princes are unable to detect the wizard."

"What rubbish! Prince Demian would never let any intruders go under his nose!"

"But-" the young maid tried to reason but the other maids were on her heels.

"This is just a rumor, nothing else! A wizard living in the castle grounds! Can anyone believe that? We have Dragon Guards!" The maid's voice sounded as if she was trying to assure herself. Her voice had a lace of fear as she laughed awkwardly.

"But it is true!"

"And how can you say so?" The same maid challenged.

"Because-because the head maid had seen her." The young maid said although her sound had been wavering and it had no confidence in them.

"Oh... She is getting older!" She brushed it off the moment she heard of the head maid.

"No. I have seen her too!"

"And who is she, Ella?"

"Princess Seraphina!" The new maid, Ella said.

Both of the other servants stopped for a moment as they blinked at the maid. They laughed hysterically.

Ella, the poor maid didn't want to be left out as she said, "But I saw her to do some tricks."

Both of them looked at her with wide eyes. They just wanted the spicey tale as Ella said, "I have seen her do magic when no one was looking."

"So it was true that Princess Seraphina is a wizard?" They whispered as if no one could hear it. Dragons had excellent hearing and the way they were talking was enough for Billard to hear everything clearly.

"What? Have you heard it as well?"

"Well, near Rockdelia, some people had seen her to fight with others and she could move the ground." The maid who was fighting earlier now said with a worried tone.

All three of them gasped. While they still did all of the gossip they didn't notice the silver haired prince was there and now he had heard of it. Well, he had been hearing from other soldiers as well and even most of the citizens were talking about it. But how could Seraphina be a wizard?

Thoughts raced in his mind as he pointed to each one of the incidents. Seraphina could fight, she had been fighting with the wizards and most of the time she had finished off the enemies while Dragons guards had a hard time with them.

Although Master Valentine had said she was an intelligent girl who could decide according to the situation but somehow he felt Master Valentine tried to avoid the subject. Did he know about that too?

Billard decided to talk with him as he went to the breakfast hall. One thing he was sure, he would certainly look into the matter.

****

It was as if the day could not get any better for the defense minister of the Dragon country, Houjou Sarodo.

His hand reached his neck as his thick fingers scratched on the newly formed rashes. He had went to the royal physician and he had given him another set of weird smelling clothes to wrap on it.

He scratched more.

"Damn this rashes." He growled.

There was a knock on his door which followed a set of footsteps behind it. The visitors seemed to be in a great hurry.

He buttoned up his brown vest and immediately composed himself as he straightened his back.

"Come in."

Two pairs of feet entered the room of the ministry building's main branch. The men also had the same uniform as him, brown military coat and pants followed by two dragon emblems on their left chest. They were juniors as Houjou had three emblems which confirmed his services under the dragon city.

"Yes, Kevlar and Drotard?" He asked and clenched his jaw as his neck itched again.

Both of them bowed as Kevlar started, his eyes darkened, "We have found something."

"Is it about the human nation?" Houjou asked.

The defense ministry was under the dragon ministry force which had no influence by the King of the Kingdom. They were the border security of the whole nation working under Dragon Sages. Although they were powerful, they still needed to follow the King's orders as years ago the sages had given The Salamander family the power.

Houjou had always opposed it but he had no power over sages but he doubted that the King must have done something that made the Sages give their powers. Now he had to report to the crown Prince, Billard Salamander.

He never liked the silver haired Prince as he was naive and was young to handle all of the things.

And when that naive prince had proposed to get in alliance with the human nation, Houjou's doubts found a conclusion.

Humans!

They were weak, measly little things and he could break them with a snap of his hand. Why would he want to get in the alliance with them?

Then he heard that his little brother, Demian Salamander had married the human King's daughter.

It was a shame for the whole dragon nation! Dragons don't marry humans! They were to serve them, not bore children for them.

The more it went on, the more Houjou was pissed and was very irritated at the royals, not to mention offended. Had they forgotten about their origin?

So, Houjou tried to get as much as information on the human nation and found out the princess was a wild natured woman who had no femininity. He might not have liked the royal's idea of marrying a human but now that was worse because he had to call the human princess 'Your Highness!'

Rubbish!

But then one of his men was returning from the west guard borders and found that the wild princess was fighting with a couple of other soldiers.

It was Kevlar. Kevlar said her fighting style wasn't anything like how the humans fight. If he disregarded the fact that humans trained their women, the fighting style was very similar to wizards.

That was when Houjou conducted an investigation on the human nation as well as on the princess. No matter how much he disliked the royals, he had the responsibility to protect them. Besides, his conscience was screaming to protect them as the royals were the signs of the Dragon nation. He could never bear it if anything happened to them.

Houjou asked, "What is it?"

"The human nation never betrayed us but it was the opposite." Kevlar informed, "I found it weird that why would they betray us?"

Houjou nodded as he had been thinking about the reason. It seemed the human nation was protected by the dragons everywhere. So there was no reason for them to betray them.

"However, I found one thing that gave me a doubt."

Houjou concentrated on him as Kevler looked at Drotard. The soldier brought out a paper and said, "This is the portrait of the Flame Queen of the Fire nation."

As Houjou took the portrait and looked at the wild girl on it, his eyes rounded. Red wild curls scattered over her hair in a messy way which highlighted the light brown face of the girl. Jade green eyes looked at him like a beast looking at its prey and blue fire surrounded her as she was the queen of the fire realm, burning everything in her hellish fire.

Houjou looked at Kevlar and Drotard and said as his voice hitched with fright, "We must inform Prince Billard about it!"