Chapter 21 - Tatsuno
Before long, a piece of news arrived at the royal palace that shook the entire kingdom.
The Dragon Emperor of Dragon's Realm had accepted the invitation to attend the twentieth anniversary celebration of King Alexios's coronation that summer.
It was a diplomatic triumph unlike any in Imresian history.
No one could fully measure the benefits that formal relations with the prosperous southern nation might bring in the years ahead.
The Dragon Emperor himself was coming.
The palace erupted into activity.
Yet the conditions attached to the visit were every bit as unprecedented.
Suitable accommodations must be prepared for guests of their size.
Hot baths must be available at all times.
Above all else, the rooms must be kept warm.
Very warm.
After reading the document, Antonius frowned.
The king, meanwhile, was in excellent spirits.
Construction of oversized furniture had already begun.
To Alexios, the demands seemed perfectly reasonable.
Of course people from a tropical nation would dislike the cold.
Nothing about the request struck him as unusual.
Antonius, however, could not shake a sense of unease.
He knew the stories.
Far to the south lay a land of endless summer.
A nation ruled by dragons.
And yes, they disliked the cold.
That much made sense.
But if that were true...
Why come to Imresia at all?
When the invitation had first been sent, no one had seriously expected Dragon's Realm to accept.
The question lingered in his thoughts.
Then a thought crossed his mind.
He said nothing.
On the morning of the ceremony, Antonius sensed the dragons approaching long before anyone else realized they were near.
And when the time came, he made no effort to prevent Andri from being discovered.
King Alexios had spent years hiding the boy from dragons.
Antonius did the opposite.
And so events unfolded.
When Andri was brought before the Dracoserpens, uncertainty was written plainly across his face.
Watching him, Antonius felt an unexpected stab of guilt.
It occurred to him that he was always using Andri.
Again and again.
Andri stood there, unable even to imagine what was about to happen.
The least he could do was ease that fear.
So, as he turned to leave the cathedral, he looked back.
Their eyes met for only a moment.
(You shall be all right.)
Then Antonius turned and left.
