Caelis still enjoyed the silence as he reminisced about the past—about the days when his brother had still lived in the palace with him.
"Your Grace, what about the bloodline you sensed earlier?" Edgar asked cautiously.
Caelis snorted. "I don't feel it anymore. Must have been a dream."
"Dragon clansmen don't dream," Edgar replied, earning a flat look from Caelis.
"You are the only one who dares to contradict me."
"It is my privilege as your first mentor."
"Anyway, I was mistaken. There's no bloodline. I guess this dukedom's Grand Duke remains without an heir."
"No problem," Edgar said smoothly. "You just need to meet a few suitable companions."
The head butler presented several elegant portraits of noble ladies.
For the first time in his life, Caelis felt true fear—at the thought of meeting them. "Just remembered... I need to inspect the border," he said quickly. "See you, old man."
Edgar sighed in quiet resignation as he watched Grand Duke Valerian transform into an enormous ice dragon before soaring away from the palace.
The ice dragon quickly cast an invisibility spell so that no one within the palace grounds would notice that their Grand Duke had slipped away.
High above the snowy landscape, Caelis reverted to his human form in midair and allowed gravity to pull him downward. With the assistance of wind magic that he summoned instinctively, he landed lightly upon the frozen ground without injury.
The moment his feet touched the earth, his blood began racing once more. This time, the sensation was far stronger—and undeniably real.
"My bloodline reacted again? Then what I sensed earlier was not an illusion?"
He closed his eyes and concentrated deeply, attempting to trace the source that had triggered the reaction within his blood. In his mind, it felt as though an invisible thread stretched endlessly before him.
Following that thread carefully, Caelis walked through the silent forest until he reached the point where the thread ended—connected directly to a large panda.
"A panda?" One of his brows lifted in confusion. "Since when have pandas possessed the Dragon God's bloodline?"
Curious and slightly hesitant, he stepped closer. Only then did he notice a small boy sleeping peacefully beside the panda, using the creature's fat belly as a pillow.
The boy had platinum-gold hair—exactly the same color as his own. But that was not what caused Caelis to pause. The boy's face was unbelievably adorable, and his sleeping expression stirred a powerful protective instinct within his heart.
No… it was not only that.
As he gazed at the sleeping boy, nostalgia overtook Caelis—his brother lay beside him again, just as when they were young. His throat tightened as his vision blurred. The boy was a splitting image of his brother in their younger days!
So… his brother truly had left behind an heir.
"Are you the ruler of the North?"
Caelis blinked, realizing that the panda was staring directly at him while standing protectively near the sleeping child. He cleared his throat and quickly regained control of his emotions. "I haven't seen you here before," he said calmly. "Are you new to the North?"
"You're not driving us away, are you?" the panda asked cautiously.
"No," Caelis replied. "Are you two alone?"
Before the panda could answer, he heard soft footsteps approaching from behind. The steps were light and almost silent, but they were quick.
When Caelis turned around, he spotted a young woman approaching quickly, her eyes carrying a hint of wariness. Her bluish-silver hair was braided neatly behind her head, though a few loose strands had escaped and now clung to her flushed cheeks from running. Her face was not ugly, but neither was it striking enough to draw attention in a crowd.
Yet Caelis's gaze lingered on her eyes.
Under the sunlight, they appeared sky blue. But when shadows touched them, they turned into a pale silver hue that perfectly matched her hair.
The woman wore relatively thin clothing despite the brutal cold of the Northern Territory. Yet she showed no signs of discomfort. In fact, Caelis could sense that every breath she exhaled carried a dense, chilling aura.
A mage?
If she truly belonged to the Magic Tower, Caelis should have expelled her immediately. The Beast Clan had never maintained a good relationship with the Magic Tower.
"Sir, have my son and my contracted beast offended you in any way?"
The woman stepped forward without hesitation, placing herself directly between Caelis and the still-sleeping child.
"Your son? Your contracted beast?" Caelis echoed. That explains why the gate let the mage through—she must've borrowed the panda's aura.
"That's right," she said calmly. "This child is my son, and this panda my contracted beast."
Caelis felt a sharp stab in his chest. If this woman were truly the child's mother… then she must be his brother's mate.
For five long years, Caelis had searched tirelessly for his brother's body—or at least for clues about the person who killed him. Alas, he had found nothing. And now, his brother's mate had appeared within his own territory. There was no way he would allow this opportunity to slip away.
"Where is your husband?" Caelis asked, forcing himself to calm down. "What happened to his father?" Yet, his heart hammered to hear the answer.
"He's gone," she said quietly. "I won't explain to a stranger."
That was reasonable.
If Caelis wished to uncover the truth behind his brother's death, he would have to remain patient. He would approach this woman slowly until she trusted him enough to reveal everything.
"I understand," Caelis said after a moment. "Then why are you here? The North doesn't welcome outsiders—especially mages."
Lina clenched the hem of her robe tightly.
Fatty had warned her that a powerful member of the beast clans was approaching Claude. From the overwhelming aura and authority he sensed, Fatty suspected that the man was none other than the Grand Duke of the North.
That was why Lina had not dared to teleport directly to Claude's side using magic. Instead, she had rushed here on foot. What she had not expected was that the Grand Duke could still sense the mana within her body—even though she had sealed most of it deep within her core.
What should she say?
Should she tell him the truth?
After all, she had come here to understand her son's strange condition. And the only one who truly understood the beast clans was their ruler and protector—the Grand Duke himself.
Lina looked directly into the man's golden eyes, silently deciding whether she could trust him. The longer she observed him, the more familiar his features appeared.
Platinum-gold hair…
Golden eyes…
Where had she seen those features before?
[Mistress, I believe we can trust him.]
Fatty's voice echoed gently inside her mind.
[How can you be so certain?] Lina replied mentally.
[The Grand Duke of the North is known to be ruthless toward outsiders, but he is fair and protective toward his clans. He must have sensed the beast aura within little Clau. His approach must be the reason he's here.]
That explanation made sense. If the Grand Duke had intended to expel them—or kill them—he would have done so immediately.
"Then I will speak honestly," Lina said at last. "My son has black scales on his body, and he frequently suffers from unexplained fevers. I heard that black scales may indicate a beast's blood. That is why I brought him here. To find answers."
"May I see it?" Caelis asked.
Lina hesitated, then nodded. "Go ahead." She gently patted Claude's arm. "My dear… my sweet Clau… wake up."
Claude stirred sleepily and rubbed his eyes. "Mama?"
"There's someone here who would like to meet you."
When one pair of small golden eyes met another pair of ancient golden eyes, the world seemed to fall silent.
Inside little Claude's mind, the thunderous echo of a dragon's roar suddenly shook his consciousness.
And Caelis heard it as well.
At that moment, he knew with absolute certainty—
This child was a true descendant of the Valerian dragon bloodline.