Claude jolted from his daze and grabbed his mother's thigh, eyes wide with fear and wonder. "Mama, did you hear that? I can hear a dragon's roar!"
"Have you ever heard a dragon's roar before?" Lina asked gently.
"No."
"Then why are you so certain it was a dragon?" Lina had heard many beasts's voices since entering the territory, but none like a dragon's roar.
"I don't know," Claude replied honestly. "But I'm sure it was a dragon."
A small cough broke the silence. "Little one, what is your name?" he asked, gaze fixed on the child.
"My name is Claude."
Caelis felt his world tremble slightly when he heard that name. He recognized dragon blood in the boy, but it could be from a distant branch. However, the mere fact that the child could hear the roar of the Dragon God was enough to prove that he possessed the qualification to become the heir of the Northern Lord.
Furthermore, his name sounded strikingly similar to his brother's name, making Caelis even more certain.
This child was Klaude's son.
Caelis knelt down so that he could meet Claude's gaze directly. "Very well, Claude. I would like to get to know you better. Would you be willing to stay with me for a few days? I will also help you deal with those black scales."
Claude glanced up at his mother, unease creeping in. When she didn't respond, he faced the unfamiliar man again. "What about my mama?"
"Good question. I believe I should speak with your mother first." He stood up and looked at Lina calmly. "Would you come with me?"
Lina blinked several times, unsure how to respond. She then quietly called Fatty back into the contract dimension. After lifting her son into her arms, she nodded and accepted the stranger's invitation.
In the next instant, their bodies lifted gently from the ground and landed upon the back of a massive white dragon.
Lina instinctively pulled her son close, unease tightening her chest, unaware that the ruler of the North was a Dragon Clan member.
No wonder no hunter had ever managed to leave this dukedom alive.
The Dragon Clan was the most noble and powerful among all beast clans. In fact, there were rumors that the entire clan descended from the Dragon God himself. However, only one true lineage possessed the pure blood capable of wielding godlike power.
Lina wondered if the Northern Lord was that direct descendant, a mix of hope and unease rising in her chest.
She silently sighed with relief that she had sealed most of her aura and the majority of her mana before entering the dukedom. Otherwise, she feared the ice dragon would have immediately recognized her as a Sword Master, no matter how carefully she concealed her sword aura.
Even with most of her mana sealed away, this man had still managed to recognize that she was a mage. Lina could not even imagine what might happen if the dragon discovered that she was actually a True Mage.
The ice dragon soon landed in the front courtyard of a magnificent palace.
Caelis carefully lowered Lina and Claude onto the ground using gentle wind magic. The moment he returned to his human form, Edgar appeared to greet them.
"Your Grace, this…" Edgar's pair of dark eyes immediately focused on the little boy whose face strongly resembled Klaude's appearance when the latter had been young.
"This is Claude," Caelis said calmly, "and she is his mother, Mrs—"
"Lina. My name is Lina."
Caelis nodded. "Mrs. Lina. They are my honored guests. Prepare the finest rooms for them. And inform the servants that this child is to be treated with the same respect they show to me."
Edgar nodded respectfully and immediately invited Claude into the palace.
As usual, Claude turned to his mother first, silently asking for permission.
"Go ahead," Lina said softly. "I will join you shortly."
Lina had expected Claude to refuse. The boy had always been very dependent on her. But to her surprise, Claude released his grip on her robe and obediently followed the butler into the palace. Watching how naturally her son accepted the unfamiliar place, Lina was forced to acknowledge something she had tried to ignore.
Claude truly carried the blood of a beast. The boy felt oddly at ease, though it was his first time in the Northern Dukedom.
"You don't need to worry," Caelis said calmly. "Your son will be treated well here. No one in this palace would dare harm him."
"I appreciate your kindness. But why did you specifically order the servants to serve him?" Lina asked cautiously.
"That," Caelis said, "is exactly what I wished to discuss. Let us continue this conversation inside."
Though her son left her sight, Lina's vigilance never wavered. Her hearing remained extremely sharp, quietly tracking Claude's footsteps and voice from afar. She merely wanted to ensure that no one attempted to corner him or confine him.
Even as she sat across from the Grand Duke in his private chamber, Lina kept her senses extended, listening for anything unusual around her son.
For several moments, neither of them spoke. Even after a maid entered to serve tea and refreshments, the silence lingered heavily in the air.
Two pairs of eyes remained locked upon each other. One was carefully assessing the other's personality. The other was attempting to uncover the hidden meaning behind that intense gaze.
"Allow me to introduce myself first," Caelis finally said. "My name is Caelis Iceland Valerian, Grand Duke of House Valerian. And you?"
"Lina," she replied simply, offering no surname and no title.
A given name alone meant little in noble society. A family name and title were what truly reflected a person's honor and achievements. Without them, one appeared to possess neither status nor accomplishments.
"Very well, Lina," Caelis continued honestly. "I will speak frankly. I need an heir. When I looked at Claude, I felt an incredibly strong connection with him. I want him to become my successor."
"What?" Lina's voice rose despite herself. "Claude is just a human boy. Why choose him as your successor?"
An alarm rang loudly within her mind. Doubt struck Lina for the first time—had she made a mistake coming here? What if the Grand Duke took her son?
"Look at me," Caelis said calmly. "Do you not see the resemblance between us?"
Resemblance?
Lina frowned as she tried to recall the faint sense of familiarity that had been troubling her since earlier. Then suddenly, an old memory surfaced.
Klain!
This man looked strikingly similar to Klain.
"Klain!" Lina burst out. "Do you know him?" Hope and desperation laced her voice.
If this man knew Klain, perhaps she could finally learn the truth about her brother-in-law's origins.
Caelis's brows furrowed slightly. "Is that the name of the child's father?"
Lina immediately realized her mistake. It was obvious from his expression that this man had never heard the name before. She had jumped to conclusions too quickly. However, at the same time, she felt a small sense of relief knowing that Klain apparently had no direct connection to the Grand Duke's family.
"That's right," Lina replied calmly. "Klain is Claude's father."
Caelis fell silent as he processed this new information. He could still hear the echo of the dragon's roar resonating faintly inside his mind—a sound that only those carrying the direct bloodline of the Dragon God could hear. And little Claude had heard it as well. He was absolutely certain that the boy was a descendant of Klaude.
So who exactly was Klain? Had he made a mistake?
Or was Claude's father perhaps from a distant branch house that had somehow received a fragment of the Dragon God's blessing?
Or…
Had his brother used the name Klain as a pseudonym?
Whatever the truth might be, Caelis chose to believe the last possibility.
He desperately hoped—
And silently prayed—
That Klain was Klaude.