With the appearance of the dragons, the ceremony hall fell into chaos. Dragons were legendary, sentient manabeasts that stood at the top of the food chain. It would be a fortune in one's lifetime to witness one dragon, but in this event, three had shown up!
Luka trembled at the presence of these mythical creatures. He had already received enough shock when his great grandfather was among the elders participating in the sabotage ceremony.
Now, he had to deal with the overwhelming auras of the dragons on top of the deadly atmosphere from the Prince Consort and the Archmage.
His mouth went dry, and his knees buckled. It was the most primal level of fear. At this moment, he couldn't help but look around for his peers.
Somehow, he was glad to find out he wasn't the only one shaking.
It meant that he wasn't weak.
Then, his eyes flickered toward the main stars of the show.
The princess and her destined partner.
At this moment, Luka realized why that man was capable of standing next to the princess.
Amid all this chaos, he was calm. That man, Earl Roth... had a faint smile on his face.
He could see that man quietly whisper something into the princess's ear. It was as if the pair was in a world of their own. Quietly whispering into each other's ears and laughing together.
What could they be whispering about at this moment, when the elders were on their knees, the Archmage was on her feet, and the dragons had arrived?
He would never know.
At this moment, the Archmage spoke.
"These are my guests. Please pardon their intrusion."
Guests?
Luka bitterly laughed. So these were the Royal Family's new allies. As a direct descendent of the ancient noble family, he felt shame from the bottom of his heart.
The attempted assassination of Her Majesty and Her Highness was well known in their circle. However, he felt rage boiling towards the Arianne family, who had orchestrated this entire farce.
Her Majesty was right. They had broken her trust, and he could not imagine the consequences.
Would it be the slow decline of the ancient families, which had acted as pillars for the Elven Kingdom for centuries?
Or perhaps nothing at all except for the meteoric rise of the Royal Family now that they have gained new support.
"We've been expecting your arrival, Mighty Dragons." Her Majesty, the Queen, spoke.
"We appreciate the welcome. You even prepared a little show for us, kekeke." The black dragon replied.
"We apologize for the shameful sight you had to see." The Queen replied with a smirk.
"We have come to expect this behaviour from mortals. It is nothing at all. So now, we will just be background actors." This time, the most giant dragon of them all spoke.
The dragons landed at a particular place prepared for them in the hall. Befitting of their words, they grew quiet. They will only be observers from now.
...
Peace in the ceremony hall was soon restored.
"Take them away," Saryll commanded her troops to remove the elders and their private troops.
Abelis resumed his position, and so did Alea and Earl.
"Alea Venroris, do you agree to be promised to Earl Roth?"
"Yes." A smile broke out on the princess's usually cold face. "Gladly."
Earl found his heart skipping a beat. Her smile is so beautiful. He thought to himself.
"Earl Roth, do you agree to be promised to Alea Venroris?"
"Yes. It is my honour."
The pair's eyes met, and Alea found herself with a deep blush on her face.
"Alea Venroris, do you agree to promise Earl Roth the position of Prince Consort and vow to protect his dignity?"
"Yes."
"Earl Roth, do you agree to take on the role as Alea Venroris' sword, shield, and holder of her dignity?"
"Yes."
"The ceremony is hereby declared as finished. From today, the two will be promised to each other until the day Crowned Princess Alea Venroris takes the throne. May the spirits watch over them, and may their love flourish eternally like our nation we proudly stand on."
Cheers echoed through the hall, and the post-ceremony banquet began.
Servants served food, and the hall came to life. It was as if the sabotage that happened earlier never happened.
Most of the nobles took their time to introduce themselves to Ari, the Great Archmage. They then designated the role of talking to Earl to their children to foster a connection in this generation.
"Mighty dragons, your magnificence knows no bounds, your beauty, elegance, and grace. It's otherworldly! Dare I be given the privilege of admiring Your Mighty's silhouette and sink it into the very depths of my soul?"
Of course, with the appearance of dragons, there were bound to be some weirdos in the group of nobles.
Demon Lord Zeddro, even with his talkative nature, found his insides bubbling. He eyed his brother, and they communicated at the speed of light.
"These elves are weird!"
"They are perverts, yes."
"Kukuku! My scales are tingling. Is this fear? I haven't felt like this since the Hero's party!"
"No, you are just grossed out."
"I am getting so much of the tingles that I almost forgot what we came here for. Where is Lilith?"
"She should be appearing soon. She is the Child of Destiny's servant, so she was not around during the ceremony."