The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 805: Good Years

The years after King Claudius began his reign were good ones for Wistover.

Something in the world seemed to have shifted with the change in generations, and it couldn’t all be attributed to the fact that nearly every Barony now had at least one family of Trolls living in it.

That had certainly helped with the crops, and cut down on the risk of famine.

But the real change was something more than that, something that said the magic of the world was more stable now than it had been in the past. Mages were growing faster and more powerful, and while Princess Katerina might still hold the title as the most powerful graduate that the Wistover Magic Academy had ever seen, she was no longer the only one to graduate as a Master Mage.

This year marked her sixteenth birthday, one year after her graduation from the Academy, and they had the Wistover Academy run by the Duskblade Sect had two level fifteen mages graduating, while the Sands Academy, teaching nature magic and practical skills, had one.

Both of the Duskblade graduates were Techno Wizards, and expected to be heavily recruited by the local businesses after graduation, but it was the other that was causing a real stir.

She was a half Elven healer, born to the concubine of a local Baron in an arrangement that nobody openly spoke about, but everyone silently acknowledged was primarily between the Elf and the Baroness, not the Baron.

Dominic didn’t delve too deeply into it. Illegitimate children were common enough, and the wife hadn’t raised any complaints, so he had no reason to concern himself.

Only when the daughter proved to be a prodigy did the whole situation come to light in a very public way.

There was some pressure from the High Nobles elsewhere in the nation to legitimize the girl so that she could be more easily married to the heirs of their houses. It would be an embarrassment for them to marry an illegitimate daughter with no real dowry. But she was so talented that every Noble family wanted to have her, either as an employee or a daughter-in-law.

Katerina thought that it was hilarious that her friend was being recruited for Noble families even more strongly than she was.

Her status actually seemed to encourage the young Noblemen.

Or, it could be the elf ears. Katerina definitely thought that the elf ears had something to do with it. That and the way that she blushed when she got flustered. In contrast, she knew that she scared many of the Noble scions.

The cute and gentle healer was the peak wife archetype. But the dragonkin Paladin who routinely dominated the sparring tournaments at the academy was less appealing to them.

That was fine by her.

She had already determined who she wanted to marry, she just had to convince her parents that it was fine.

Her eyes drifted to the other side of the training grounds, where Prince Tommy of Amerton was practicing his sword forms with military precision as he waited for the graduation ceremony to begin. He was one of the grandsons of the King of Amerton, and his father was a strong contender for Crown Prince, though the old King hadn’t made an official announcement.

He preferred to keep his kids in competition.

Katerina had been infatuated with Prince Tommy since he arrived here three years ago to join the Paladin training before returning home to take on a military commission.

She defeated him in training, and he made the cutest noise when she pinned him to the ground.

She wanted him.

The other Paladins did their best not to laugh as the Prince deliberately ignored the attention of the Dragon Princess. She was giving him a look like he was a new type of snack, and it was no secret how she felt. The only hang-up was that his father thought a son marrying a Dragonkin would affect their branch’s chances of gaining the throne.

The Professors and the head of the Wistover Paladins took to the stage, and Katerina tuned out the speech as they congratulated the graduating class.

Her attention was split between keeping track of Prince Tommy and making sure that nobody made inappropriate moves on her Elven friend. Too many strangers had gathered here today for the graduation ceremony, and the dragon blood in her was humming with the potential of threats to her people.

An older man came over to visit Prince Tommy, and Katerina gestured for her maid to go grab her father.

This was her best chance.

Dominic joined his daughter, leaving Alexis to watch the ceremony with their boys, who were all still a few years from graduating.

"Prince Antonio, greetings. I trust you are enjoying your stay in Wistover," Dominic greeted the visiting Prince from Amerton.

"Ah, Governor Dominic. I do hope that we can speak for a moment."

"Of course. We have a few things to discuss. If you don’t mind, we can step into the office while we wait? There is about half an hour before your son will cross the stage."

Prince Antonio nodded, and Dominic led him to the Academy, and onto a balcony, where they could watch the ceremony without being overheard.

"You said that you had some concerns. Business or personal?"

The Amerton Prince sighed and shook his head. "Personal, I’m afraid. You see, your daughter has been terrorizing my son since he arrived. I have tried to explain that she simply has a strong personality, but he’s not entirely certain that he could survive being chosen as her husband."

Dominic laughed. "See, what I was going to ask was if you were willing to arrange a marriage, as she is quite smitten with your son."

Prince Antonio smiled down at the crowd. "I’m afraid that he’s simply unfit for the task. He has the sword skills, but his personality is far too weak to be a proper leader. Forget being my heir, I doubt that he could even effectively lead a military unit.

If we give him to Princess Katerina, she will eat him alive.

While I would value a blood alliance between our families, perhaps something might work out more smoothly between one of my daughters and your sons? I do have one about the right age."

Dominic shrugged. "I believe in letting the children test compatibility before arranging things. It worked out well for my marriage."

Prince Antonio nodded. "I shouldn’t have named that boy after my father, he’s not worthy of it. However, I will arrange for my daughter to attend the Academy here. As weak-minded as Tommy is, I can’t deny that the skills he has learned are peerless.

Among the other young knights, he is generally considered a prodigy.

Princess Katerina is simply too much woman for him to handle. Though, I suspect that isn’t a concern for her, as she fully intends to handle him, not the other way around."

Dominic chuckled. "She does look at him a bit like a new toy, doesn’t she? Perhaps a few years here with the Paladins will toughen him up, instead of sending him home immediately to sit at some guard post in the Capital?"