Once Cayman had finished his breakfast, Johanna approached, cradling their daughter, Diana. "I intend to take the children back to the estate in the contested lands. It is unsafe here with the dragon."
Her concerns were for their safety. News of the dragon had spread, making his manor a focal point for intrigue and danger in Lys. The powerful nobility felt no reverence, only fear, and would not allow such a threat to grow unchallenged.
"Be cautious," she reiterated, observing his nonchalant demeanor. "The affluent merchants are the true wielders of power here. They will not allow your dragon to grow easily."
"Rest assured, I will arrange for you and the children to be discreetly escorted away," Cayman said, having long prepared for this. "There is no need for concern."
"Just be mindful," Johanna said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her focus having shifted profoundly to her children. "If you perish, both I and the children will be in peril." She then gave him a pointed look. "Upon your arrival, ensure the child is entrusted to the nurse. Remember the teachings I imparted. Stockpiling provisions, training troops, fortifying walls. Have you not retained them?"
Cayman gently kissed her forehead. "I will return in three months. Before then, I have matters to attend to here."
"Very well," Johanna replied, choosing not to press further. Then, she raised her head, her voice firm. "I can remain your mistress for a lifetime, but may our children bear your surname."
Cayman looked at her with amusement. "Have you always considered Grace and Diana to be illegitimate? Many people suggest that, yet you have never directly addressed the issue of their lineage, have you?"
"You think too much," she countered, her lips pressed tightly together.
Cayman reached out and gently pinched little Grace's cheek. "From the moment of their birth, Grace and Diana were children of the Aegallion family. And little Grace was destined to be the future king of Lys." He spoke to the baby in an exaggerated tone, "Hello, future king. Prince Grace Aegallion."
Grace burst into laughter, blissfully unaware of the weight of the promise. Johanna, however, understood all too well. Raising her gaze, she met Cayman's mismatched eyes, which sparkled with mirth, while her own brimmed with unshed tears. No one knew the despair she had felt when her uncle refused her ransom, the terror of being sold like livestock. Now, she had found a sense of security in him, a promise that granted her peaceful nights.
"Enough of the tears," Cayman said softly, wiping them away. "This was all part of the plan."
Meanwhile, within Ivika's estate, a very different conversation was taking place. Ivika, Chiolier, and Destin were gathered around a table, their faces grim.
"I have no idea how Saera managed to steal a dragon egg, nor why she would gift it to that little brat, Cayman," Ivika spat. "Yet, the reality is that he has become a dragon rider. That creature, with its black scales and red fins, is clearly not a creature of virtue, much like its master."
"We have heard enough about it," Chiolier rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Rumors are rampant. Furthermore, I do not believe that woman is capable of such a feat. She has three illegitimate children by different men. Do you think she would bestow a dragon egg upon her child with Benick? We all know Cayman is merely the byproduct of a transaction."
A bitter silence enveloped the three. A profound sense of imbalance festered in their hearts. They had invested decades to acquire their wealth and status.
"We must eliminate him," Ivika said, his words hanging in the air. The unspoken implication was clear: as long as Cayman possessed a dragon, the next step would be the establishment of a new dragon-ruling family, and the Governor's Council would be dissolved.
"What course of action do you propose?" Chiolier's eyes sparkled with deadly intent. "The common estate is currently impenetrable. Not even a mouse could gain entry."