Ophelia and The Dragons

Chapter 13

"You always want to go to a party where you get an invite."

-Simon Cowell-

***

Ophelia's P.O.V

Two weeks after the crown prince returned to the palace, a carriage containing gold and other kind of gifts was placed in front of my manor early in the morning.

I already knew who it was from before asking.

"His majesty, the crown prince has ordered these for you as a gifts, please accept it."

Yes, who else would?

He said he would send over something as a token of gratitude, but I didn't expect this much. Nicholas was overreacting.

Once the carriage was gone, I used magic to bring all of the gifts inside. Helios who had been watching in silent finally spoke up.

"Are these gifts from the male human from before?" He asked.

"You mean the crown prince? Yes, these are from him." I replied.

"You should just throw them all away, Lia. We don't need these." He said grumpily.

"It's rude to throw away gifts from people, especially when they are thoughtful and expensive." I replied as I opened the boxes to see what was inside.

Beside the gold, there were several beautiful dresses and accessories inside along with a letter that was inserted in one of the box.

I picked it up and realized it wasn't just a letter, but there was another invitation within the envelope.

It was a formal invitation to attend the seasonal ceremony at the holy temple.

I learnt about it before. Each year, before winter arrived, they would hold a seasonal ceremony at the holy temple to pray for an easy winter.

It's usually attended by the royal family, nobles and the holy priests. Another similar ceremony would be held another day, attended by the people. But this one was for the first kind.

For me to receive such an invitation, was it even okay?

The royal family might have accepted my existence as a witch, but I was not too sure about the others.

Noble families were full of gossips and also played an important role in the empire. Meanwhile, the holy priests might view witches like me as the enemy.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, Ophelia. You know that right?" Helios suddenly came up from behind me. He was so fast I didn't even realize he was coming.

"Helios, since when did you enter the room?" I asked.

"You didn't close the door. I also deactivated my mana for the time being so you might not realize it." He replied.

"Don't act like that, Helios. He didn't just get gifts from me, he also got some clothes for you too." I said as I gave him the clothes. They were matching sets with my dresses.

Helios was not expecting it, he still seemed displeased and his pride wouldn't allow it to accept them.

"No, I don't need something like this." He said as he threw them to the bed.

"Well, even if you don't like them, you can just keep them. You never know when you would need these kinds of clothes in your life. Besides, they are matching with mine. Don't you want to wear matching sets with me sometimes?" I persuaded him.

He puffed but I could tell he was imagining wearing matching clothes with me and his pride lowered a little bit.

"Ugh, fine, but I don't want to see them until it's time to actually wear them." He replied.

"Okay, that's not a problem. I will store these first, you can go hunt for our lunch. Let's eat some delicious meat today." A bright smile appeared on his face and he nodded before leaving to hunt.

Ah, no matter how old he had gotten, there was still this child-like side of his that made me absolutely adored him, not as a man, but more like a younger brother.

Once he was back from the hunt, I was amazed by the varieties of meat he brought home. From wild boar to rabbits. He was definitely overdoing it but it's fine, I can cook each of these and turn them into delicious meals.

"Ah, as I thought, cooked meal is way more delicious than eating the meat raw." He stated as we were eating lunch.

"You're a dragon, raw meat is healthier for you." I responded.

"But this is more delicious. I don't mind the herbs and spices. They don't kill me or make me sick." He replied back. I smiled as I watched him eat happily.

"By the way, Ophelia, I saw the invitation earlier. What is the seasonal ceremony and dragon temple?" He asked.

"Seasonal ceremony is something the royals and nobles do to pray for an easy winter. The event is held in the dragon temple." I started explaining.

"After the first emperor passed away, the next emperor built the dragon temple as a way to honor the creature, but the purpose is similar to church and other types of temples. There are also holy priests who guard the temple and lead the religious ceremonies."

I thought it was kind of ironic, considering the first emperor cast away all the real dragons. I guessed they felt guilty about it.

"Why is it called the dragon temple? Are there any real dragons like me there?"

"Hm, I'm not sure about that. Supposedly, dragons have left the empire centuries ago, but we can always expect some surprises."

"I think it would be nice if I could see other dragons beside myself. Since I was born, I am the only dragon I know." He admitted whole-heartedly.

Yes, I guessed I have never taken it into consideration because Helios never brought it up. Since he was born, I was the only human he bonded with and cared about.

I wondered how he would act around another dragon like him.

"Let's not overthink it for now, Helios. If you want to, I can also bring you to the ceremony. How does that sound?" I asked.

"I will go with you, Lia. This time, I want to protect you." I smiled when I heard his answer.

"Okay, we will go there together."