The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Liszt was drowsy on the shaking wagon.

The road had been bumpy. After spending another night in Red Stone City, they rode on for another two hours before they finally saw Taro Castle halfway up the mountain.

Taro Castle was almost four times as large as Tulip Castle. It had towers almost ten meters tall and seemed to be part of the mountain.

Back when he was on Earth, Liszt visited Neuschwanstein Castle¹ in Europe.

Neuschwanstein Castle was almost as magnificent as Tulip Castle, except that Tulip Castle was located on a steep cliff. However, it was incomparable to Taro Castle before him, which was as breathtaking as Minas Tirith from Lord of the Rings.

Below the castle was a city.

The wagons need not pass through the city, but simply went to the castle along a precipitous mountain road. Soon, the knights of Taro Castle discovered them and escorted them to the castle.

Some of them rushed to inform the castle.

So, by the time the wagons came to the gate of the castle, Mayop Taro, heir of Taro Castle and a cousin of the siblings, was waiting with the servants.

“Levis, Lvera, and Liszt.” Mayop was a handsome man with particularly beautiful sapphire eyes. He said, “I’ve been waiting for a long time. I hope everything went well on the road.”

Liszt had to admit that his cousin was more like his blood brother than Levis was.

“Cousin, everything has been good.”

“Lvera, you are more gorgeous than last year.”

“Thank you for your compliment, cousin, but compared to your pretty face, I feel that you’re mocking me,” said Lvera half seriously and half jokingly.

Mayop laughed. “It’s not something I can refuse, is it, Liszt?” He turned to Liszt.

Liszt smiled.

He was finally sure that Lvera had been mean to him because she was jealous of him. “You’re right, cousin.”

“Haha. Great minds do think alike. Let’s go inside. My father is supervising the tax collection this season. My grandfather is resting. He’s happy that you’re here.”

“How is he now?”

Mayop sighed. “His sickness is caused by complications of former wounds. The archduke has sent his doctor to treat Grandfather. I believe he’ll be better soon.”

…

Merlin Taro—lord of Red Crab Island, one of the seven marquises of the archduchy, former commander of the royal fleet, and the most honorable man in Taro Castle—was sitting on the bed in a splendid bedroom.

He was an old man in his sixties. The gravitas on his pale, wrinkled face could not hide the weakness caused by old age and sickness anymore.

Even a former sky knight could not resist the passage of time.

His sapphire eyes were turning white. His hair was entirely so.

Leaning against the head of the bed, he was writing on a short table that was placed on his quilt with difficulty.

The spots on his face were particularly eye-catching.

“My lord, your grandson has brought the Tulips into the castle.” The butler, who was almost as old as Marquis Merlin, spoke in the gentlest tone.

Marquis Merlin stopped briefly and wrote on. “Melisa’s children? Let them visit me while I’m not buried yet.”

“My lord, you will recover from your sickness soon. You said that you would outlive Marquis Wallace.”

“Haha. I also threatened the archduke’s dragon that I would kill it if it did not make me lord of the dragons’ realm. I’m going to be defeated by that guy this time.” Marquis laughed and finished his letter quickly.

The servants immediately moved the table away.

The butler helped the marquis sit straight before he adjusted his red bow-tie.

A servant brought them a bronze mirror.

Other servants delivered water, towels, and hairpins for the marquis.

The marquis groomed himself carefully and resumed his intimidating appearance. Then, he waited.

When he heard the familiar steps, his cloudy eyes glittered, but they were soon back to normal.

Mayop led the siblings into the bedroom.

Levis, ahead of Lvera and Liszt, reached the bed and bowed to Marquis Merlin as a senior. “Grandpa, Lvera, Liszt, and I are here to visit you. Our father sends his best regards and hopes that you will recover soon.”

“It’s very considerate of your father.” The marquis nodded. “How was your trip?”

“It was smooth.”

“That’s good. Spend a few days in Taro Castle with me.”

“Of course, Grandpa.”

The marquis looked at Liszt reminiscently. “Liszt, you’re an adult now.”

“Yes. My coming of age was celebrated on March 9.”

“I’m told that your father proclaimed you a baron. Which town did you go to?”

“Flower Town.”

“Leewilliam can’t even proclaim a viscount. He’s really a loser as an earl,” Marquis Merlin said sarcastically. Then, he remarked with complicated feelings, “I wasn’t there to attend your rite of passage. Melisa would definitely blame me. When I see you, I seem to see Melisa.”

Mayop agreed. “Grandfather, Cousin Liszt does look a lot like Aunt Melisa. She was truly the most brilliant flower of the archduchy.”

“I can’t remember what my mother looks like now,” said Liszt.

Melisa had passed away when Liszt was two. What could a two-year-old boy remember?

There was a portrait of Melisa in the castle, but he didn’t see it often. Also, the portrait could hardly convey her real charm.

It had always been a regret to him.

The marquis calmed down very soon. “Things that happened a dozen years ago are sometimes as fresh as yesterday… You must be exhausted. Mayop, take your cousins to rest. I want them to be energetic at lunch. Also, since there’s enough time, you young people should have a ball tomorrow night for fun.”