The World Dragon's Heir

Prince George brought two young men as guards, but Dominic had to try not to laugh as they shifted uncomfortably in their formal uniforms.

There was zero chance that these were professional soldiers. More likely, they were goons hired to play the role while his actual officers and guards blended in to perform more important duties.

It reminded Dominic that Alexis had done much better with her Veiled Maids, who were not only excellent at their jobs, they were completely natural. They blended into the background of the house as they went about their duties, and their combat skills were quickly becoming something to fear.

Alexis sat across from the Mitfield Prince, while Dominic sat on the far side of the low table, in the chair facing the fireplace that used to be the Earl of Wistover's favourite.

The maids brought coffee and breakfast themed snacks, as neither Dominic nor the Princess had eaten before the guests arrived.

"Please, help yourself. I know that you got moving in a hurry this morning." Dominic began.

It was a token gesture, as the maids had placed a selection on individual plates for them already, but he recalled that it was polite to invite the guest to eat.

George smiled at Alexis as he sipped the coffee.

"I must say, I never expected you to end up in the middle of nowhere, pumpkin. You know, my brothers and I had wagered that you would end up with a military man, living in one of the Capital Palaces." He joked.

Alexis winked at him. "Wrong sister. Josephine has been betrothed to Thorvald, son of Duke North of West Keria. She will be the one living with a soldier in a Palace."

Prince George smirked. "In your father's Palace, from what I hear. As the third son, Thorvald is unlikely to inherit, so there are wagers that he will ask for a transfer to the Cygnia Royal Army and marry into the Royal Family instead of marrying Josephine into his Ducal Family."

"Such scandal." Alexis laughed.

It took Dominic a moment to understand. The Duke North would be expecting to gain a direct link to the Royal Lineage from the marriage, but if Thorvald married into the Cygnia Royal Family, it would only be an indirect connection, the sort of political influence you normally got from a daughter marrying into a family, not the increased status that would come from having children with Royal blood in your own lineage.

While not really scandalous, it would be incredibly frustrating for the Duke.

"I am not suffering here, though. You should see our village before you go. We've been making huge strides, and within a year, I expect that we will be renovating and upgrading to keep up appearances." She added.

Prince George nodded. "I saw on the way in. The village is still being rebuilt, but I see new factory buildings, apartments, and many renovated shops. You have done well for yourselves.

I also hear that you have an arrangement with the Merchant's Guild."

Alexis nodded. "Indeed. They come by usually once a week. It has become their new route from the Capital to Kinewen."

"And that is part of why I am here. The King suggests that the old role of border station be reintroduced for the Wistover Estate. It might not be close to the actual border, but there are no other suitable estates to host international gatherings.

The cities are being managed by Earls, but the situation in them is unstable.

So, they were ruled out as options.

In the past, Castle City was the chosen location due to road access. However, the situation there is becoming untenable. So, King Mitfield suggests that the meetings between Axbridge, Cygnia and Mitfield should be held here." He explained.

Dominic did quick mental calculations. They were close to halfway between Cygnia City and Witheton, the capital of the Axbridian Empire. They were also a similar distance from Mitfield, but there was currently no direct road access from any of those cities to Wistover.

"You want us to build an airship base here and a facility to host the meetings." Dominic realized.

Prince George shrugged. "Well, there really isn't a need for another facility. Meetings between Royal Envoys normally don't have more than twenty people in attendance."

What he meant was that the Ducal Manor was already large enough for the purpose.

However, it was not secure enough.

Dominic knew that without it being said, just as Alexis knew that they would need to expand the house and the gardens to make them suitable for Royal visitors.

The Envoys were usually ranked officials, but it was an open secret that almost every delegation hid at least one Royal among them so that there was a representative from the family present to make decisions.

Dominic caught Alexis staring at him, and nodded. "I can have it done in two weeks at the most. The Architects are nearly finished with their previous projects, and I can get them right on the upgrades needed."

Prince George looked toward the door and the window, checking for curious ears.

However, there were Cygnia Royal Guards visible outside both, so nobody would be close enough to snoop.

"What the King is most concerned about is not the ability to land an airship, but the ability to defend it, should the Dagos Civil war expand beyond their borders.

There have been updates on the situation that you should be aware of, and none of them are good news."

Dominic nodded and activated the soundproofing spell that was built into the room.

"You may speak freely. The room is magically soundproof." He explained.

Prince George nodded, but lowered his voice when he spoke.

"We have reason to believe that the Archmage is dead, and that the group who assassinated him has gained access to his Grimoire, including the Indestructible Body spell. There have been reports of surprisingly difficult to injure mages in Dagos.

At the lower levels, the spell increases durability, similar to the way that monsters become more difficult to injure.

However, the techniques that they are using don't match up with the Archmage's teachings, and nobody has seen him since the start of the war.

Prince Kaizon has been confirmed to have extremely powerful magical assistance, after a recent failed assassination attempt, but it was not the Archmage.

Because of that, and the limited support that the Prince's movement has remaining, we believe that they might try to flee the country and instigate trouble in other nations.

What their ultimate goal is, I am not certain. However, it is the opinion of the Mitfield Crown that the instability in Dagos is only the start of a much larger scheme."