In a vast dimly lit hall, its towering stone pillars adorned with intricate golden carvings of dragons winding around their lengths. The air carried a faint scent of incense, mingling with the ambient mana that radiated from the very walls, giving the space an ancient, almost sacred feel.

Selene strode through the hall, her footsteps hurried, yet her movements retained their natural grace. Her long dark purple hair cascaded down her back, flowing with each step as her robes she wore fluttered slightly. The urgency in her golden eyes was unmistakable, a stark contrast to the composed and cold demeanor she usually wore in public.

She was the mysterious woman Arthur had met before.

She didn’t stop until she reached a set of large double doors embedded with dragon scale patterns. Without hesitation, she pushed them open.

Inside, seated atop a sofa, was a man with golden eyes that mirrored hers. His presence alone seemed to command the very air around him, exuding an aura of power that made the atmosphere feel heavier. Despite his youthful appearance, the depth in his gaze revealed a wisdom earned through millennia.

The moment she saw him, the tension in her shoulders eased, and her lips curled into a rare, genuine smile.

“Grandpa!” she exclaimed.

Before the man could react, she had already crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

The man chuckled, his deep voice resonating through the chamber. He returned the hug, patting her head with a fondness that only family could bring. “It’s been some time since you last visited. What brings you here in such a hurry, little dragon?”

Selene pulled back, giving a pout, “Why… Can’t I visit you anytime I want.” Then her expression shifted slightly as she collected her thoughts. “I met someone. A young human named Arthur.”

The man arched an eyebrow, intrigued by her tone. “Oh?”

She nodded, her excitement barely contained. “His situation… it’s similar to yours.”

The warmth in her grandfather’s expression cooled slightly, his sharp gaze narrowing. “Explain.”

Selene took a step back and crossed her arms. “He’s able to travel between worlds. Unlike you, he can return to his own world at will.”

The man’s frown deepened. His golden eyes gleamed with thought. “So, he possesses the ability to cross realms freely…” He leaned back against his seat, rubbing his chin. “Interesting.”

Selene’s grandpa was the hero in the story that Selene told Arthur. But there were many things that she hadn’t revealed to Arthur like how he defied the dragon clan’s laws to be with her Grandma. And unlike Arthur, her grandfather had no way of returning.

Selene studied her grandfather’s expression carefully. She knew he rarely spoke of his regrets, but deep down, she understood that being trapped in a foreign world, unable to return home, must have left wounds that never truly healed.

Her grandfather, the Forgotten Hero, was once an outsider to this world, just like Arthur.

Thousands of years ago, he had been summoned by the human continent’s rulers, thrust into a war that was never his to fight. They called him their hero, their savior. But once the war was won, when the enemies lay vanquished and the world was safe… they turned against him.

The humans, despite all he had done for them, feared him, he was too powerful. So, he had left, abandoning their lands in search of a place where he could simply exist without being treated as a weapon.

That journey had led him to Drakmire, the land of the dragonkin.

And it was here that he fell in love with a woman, Selene’s grandmother.

She had been a princess of the dragon clan, bound by duty and shackled by tradition. Their love had been forbidden from the very beginning. The royal family saw him as nothing more than an unworthy outsider, a human who had no right to stand beside one of their own.

But even with the opposition of the entire royal dragon clan, he was able to marry the love of his life relying on his strength. And in the end, the dragon clan was forced to marry their princess to an outsider.

Selene’s grandmother had left the royal family for him, abandoning her title, her status, everything. They had built a life together, away from the suffocating politics of the dragons, choosing love over lineage.

But love had come at a cost.

Her grandfather had made powerful enemies, elders and royals who saw his presence as a stain on their bloodline. Even now, thousands of years later, there were those who still whispered of him as an insult to their heritage.

And yet, despite all the power he had gained over the centuries, despite standing at the peak of the Transcendence Realm, he never advanced to godhood.

Because the moment he did… he would be forced to leave this world behind.

The rules of divinity were absolute. Those who reached godhood could not remain in the mortal realm. They had to ascend beyond, leaving behind everything they had built, everyone they had loved.

And he refused to do so. As long as Selene was not strong enough to stand on her own, as long as she was still vulnerable to the schemes of the royal family, he would not take that final step.

Her grandfather had already lost too much in his life, he wouldn’t lose her too. He had a son but he spends most of his time in the royal clan and is more inclined towards them. He had tried many times to marry off Selene for political benefits but Selene’s grandma always intervened.

Selene knew this. She knew this was the only reason he still remained bound to this world, why he continued to watch over her instead of claiming his rightful place among the gods.

…

The man asked intrigued, “So this kid Arthur, where did you meet him.”

Taking a deep breath, she continued. “I first met him more than a month ago. He was excavating mana stones near the territory given to me recently.”

The man let out an amused chuckle. “That’s bold of him… stealing resources from a dragon’s territory?”

Selene tilted her head upwards like she did a great job and smirked. “Humph…That’s why I made him build me a castle as compensation.”

The amused look on her grandfather’s face instantly vanished. He blinked, staring at her as if she had just grown another head. “You did what!?”

Selene huffed, folding her arms. “He built me a castle. I paid him for it, so it’s not like I forced him.”

The man rubbed his temples and let out a long sigh. He loved his granddaughter dearly, but she had a habit of doing things that made his life more complicated. “…You do realize what that means, don’t you?”

Selene tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

Her grandfather sighed again, this time with a more serious expression. “You were raised away from the royal family for the most part, so you never truly embraced their traditions. But to the dragon clan, what you did is equivalent to accepting a marriage proposal.”

Selene stiffened. “What?!”

Her grandfather nodded grimly. “If those old geezers find out, they will use this against you. They already disapproved of your grandmother choosing to be with me, a human. They won’t tolerate another ‘stain’ on their so-called heritage.”

Selene frowned, anxiety creeping into her golden eyes. “But… Arthur didn’t even know about that tradition. Neither did I. He just built me a castle, and I gave him money for it. That’s all.”

The man shook his head. “That may be how you see it, but the dragon clan won’t care. They’ll see it as a claim. And their response…” He sighed. “They may try to kill him.”

A cold chill ran down Selene’s spine.

Kill him? Over something like this?

She clenched her fists. “That’s ridiculous!”

“That’s how the clan operates,” her grandfather said, his voice carrying an edge of frustration. “You’ve spent most of your time here with me, away from their politics. But now that you’ve been crowned as a princess, they will scrutinize everything you do. And this is enough for them to act.”

Selene bit her lip. She had never cared about the dragon clan’s traditions before. They were suffocating, filled with rules meant to maintain their so-called ‘purity.’ But now, her actions had unknowingly put someone else in danger.

“Then what should we do?” she asked, her voice quieter now. “I won’t let them kill him because of me.”

Her grandfather watched her carefully, his golden eyes studying her expression. After a long moment, a knowing smile tugged at his lips. “You care about this boy, don’t you?”

Selene’s eyes widened slightly. “I…I just don’t want an innocent person to die because of some outdated tradition.”

Her grandfather chuckled softly. “If you say so.”

Selene crossed her arms and looked away, feeling strangely flustered. “So… what do we do?”

The man exhaled and leaned forward slightly. “Bring him here.”

Selene blinked. “Huh?”

“I’ll speak to him myself,” he said. “I need to see what kind of person this Arthur is before deciding on anything.”

A wave of relief washed over her. If anyone could protect Arthur from the royal family, it was her grandfather. She smiled and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him again. “Thank you, Grandpa. You’re the best.”

The man chuckled, resting a hand on her head and patting her.

The room fell into a comfortable silence for a moment before Selene spoke again. “Where’s grandma?”

“Your grandmother left for the dragon clan yesterday. If you hurry, you might still catch her there.” His wife was not present here, as she had to return to the dragon clan to take care of her duties frequently and he wasn’t allowed to enter the royal dragon clan, that was one of the conditions of their marriage.

Her grandmother had returned to the royal clan a few years earlier, as her father was pushing for her marriage. So her grandmother intervened and had to return.

Selene’s expression hardened slightly. The royal family was nothing but a thorn in her side. But if Arthur was in danger because of their stupid traditions, she needed to act fast.

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll go and meet grandma.”

Her grandfather nodded. “Go. And be careful.”

Selene turned to leave but stopped at the door. “Grandpa?”

“Hmm?”

She hesitated for a brief moment before grinning. “Try not to look too scary when you meet him, alright?”

The man let out a deep laugh. “Haha…No promises.”

Selene rolled her eyes and disappeared into the hall.

And Arthur who was training in the forest had no idea what kind of mess he was about to be dragged into.

***

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