"What are we going to train first?" Rue asked as Karl began setting up a new training area within an [Illusionary Domain] in the suite next to his own.

The castle staff were as enthralled as the Palace staff had been by the new facility, and just as horrified by the thought of having to clean it when the training was finished.

The basic setup was the same, but this time, it was themed to match the mountains that they were located in. It was also larger than either of the ones that came before it, with a larger flight obstacle course, and more training scenarios.

In addition to spell targeting, Karl had added combat strategy to lead troops, a financial planning course, and a large open air office area for Prince Lukas to continue her training.

Just because they were considered to be in hiding didn't mean that she could slack off on her new duties, and the Crown Prince had every intention of ensuring that she was the best trained assistant that anyone had ever seen by the time that they returned.

But Karl had more plans than that.

"I will let Cara lead you through the training today, while I work on some new material for you. I suspect that there is a way for me to either get you some skill points, or to teach you some new spells and skills that will help your growth.

You're doing very well, but we need to shock the world with your progress when we get back to the Palace." He informed Rue when she arrived for her training.

"Got it, boss. Don't worry, Cara knows how to do all the things."

Karl smiled at the Princess. Knowing how to do the things was not the problem with letting Cara lead the training.

The problem was that Cara knew too many things.

And, she was terrible about keeping them to herself, instead of teaching them to children much too young to be learning such things.

Cara mentally laughed at Karl's thoughts. She was younger than Rue was, so what was the harm in teaching the little princess a few more interesting things?

She happily led Rue into the training area, while Karl sat down in the suite to begin working on a way to transform Rue into a proper Shadow Dragon for legitimacy without changing her entire bloodline using [Evolution].

That would be the easiest way, but the Princess had insisted that she didn't want her bloodline to be changed.

She was capable of attaining a Void Dragon form if he applied the right skills, but the Royal Family were not Void Dragons. Life would have been so much easier if the first skill he made would have turned her into an Epic Grade Shadow Dragon.

It would have given her all the status that she needed in the Royal Court, as there was no real way to differentiate between a Skill that transformed her into the draconic side of her lineage, and an actual evolution.

At least, there was no easy way, and certainly not one that the public would have access to, when it came to testing a Royal Family member's claims.

As he settled in to work, Prince Lukas came to join him, sitting on the sofa across from Karl.

"What is it that you're planning for Rue? Do you have a hidden skill that she can learn, like how you taught her one that awakened her class?" He asked.

Karl nodded. "I do. But I'm trying to find a way to get her to shift into a Shadow Dragon, so that she will feel more legitimate to the Royal Family. I could forcefully evolve her, but she didn't want that. So, I'm trying to find a way to do it with a skill, since the first one I came up with turned her into a Void Dragon, following her Class, not her bloodline."

Lukas sighed. "I can talk to her later. There is a lot of prejudice against half dragons, or dragonkin in the Royal Family. But Rue deserves better than that."

Karl shrugged. "It might also make the attacks worse if she was suddenly a dragon who could properly transform on her own. Even if I taught her the transformation that we used earlier and allowed her to be an Epic Void Dragon, it would alarm many of the Nobles in the Palace."

"You're not wrong about that. It might calm some of them down, but the ones who want to keep her as far from power as possible would only be encouraged to take more drastic measures.

The part I don't get is why they're so threatened by her.

It's not logical. The Queen cursed her, and she hadn't awakened at all. So, she shouldn't have been a threat, but they still targeted her. Then you showed up to help her awaken, and the Queen's faction doubled down on trying to find ways to suppress her influence at court with rumours of forbidden arts.

Then, when that didn't work, they suggested that she should be married off and out of the country entirely.

That would make her no threat at all, as once she enters another Royal Family or even a foreign Noble Family, she would lose her right to succession.

But still, someone bombed your room.

I refuse to believe that the target was Mildred. It might have been Cara, but she's been surprisingly well-behaved for a Badger, and the children love her.

Their parents might not, but not to the point of attacking two Royals to get at her."

Karl laughed at the man's sour expression. "She has that effect on people. Especially when she starts to entertain their children. But you're right. There is something that we are missing.

Could it be a prophecy? Something that a Seer foretold and the recipient kept secret?"

That was almost certain to be the case, given that Misty had sent him through time to change destiny. But Prince Lukas wouldn't know that.

"That could be the case. It would explain why the Queen went as far as to curse her the year that she was born.

I know that there was a level of enmity between her and Rue's mother. However, the Elf is dead, and there was no reason to continue the vendetta.

That nearly got her dethroned, by the way. It seems that every time the Queen interacts with Rue, it ends badly for her, and her schemes are simply too transparent when it comes to the Princess.

Now, is there anything that I can do to help you with your work?" Lukas asked.

Karl shook his head. "All the knowledge is in my mind, it's just a matter of skill that will determine if I am actually capable of doing what I want.

Advancing her is simple enough. Teaching her skills that I know is also relatively easy. But trying to convince a transformation spell that she should be a specific sort of dragon is not going to be nearly as easy.

Perhaps I will try the basic Beast Form spell with a few tweaks. That might guarantee a dragon form, and hopefully a Shadow Dragon this time."

The Crown Prince frowned. "Well, that is definitely not a skill that I possess. I will leave you to it, but I will go speak with the Princess, to see if she's open to having you assist her in an evolution that will enhance her draconic side."

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