The next day, Ard, Eva, Beatrice, and Rosalind headed to the palace to meet King Brutus in his study. The rest of the group stayed behind to prep for the journey, including Adeline. They had brought her along because everyone felt more comfortable keeping an eye on her than on Beatrice; besides, the Rosalind who was actually Reyna was there to keep Beatrice in check.

"Blam!" The door swung open. Beatrice burst inside with a beaming face, followed closely by Rosalind.

"Papa!" Beatrice shouted, running into the room.

A large man with a thick black beard, dressed in formal royal clothes but without his crown, looked up from his desk. He took off his glasses, and his face instantly lit up. He stood up and walked out from behind the desk, catching Beatrice as she jumped into his arms for a hug.

"Haha... you're finally home, my daughter," Brutus said, spinning Beatrice around.

"I am, Papa... it turns out the trip from the academy to here is a long one," Beatrice replied.

Rosalind just stood there like a statue. Meanwhile, Ard and Eva, standing right beside her, kept stealing glances at her. Feeling the weight of their intense staring, Rosalind glanced back at them.

"What?" Rosalind asked.

"Nothing," Ard and Eva answered in unison, quickly looking straight ahead again.

After he had his fill of spinning her around, Brutus set Beatrice back on the floor. He turned to look at Ard, and then his gaze shifted to Eva. The cheerful warmth on his face vanished, replaced instantly by a look of stone-cold seriousness.

"Welcome, Ard. How have you been?" Brutus asked, extending his hand.

"I'm doing well, Uncle Brutus. And how are you?" Ard replied, shaking the King's hand.

"I'm healthy. Now... what business brings Princess Evangeline of Orthus here? I know you're a friend of my daughter's, but the current climate isn't exactly welcoming," Brutus said, turning his eyes toward Eva.

"She's with me, Uncle. She fled from the Orthus Empire," Ard explained.

"It's true, Papa. We all came here together. Just ask Rosalind," Beatrice added.

"What Ard and the Princess said is the truth, Your Majesty," Rosalind chimed in.

"Sigh... alright. Actually, I already heard the story from your father's envoy. Arthur's man came by two days ago. When he arrived, he was asking about you because he assumed you were already here with your sister, Adeline," Brutus told Ard.

"Then I guess I don't need to explain myself anymore, Uncle," Ard said.

"No, you don't. My apologies for the rudeness, Princess Eva," Brutus said, offering her a smile.

"It's quite alright, Your Majesty. I understand the situation between the kingdoms is very strained right now," Eva replied.

"That it is... come, let's sit and talk," Brutus said.

They took their seats on the sofas inside the study. Ard, Eva, and Beatrice began recounting their journey, explaining everything that had happened at the academy and the truth about Emperor Edmund. Meanwhile, Rosalind moved to the cabinet to pour drinks for everyone. Brutus listened with undivided attention, remaining silent and expressionless throughout the story. Only his eyes moved, tracking whoever was speaking. Once they finished, he finally spoke.

"So that's the heart of the matter. Thank you for telling me; I have a much clearer understanding now," Brutus said.

"Because of that, Uncle, Eva and I are asking for permission to go up to the Dragon God's sanctuary immediately. Our goal is to seek guidance from the Dragon God himself," Ard stated.

Brutus fell silent for a moment, appearing deep in thought. He looked at Ard and Eva, then stood up and walked over to his bookshelf. He pulled out a volume, brought it to the desk, and flipped it open before turning it around for them to see. Ard and Eva's eyes widened at the illustration of the founders of Rellios and the prophecy written beside it.

The prophecy stated that if the world were ever in grave danger, the first King and Queen of Rellios would return to meet the Dragon God and save the world. Ard and Eva looked up at Brutus, who was now smiling.

"You are Ashton and Esmeralda... the ones who founded this kingdom with the help of the Elf Elder, the Vampire Elder, and the founder of the Barbarian tribe... 3,000 years ago," Brutus said.

"Oh... really? As far as I knew, the first rulers weren't Ashton and Esmeralda, Papa," Beatrice chimed in.

"Yes, according to this book, they only founded the kingdom—they didn't actually rule it. The reason was simple: the location of our kingdom was once their village, which had been destroyed. After they established the kingdom, the two of them left to travel together. This book has been passed down through the royal family for generations. No one outside the family knows about this," Brutus explained.

Ard and Eva were struck speechless. They stared at the illustration in the book, which showed them standing on the palace podium alongside Elidyr, Velvet, and Bledvolf. Memory after memory began to surface; both remembered that after successfully sealing Malekh, they had returned to the ruins of their old village and founded the Kingdom of Rellios, eventually escorting Elidyr back to the elf village. Without realizing it, tears began to stream down their faces. Their hands locked together, their expressions frozen in awe. Brutus leaned back, crossing his arms with a smile. He was now certain that Ard and Eva truly were the returned souls of Ashton and Esmeralda.

Meanwhile, Beatrice smiled and held Rosalind's hand beside her as they watched Ard and Eva. After a few moments, when Ard and Eva finally snapped back to reality, Brutus spoke again.

"To meet the Dragon God, you certainly don't need my permission. After all, you're the ones who founded this kingdom 3,000 years ago and established the very laws we still follow today," Brutus said.

"I... I understand. Thank you, Uncle... but how long have you known who I was?" Ard asked.

"Ever since you were born. Your father and I had a long, private discussion back in the Elf village about your birth—specifically about how you were born with black hair, just like Ashton," Brutus replied.

"So that's how it is," Ard whispered.

"Regardless, I'll notify the road guards up there to clear the way for you so you can pass through without issue," Brutus added.

"Thank you, Uncle," Ard replied.

"Thank you... Your Majesty," Eva said.

"Hey... don't be so formal, Eva. You're Ard's partner, aren't you? According to the prophecy in the book, you two are destined to be together, so just call me Uncle," Brutus said with a smile.

"Alright, Uncle. Thank you," Eva replied with a faint smile.

"Oh, by the way, Papa, I'm also Ard's girlfriend—the fourth fiancée, actually. So I'm asking for your permission for that, too... oh, and Rosalind is one as well, she's also Ard's fiancée," Beatrice said suddenly. She sounded cheerful and got straight to the point without any hesitation, her tone completely innocent.

The room went deathly silent in an instant. Beatrice's words hung in the air like a thick fog, swallowing every sound. Ard and Eva stared at her, their jaws dropping as their brains completely short-circuited. Brutus was no different; his jaw tightened until it was like stone, and a dark, grim shadow fell over his face. Meanwhile, Rosalind turned to glare at Beatrice with a look of pure fury, her expression clearly saying, "There it is... you went and did it. You made a total mess of everything... you useless princess."

Then Brutus slowly turned his head toward Beatrice, who was looking right back at him. He forced a smile, but it wasn't the kind of smile that was pleasant to see.

"Could you repeat what you just said, my beautiful daughter?" Brutus asked, his voice straining to sound calm.

"I'm asking for your blessing to be with Ard because I'm his fiancée—and Rosalind is his fiancée, too, so please give her your blessing as well," Beatrice said, doubling down on her statement.

"Ahem... Princess, I think it would be best if you stayed quiet for a moment," Rosalind said in a low, heavy voice, placing a firm hand on Beatrice's shoulder.

A clear aura of fury radiated from Rosalind's body. Her jaw was locked tight and her eyes were burning with rage.

"My apologies, Your Majesty... Princess Beatrice is just talking nonsense," Rosalind added, her voice thick with tension.

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm telling the truth," Beatrice protested.

"I said... be quiet, Princess!" Rosalind snapped.

Hearing Rosalind's voice and recognizing her specific way of speaking, Brutus shifted his full attention toward her. He studied the girl standing beside Beatrice intently, then raised a hand to rub his chin. One of his eyebrows arched as he scrutinized her.

"Your manner of speaking is just like Reyna's... are you Reyna?" Brutus asked.

"Crash!" It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck the room, vacuuming up every sound. The space fell deathly silent once again as Brutus's question hung in the air, echoing in their ears. Rosalind's face suddenly went pale. Beatrice, finally realizing what she had done and the mess she had created, turned to Rosalind with a face full of regret and covered her mouth with her hands.

Meanwhile, Ard and Eva stood frozen, paralyzed with no idea what to do. Their expressions clearly said, "Well, that's it. We're cooked. Everything has completely fallen apart."

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