The Evil Emperor's Fragile Heart

It was soon time for them to leave, and Mana and Raven joined the others in the room which housed the array to the Sapphire Kingdom.

"Mana, may be you should stay back and get some rest," Jules suggested. "Do you want to stay here for a bit and then join us in the Sapphire Kingdom later? Or do you want to come with us and then get some rest in the imperial palace of the Sapphire Kingdom? And Raven, would you stay with my little sister and make sure that she gets the rest which she needs?"

Jules's words were clearly out of concern for Mana, but the two siblings also exchanged a meaningful glance with each other, and Raven's pale face and Mana's pleading look was enough for Jules to understand that there was something wrong and that the two of them should stay behind and not accompany the others to visit Queen Dora's master.

Besides, Jules didn't like the idea of leaving Raven behind and taking Mana along. He had a gut feeling that the two children should stick together, and just like Mana, Jules was also a person who trusted his own instincts. It had saved him from trouble many times in the past, and he wouldn't ignore it if his instincts were telling him something loudly and insistently.

King Jaren was also concerned. "Raven also looks a bit pale," he murmured. "Mana and Raven, you two are staying back, and that's an order from Papa, all right?" he said in a tone that brooked no arguments. Then he turned to General Aquila and requested in a polite voice, "Aqi – can I trouble you to look after two of my kids?"

"Of course," General Aquila said immediately. "You say that as if Mana and Raven are not my children, too. Of course I would be happy to keep an eye on both of them, Jaren."

"Thank you," King Jaren said gratefully.

"There's no need to thank me," General Aquila said. "Am I not their Father Aqi? It is a part of my job description to look after the children as well, isn't it?"

King Jaren beamed at him. "Fair enough," he said. "That is the primary responsibility of all of us, isn't it?"

"Indeed," General Aquila chuckled and clapped King Jaren on the shoulder in a friendly manner, nearly dislodging little Azar, who huffed and swatted at General Aquila's hand with his tail.

"Grandfather Aqi! You made Azar fall off!" the little black dragon accused with a pout, his big, round, emerald eyes filled with grievance.

General Aquila surrendered immediately. "I'm sorry, little one," he said softly, rubbing Azar's head gently. "How about this – Grandfather Aqi will give you an extra treat at dinner time?" he offered as the spoils of a lost war.

The little black dragon huffed. "Two treats," he said, holding up two of his claws. "Azar will share one with Alya!"

"All right," General Aquila surrendered immediately. "Grandfather Aqi will get you two extra treats at dinner time, one for our wonderful little Azar, and one for our beautiful little Alya, all right?"

"All right," Azar said haughtily. "Grandfather Aqi has to be a good boy and keep his word!"

"Alya also wants Grandfather Aqi to be a good boy and keep his word!" the little white dragon repeated sweetly.

"Yes, yes, my dear little ones, when has Grandfather Aqi not kept his word?" General Aquila asked. "Haven't I always done for you whatever I promised?"

Azar thought for a moment and then nodded. "Grandfather Aqi is a good boy," he said.

"Good boy, Grandfather Aqi," Alya repeated. "Two treats at dinner!"

Alya was turning out to be an even bigger foodie than Azar, it seemed. And the two little dragons had gotten quite chubby, too.

But then again, weren't babies much cuter when they were chubby? That's what the royal families of three kingdoms gathered in the room just now thought unanimously. Their precious little babies had to look chubby and cute and well fed – and if they didn't, then weren't they failures as the human families of the two little baby dragons?

Azar and Alya had successfully diffused the serious mood that had prevailed in the room earlier. The group quickly decided that General Aquila and Rook would stay back in the imperial palace of the Emerald Kingdom for a few hours with Mana and Raven, while Queen Carolina would return to the Sapphire Kingdom.

Queen Dora said that it was all the same for her to go the location of her master – whether it was the imperial palace of the Emerald Kingdom or the imperial palace of the Sapphire Kingdom.

"In that case," Bella said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "If it's all the same – then perhaps we should go directly from here, Ma. Then we can come back here once we are done meeting your master – and we will pick up Mana and Raven and Rook and Uncle Aqi and then we can all go back to the Sapphire Kingdom together."

Surprisingly, Queen Carolina agreed with her daughter whole heartedly. "I think Bella is right," she murmured. "The imperial palace of the Emerald Kingdom is much safer at the moment than the imperial palace of the Sapphire Kingdom. I am ashamed to say that I have yet to identify the perpetrators and the traitors who have been working in the dark and have been trying to sabotage our events and our relationship with each other. Until then, I would feel more at peace if Mana and Raven were in a safe place with General Aquila and Rook, instead of being at the imperial palace of the Sapphire Kingdom. I will try my best to protect them, of course, but even I am not fully aware of what is lurking in the dark and if any more of my imperial shadow guards have been substituted by more cursed living ghost corpses, or if that one – the cursed living ghost corpse Vir – would come back to the imperial palace of the Sapphire Kingdom and try to cause trouble again. And until I am certain of the safety measures and the loyalty and authenticity of the people who will be guarding the children, I would certainly prefer that the children be at a safer location instead."

King Jaren shot Queen Carolina a grateful look. He had been wanting to suggest the same, but he had been reluctant to speak up in case he hurt the sentiments of Queen Carolina and her pride and trust in her imperial shadow guards.

"Thank you, Carolina," he said gratefully. "Your selfless concern for the children makes you the great mother and the great monarch that you are."

Queen Carolina chuckled. "You would do the same in my place, Jaren," she said frankly. "And that is part of the reason why I agreed so quickly to the engagement between Jules and Bella – not only did Bella somehow manage to find herself a gem of a fiancé like Jules, but she also managed to find herself a wonderful father figure like you. There is so much to learn from you – not just from you as a monarch, but also from you as a parent."

"Hear, hear," Raven said softly – and all the children echoed.

"Carolina is right," General Aquila said honestly. "If I could be half the father that you are, Jaren, my kids would be blessed."

King Jaren flushed and Queen Dora looped her arm through his. "What's this, my darling Jaren?" she asked in a teasing voice, but her face and her eyes were filled with pride at the praise being heaped at her husband. "How did you end up with the parent of the century award like this? And you didn't even tell me!"

"Not just the parent of the century, I'd say Jaren definitely takes the cake for the grandparent of the century as well," General Aquila said enviously. "Just look at the two little ones constantly sticking to their favourite Grandpapa all the time!" He pointed at Azar and Alya, who were sitting on King Jaren's shoulder as usual.

Both the little dragons nuzzled King Jaren's face from either side, and Jules grabbed the chance to click a picture with his ever present make shift magical camera.

"Grandpapa is the best," Alya said sweetly. "Grandpapa is kind and caring and powerful and pretty!"

"Grandpapa is a good boy like Azar," the little black dragon said proudly.

Alya pouted. "Grandpapa should also be a good girl like Alya," the little white dragon declared. "Grandpapa, do you not want to be a good girl like Alya? Why is Grandpapa only a good boy like Azar? Alya wants Grandpapa to be a good girl like Alya, too!" The little white dragon asked in a complaining voice, blinking slowly and adorably at her favourite grandparent.

Everyone was stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing, and King Jaren flushed.

"Ah, my precious little one," King Jaren said with a sigh.. "I am afraid that may not be possible in this lifetime for your old Grandpapa."