Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 387 - 386 - "Target Acquired!"

The Royal Festival Hall was in shambles—not physically, but socially.

The tension that had once hung like a blade was now replaced by wild gossip, awkward laughter, and the faint sound of a noble choking on his wine somewhere near the buffet.

The revelation that Raven—Velmoria’s new hero—was not only with the princess of Velmoria but also with the young mistress of one of Zaraqt’s strongest guilds had spread faster than wildfire on dry hay.

In less than ten minutes, three bards had already started arguing over how to turn the event into a song.

And in the middle of that chaos... sat Raven.

—Or rather, slouched behind a marble pillar, half-hidden from view, nursing a glass of something so potent the bartender had warned him thrice.

He downed it in one go.

No reaction.

"...Nothing," he muttered.

Omni’s voice chuckled from the tattoo on his hand. "Boss, why do you keep drinking when you know you won’t get drunk? You could chug molten alcohol brewed by devils, and the only thing you’d burn is your dignity."

Raven knew that. After all, even alcohol was considered poisonous by Vaise’s body, and as a result, its effects were nullified.

Yet he was still drinking, but he paused when he heard Omni’s words, sighing and letting the empty glass clink against the floor.

"Omni, I just made half the noble population faint and the other half suspicious. Let me at least pretend I can drink it off."

"Pretend all you want, big guy. But you ain’t escaping that storm."

Raven peeked out from behind the pillar.

Yup, there it was—the storm.

Graye stood surrounded by her guildmates—the young berserkers, who were close to her and knew her since childhood—like a queen lecturing a rowdy army.

Her voice echoed through the hall, filled with the same explosive energy that could probably make mountains bow.

"—and then he just stood there, you know?! Right after I smacked Bront’s skull in! Can you believe it? He still wanted to duel Raven!"

"Of course he did," one of the women—Eira, her childhood friend—snorted. "Bront’s skull’s thicker than his armor."

The others laughed, while another guildmate added, "Still, Young Miss, we saw it! You kissed him! That was—you know—legendary!"

Graye puffed her chest with a proud grin, the gold runes on her armor glowing faintly as she leaned on a table. "Damn right it was legendary. Did you see how he held my waist? I felt like a goddess."

"Yeah," someone murmured, "a terrifying one."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Young Miss!"

The table erupted with nervous laughter. Graye’s bright, chaotic energy filled the hall like a warm—if dangerous—fire.

Even her childhood friends, who knew her best, couldn’t help but glance at Raven’s corner from time to time with a mix of awe and pity.

Awe that they never thought that someone could actually tame Graye, and pity that they could never try their luck on Raven now.

Though they somehow pitied Raven as well because loving Graye wasn’t just affection—it was a full-time job with hazard pay.

Raven, looking at all that, exhaled softly, rubbing his temple. "She’s enjoying this way too much."

Omni chuckled. "Hey, Boss, at least she’s loud in public. Imagine if she were the quiet, vengeful type. Those are the ones who stab your pillow at night."

"...You’ve been hanging out with Siris too much."

"Yeah, but she gives great stabbing tips."

Raven groaned.

Across the room, talk had shifted.

Rumors spread like wildfire—two of the four kingdoms were now calm, with their people whispering proudly that their princess or guild mistress had ties to Raven Vaise.

The other two? Not so calm.

Especially the nobles from the Brightrise Kingdom, as they were the ones in the worst position right now.

First, they were not so good with Velmoria because they never liked being anyone’s subordinate, and Velmoria was known as the strongest.

Second, they had always avoided situations where their relationship could improve, as they never even sent someone important to the Velmoria Academy.

Right now, all the people from the Brightrise Kingdom, who weren’t welcomed by anyone else, were gathered in a group, talking about what they could do in this situation.

"How I wish the second princess were still with us..." One of the lady nobles in the group muttered, her expression downcast as she recalled how the brightest star of their kingdom—the second princess—had suddenly vanished one day.

It was said that she had committed suicide, but they all knew that wasn’t possible.

Still, no matter how much they searched for her, they could never find her, so they had no other choice but to accept the truth.

"Don’t speak her name. She’s a stain on our family," said a man who looked around twenty years old.

Others gritted their teeth but didn’t say a word because the man was the third prince, and he had enough authority to have any of them executed.

"Then what do you suggest we do, your highness?" asked one of the male nobles, making the prince frown at him, but with everyone looking at him now, he had to come up with something.

For a while, he kept rubbing his chin, wondering what could be the best way to deal with this situation, and that was when an image flashed before his eyes.

It was the image of his youngest stepmother, whom his father hadn’t touched because of her mysterious background.

His father was a very cautious man, so he never touched anything he wasn’t sure about, but the third prince, Zamal, was different.

He had been trying to get into that woman’s skirt for some time now, but he was never able to because of his father. Now, however, he could use her for a better purpose.

"I have a woman in mind," Zamal finally spoke, causing the nobles to lean forward. "We are going to use a honey trap."

The nobles’ eyes brightened at that.

Unfortunately, they didn’t know which woman Zamal was talking about. If they did, their reaction would be quite different.

Raven, who could see that these people were planning something, and it was related to him because, well, it had to be, sighed.

"Can’t wait for that headache," he muttered.

"That’s future-you’s problem," Omni chirped. "Present-you’s got company."

Raven blinked. "What?"

Before Omni could elaborate, he felt it—a soft, jubilant mana signature approaching. Light and mischievous, almost skipping in rhythm. It was a child’s energy, but one far too familiar to mistake.

He didn’t move. Didn’t even glance around.

The steps grew closer—soft, deliberate, and utterly confident that she was invisible.

Behind him, a pink-haired shadow crept forward through the folds of gossip and laughter, her tiny frame darting between adults like a trained assassin.

Her pink eyes gleamed with mischief, her face scrunched in fierce concentration as she got within arm’s reach.

Just as she raised her little hands—

Raven turned, swift as a whisper, and caught her midair.

"Wha—AHH!"

Myria yelped, bursting into laughter as Raven effortlessly pulled her onto his lap, her giggles echoing like bells.

"How—How did you know I was here?!" She squeaked, still giggling, clutching at his sleeve as if she’d been caught stealing sweets.

Raven smirked faintly, brushing a strand of her pink hair from her face. "Because it was you. And you’re about as subtle as Omni when he’s trying to whisper."

"Hey, that’s uncalled for," Omni protested.

Myria giggled again, her cheeks pink from laughter. "You mean I wasn’t sneaky at all?"

"Not even a little," Raven said, tone soft but amused. "Though I’ll give you points for enthusiasm."

The little princess puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms, pretending to pout. "Hmph. I’m pretty sure I was very close to surprising you."

Raven smiled slightly—the kind of rare smile that softened his otherwise sharp expression. "I’ll let you surprise me next time."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Her pout melted instantly into a beaming grin, and she nodded, clearly pleased with the deal.

They sat quietly for a moment.

The music in the background had shifted to something slow and ceremonial, nobles resuming polite conversation as the earlier shock of the evening dulled into rumor.

Myria swayed her legs idly from his lap, then spoke again, her voice soft but bright.

"You know, I couldn’t see you until now! There were so many big people walking around, and the guy I came with wouldn’t let me leave his sight. I had to sneak away when he went to get a punch!"

Raven raised a brow. "That guy?"

"Mm-hmm!" She nodded earnestly. "One of Father’s knights. He’s super boring. He talks like, ’Princess, please don’t wander off,’ and I’m like—’too late!’"

Omni snorted. "She’s got spirit. I like her."

Raven chuckled quietly. "You’ll give your guards heart attacks someday, Myria."

"They already look half-dead most of the time," she replied innocently.

That earned another quiet laugh from Raven.

"But still," Myria continued, looking around the hall, "I couldn’t even see anything for a while! People gasped twice! What even happened?"

Raven tilted his head, amused. "You didn’t hear?"

"No! Everyone’s so tall; all I saw were dresses and boots!" She said, crossing her arms dramatically. "Then I finally saw you hiding here, and I was like—’Aha! Target acquired!’"

Her exaggerated tone made Raven’s smile widen.

Unlike other people here, who would wear a mask to even say hello to him, she was like an open book.

She didn’t care what Raven would think if she said something wrong, as she spoke to him like she would to her family.

That was why Raven didn’t mind having her next to him.

"Glad I’m such an easy target," he said dryly.

"Yup!" She beamed. Then, tilting her head, she added with complete innocence, "So... where’s big sis?"

That made Raven pause.

"She’s not with you," Myria said, peering around as if expecting her sister to appear from thin air. "And everyone’s saying your women are some people named Graye and Selena. But where’s Lia? Isn’t she your woman too?"

Raven blinked once. "...What?"

Myria blinked back, confused by his confusion. "Isn’t she? And doesn’t that make you my brother-in-law?"

He raised an eyebrow, half amused, half surprised. "Who told you that?"

She gave him a knowing look far too mature for her age. "No one! I just understood it. I’m not dumb, you know. My sister’s beautiful, so there’s no way you could resist her."

Raven huffed a small laugh, leaning back against the pillar. "And what if I could?"

That stumped her.

For a moment, Myria just stared at him, mouth open like she was trying to form a counterargument. Then, with all the conviction of a royal making a decree, she puffed her chest proudly.

"Even if you could resist her," she said, grinning widely, "you definitely can’t resist me—your future sister-in-law! I’m going to grow up even prettier than Lia!"

Raven froze.

Omni wheezed in his head. "Boss, she just declared war on genetics. I love this kid." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Then Raven laughed—quiet at first, then deep and genuine, the kind of laugh that made even the nearby nobles glance over in confusion.

"You’re dangerous, you know that?" He said, shaking his head with a small grin. "But to answer your question... yes. Your sister, Lia, is my woman too."

Myria’s eyes lit up, her expression turning triumphant. "I knew it!"

But before he could say more, she added slyly, "Then you have to prove it."

Raven raised a brow. "Prove it? How?"

She leaned closer, whispering like she was revealing a grand secret. "By dancing with her."

Raven blinked. "Dancing?"

"Mm-hmm!" Myria nodded eagerly. "That’s how people in stories always show they love someone! You have to dance with Sister Lia!"

Raven stared at her for a moment, then smiled faintly—the kind of smile that carried both warmth and exhaustion. "You’re just like her, you know that?"

Myria tilted her head. "Pretty?"

Raven chuckled softly. "Persistent."

She giggled, kicking her legs again, the sound bright and innocent against the faint hum of noble chatter.