Negotiation...successful??

Dahlia crossed her arms.

"He'll stay in the room. He won't bother anyone. Deal?"

"No."

"Then I'm not going."

"You cannot threaten the imperial throne with emotional blackmail."

"I absolutely can."

"Dahlia, for godsake-"

"You want me there? Nyx comes too."

The Empress rubbed her temples slowly being done with her child.

Her husband leaned toward her slightly.

"She is compromising."

"She is extorting us."

"Technically both."

"Do not take her side."

"I'm taking the side least likely to end in another argument."

The Emperor looked away to hide another laugh.

The Empress closed her eyes briefly.

"...Fine."

The entire room froze.

Dahlia blinked once.

"...Fine?" she repeated suspiciously.

"You will receive separate royal quarters due to your status regardless," the Empress said tiredly. "The creature remains there."

"No royal quarters."

The Empress slowly lowered her hand from her temple.

"...What now?"

"I'm not going there as a princess."

A dangerous silence filled the throne room.

Several advisors looked as though they wanted to disappear entirely from the family drama.

The Emperor straightened slightly.

"Dahlia..."

"No announcements. No royal treatment. No servants following me around."

"You are the Crown Princess," the Empress said sharply. "Not some wandering commoner from the marketplace."

"Unfortunately."

"Dahlia."

"When people know who I am, they act strange."

"They act respectful."

"They act fake."

The Empress stared at her.

"You truly intend to argue every single condition?"

"Yes."

Her father sighed into his tea.

"At least she is honest."

"You are not helping."

"I am surviving."

Nyx, still in his black cat form, stretched comfortably across Dahlia's shoulders.

Dahlia scratched under his chin absentmindedly.

"I just want to attend normally."

"There is nothing normal about you," the Empress muttered.

"Exactly. The title makes it worse."

The Emperor studied his daughter quietly.

"You dislike the attention that much?"

"I dislike people."

One advisor coughed awkwardly.

Dahlia glanced at him.

"Present company included."

The man immediately looked offended.

The Emperor failed to suppress another laugh.

The Empress makes a point " your conditions of separate quarters itself makes u stand out...

The teachers will know who you are regardless. The Headmaster will know. Half the senior faculty taught me personally.

She folded her arms tightly.

"I studied there. Your father studied there. Every ruler before us studied there."

The Emperor's expression softened faintly at the memory.

"That is where our story began, actually."

The Empress glanced at him.

"Do not romanticize this situation."

"I'm simply saying the academy is not as terrible as she believes."

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Your mother nearly set an entire dueling arena on fire during her second year."

Dahlia looked mildly interested for the first time all evening.

"You got in trouble?"

The Emperor's expression shifted with amusement.

"Your mother was terrifying during her academy years."

The Empress looked unimpressed.

"And your father was intolerable."

Dahlia looked between them lazily.

"You two got along?"

"Absolutely not," both answered immediately.

Dahlia stifles a chuckle along with Nyx who gives a soft meow

The Emperor pointed toward the Empress.

"She belonged to Solvaine."

The Empress narrowed her eyes.

"And your father belonged to Asteryn."

Dahlia blinked once.

"...That explains a lot."

"I was perfectly reasonable," the Emperor argued.

"You provoked duels recreationally."

"You set people on fire recreationally."

"They deserved it."

The Emperor looked deeply offended.

"I deserved it exactly twice."

"Three times."

"One of those barely counts."

"You threw me into a fountain."

"You burned my uniform."

"You insulted my House."

"You insulted my existence."

"It was irritating."

Dahlia stared at them silently.

"...You were both bullies."

The room went deathly quiet.

One advisor immediately looked at the floor like survival instincts kicked in.

The Emperor coughed into his hand.

"We were... spirited."

"You terrorized the academy," the Empress corrected flatly.

"You once threatened a professor."

"He failed me unfairly."

"You shattered the western training grounds."

"That was an accident."

"It absolutely was not."

Dahlia looked genuinely unimpressed.

"And somehow you ended up married."

The Emperor smiled faintly.

"Unfortunately."

The Empress shot him a glare.

"You confessed first."

"You stabbed me first."

"You were annoying first."

Dahlia slowly looked toward the ceiling.

"Gods. You're both insane."

"That," the Emperor said thoughtfully, "is the most accurate thing you've said tonight."

The Empress sighed before finally returning to the actual discussion.

"My point is this: the academy notices everything. Secrets rarely remain hidden there."

Dahlia shrugs "They can think I'm some rich brat."

"You already sound like one."

"I am one."

One advisor accidentally snorted before immediately pretending to cough.

Dahlia continued calmly,

"The teachers can know. I don't care. As long as students don't."

"...You make everything difficult," she muttered at last.

"I learned from both of you."

The Emperor looked offended.

"You inherited your stubbornness entirely from your mother."

"And her emotional unavailability from you."

"Excuse me?"

"You disappear into libraries for days."

"It's called scholarship."

"It's called avoidance."

" Ughh...stop bickering u both sound like cats which fights in streets" Dahlia says annoyed with their dynamics

"So separate quarters, Nyx with me and No boasting my identity. Deal?."

The Empress concedes" fine...Deal... no more buts and ifs go and pack"

Dahlia sighs and drags her feet to her room.....I'm gonna miss Tiara...and wyvern and...drave

Nyx...transforms back into his original form..." You're being dramatic Dahlia, you are not going to be locked up there forever...you will literally come back home for every vacations...stop sulking and you get to have me anyway"

" I would have taken you regardless of what they say, First let's go and bid farewell to our dear friends...they are going to miss me so much"

" For someone who is known as cold you're awfully dramatic"

"Shut the fk up Nyx..you are supposed to take my side"

Nyx rumbles..that awfully sounded real similar to human mocking as he follows her

"You know what I'm tired...I don't wanna walk up all the way there"

" Use your abilities"

" Not in mood"

"SO?"

"Heh." Dahlia climbs on Nyx and lies on him theatrically tired..." let's go now"

"You never grow up"

Nyx growls but carries her anyway to the forest...

As soon as they reach the perimeters her tiredness flew away and she jumps and rushes to hug

Drave..Tiara looks at her worried and Dahlia starts ranting about how her parents are deliberately sending her away!

Nyx looks at them annoyed...as they all group hug and badmouth her parents..."yall she is not going to die and she has to learn to socialize"

Tiara gets defensive" Humans are not trustable"

Others nod in harmony and even the trees and even the wind seemed to say yes

Nyx growls" She is one"

"She doesn't count" Everyone says simultaneously

"What if something happens to our baby there" Dahlia nods along with others

Nyx gets fed up " I'm going with her nothing will happen it's an school not assassination ground"

Wyvern remarks "she is plenty good she doesn't need school"

" Don't encourage her."

But-

" No arguments her parents have already decided, your opinions are not going to change it. She is going to go regardless of what we think is right for her..so stop defending her and let's enjoy until we both get going"

The...place held it's breath before collectively sighing and muttering as the time went they talked about their hunt and Bunny theatrically explained how she escaped a big predator and Tiara proudly encounters how she burned some Houses where the poachers reside...they all laugh each talking about their own encounters...

This place was the safe haven for Dahlia located in deeper part of forest illuminated by moonlight and waterfalls where prey and predators came together. Not to hunt but in harmony...a dreamlike land where the only rule is no hunting...she grew up here with all of them who raised her from young...and tomorrow she has to go an unfamiliar place...worse there are humans...even worse..she has to study.

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