The fountain courtyard, where Enor liked to have breakfast, was quiet at that hour in the morning.

  Sunlight reflected off the white porcein on the table. Enor was already seated when Max arrived, a steaming cup of tea in front of her and a pte of freshly baked cookies in the center.

  “Good morning,” Max greeted.

  Moonlight stepped forward, sniffing the air.

  “Smells good…”

  Enor smiled when she saw her.

  “Good morning, Moon. Did you sleep well?”

  The little dragon nodded energetically.

  “I slept warm. And soft.”

  Enor tilted her head slightly, watching her closely.

  “I’m gd. I was just talking to the maids so they can prepare a bed of your own. Although…” she looked her up and down, “you seem a little bigger today than you were yesterday.”

  Moon blinked.

  “Really?”

  Max looked at her too. It wasn’t exaggerated, but… it was true.

  Enor brought a hand to her chin, thoughtful.

  “Father used to say that dragons don’t develop like elves. They grow differently… faster at first.”

  Moon straightened proudly.

  “Because we’re dragons!”

  Max smiled and took a seat.

  He poured tea for the three of them and took a cookie before speaking.

  “Enor… how do you feel about all this with the suitors?”

  She wasn’t surprised by the question. She just sighed and set her cup down on the saucer.

  “It’s not the first time,” she replied calmly. “I’ve already rejected… I think about twenty proposals.”

  Max raised an eyebrow.

  “Twenty?”

  “Twenty,” she confirmed. “And not because they were bad people. I just… wasn’t ready.”

  She watched the steam from the tea rise slowly.

  “But this time it’s different. Father wants this one to be the final one.”

  Max frowned.

  “But that doesn’t mean you have to get married right now, right?”

  “No,” she admitted. “But even knowing that your life is already tied to another person… it’s not the same. It changes everything.”

  There was a brief silence.

  “Isn’t there any way out of the situation?” Max asked.

  Enor slowly shook her head.

  “None that I can think of.”

  At that moment, Moon lifted her head from her chair.

  “Then mommy should choose to marry daddy.”

  The silence fell like a hammer.

  Max choked on his tea.

  “W-WHAT—?!”

  Enor turned completely red.

  “Moonlight!”

  The little dragon looked at both of them, confused.

  “What? That way there’s no problem.”

  Max coughed, avoiding her gaze.

  “That… that’s not how it works.”

  Enor covered her face with one hand, still blushing.

  “We definitely need to talk about… concepts.”

  Moon tilted her head.

  “No?”

  “No,” they both said at the same time.

  The little dragon puffed out her cheeks.

  “Adults are so complicated…”

  Max and Enor looked at each other for a second… and couldn’t help but ugh.

  The ughter slowly faded.

  Enor was the first to lower her gaze.

  She fiddled with the edge of her cup, took a deep breath, and for a second, hesitated.

  Then she lifted her eyes.

  “Max…”

  He looked at her.

  “I’ve been thinking,” she continued slowly. “And… maybe it’s not such a bad idea.”

  Max blinked.

  “Huh?”

  Enor blushed again, just a little.

  “What Moon said. Not exactly like that,” she crified quickly. “But… you.”

  She fell silent for a moment, as if searching for the right words.

  “If you could present yourself as a suitor.”

  Max opened his mouth… and then closed it.

  “Me?”

  “Yes,” she said, her voice firm despite the red on her cheeks. “It wouldn’t mean we’d have to get married. Not now, not anytime soon. Just… that there would already be a choice made.”

  She pressed her lips together.

  “That way I wouldn’t have to go through more events, or parades of suitors, or have to choose someone ter just because time passes.”

  Max leaned back in his chair, still processing it.

  “Enor… that sounds crazy.”

  She nodded.

  “I know.”

  She looked him straight in the eyes.

  “But you’re someone I trust.”

  Max looked away.

  He thought about Moon. About the castle. About the political weight of all of it.

  “If… if you need it,” he said at st, “I don’t have a problem doing it.”

  Enor’s eyes widened slightly.

  “Really?”

  “Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “But there’s an important question.”

  She swallowed.

  “Would your father… accept it?”

  They both fell silent.

  Enor leaned back in her chair, thoughtful.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “You’re… hard to categorize. You’re not noble. You’re not a typical suitor.”

  Max smiled to the side.

  “That sounds like a ‘no.’”

  “Or a ‘maybe,’” she corrected. “Father values results. And you…” she looked at him with a small smile, “have already done more than many who came with titles.”

  Moon, who had been listening in silence, raised a hand.

  “Then… is daddy going to be a prince?”

  They both turned toward her.

  “NO!” they said again at the same time.

  Moon sighed dramatically.

  “Not again.”

  Enor let out a soft ugh.

  “I promise nothing,” she said, looking at Max. “But… thank you for even considering it.”

  Max nodded.

  “Think about it. And if you decide to try… we’ll see how to do it without the castle exploding.”

  Moon smiled.

  “If it explodes, I’ll put it out.”

  Enor and Max looked at each other.

  Max stood up from the chair with a soft exhale.

  “I’m going to the bathroom,” he said, more to cut the moment than out of real need.

  Enor nodded, still thoughtful.

  Moon was already busy with the cookies.

  He walked away down one of the side corridors of the courtyard. He hadn’t taken more than ten steps when a shadow slid out from behind a column.

  “Interesting conversation.”

  Max stopped. He didn’t turn right away.

  “I thought suitors had better things to do than spy on breakfasts,” he replied calmly.

  “I wasn’t spying,” Taniel corrected, stepping into the light. “Just… listening.”

  Max finally turned around.

  Taniel was immacute, as always. Straight posture, sharp gaze, tight smile.

  “What do you want?” Max asked.

  Taniel took a step forward.

  “I want to make something clear before you decide to make a mistake.”

  Max raised an eyebrow.

  “A mistake like what?”

  “Like presenting yourself as a suitor,” he said bluntly. “I won’t allow it.”

  Max looked at him with genuine surprise.

  “That I didn’t expect,” he admitted. “I thought that, coming from you, you wouldn’t be desperate for just any opportunity.”

  Taniel’s smile tightened.

  “I didn’t travel this far to return empty-handed,” he said in a low voice. “And I won’t lose my pce to someone who appeared out of nowhere.”

  Max crossed his arms.

  “You don’t even know if she’ll choose me.”

  “Oh, I know,” Taniel replied. “And if she does… even better.”

  Max frowned.

  “How?”

  Taniel smiled. This time, without humor.

  “The moment the princess makes her choice, I’ll challenge him.”

  The air seemed to grow heavier.

  “A combat for the princess’s hand,” he continued. “The king can’t refuse. It’s ancient w.”

  Max clenched his jaw.

  “You’re saying you’ll challenge whoever she chooses?”

  “Exactly,” Taniel nodded. “I was willing to do it no matter who it was.”

  He took another step forward, lowering his voice slightly.

  “But if the chosen one turns out to be… the royal pet…”

  His eyes dropped for a moment, clearly alluding to Moon.

  “Then this becomes much simpler.”

  The silence stretched.

  Max stared at him. Then he smiled. It wasn’t a kind smile.

  “Don’t get confused,” he said. “Just because I’m not a lord doesn’t mean I’ll let you win.”

  Taniel raised an eyebrow.

  “Is that a threat?”

  “No,” Max replied. “It’s a warning.”

  For a second, neither of them spoke.

  Finally, Taniel took half a step back.

  “I hope you try,” he said. “It would be a shame if everything ended without a spectacle.”

  He turned around and walked away down the corridor, as if nothing had happened.

  Max was left alone.

  He took a deep breath.

  “Great…” he muttered. “On top of everything, a duel.”

  From the courtyard, Moon’s ughter could be heard.

  Max closed his eyes for a second, his legs a little shaky.

  ‘This is starting to get complicated.’