Gardenia’s Heart

Warm.

Even with the icy night breeze of the plains of Athamas brushing against her skin, Rose couldn’t think of anything other than the intense warmth surrounding her.

“Mmn… hehe…” As her tiny fingers clutched the dress of the beautiful woman holding her, the little girl couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle.

Under the moonlight, their silver hair shimmered gently.

With her arms wrapped around her mother’s neck, Rose discreetly watched the buildings of the Wing Clan begin to appear on the horizon. However, it wasn’t the unique architecture or the breathtaking scenery that occupied the little girl’s mind.

“Mama Lily… what are we going to do here?”

Although she had come along with her mother, Rose wasn’t entirely sure what they were going to do.

“Thelira and the others will take care of the complicated matters.” Walking with a smile, Lily gently ran her hand along the girl’s back. “I just need to tie up the loose ends.”

Reaching a small slope at the edge separating the Wing Clan’s district, Lily carefully set Rose down on the ground.

The soft rustle of grass brushed against the girl’s feet as she lifted her sky-blue eyes to meet her mother’s differently colored ones.

“Mama Lily?” Tilting her head as she felt a gentle hand slide across her cheek, Rose asked with a confused expression.

Looking at the little girl who, even outside her arms, still clung tightly to her dress, Lily couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“Rose, when you asked me for permission to go talk to Tiamat, it wasn’t just to introduce yourself, was it?” Kneeling to meet her at eye level, Lily watched as the girl’s curious expression turned into surprise.

“Mama Lily knew!?”

Jumping slightly in place and gripping her mother’s black dress a little tighter, Rose raised both eyebrows, struggling not to stutter.

“You’re my daughter, of course I’d notice.” Doing her best not to laugh at her daughter’s adorable agitation, Lily felt her expression soften, her rosy lips curving into a smile. “As your mother, I always know when you have ulterior motives. That’s why you didn’t even try to ask me to come along on the trip and hid in the luggage instead, right?”

Tilting her head with a teasing expression, Lily watched as her daughter’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“I-It’s… I… I’m sorry, Mama Lily…” Rose stammered, her voice growing quieter as her gaze fell to the ground.

“You don’t need to apologize for that anymore, my love.” Gently sliding her palm along her daughter’s cheek, Lily leaned forward slightly, placing a soft kiss on the girl’s forehead. “You just didn’t want us to leave you behind again, did you?”

Those gentle words, carried on warm breaths, made Rose’s eyes grow teary. Gripping her mother’s dress a little tighter, she leaned forward and gave a small nod.

“Rose, look at me now, alright?” Lily called softly, and though reluctant, the girl lifted her head, meeting her mother’s gaze. “The reason we go to places without you will never be because we don’t trust your ability to take care of yourself. You’re strong, Rose—far more mature than I was at your age. I’m sure that no matter what happens, you’ll be able to handle it on your own.”

Lily’s words, forming visible vapor in the cold night air, made Rose lower her head once more. “Then… why?”

“I’m selfish,” Lily said simply. “There are problems I truly believe children shouldn’t have to deal with. Greedy adults, twisted people… There are things I don’t want you to see, so your world doesn’t turn gray the way mine once did.”

Children should do what children are meant to do. Lily knew that way of thinking was naive to maintain. Rose had already witnessed bloodshed and violence beyond measure, and had been forced to fight for her life against monsters.

“You’re unique, Rose. That shouldn’t be stained because of other people’s malice. I know I can’t protect you all the time, but whenever I can, I want to avoid putting you in situations that expose you to that. I don’t want to keep you isolated—I just want you to let me handle the things I believe children shouldn’t have to go through. Would you let me, Rose? Would you let your mom be selfish and take care of you as much as she can?”

Separated from her father while still a child, forced into slavery, and having much of her childhood memories sealed away, Lily had endured things she wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Rose knew how to take care of herself, but that wasn’t a reason for Lily to stop protecting her.

As long as she could, the silver-haired girl wanted her daughter’s mind to be filled with more joyful memories than anything else.

And because of that…

“Mama Lily… I love you!”

The little girl didn’t hesitate for a second before jumping into her mother’s arms.

“I love you too, my love. Far more than you could ever imagine.” Holding the small girl tightly as she struggled to hold back her tears, Lily spoke softly.

She wasn’t perfect—she knew that very well. Even so, she would do everything she could to preserve her daughter’s innocence.

For long minutes, the two silver-haired girls embraced under the moonlight.

Wrapped in her mother’s warm arms, Rose finally understood what that warmth meant.

Love.

Naked, raw, and absolute.

“I love you, Mama Lily. Mama Nia.”

Whispering softly as she formed a small smile, Rose pulled her head back and looked at Lily.

Though she was hesitant about how her mother would react to her explanation, Rose knew she shouldn’t lie about her reasons.

“At the banquet, Lady Tiamat was talking about all kinds of difficult, complicated things with a smile on her face. She looked happy, but she didn’t like any of it. She was… sad.”

“I see. It makes sense that you’d want to cheer her up, then.”

Lily’s immediate, serious response made Rose blink several times in complete astonishment.

“Mama Lily believes me!?”

“How could I not believe you, silly?” Lily let out a soft laugh. “Not only when you started school and began interacting with strangers, but also when we walk through busy streets—you’ve always been able to tell when someone isn’t trustworthy or is dangerous. Do you know how much that surprised me?”

Ruffling her daughter’s silver hair, Lily’s lips curved into a smile.

“I never had to teach you how to read patterns in behavior or speech. No matter someone’s appearance or the way they talk, with a single glance you’ve always been able to discern their character. Your sense of whether someone is good or not is even better than mine, Rose.”

Puffing out her chest as if showing her pride, Lily spoke with confidence.

“I would never doubt anything you tell me. So if even you were worried about Tiamat, then she must be a good person, right? You care about strangers you’ve never even met and even offer them support—my daughter is a wonderful girl… And because of that, I will never let anyone taint that kindness.”

“Mom…”

Whispering as she fixed her messy hair, Rose watched Lily’s expression turn serious.

“Rose, could you answer me one more thing? Before she started feeling unwell, Tiamat grabbed your shoulder in complete shock. Do you remember what she wanted?”

The memory of the moment the white-haired dragon woman coughed up blood resurfaced in the girl’s mind. Even though she didn’t want to think about it, Rose knew her mother wouldn’t ask without a reason, so she had to try.

“She wanted to know how I had something, but she fainted before finishing. I didn’t understand what it was…” Rose murmured, trying to recall every detail. Before she could say anything else, she suddenly felt her head being shaken. “M-Mama Lily!?”

Letting out a small cry and hopping in place, Rose’s ears were filled with the soft laughter of the woman in front of her.

“Honestly, if you hadn’t come, Mom would’ve been in trouble!” Ruffling her daughter’s freshly arranged hair once again, Lily laughed with enthusiasm. “My daughter is truly amazing!”

Reaching to her waist, Lily pulled out an ebony staff. In an instant, bluish butterflies bound to its handle by ethereal threads shimmered, and a black wolf appeared on the plains.

Before Rose could even process it, her body was surrounded by the wolf, which used its tail to shield her from the cold night wind, wrapping her in warmth.

“Can you wait here with Akasha for a little while? I won’t take long, I promise.”

Placing her hand on both the wolf’s head and the little girl’s, Lily gave a gentle smile before standing up and starting to walk away.

“Will Mama Lily be okay?” Rose asked, worried.

“Don’t worry, my love—they won’t be a problem.” Glancing back over her shoulder at her daughter, Lily let out a soft laugh. “Your mom is pretty good at spotting bad people too.”

---

The strong scent of incense filled the room, blending with the soft rhythm of musical instruments.

Seated on a finely ornamented carpet, a woman with indigo hair falling to her shoulders looked visibly annoyed.

“Tsk!”

It wasn’t just evident from the way her narrowed eyes glared at those around her, or how often her long tail struck the ground, but from the sheer amount of mana leaking from her body.

“Is all of this really necessary? Can’t we just speed things up?” An irritated sigh slipped from her apple-colored lips.

As if she could no longer stand remaining still, each of her four wings, shining in a platinum hue, arched slightly.

As more and more of Ignis’s dense mana filled the temple, threatening to crack the stone pillars, everyone present felt cold sweat trickle down their foreheads.

“Lady Ignis, with all due respect, the succession ritual for the clan leader must be carried out from beginning to end, following the proper preparations.” Bowing her head in a modest sign of respect, a young woman with white hair and a golden mask clenched her teeth.

Being the closest to Ignis, she was the one who felt the bloodlust emanating from her the most.

Even though she too was a dragon, the woman before her stood on an entirely different level. The mere thought of protesting was unthinkable—so all she could do was try to calm her anger.

With her two wings, feathered like frozen auroras, folding in as if her body were shrinking in on itself, the frightened woman cleared her dry throat with a small grunt.

“You will receive the title of leader of the Wing Clan, and with it, inherit the will of the founding dragon. This historical responsibility cannot be rushed—we must follow the full sequence.”

It was a perfect response, fitting for the situation. Even so, the words of the Fang Clan member did nothing to quell Ignis’s irritation.

“Tsk!”

The atmosphere itself seemed to tear apart.

Frowning again, as if she had lost interest in arguing, Ignis let her gaze wander across the temple hall.

Several members of the Wing Clan stood ready along the walls; even before officially becoming leader, they would obey any command she gave.

Elsewhere in the room, various members of the Fang Clan carried out different tasks to continue the ritual that had been interrupted by her complaint… all except one.

“And what exactly is she doing?” Pointing toward one corner of the room, Ignis’s black eyes, with their vertical pupils, focused on a girl whose presence was so faint it was almost nonexistent.

Even while sitting on her heels, Cicuta—holding a tablet of golden scales—couldn’t help but flinch slightly.

“Cicuta is recording the events onto the scale tablets.” Struggling to quickly understand what was being asked, the girl, still keeping her head lowered, answered promptly. “All events that occur within our lineage must be written. Absolutely nothing can be lost or destroyed.”

“Oh?” Letting out a curious whistle, Ignis rose from the ceremonial carpet.

Walking barefoot across the white marble floor, she effortlessly drew everyone’s attention. Yet even under dozens of gazes, her own never wavered or strayed from the girl with the faint presence.

The golden mask covering from the bridge of her nose to the top of her forehead made it difficult to read the girl’s emotions. Even so, Ignis could still see the unease building on her face—and the trembling of her fingers as she drew closer.

Lowering one knee to the ground and placing a hand on Cicuta’s shoulder, Ignis leaned in toward the girl’s ear, her indigo hair mingling with the white strands due to their proximity.

“These are the tablets you’ll use to write about your sister’s death too, aren’t they?”

Whispering slowly into her ear—quiet enough that only she could hear—Ignis noticed the trembling in the girl’s body stop abruptly. It was an obvious, blatant provocation. Ignis knew that when she said it, but she hadn’t expected that kind of reaction.

“What is it, Cicuta? Are you going to fight, or cower and run away like your older brother?”

This time, speaking loudly enough for everyone around to hear, the indigo-haired woman couldn’t hold back her laughter.

With golden masks gleaming under the dim chandelier light, each of the Fang Clan members shrank back at her words.

Ignis’s black eyes deliberately swept over each of them, while a faint chorus of mocking laughter from the Wing Clan reached her ears, encouraging her to continue.

“The Fang Clan is only holding the dragons back. Ever since your cowardly former leader disappeared during the war, all your prestige vanished along with him.”

It was a direct affront to their honor.

A clear and unmistakable challenge to their clan.

A mockery aimed at every one of them.

Yet, no matter how much they despised Ignis’s words, not a single dragon present moved against her.

And the reason was simple…

“Any conflict between dragons can be settled through a fair duel. But the fact that none of you disagree with me means I’m right, doesn’t it?”

Power was justice.

Absolute strength determined who was right and who was wrong.

Absolute strength defined truth.

If they disagreed with Ignis, any dragon there could challenge her to combat. But the simple knowledge that they would be defeated—and killed—kept them silent.

And that was something the indigo-haired dragon knew very well.

Crouching down toward Cicuta once more, Ignis grabbed the girl’s chin between her fingers, her black eyes fixed on the golden mask.

“With so little mana, you’ve only managed to survive this long by hiding in your older sister’s shadow, haven’t you?” From her aurora-like wings down to the tips of her feet, Ignis’s gaze examined Cicuta thoroughly.

A woman with as little mana as a newborn dragon.

With a presence so faint it would disappear even in a crowd of humans—everything about Cicuta seemed to defy the very concept of being a dragon.

“At least Lord Fafnir’s son died an honorable death, facing the Twilights—unlike cowards like your brother,” Ignis said again, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

This time, however, her wrist was grabbed in response.

“Don’t speak as if you understand anything,” Cicuta whispered, tightening her grip on Ignis’s wrist.

“Oh?”

The unexpected reaction brought a glimmer of amusement to Ignis’s cold eyes.

Freeing her right arm from Cicuta’s grip, Ignis pulled part of her dress aside, exposing her rosy skin. In a sudden motion, she shoved her arm against the white-haired girl’s mouth.

“Go on, bite me, maybe it’ll make you a little stronger.” A sarcastic smile curled across her lips. “The only useful thing about your clan is that your fangs can absorb mana, right? Or were you born so weak you can’t even do that?”

“I refuse,” Cicuta whispered, turning her face away.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Ignis pressed her index finger against where the center of Cicuta’s eyes should be, the golden mask glinting against the sharp claw.

“That helmet your clan wears—is it meant to pay for your brother’s disgrace? I heard hiding your face as a sign of dishonor is an old custom, but did Tiamat really think that outdated, foolish idea of martyrdom would erase your failures?”

Covering her mouth in a poorly disguised attempt to hide her laughter, Ignis was about to press further when a woman stepped between them.

“Lady Ignis, please allow Cicuta to continue her work.” Though her head remained lowered, the woman leading the ceremony spoke with firm resolve. “One of the Fang Clan’s fundamental duties is to ensure our history is preserved. We cannot allow any of the tablets to be damaged under any circumstances.”

Taking the scale tablets from Cicuta’s hands—now at risk of falling during Ignis’s advance—the master of ceremonies swallowed hard.

The atmosphere had grown heavier.

She was certain of it.

With Tiamat’s critical condition, every member of the Fang Clan present was already at their limit.

Ignis’s words only worsened the situation, while also stoking the fury of the Wing Clan dragons who had lost their leader just days ago.

The master of ceremonies was tense.

Her breathing deep, strained.

She couldn’t allow this situation to spiral further during the ritual.

But any attempt she made would be in vain.

Because a new factor had just entered the equation.

“I’d like to speak for a moment, if that’s not a problem.”

Within the grand hall filled with dragons, a radiant silver glow appeared in the blink of an eye.

“Intruder!”

Voices rose one after another, filled with hostility, as several dragons with four wings on their backs surged forward, surrounding the figure.

A single exposed eye, reminiscent of a clear blue sky, calmly observed the surroundings. Delicate lips, refined features, and silver hair cascading down her back like a waterfall lent her a breathtaking beauty.

Her black dress, adorned with bluish ornaments, revealed almost nothing of her body or her ample chest, concealed beneath a long black cloak with a hood that fluttered in the candlelight.

“I don’t intend to interfere. I only ask for a minute of your time.” Parting her lips slightly, the silver-haired woman spoke in a calm, almost indifferent tone.

Even so, with claws bared and fangs exposed, the Wing Clan warriors stood ready to strike the intruder—until a single raised hand stopped them.

“I don’t recall visitors being part of this ceremony. Is this the elves’ grand idea—trying to disrupt the succession ritual to buy time?”

Walking toward the newcomer, Ignis stopped directly in front of Lily. Her black, reptilian pupils met Lily’s blue eye.

For a moment, the two women simply stared at each other in silence. The dense layers of mana leaking from their bodies clashed, forcing everyone in the hall to step back.

“Whether you like it or not, until you officially assume leadership of the Wing Clan, the last standing order regarding the elven delegation is to preserve the peace treaty decreed by Lady Tiamat.” Resting one hand on the sheath of one of the black blades at her waist, Lily tilted her head slightly. “Or would you prefer to settle things here and now, your way?”

“You seem to have quite a lot of nerve for an insignificant human.” Grinding her teeth so hard that a sound like steel scraping echoed through the ceremonial hall, Ignis spoke as an overwhelming bloodlust poured from her.

“Fafnir attacking us and Tiamat suddenly falling ill—don’t you see how strange it is that these things are happening?” Lily said.

“Strange? There’s nothing strange about it,” Ignis snapped back. “You’re the ones who planned all of this to weaken the dragons.”

In response, the silver-haired girl stomped the ground with her high-heeled boot, sending a dense wave of wind surging outward.

“I want a proper judgment,” Lily declared, closing the distance between them.

“I’ve already judged the elves guilty for everything that’s happened. A trial isn’t necessary.”

“For someone known as ‘The Arbiter,’ you don’t seem very interested in hearing our evidence.”

Ignis raised an eyebrow.

“Evidence? What I saw was enough. A poison wouldn’t be able to harm a dragon that much. Something like that is only possible with magic. That means only one of the council’s visitors could have done it. That little girl poisoned Tiamat with some kind of spell. Everyone saw it at the banquet.” The dragon woman scoffed. “Do you need greater proof than that?”

“That was nothing more than a coincidence. We have nothing to do with the Fang Clan leader’s condition,” Lily replied, her bloodlust growing so dense it nearly felt tangible. “Think about it—if we were really responsible, why would we remain in Athamas after Tiamat fell ill? Why risk turning Sage Thelira and Princess Cherry into political hostages?”

“The elves’ hero just needed a disposable pawn to poison our leaders and die in her place, didn’t she? It’s not like that girl—or any of you—could stand against one of us in a confrontation. After everything you’ve done, you still want to deny it now?”

Ignis spoke furiously, but Lily only answered with a sarcastic laugh.

“I won’t deny that we were the ones who killed Fafnir. But it was in self-defense. And we didn’t use any underhanded means to defeat him.”

“Lies! There’s no way mediocre beings like you could stand a chance against our lord without some dirty tactic!”

With a sudden motion, Ignis twisted her body, sending her sharp claws straight toward the center of Lily’s forehead.

However—

“With Tiamat still alive, it’s far too risky for you to attack me right now, isn’t it?” Lily whistled, watching the claw stop a millimeter from her skin. “Whether you want to kill me or not, you’ll still have to wait until the ritual ends tomorrow.”

Even if Tiamat was on the brink of death, Ignis didn’t have absolute certainty that she would die. If the Fang Clan leader regained consciousness before Ignis officially became leader of her own clan, attacking while Tiamat’s orders were still in effect would not end well.

Certain of that, Lily stepped away from Ignis and turned toward the other dragons present.

“Listen, all of you! If this continues, it won’t just affect dragons and elves—it will affect the entire world. Don’t you understand? Tiamat was poisoned because someone wants this war to happen, and I will prove it.”

Making sure her gaze passed over every face in the hall, Lily planted both feet firmly on the ground before declaring at the top of her lungs.

“By sunset tomorrow, I will bring undeniable proof that we were not responsible for what happened to Tiamat!”

It was a declaration that she would put an end to all of this.

An announcement that would either resolve everything—or ignite a war.

And so, stepping forward once more to stand before Lily, Ignis stared deep into the girl’s very being before speaking with such fury that her words seemed to echo throughout the entire city.

“When the time comes, before I take that elf’s head… I’ll have the pleasure of killing you myself.”