Chapter 32: Draconic Princess

"I was born and raised in Draconica, one of the western-most regions in Econica. My mother was a Dragonborn, and my father was a human, the king of Orthyls.

I am unaware of the details about how the two met, but I was an illegitimate child. My brother and I have different mothers. The king tried all he could to keep his scandal a secret, but it somehow found its way out to the public.

When word got out, my father faced no repercussions. Somehow, he was cleared of all blame. The queen at the time had instantly forgiven him, either that or she could not do anything about it. For a long time, I lived peacefully with my mother in Draconica. We would occasionally receive support from the Orthlys government, but only the bare minimum.

We got by with our daily life, until one day, the queen of Orthlys became pregnant with a baby that did not belong to the king. It was rumored that she had an affair with a royal guard member, but, unlike my father, the queen at the time was not free of blame. She was punished, stripped of the throne, then banished to the outskirts of Orthlys, along with the entirety of the royal guard, who wielded the Spring to control earth. The entirety of the royal guard is composed of the Ash family, a clan that was sworn to the protection of the royal family since the beginning of historical records. My father often said that she was lucky she was not executed along with the entire ash family, to which my brother would bite his teeth out of anger.

After that, there was a void left in the monarchy. The king needed a queen, and that was when my life changed. When I was about four years old, about a year after the banishment of the previous queen, a battalion of Orthlys soldiers showed up at the doorstep of Draconica, demanding for my mother and me. We were forced out of our homes, then taken across the continent to the Orthlys capital, Naji. My mother and I were coronated the same week, inducting us into the monarchy.

This was not taken well by the Orthlys public. Every time my mother and I would make an appearance in public, we'd be met with a barrage of stones, spit on our faces, and death threats. They called my mother a succubus and accused her of seducing the king to gain entry to the crown. There was clear prejudice towards the Dragonborn race, based on certain past events. They used our horns as excuses to call us devils, and treat us like threats to the population.

The same year, there was a series of serial murders in the capital city. Around that time was when the rumors began to escalate. My mother and I were accused of being man-eating monsters, who kidnap humans from the city and devour them. The rumors were totally baseless, and it was a simple coincidence that these murders started the year we were coronated. Eventually, the murders stopped, with the true culprit never being found.

About a month after the murders, my mother contracted an unknown illness and was bedridden. No matter what doctors came in to check on her, they all left within minutes, claiming it was something they'd never seen before. But I knew the truth. The doctors wouldn't even diagnose her. They'd simply walk in, and walk out without doing anything, with the hopes that she would eventually succumb to that illness. She was not allowed outside of her room, and I was barely able to communicate with her. From then on, a Ranger would come and take care of me for a large portion of the day.

Only during that time period would I be able to go out into the town. She also trained me, played with me, and protected me. Whenever we talked, she would never fail to bring up her kid brother. He was my age, and she spoke so highly of him. She would always talk about how she always returned to him waiting for her at their house entrance.

That lasted for the next six years until the war started when she suddenly stopped coming. After that, I began practicing alone and wasn't allowed to leave the palace grounds. I honed my strength so that the next time I saw her, I would impress her with my progress. To this day, I still don't know what happened to her.

About a year ago, my mother was assassinated, murdered in cold blood before my eyes. I saw the murderer's face, clear as day, but I didn't know who it was, and they vanished into thin air shortly after, leaving my mother's lifeless body on the floor. As you all know, that's where the next batch of rumors came. I was accused of cannibalism, murdering my own mother, and eating her like a savage beast.

From then, I was kept on tight surveillance and wasn't allowed to do anything but sit in my room. My father and brother both trusted that I did not do as the rumors claimed, but they both forced me into confinement for my safety. I wanted to find my mother's killer. I would have done anything for retribution, but with the shackles on me, I couldn't do anything.

That's when I heard about Ranger academy, a place where a sixteen-year-old could join to become a free-roaming Ranger, with infinite freedom. With that, perhaps the chains on me would be broken, and I could avenge my mother. I begged my father to let me enroll, but he sternly refused to provide me with the funds. He jokingly said 'try if you can, but the moment you leave this palace, you will receive no further support from me!', then laughed to himself. But that's when I heard about the tournament, which would let you enroll for free if you pass. I made a deal with my father to give me travel expenses and then left the palace. The rest is history."

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The room was filled with tears after hearing Chloe's story. Even Clyde and Saphrilla, who were usually stone-cold, were holding back tears. They all celebrated in the old dorm room, Rein, with the help of the girls, having cooked them 5-star grade food that was better than any restaurant.

They heard sniffling outside the window. Reggie opened it to check, seeing the masked man sat under it, crying.

"The hell? What're you doing here?" He reacted.

"That was such a sad story. Don't worry princess, I believe in you," he said as he held a thumbs up.

"Huh? Since when were you there? Did you hear all of that?" Asked Chloe, surprised, along with a surprised look on Emria and Saphrilla.

"Seriously dude, maybe don't stalk us without our knowledge next time!" Scolded Quint.

"Without your knowledge? But Rein and Clyde there knew I was here. If they wanted me gone, they should've said so…" Remarked the masked man sadly.

"Huh? You two knew he was there the whole time? You idiots, you should've said something!" Exclaimed Chloe angrily.

"Sorry, I didn't wanna interrupt. You were really into it," he shrugged at her innocently, with Clyde nodding beside him.

"I concur. Moreover, I did not sense any hostility from him, so I concluded that there would be no harm in letting him listen," explained Clyde.

"Anyways, you do you guys even look at the time? The award ceremony starts in ten minutes. Get your asses in gear and head to the arena," informed the masked man, to which they all got up and prepared themselves.

Later that day, at the award ceremony.

"Welcome one and all! Please take a seat, the award ceremony will begin momentarily."

The group entered the waiting room. Rein, Clyde, Quint, and The masked man. Chloe entered shortly after, wearing her new clothes. After the tournament ended, Chloe got changed and went clothes shopping with the girls. She wore a one-piece white skirt with a green, unbuttoned coat. On her bottom half, thigh-high red boots and black skin-tight leggings underneath, covering her legs.

"Alright! Time to get this thing underway! I will only be announcing the names of those who have consented to it! By the looks of it, we only have one participant who has not. Anyways, in fifth place, we have contestant two, Quint Vossen!" The crowd cheered. Quint ran out into the arena and accepted his scholarship from the principal.

"In fourth place, contestant one!" The crowd cheered. The masked man exited the room and accepted his scholarship.

"Now for the top three! In third place, contestant seven, Clyde Morioh!" The crowd cheered. Clyde walked to the podium and stood on the third-place plate after he accepted his scholarship.

"In second place… Chloe Orthlysia!" The crowd did not cheer. Chloe stood at the threshold of the waiting room, hesitant to go out. That's when she received a push on the back and tumbled outside into the arena. She looked back, seeing Rein wave at her, smiling. She was slightly angry but continued to the middle of the arena until she reached the principal, who was holding her scholarship. As she approached her, she closed her eyes, afraid of being insulted and not wanting to see the face she makes when handing her the scholarship.

"I congratulate you, your highness. I'm sure Wallace would've done so as well. I hear he was going to be your knight before the royal guard was disbanded. Pay him a visit after this, will you?" Principal Julianne handed her the scholarship, then patted her on the back. Chloe took a deep breath, then released the tension in her body.

"Principal Julianne, would you mind if I spoke to the crowd for a little bit? I have some things to say," asked Chloe, strengthening her resolve.

"Not at all. Do whatever you want."

Chloe walked up to the second-place pedestal, then began to speak.

"Citizens of the Hasbin gulf and students of Ranger academy, my name is Chloe Orthlysia. I am the 37th crown princess of Orthlys. I know what the rumors say. They call me a devil, a human-eater, and they called my mother a succubus who seduced the king. You all may resent me, but I assure you that the feeling is not mutual. I care about each and every one of you, not as a princess, but as a fellow citizen of this wonderful continent. Even if you all hate me, I will do my utmost to protect you all. That will be my duty as a ranger."

A long silence followed her speech. Everyone in the crowd was mesmerized and did not know how to act. Suddenly, a loud series of claps could be heard from the waiting room, followed by two sets of claps in the audience. It was Rein, Emria, and Saphrilla, followed by everyone in the arena. Julianne, Clyde, Quint, Reggie in the stands, and even the masked man. The clapping spread throughout some of the crowd, the students in Ranger academy uniforms beginning to cheer for her. The citizens, however, kept their cheers to themselves. From then, she strove to earn the townspeople's trust.