Ancient Dragon in Arknights

"Rita, do you know what race I am?"

“Vaivan... Ha, no way.”

Rita knew of Draco's existence—but that was all; she had never seen the real Draco.

“It’s Draco… Although he’s a bastard who ended up in Colombia, he’s qualified to compete for the throne.”

"..."

Although Rita had no intention of entering politics, as the daughter of an aristocratic family, she possessed the most basic political vision—how much bloodshed could Delacroix's identity bring? She had multiple answers to this question.

So...someone is targeting you?

"It's not just one, not just a group; it could be a vast network of relationships, or it could be an army."

Nesario found himself much more relaxed after speaking out. He just stared straight at Rita, as if they were meeting for the first time.

“Rita, if I didn’t have this identity, I would definitely stay in Victoria; I would do everything I could to win flowers, applause, and fame. I would finally stand before Scamanderos with dignity and propose to you... instead of being as pathetic as I am now.”

Only then did Rita notice the beer on the table... Nesario was actually drowning his sorrows in alcohol?

Upon learning of this, Rita didn't feel any resistance to this approach; instead, she felt a sense of... relief? At least it proved one thing: she wasn't someone Nesario could easily give up on.

"Beer...we can't waste it. Let's drink and chat...like a party."

Rita sat down next to Nesario and grabbed a beer for herself—she was also averse to alcohol, but she would still have a little at parties; moreover, Rita was surprisingly talented at drinking, and her alcohol metabolism speed was even comparable to Nesario's.

"What happened between me and Losilly is actually related to you..."

Nesario began to slowly recount the events of the past few years, from his encounter with Lothiri, to Glasgow, the spy attack, Alde Cumberland, and even the existence of Vina.

If the military had left surveillance in Nesario's room, they would have certainly uncovered some juicy gossip; unfortunately, Fisher was a highly skilled spy, and he wouldn't allow a listening device that didn't belong to him to exist beside his bed.

Rita finally broke free from her narrow perspective and fully understood Nesario—how he had managed to stay in Victoria for so long and never let the fire touch her.

"Over the years, I've fantasized more than once about whether I could have a little bit of freedom of my own and the right to live in Victoria if I really submitted to a duke. But... the reality is that the military keeps spying on me, again and again, endlessly. Rita... forgive this coward."

Nesario let out a long sigh, seemingly lamenting his misfortune.

Rita felt a dull ache in her heart; she finally understood Nesario—in a sense, they were the same kind of people.

Scamanderos is scorned and vilified by Victorian high society because of Aslan; Rita leaves her family and ventures out into the world, receiving only occasional respect, but mostly scorn from shallow people.

Nesario's situation was even more difficult than hers—in Colombia, he was a well-off young man with a happy family and a bright future; but in Victoria, he inexplicably found himself burdened with the fate of a fallen royal family.

The pressure didn't defeat them; instead, it forced them to constantly push their limits.

"Nesario...you said before that if you were an ordinary person, you would do everything in your power to climb up the social ladder and then propose to Scamanderos in a fair and square manner, right?"

Rita laughed as she recounted the story. She had never been particularly interested in marriage since childhood—many noble ladies would enter the social scene as they approached adulthood, begin attending banquets, make a number of “friends,” and at the same time look for their other half.

That may not be the best, but it is definitely the most "well-matched"; that's how political marriages are.

Wealthy merchants, military officers, and nobles—these are the types of people that make up upper-class couples.

Fortunately, Rita's family didn't value such things, because no family would dare to marry into the infamous Scamanderos family. She enjoyed a freedom of love that many noble ladies never had. But what young men could possibly catch her eye?

At least in the past, Rita intended to dedicate her life to the honor of being a soldier.

But now... she also wants to dream. In her dream, the Scamanderos family is a highly regarded and distinguished family; she is a reclusive young lady; and her fiancé is the man before her, the man who haunts her dreams.

“If you are just an ordinary person, even if you are not recognized by your family in the end, I will still jump off the attic in the middle of the night and run away, and then go to Colombia with you.”

On one hand, they say they will do everything in their power to pursue the daughter of a nobleman, and on the other hand, they say they will never leave each other even if they choose to elope. This can be considered a two-way journey.

Unfortunately, that was just a beautiful fantasy.

Nesario shook his head slightly, banishing the sweet fantasy from his mind, and decided to say goodbye to Rita.

“Nesario, although I have always followed the family’s teachings, actually... I’m probably a very rebellious young lady.”

“You know what? Actually, the nobles in Victoria aren’t very chaste. Many noble ladies aren’t virgins when they get married… So, I’ve decided to rebel this time too.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the blond figure rushed into Nesario's arms. Before he could say anything, his lips were covered by a soft kiss.

At that moment, Nesario had only one thought in his mind—fake alcohol is harmful!

Chapter 155 Graduation

As dawn broke and the sun slowly rose above the horizon, darkness gradually receded, and Londinium came alive once more. But today it seemed even more bustling than usual, for a simple reason—another batch of students from the Royal Guard Academy had successfully graduated.

As Nesario's senses gradually returned, he heard footsteps gradually rising in the dormitory. They were chaotic, but each sound revealed anticipation and excitement.

I turned my head to look—the pillow was empty, leaving only a messy bed.

The golden hair was its owner's most striking feature, while the few drops of blood and dampness on the sheets testified to the absurd events of the previous night.

The windows that were originally closed are now open, and the breeze blowing in from outside makes the curtains flutter. Today will be a nice sunny day, perfect for a grand graduation ceremony.

Nesario got out of bed, ready to embrace his new life.

......

Thump! The once heavy door was now clearly so fragile. In her panic, Rita hadn't carefully controlled her strength, and the guards were quite strong.

The blonde girl returned in a disheveled state once again, looking even more miserable than yesterday, when she still maintained basic decorum.

Today, her hair was disheveled, her clothes were neat, and she even exuded a unique scent.

As soon as she woke up, she jumped out of the window and fled Nesario's room. How could she dare to stay there any longer?

"Oh...you're back."

Rita and Loserly's dormitory wasn't in the best-lit area, so the rising sun hadn't yet illuminated it, making the room appear dark and desolate. It was in this environment that Loserly stood up from the shadows.

"Losiri? What are you doing here..."

Rita, caught red-handed, suddenly felt a sense of panic for some reason—this was probably the fear and trepidation that comes with doing something wrong.

"Why? Hehe... because I was worried you'd run into trouble again, so I sat there waiting for you to come back so I could comfort you right away. But... the sun went down, the streetlights went out, everyone went to rest, but my best friend, my sister—she still hadn't come back."

Losley finally stood in front of Rita—although her clothes were clean and tidy, she was in very poor spirits, and her once pretty face was now covered with dark circles.

Although Rita looks a bit disheveled now, a closer look reveals that she looks radiant, as if she has been nourished by spring rain.

Lorily, with her keen observation as a spy, quickly took in Rita's condition—her lips were slightly red, there were deep red hickeys on her neck, and teeth marks on her slightly exposed chest...

If she could, Lorily really wanted to curse him out: "You bastard!"

But the person in front of me is my best friend, and more importantly—she herself was the one who pushed all of this forward!

"Eat this, then take a shower and get some rest."

Lori took a packaged pill out of her pocket and handed it to Rita.

"This is?"

"Emergency measures. You don't want the first thing you do after joining the Storm Commando to be take a long leave, do you?"

"Um...sorry."

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. Lucille lowered her head, while Rita turned her face away. Both of them had very complicated feelings at that moment.

Graduation ceremonies are important, but attendance is not mandatory. If a graduation certificate is not claimed by its owner, it will be temporarily kept by the student's advisor.

Therefore, Rita's mentor witnessed her beloved student's first absence at the graduation ceremony—neither Rita nor Rosselli attended the graduation ceremony.

This incident was even considered a funny story among the classmates, who all said that the model student was finally not perfect for once.

In reality, what she did was even more rebellious. Standing at the front of the crowd, Nesario silently savored yesterday's experience.

After the graduation ceremony, the crowd dispersed—normally, even leaving the venue requires adhering to the strictest queuing rules, but this time they didn't have to.

Many small groups gathered together; some were celebrating—because they would have another chance to get together again—while others were crying because they were about to be separated from each other in the crowd.

The reserve officers, who usually endured all kinds of rigorous training, were somewhat saddened at this moment.

Nesario walked among the crowd, unlike his classmates who were lost and sad; on the contrary, he was frighteningly calm.

The Victorian military may have already taken action, and their plan against him may have been finalized... The thought of this made the fire in his chest burn even hotter, and a sudden gust of wind blew through the previously clear sky.

"Wow!"

Suddenly, a familiar exclamation rang out behind Nesario; it was Fiona's voice.

Turning around, sure enough, Fiona and Chen were walking towards him in neat military uniforms.

"Oh! Nana! Congratulations on graduating."

"You too, you can't be so reckless when you go to the army."

"Hmph, how can you call me reckless? Teacher Angelia has a very high opinion of me!"

This is no exaggeration; Fiona, as a Victorian soldier, is indeed of elite caliber—she possesses all the necessary tactical skills, and when facing battlefield situations, she displays a calm and reassuring demeanor. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to accompany Rita to Victoria's elite forces.

"But Nana, do you really have to go to Columbia?"

"Yes, my sister is still there. You can never truly abandon your hometown, can you?"

Don't say things you shouldn't say; dragging Rita into this was already a mistake.

"Oh, I see... Okay then, if you ever come to Victoria to visit, don't forget us!"

"Speaking of which... isn't Chen going back too? Why didn't you try to stop her?"

Nesario steered the conversation toward Chen, the dragon girl who seemed to have quite a background as well. Although she wasn't as prominent as him, Chen must have a lot to hide.

"Chenchen and I are roommates, you know. We've talked about it before. Chenchen's dream is to go back to Lungmen and make it better, and I fully support her!"

"A very ambitious goal, Chen—I wish you success."

Nesario reached out and patted Chen on the shoulder. His attitude was sincere and his emotions were full, leaving Chen momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

"Why are you making it sound like we're parting ways forever? We're just graduating and going our separate ways, it's not like we'll never see each other again... If you ever go to Lungmen, remember to contact me, I'll have your back!"

"Chenchen is shy!"

"*Longmen profanity!*"

Chapter 156 The Eve of the Heavy Rain

"But why didn't the captain come today... Nana and Chenchen, you two are leaving soon, I wonder what she's thinking."

Fiona rarely voiced her opinion on Rita, feeling that Rita had gone too far today. The two friends were about to be separated by a great distance and it would be difficult for them to get together again in the future. As the most respected captain, Rita did not step forward to do anything.