Veselian and Haigor were old acquaintances.
To be precise, what linked them together was Dolores’s mother, Doroth Haley.
Haigor had once been a devoted hunter from a country on the border of the Northlands. His wife had died at the hands of the Aurora. Overwhelmed with guilt, he had embarked on a journey to find his wife’s favorite flower.
When Veselian and Doroth were traveling, Doroth had met him and gifted him the precious item he sought.
Haigor promised back then that once he buried the gift at his wife’s grave, he would return to repay Doroth.
Five years later, he arrived at the Kingdom of Rand as promised. Having no other choice, Doroth had him join the Royal Knights to fulfill his duty of protecting the kingdom.
Dolores had just been born at the time, and he had watched her grow up alongside Veselian.
Even the duel with Grin at the palace back then had been his own initiative. Grin’s focus might have escaped the innocent Dolores, but it couldn’t hide from his experienced eyes. He had seen that Grin was inadvertently paying attention to her.
The truth was that Grin really did have feelings for Dolores later on.
In matters involving Dolores, he and Veselian shared a similar sense of parental affection, along with a love for her that stemmed from their gratitude toward Doroth.
Although Doroth had only entrusted Veselian with her daughter’s safety for life, Haigor had also been doing his best to show Dolores favoritism.
Veselian did not have many friends at the palace; Haigor was one of the few who could even argue with her.
She could not deny Haigor’s words. The elves of Veselian’s lineage were born with the Curse of the Foreign God.
Looking at Haigor’s expression, it seemed he wouldn’t let the matter rest until she gave him an answer.
Veselian fell into hesitation. Her reason for not wanting to leave was actually Grin, but that involved Dolores’s private matters.
The so-called past life, rebirth, and dreams were all incredibly important pieces of information… but.
“I can tell you the reason, but you must promise me… that you will protect the Princess. This will be something of great importance to her.”
In the end, Veselian made a compromise. Haigor was on her side, and the fact that he was someone who could be trusted was one factor.
More importantly, she shouldn’t ignore the immense danger Dolores currently faced because of a little possessiveness.
Dolores did not have many people to rely on. Veselian was one of them, but she felt too powerless.
The King of Rand, who required the ancestral land to maintain his symbolism, would not believe a single word she said, even if Dolores spoke to him personally.
If there truly were concrete evidence, the Princess would have reported it to her father immediately.
It was because these dreams were so important yet ethereal and difficult to confirm that the Princess could only seek help from Alberko, who spoke the same language.
To anyone else who hadn’t shared those experiences, it was merely one person’s word, and almost no one would believe it. But Veselian believed; she would believe the Princess unconditionally.
She spoke slowly, omitting the parts about Alberko, but telling Haigor every detail of the information from the dreams and her conjectures.
Haigor leaned against the wall, sinking into silence and thought. Such ethereal conjectures without supporting evidence were indeed difficult to believe.
He believed the Princess, and he believed Veselian.
But simply labeling Grin as an enemy still made Haigor hesitate. After all, Grin’s image was not bad in his eyes.
Not long ago, he had witnessed Grin lure the dragon away alone. This made him the savior of Haigor and many of his comrades.
“I have told you the reason. This is why I cannot leave the Princess’s side. Now, Haigor, it is your turn to answer my question.”
“I want Grin dead for the sake of our Princess. So, will you help or not?”
“You are hesitating. Why are you hesitating?”
Veselian questioned Haigor with an imposing aura. Though she was only five feet seven inches tall, she wasn’t intimidated at all by Haigor, who was a head taller than her.
Perhaps it was because it involved Dolores.
“Mr. Grin is a benefactor to me and many of my comrades. The King even wants to express his gratitude to him. I saw him lure the dragon away with my own eyes. It is hard for me to believe that someone who performed such an upright deed would do something so foul…”
“Veselian, I am not doubting you or the Princess. Therefore, I will not act rashly based solely on the Princess’s word.”
“Haigor!” Veselian took a step forward and grabbed Haigor’s collar. He wasn’t wearing his full helmet, so she could reach it.
“Lady Doroth helped you so much. Why would you hesitate in a matter involving her daughter’s safety? Why? You were the one who took it upon yourself to come to Rand to repay her kindness.”
“We have already lost Doroth. Are you going to watch as we lose her daughter, Dolores, too?”
“I will not watch the Princess fall into danger. I will also seek proof in my own way. I believe you, I believe the Princess, and I also believe in the Mr. Grin who saved me…”
“There might be a misunderstanding here, so I will go to both him and the Princess to confirm. I will ask the questions you cannot. If there is an answer, I will tell you.”
Haigor lowered the hand Veselian was using to grip his collar.
Veselian added unwillingly, “I have been following the Princess. She only made the request to him because of the tragedy that had just occurred. She hoped he could save more people…”
“And Mr. Grin did it, didn’t he? I believe you can also see that he did it at the risk of his life. That wasn’t just to show off in front of our Princess.”
“I believe he is a good man. Because if things are as you say, he had plenty of other options instead of choosing to face the dragon… Since you were there, you should see it even more clearly than I do.”
“I…” Veselian’s expression became more reluctant, yet filled with conflict.
Indeed, even she understood this logic; otherwise, her attitude toward Grin wouldn’t have softened so much back then.
Actions actually performed would not be distorted by personal emotions.
“I can understand now why you are unwilling to leave the Princess’s side. In this kind of situation, there really is no one else who can serve as her protector but you…”
“But Veselian, you must realize that your current condition is terrible. You know the power of the elven curse better than I do. Your reason is for the Princess, but I hope you can understand something too.”
“If something really happens to you, the Princess will be heartbroken for you as well.”
Veselian turned her head to hide her expression, her body trembling slightly.
Haigor did not pursue the matter further, finally saying:
“I will not mention this to His Majesty, and I will pay more attention to the Princess’s situation. At the same time…”
“I will also find an opportunity to test and understand Mr. Grin.”
“Veselian, I hope this is just a misunderstanding. I do not want to experience a tragedy like the one involving my wife again.”
“I want to believe in every one of you.”