Niel, known by her alias "Ice Dragon," stood on the second-floor terrace, from where she could overlook the garden. She held a folding fan, popular in the East, lightly concealing her face, which was marked by visible anger.

"Your friend hasn’t arrived yet, I see. The other Nine Dragons are already present, but this young newcomer is so late. Such lack of manners is undeniable."

To be fair, Julius and Plum Palace Lord had arrived unusually early, which wasn’t typical for them.

But Niel didn’t care about any of that as she focused solely on disparaging Theo.

"Mother."

Standing beside …