The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 158: The Underground Dungeon

Chapter 158: The Underground Dungeon

"Brother, what’s wrong? Your mind seems to wander off somewhere. Are you alright?" Erika asked Gideon, who was staring at the garden absentmindedly.

Her voice pulled him back to the present. "Oh, Sis. You are here. I didn’t sense your presence earlier."

Erika giggled. "It’s because you were lost in your thoughts."

She sat down on the balcony’s bench, next to her brother. "Tell me. What’s troubling your mind?"

Gideon took a deep sigh before covering his face as if he was trying to conceal his embarrassment.

"What should I do, Baby Sis? I can’t believe it... I said something I shouldn’t have." He smacked his forehead.

Erika watched him with intrigue. "What do you mean, Bro? What did you say, and to whom did you say those words?"

Gideon facepalmed himself before responding, "I told our father and King Zaraki that I love Princess Eve!"

Erika’s eyes widened in shock as she gasped upon hearing Gideon’s last remarks.

"Oh?! You love her," she repeated, blinking with amusement.

"Shhhh! Keep quiet. Don’t tell anyone," Gideon said, covering Erika’s mouth.

"But Bro... do you want to be her second husband? Will you confess to her?" she asked him curiously.

Gideon shook his head. "That’s not what I wanted. I said it because it’s the only way I could protect her from King Zaraki’s threat."

"Brother, no need to deny it. Admit it. You truly have feelings for the princess. Why are you keeping it inside?"

Gideon fell silent for a moment, his expression becoming solemn.

"What’s the use of telling her if she already has someone in her heart?" Gideon uttered meaningfully, clenching his fists. He was aware of Eve’s love for Alaric. He witnessed it first-hand.

Princess Eve was willing to sacrifice herself just to save and protect Alaric!

Erika tapped her brother’s shoulder. "It’s better to say it than regret it later for not saying those words." She kept encouraging her brother.

"Honestly, Brother. I’m surprised... because you’ve never gotten close to any woman in the past. This is my first time seeing you worried about someone. I’m glad you finally experienced falling in love with someone." Erika teased him as she giggled.

Gideon narrowed his eyes at her, then gently smacked her forehead. "Stop laughing at me," he complained.

"Oh, Brother! It’s Princess Eve!" She gasped, pointing her finger at Eve.

Gideon rolled his eyes skyward, thinking Erika was just teasing him. However, to his surprise, Eve suddenly spoke up from behind.

"Gideon! Come with me. King Zaraki will bring me to a place."

Gideon instinctively stood up while giving his sister a warning look– ’Just keep your mouth shut. Don’t say a word.’

Erika could only smile while greeting Princess Eve politely.

"Hello, Princess Eve. It’s my pleasure to finally meet you. This is my first time talking to you ever since you entered the palace. I hope you’ve slept well last night."

Eve smiled back at Erika. She resembled Gideon. They were indeed brother and sister.

"I’m so glad to meet you as well. Forgive me for interrupting your conversation with your brother. But can I borrow him for a while? King Zaraki summoned us both." Eve felt guilty to interrupt the bonding moment of the siblings.

"Oh. No need to apologize. You are free to take him away. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to see my fiancé, Prince Leonard. Then I will visit Sylvana in her pavilion."

Eve was taken aback at the mention of Sylvana’s name. ’She’s the seer of Kingdom Eldara. I hope she is just doing fine.’

"Shall we go and meet King Zaraki?" Gideon spoke up, extending his right hand to Eve.

Eve nodded, placing her hand over his palm. "He instructed me to wait for him at the palace hall."

"Alright. We shall proceed to the Palace Hall now."

Eve and Gideon bade farewell to Erika before heading to the palace hall. It did not take long before King Zaraki and Chancellor Gustav arrived. They were being escorted by the four generals.

"Let’s move now. We don’t want to visit the dungeon at nightfall," Chancellor Gustav said.

They rode two carriages as they headed to the underground dungeon. Eve and Gideon were both clueless about the reason why King Zaraki brought them to a dungeon.

After thirty minutes of travel, the group finally reached their destination. What greeted them was a large, indestructible golden gate.

"We are here," King Zaraki said, making everyone stop moving.

Gideon was amazed to see the entrance gate of the underground dungeon.

"So this is the underground dungeon of Zephyra. What is hidden inside?" he asked with a curious gaze.

The four generals were holding the torches, illuminating their surroundings.

"You will find out once I open the gate." King Zaraki picked up the jade pendant from Eve as he approached the golden gate. Chancellor Gustav stood by his side.

Everyone just watched King Zaraki in anticipation as he used the jade pendant as the key to open the golden gate of the dungeon.

The moment he inserted the jade pendant inside the lock of the golden gate, the ground suddenly shook as if an earthquake had happened.

A few seconds later, the large golden gate started to move, opening a path at the center. They successfully unlocked the dungeon.

King Zaraki’s laughter echoed in their surroundings. He felt an intense excitement, his eyes gleaming with hope!

’Zephyr will be awaken! The legendary dragon!’ King Zaraki thought to himself.

"Get inside now! Gideon, please escort Princess Eve..." King Zaraki uttered in his commanding tone.

Eve and Gideon exchanged glances with one another before they stepped inside the dungeon.

"Follow them," he instructed the four generals.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the four answered in unison, walking past them.

Chancellor Gustav was about to follow them, but King Zaraki stopped him.

"Don’t go. We shall stay here. We don’t know if Princess Eve inherited the power of Beast Tamer. Zephyr will attack the intruders. This is the test of Eve’s ability. Let’s see if she can tame the sleeping dragon inside."

Chancellor Gustav understood what he meant. If Eve failed to tame the dragon, the six people who had entered the dungeon would die. King Zaraki would immediately lock the golden gate to prevent the dragon from leaving the dungeon.

He stopped Gustav because he couldn’t afford to lose him. He could replace the four generals, but not Gustav.

Meanwhile, Eve, Gideon, and the four generals continued to walk and explore the dungeon. The deeper they went, the colder they felt.

Gideon removed his cape and wrapped it around Eve’s body.

"Thank you," Eve said with a faint smile.

Gideon just nodded and continued walking ahead. He heightened his senses, checking the danger in this unknown and unfamiliar place.

"Is there treasure hidden here? What do they want to show us?" Eve asked Gideon.

Gideon could only shrug his shoulders. He had no idea either. His father didn’t mention anything.

He turned around only to find out that King Zaraki and Chancellor Gustav were not following them.

’I have a bad feeling about this. The two chose to stay outside. But why did they bring us here?’ Gideon pondered to himself, feeling a little bit uneasy.

Eve and the others started looking around. They didn’t expect the dungeon to be so deep, as though it were a limitless cave.

As they continued exploring the dungeon, Eve suddenly stopped on her track, her eyes widening in shock.

Gideon noticed her reaction, so he followed her line of sight. One of the generals behind them accidentally dropped the torch because of fear and utter shock.

"Is this really true? Can you also see what I’m seeing?"

"What the hell–"

The two generals were at a loss for words. Everyone’s attention was focused on the giant creature in front of them.

"Oh my god! It’s a dragon!" One general exclaimed.

"Shhhh! Don’t make a noise."

Meanwhile, Eve and Gideon were rooted in their respective spots. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing right now. Dragons truly existed. They were not extinct!

Before their eyes, they could see a giant creature– almost ten times larger than a bear! The dragon seemed to be in his hibernation state. His eyes were closed.

Its large, well-armored body was covered in shimmering, impenetrable scales. It had a long tail tipped with spikes. It looked like a stone dragon.

Eve’s eyes were fixed on its angular head with sharp, ridged horns that curved backward.

Instead of running away, Eve was compelled to move closer to the sleeping dragon.

"Eve, stop!" Gideon grabbed her elbow, thus stopping her from stepping forward. "We shouldn’t make a move that might awaken the dragon."

The four generals agreed. They were frightened by the creature. The dragon might attack them. Without a doubt, they would be killed on the spot.

However, Eve didn’t feel scared at all. She couldn’t explain it. But her heart was urging her to touch the sleeping dragon.

"Gideon... let me touch it."

"No! Don’t do it! You will get us all killed here!" One general stepped forward, drawing his sword to stop Eve.

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