"If it isn't our little bookworm."
The voice belonged to the group's leader, his expression openly twisted with disgust as he looked at the young woman behind the counter.
Kala looked up from her book and immediately paled.
Her hands trembled as she closed it, but she forced herself to speak, masking her fear behind brittle calm.
"What can I do for you today?"
She refused to give them more satisfaction than they already had.
Many of them had hoped to break her over time, but Kala had proven far more stubborn than expected. Their constant harassment had lost its thrill since that fateful day.
Boredom had replaced cruelty.
"Hey!" one of them sneered. "You pathetic little commoner. Why don't you get on your knees and act like the animal you are?"
Laughter erupted from the group.
They pressed in closer, hoping humiliation would finally crack her.
Kala clenched her fists.
"I am not an animal," she said, voice tight but steady. "I am a dragon, just like the rest of you. Now—if you're not going to buy anything—please leave."
The words scraped their way out as her throat tightened with fear and rising resentment.
"You dare talk back to me?"
The speaker stepped forward.
He was massive—nearly seven feet tall—with a bushy beard, crimson wings, and scales spreading across his exposed chest. Thick, bull-like horns curved from his forehead.
He leaned over the counter, tapping a long, curved claw against the wood.
"That wasn't a request," he growled. "It was an order."
The others watched eagerly, grinning in anticipation.
Kala swallowed.
"No…"
The behemoth raised an eyebrow and glanced at the group's leader—a wiry dragon whose sharp eyes spoke of calculation rather than brute force. Receiving a subtle nod, the large dragon turned back.
"What was that?"
Kala met his gaze.
"I said no!" she shouted, desperation breaking through. "I will not degrade myself for you!"
The room went still.
The leader stepped forward and struck her across the face.
"You animal!" he shouted. "You don't speak to your betters like that! If you won't obey, we'll do far worse—and I promise you won't enjoy it."
Laughter followed, crude and anticipatory.
Kala staggered, her cheek burning.
For a moment, she truly believed this was the end—that she would suffer the same fate as her parents.
Then—
Ding.
The bell above the door rang.
Annoyed, the leader didn't even turn.
"Get out!" he snapped. "This place is closed!"
"Oh?" a calm voice replied. "From where I'm standing, it looks like the owner is behind the counter—not you."
The leader froze.
He turned slowly. Kala instinctively looked toward the newcomer.
The stranger's eyes lingered briefly on her reddened cheek, the fear still shining in her gaze. Her hand trembled where it pressed against her face.
Then his attention shifted back to the group.
"Are you closed?" he asked mildly.
His voice was steady. Controlled.
It felt unreal.
Kala didn't know what to say.
He was only one man—and worse, a noble. This group belonged to Balgor's faction, the eldest son of the Dragon King.
She couldn't ask him to help her.
Before she could speak, the leader snarled.
"What's your problem? Can you not understand the word 'closed'?"
Then recognition spread.
From the back of the group, someone whispered in terror—
"Golden hair… orange eyes…"
"…Prince Caspian."
"The one who defeated two Level 1 Evolved right after waking up…"
Shock rippled through them.
Every noble had heard the story by now.
The prince who had risen from a coma and sent a message to the entire household with his actions at the training grounds.
As members of Balgor's faction, they'd learned of it early.
And that was exactly why they couldn't retreat outright.
Still, the leader hesitated.
Acting against Caspian—under the Dragon King's watchful gaze—was a dangerous gamble.
Reluctantly, he bowed.
The rest followed.
"My apologies, Prince Caspian," the leader said stiffly. "We didn't realise it was you. We were merely… instructing this girl on how to behave around nobles."
He turned sharply, fixing Kala with a warning glare.
"She was being difficult."
Kala barely registered his words.
She stared at Caspian.
A prince.
Looking at her not with disgust—but with something gentler.
Something she hadn't seen since her parents were alive.