The half-bloods furrowed their brows but they didn’t interrupt An Bai. They wanted to know the rest of the story and they were afraid that they wouldn’t get to hear it if he didn’t finish until they reached the capital city. After all, there was much to do when the celebration in their realm started and the advisers would likely be busy with their own tasks. How could they bother him then?

An Bai wasn’t too worried about that. He’d take the time if necessary but he felt that it would be better to talk about everything before the generals caught up. It couldn’t be denied that not everyone would accept this so easily, after all, and he’d rather not accidentally provoke a fight.

“At that time, nobody would have trusted a demon and nobody could have trusted a half-blood with demon blood either. After all, where someone falls between the races is not always as obvious if your blood is mixed. I am sure I don’t need to remind you of that.

“Yes, His Majesty had his dragon form and usually, that is a very strong indication of being counted as a dragon. But nonetheless, it simply wasn’t the time to expose his heritage. It wasn’t a time to hesitate either though. The dragon race needed a king and he had been named by Longjun Jinde as his preferred successor and the dragons were willing to accept him as long as he was willing to take up that mantle.

“Of course, there were doubts. On his side, I mean. Being who he was, having experienced what he had, he was never easy on himself. He wasn’t sure … if he could successfully lead the dragon race back to a peaceful state and to the glory we once had. He doubted it. And yet, with the circumstances as they were, he pushed those doubts aside and tried, simply because there was no other way. And he concealed his past and origin for the sake of the goal he had in mind: To bring back the prosperity and harmony everyone deserved.”

An Bai sighed. “It can’t have been easy at first, going about this almost alone. Later, even after he found his first advisers, he didn’t dare to tell us the truth. After all, even though emotions weren’t running as high any longer, the hatred for the demons was still there. It is … tough to let go of for our people. I am sure you also understand.”

The half-bloods nodded. Even though some of them actually had good experiences with the demons, thanks to the fact that they were family members, the opposite was also true for many others. In fact, even those with demon blood had often seen the treacherous nature many demons gave into so they were well aware why the dragons were as distrustful as they were.

“Either way, it was difficult for His Majesty to find the right time to admit to it. Even though it is understandable why he chose to keep quiet about this, he could never know how we’d react. After all, between the distrust anyone with demon blood faces and also after basically having lied like that, the basis for our previous trust might be eroded. That was a difficult step to take.”

“But he did.”

An Bai inclined his head. “He did. To be fair, at least Adviser Xiang Yong and I had a hunch but we couldn’t be sure and it didn’t seem right to bring it up when His Majesty clearly didn’t want us to know yet. So for a long time, we actually kept quiet about it as well. When he finally told us, we only felt honored that he showed so much trust in us. Of course, this also made it easier for His Majesty to open up both to us and to his other advisers.”

“And now he … wants to tell everyone?” Hai Ying looked a little hopeful. If their king actually made his origin public, it might convince a lot of people who had been skeptical of the new project so far. After all, he had always been a great king. Surely, no matter his blood, his trustworthiness was high. This might be their one chance to actually gain the recognition they desired.

An Bai inclined his head. “Yes. His Majesty believes that the time to do so has now come. His husband is aware, as is his family. Whenever they welcome a child in the future, it would have been of mixed blood anyway. So with everyone knowing about the wedding, thoughts about what it means for someone’s blood to be mixed will soon be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. It is a … prime opportunity if you so will.

“Of course, it still won’t be easy. You are the last people I need to tell. You have experienced it yourself, how your origin affects you. His Majesty won’t be completely free from it either. Due to his long reign, it might slightly alleviate the following issues but there will be some. Not everyone will quietly accept this for what it is. He has to be ready for that and so do you.”

Wei Jun couldn’t help but furrow his brows. “What does Adviser An Bai mean?”

“Well, there is really no way to say what the reaction of people will be. If His Majesty has judged wrong and they are not yet ready, he will abdicate. He’ll have to and not doing it would only lead to more problems so he is ready to pass on the throne if necessary. If that happens though, there is no saying what will happen to the efforts you have started to make. A new king would certainly be of only dragon blood and might not understand your plight. It could even be someone who is more … traditional in this regard as a result of new sentiments. We’ll have to see about that.

“Don’t worry though. His Majesty will not let you suffer. Should things go south … you will be his first priority. Well, after his husband but you know what I mean. You won’t come to harm due to his actions. He wouldn’t stand for it.”