Lian had requested physical contact from her kin more than once, but she had never received a positive response.
Ordinary humans would tremble at the mere mention of a true dragon’s name and shudder upon seeing a true dragon’s visage, let alone engage in physical contact.
Even members of the royal family who had been bathed in dragon blood could, at most, manage a face-to-face conversation at a close distance. If the relationship grew any closer, they would likely suffer a stress response. This had nothing to do with status or strength; it was a curse laid down by the wheel of destiny.
A fallen fairy who had committed the great sin of defying fate was destined to become the undisputed demon king antagonist in the 【script】. How could such a being be admired? How could such a being be loved?
Even now, many within the Second Empire harbored an immense fear of the true dragon’s existence. They only remained settled because of their obedience to and worship of the royal family.
Lian was well aware of this, but it was truly distressing.
'I couldn’t dote on humans before my dragonfall, and I still can't dote on the son of man after my dragonfall. Doesn’t that mean I fell for nothing?!'
Charlotte felt a wave of relief when she saw that the true dragon did not force the issue of intimacy.
"Yes! Upon receiving your task, I immediately departed for the Qingxi Kingdom and established contact with the prince you specified..."
The imperial princess began her account from the moment they met, describing everything she had seen and heard to Lian in great detail, without adding even a hint of embellishment.
The blue-haired dragon-maiden rested her cheek on one hand, reclining on a soft couch as she listened with great interest.
"...After that, we formed an alliance. While on our way to the station, the prince of Qingxi requested to view your portrait."
At this point, Charlotte paused. She couldn't help but tighten her grip on the pocket watch tucked against her chest, her teeth gritted.
Lian arched a brow, her curiosity piqued.
"And then? What was his reaction after seeing my appearance?"
She was very curious about what the son of man, whom Senior Mephistopheles had deemed the 'cutest,' would think of her.
The imperial princess gripped her apricot-yellow hair by her shoulder, her voice trembling.
"It... it was far too blasphemous. Please forgive me; it was by no means my intention."
Charlotte finally exhaled a long breath and said, "That prince of Qingxi, after gazing upon your venerable visage, actually... actually said he wanted to be a dragon knight!"
As the words fell, Charlotte immediately lowered her head. A strange silence suddenly permeated the bedchamber.
The princess didn't speak, and the dragon girl didn't speak. After a long silence, Lian finally opened her mouth.
"I see."
Her tone betrayed no specific emotion, but Charlotte assumed that no matter how good Lian’s temper was or how much she doted on humans, she should still feel indignant at such disrespect.
Charlotte shifted her gaze upward to look at the dragon-maiden, who was tilting her head and swirling her wine glass.
"Lady Lian, is he truly the right candidate to counter the 【brave one】? Though he possesses some talent and insight, from what I saw, he is still far from being a match for the 【brave one】."
"Who knows?"
To the princess's surprise, Lian did not give a definitive answer. Instead, she offered a slight smile and said, "Perhaps he can, perhaps he can't. I'm merely giving it a try."
Charlotte clenched her fist. "As I thought, we should continue looking for other awakened one allies, or simply let us deal with the brave one ourselves. As long as we are here, we will never let you suffer—"
"There is no need, child. No need."
Lian waved her hand to interrupt Charlotte, saying softly, "There is no need to make such oaths. We will do our best to resist. There is no need to contemplate whether the final result is victory or defeat. What matters most is the road taken before reaching the end."
The blue-haired dragon-maiden stood up and spilled the mead from her cup.
"It is enough if we dance as we please and drink to our heart’s content in every day that follows."
Charlotte respected the true dragon deeply, but she still couldn't entirely agree with Lian’s 'living for the moment' philosophy. She simply lowered her head and said:
"Vulgar pleasures have long been uninteresting to us of the royal family. Following you in defiance of the supreme heavens is the only worthy endeavor! Lady Lian, I hope our efforts do not disappoint you. I hope we shall eventually shatter the shackles of fate!"
With that, having received no further orders, the imperial princess withdrew from the bedchamber.
Once Charlotte had left, Lian stared at the empty hall before grabbing the wine jug from the coffee table and gulping it down. Within moments, her face was flushed.
When no kin came for an audience, she would lean against the window to watch human life, passing the long nights in that manner.
But tonight, Lian had no such intention. After drinking several jugs of mead, she threw herself onto the nearby mattress, rolling back and forth. Her long, elegant dragon tail thrashed against the carpet with audible thuds.
Lian covered her dreamlike, beautiful face with a pillow. Her delicate, white skin heated up visibly as she began to laugh happily.
"Dragon knight, dragon knight... dragon knight..."
"Hehe, hehehe... As expected, how could there be such a cute child? Senior was right; he found the best son of man in the world!"
"I'm so jealous of that fellow Mephistopheles... The old-timer really kept the best for itself!"
"I really want to meet that child. If it’s him..."
In the midst of Lian’s fantasy, she suddenly paused. She sat up and looked into the seemingly empty void, a subtle smile appearing on her face.
"Senior Mephistopheles, are you... warning me?"
The dragon-maiden spread her hands and shrugged.
"Pity. You were the one who told me back then that I could be greedy, that I could indulge my desires. I am an irredeemable human fanatic; didn't you know that?"
"Even if he is your contractor, I can steal him away if I like him. After all, you don't have a body or a vessel yet, do you? There is a pitifully thick barrier between a fairy and a dragon."
"I won't go over there right now, of course. The children here still need me. But according to your plan, sooner or later, I will meet that child. When that time comes, we’ll see what he chooses."
"A primordial fairy who will almost certainly never suffer a dragonfall, or a living true dragon who already possesses infinite power?"
Finishing her thought, Lian snapped her fingers, lay back down on the soft couch, and closed her eyes for a pleasant rest.
In the Qingxi Kingdom, Faust was selecting a mount for his upcoming journey of experience.
Just as the prince of Qingxi was strolling through the royal stables, carefully inspecting and choosing his horse, a sharp, shrieking sound from Mephistopheles suddenly erupted in his mind.
Bzzzzt—
【※Fairy Profanity※】
It was a language completely beyond human comprehension, sounding like nails scraping forcefully against a blackboard, but dozens of times louder.
Even as the fairy’s telepathic contractor, Faust couldn't understand what Mephistopheles was saying, but there was one thing he was certain of—
These were curse words. They were absolutely curse words, and they were very foul.
Faust said in surprise, "You actually know how to use such language? Who broke your cool?"
Rate on N.U.
