“Give Leia back to me!”
“?”
A massive question mark popped up above Laer’s head.
The maids took several seconds to process it before realizing what was going on. It was almost a given, wasn’t it?
Xuefei was so smitten with the Dragon King that she’d come storming into the maids’ dormitory in search of her “wife.”
With the Head Maid right there, none of them spoke up. Instead, they whispered excitedly to one another, faces blooming with knowing smiles. A few of the more innocent ones even blushed and averted their gazes.
Xuefei could tell they’d gotten the wrong idea, but this wasn’t the moment to set them straight.
“Xuefei, are you having trouble finding Leia?” Laer had no clue what was happening.
After starting to suspect the new-and-improved Xuefei back at the restaurant, she’d bid Leia farewell, wrapped up her morning duties, and returned to the dormitory for a midday nap.
Truth be told, she felt exactly the same way as the other maids.
Now it was clear her worries had been for nothing.
Having accepted her past memories, Xuefei clearly adored Leia even more than before!
Just look at that bashful expression—like a lotus bud on the verge of blooming, ready to dissolve into sobs at any second. But if something awful had really gone down, Laer would lose sleep for days under the weight of her guilt.
So she said with concern, “I have no idea where Leia is, Xuefei. Want me to help you look for her?”
“Ah?”
Now Xuefei was the one with question marks all over her face.
She’d braced herself for a showdown with her rival in love, only to find Leia blissfully ignorant.
Xuefei shot Laer another glance. No way was she lying—besides, Laer wasn’t the sort to pull something like that. If she’d snatched Xuefei’s Leia, she’d own up to it outright.
Realizing Laer wasn’t the culprit, Xuefei deflated from her aggressive stance. She dropped into a squat and wailed at the top of her lungs.
“Wahhh…”
“What’s wrong, Xuefei? What happened? There, there, don’t cry.”
Laer dropped to her knees beside her, stroking her hair and rubbing her back as tears poured down Xuefei’s cheeks like rain.
This was all wrong. Why was Xuefei crying?
Evil Dragons were supposed to be a proud race—if they could throw a punch, they would.
Laer glanced at the maids. They shook their heads, shrugged helplessly, and spread their hands to show they were clueless.
“Did someone bully you, Little Xuefei? Don’t worry—your Head Maid will make them pay.”
“Wahhh… Leia… Leia…”
Leia?
Had the Dragon King bullied Xuefei?
Forget how much the Dragon King doted on her—even if she had, Xuefei would never come crying to the Maid Corps with her personality.
Laer kept up a steady rhythm on Xuefei’s back, but instead of drawing out words, she only coaxed forth more tears. They pattered to the floor like raindrops.
Then inspiration struck. “You know, Evil Dragon tears are worth a fortune. Just a few drops go for several gold coins.”
“R-really?” Xuefei sniffled, her tears gleaming like pearls at the corners of her eyes.
If that was true, she’d just squandered a fortune!
“Absolutely. So tell me—who bullied you?”
“Leia, wahhh…”
The moment didn’t last. Xuefei’s thoughts drifted back to her sorrow, and she broke down again. The snacks clutched in her arms tumbled out, rolling across the tear-soaked floor.
No doubt about it—Xuefei was hopeless without Leia. Her heartbroken sobs were shattering Laer’s own heart bit by bit.
For an instant, Laer thought Leia had gone too far. Testing loyalty was one thing, but making her cry like this? Sure, the old Xuefei had been a handful too. Back in the first playthrough, Leia hadn’t shed any fewer tears herself before the end.
“Leia doesn’t want me anymore, wahhh—”
“Shh, I’ll go fetch the Dragon King for you. We’ll have someone send these snacks back to the Dragon Nest, okay?”
“I want Leia, wahhh—”
Laer shook her head.
No—Xuefei hadn’t done a thing wrong!
She shook her head again, her delicate brows knitting together as she balled her fist. Leia really was being too harsh.
Even if Xuefei had slipped up, she wasn’t that cold-hearted Hero anymore, was she? No, now she was just an innocent, adorable Little Dragon Girl who cried at the drop of a hat!
Laer shot a meaningful look at the maids. They rose on tiptoe and sprang into quiet action, gathering the scattered snacks and whisking them off to the Dragon Nest.
That nest—the future spot for Xuefei’s egg incubation—was where she’d spend a good long while, cozy and warm.
“I’m the Head Maid. I’ll go sort this out for you. Leia’s gone too far, hasn’t she?”
“Um… I…”, Xuefei realized she had lost control of her emotions and forced herself to stop crying. Choking back sobs, she said, “Leia, if you despise me… I know I’ve gone too far, but I don’t want to…”
She would never make Leia angry again.
Suddenly, a black vortex appeared behind Xuefei. It expanded gradually—from barely visible to the size of a basketball—until it engulfed the entire corridor.
Its form remained unseen, but scarlet vertical pupils flickered faintly amid the spread of pitch-black miasma, clawing outward like fangs. It seemed capable of devouring every scrap of light in the world. Any ordinary human caught in its presence would have been overwhelmed by the domineering evil aura, fainting into oblivion and doomed to languish forever under the nightmare of terror.
Yet, contrary to all expectations of malevolence, a slender girl burst from the vortex. Her usual elegance was gone, replaced by a hint of anxiety as she hurried to the side of the still-sobbing girl.
Tears shimmered in Xuefei’s eyes. She hesitated, words catching in her throat, and hadn’t even risen to her feet before warm arms pulled her into an embrace.
“Lady Leia.”
Laer dropped to one knee at once. She opened her mouth to speak, but the anxiety in those eyes silenced her. She could only watch quietly as the two girls interacted.
As expected, there was no need for her to meddle in someone else’s romance.
Things had a way of working themselves out—Xuefei and Leia were clearly destined for each other.
“Xuefei, I’m sorry.”
Leia stood at 167 centimeters, just a touch taller than Xuefei. Yet for some reason, Xuefei always felt this Evil Dragon towered over her immensely whenever she appeared.
“Waaah…”, Xuefei burst into tears once more, louder than before. She clung to Leia even tighter, burying her face directly in the girl’s chest.
She hadn’t forgotten the words she needed to say. “I won’t… I swear I won’t make you mad again, waaah… I was wrong, Leia. I’m not that person anymore.”
“Mm-hmm, really?”
“Really!”
“Good girl, Xuefei~”
Leia rewarded her with a gentle pat on her cute little head. By now, Laer had slipped away unnoticed, leaving the two alone in the third-floor corridor.
The dorms stood empty as well, as if this spot had become their private world, just for the two of them.
“This time, it was my fault, Xuefei. I had no idea you liked me this much.”
“Don’t abandon me…”
The front of Leia’s long skirt was soaked dark at the chest, the fabric feeling cool against her skin.
But Leia’s heart burned hotter than a winter hearth.
I understand you, Xuefei.
Because once upon a time… I felt the exact same way.
