Leia, asleep?
It was only 11 o’clock. Why would this be happening?
For the Evil Dragon, eating and sleeping had long since become unnecessary acts. Moreover, judging by Leia’s personality alone, drifting off to dreamland at 11 was utterly inconceivable.
After pondering for a few more minutes, Xuefei finally accepted this unbelievable truth.
Something was terribly wrong, unfolding right before her eyes—and she was only now grasping the gravity of it.
Xuefei’s expression shifted from timid hesitation to puzzlement, then hardened into seriousness laced with concern. She merely wriggled her body, but Leia’s arms and legs clamped around her like a vise, holding her utterly immobile.
She hadn’t even bothered to undress…
Like a laborer collapsing after a grueling day, Leia had plunged straight into the soft bedcovers without a word, clutching her pillow and snoring away. That was the strange state she seemed to be in…
“Leia, what’s wrong? What happened?” Xuefei voiced her confusion again, but met only silence and the steady rhythm of breathing.
She hadn’t slept alongside Leia these past two days, so of course she hadn’t noticed…
No, it wasn’t just these two days.
It had been ages since they’d shared a bed, so long that Xuefei hadn’t picked up on Leia’s abnormality at all.
Ever since Leia had agreed to let her visit the Snake Demon Country, had Leia been sleeping alone in here? And the moment Xuefei returned, instead of offering comfort, she’d demanded a duel. From Leia’s perspective, how thoughtless—how cruel—had that been?
“No, no, this isn’t the time for regrets! I need to do something!” Xuefei shook her head vigorously.
She wrenched her arm free from Leia’s warm embrace and pressed it to her forehead.
Scalding hot!
But this wasn’t mere fever. The Evil Dragon’s innate resilience granted her powerful resistance to illness, and with divine power coursing through her veins, Leia could never succumb to sickness. Not even the ravages of time could drain her life force. From a purely physical standpoint, Leia stood infinitely close to [Eternity].
Could it be a Curse?
Did anything even exist that could Curse Leia?
If it did, it could only be those wretched Gods. Damn them! Leia just wanted a quiet life, so why did they keep summoning Heroes to hunt us down? Why brand us as evil…
If it was the Gods…
A certain figure flickered through Xuefei’s mind.
A hazy sliver of moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, illuminating the purple magic gathered at Xuefei’s fingertips. Suddenly, the magic coalesced into a Treasure Orb. Though pinned in place, Xuefei flawlessly etched several arcane runes—symbols beyond mortal comprehension—onto its surface. As the runes melted into the Magic Orb, it shifted in an instant to an ominous crimson-purple hue. At the same time, Xuefei spoke in a soft voice:
“Laer, you there?”
A familiar voice emerged from the Magic Orb.
“Lady Xuefei?”
“I’m sorry to bother you so late…”
“It’s no trouble. If there’s anything you need, just say the word.”
Xuefei recalled their last conversation: she’d been scheming to slip away from the Evil Dragon Palace. But now, Laer trusted her completely.
A call this late must mean something urgent.
“From the sound of your voice, it doesn’t seem like everything’s fine…”
Laer’s tone carried a hint of urgency, laced with audible panting. Xuefei picked up on it immediately. Normally, Laer would have been far more composed.
“No, it’s passed now,” Laer said with a long exhale, swiftly regaining her usual meticulous poise.
Laer admitted there was indeed something important.
But that “important matter” was already sprawled motionless on the bed, dead to the world. Laer sat at the bedside, legs crossed; if she smoked, she might have lit one up and taken a hard drag…
At first, Celi had been all bravado, insisting on settling things once and for all.
In hindsight, it was almost comical.
Less than an hour later, Celi had tapped out, leaving Laer to gaze helplessly at the Snake Demon, who had passed out in a hibernation-like stupor, while pondering how to get her pregnant with snake eggs…
Ahem.
In any case, it was over.
Xuefei quickly grasped that this was one of those things best left unspoken and steered the conversation back on track.
“I’ve got a situation here—not a minor one, it’s serious. I need your help.”
“It’s your private time with Lady Leia right now, isn’t it? The fact that you’re reaching out to me means…”
“Leia’s in trouble,” they said in unison.
Laer sighed, her brows knitted tightly in a frown. She turned away, drawing the blanket fully over Celi’s completely naked body and leaving only her little green head poking out before finally standing up with a satisfied nod, ready to change her clothes.
“Though I still haven’t pieced together exactly what happened, Xuefei—can you come out now?”
“I’m afraid that’s going to be tricky…”
Xuefei gave a tentative struggle, but felt no real restraint. Leia’s embrace was so wonderfully warm that she felt she could drift off to sleep alongside her simply by closing her eyes.
“You need to figure something out. There are certain matters we have to discuss in person.”
“Ah, I see… All right, I’ll give it my best shot.”
“I’ll be waiting for you on the rooftop. If you’re not there within the hour, I’ll take it as a failure on your part.”
“Mm.”
Xuefei nodded, and the purple Magic Orb faded away into the air, bringing their conversation to an end. All that lingered was the quiet, steady rhythm of Leia’s breathing, resounding across the vast bed.
Now, how was she supposed to manage this?
Xuefei shifted her body upward, her head slipping free from beneath Leia’s chin to ensure her little horns wouldn’t scratch that delicate face. She had no choice but to proceed with the utmost care…
This was the very limit of what she could achieve.
Gazing at Leia’s serene sleeping expression, Xuefei couldn’t understand why it tugged at her heartstrings so fiercely.
“Leia, I have a few things I need to take care of, so I have to step away for a bit. Would you mind waiting here for me?”
“Mm…”
Leia murmured in response.
It was clearly just sleep-talk, an unconscious utterance. So different from her usual aggressive demeanor, it was now merely a spoiled little hum—the kind of sound that could only be described as “cute” when she was cradling Little Xuefei.
Xuefei recalled how, during the First Playthrough, they’d encountered the Evil Dragon clutching piles of glittering golden treasure and letting out similar hums. But in her massive draconic form, the noise had been earth-shaking and thunderous; no one’s first thought had been how adorable it was.
It seemed Leia truly adored her. Xuefei wondered what desperate trials Leia must have endured while transforming into the Evil Dragon—and how those feelings for her had surged forth, turning the tide against all odds…
“Leia, I promise I’ll only be gone a little while~,” Xuefei tried, her voice even softer now, as gentle as one coaxing a baby to sleep. “Xuefei has to think of a way to help you, so just let me slip away for a moment, all right…?”
Her words had zero effect—in fact, the opposite. Leia’s arms pulled her even closer, wings unfurling to envelop Xuefei completely and seal off any hope of escape.
From her lips came a soft mutter:
“Xuefei…”
“Please… don’t… leave me…”
