These two dragons had once accompanied Avira in several perilous battles, so they shared a slight bond.
Leading them was as effortless as raising two obedient pets.
And since they were pets, “rewards” were essential.
Avira’s blood was rich in demon essence and the nutrients that crystal dragons craved. She guessed that Lena and Lace would be more than satisfied.
With that, she bit her finger and dripped blood onto the mouths of Lena and Lace respectively.
“Gulp…”
The dragons, tasting Avira’s blood, immediately opened their eyes wide!
For so many years, they hadn’t eaten anything this good!
The food made from grinding high-level magical beast organs into powder and compressing them into massive biscuits couldn’t compare to Avira’s blood, neither in nutrition nor in flavor!
“Awoo~”
“Huff huff!”
At first, seeing the crystal dragons grow excited, Avira’s heart pounded.
She feared the two dragons might lose control and bite through her skin to drink her blood on the spot.
But to her surprise,
They deliberately curled up their bodies to appear smaller, then gently rubbed their heads against Avira’s hand and face.
They let out purring sounds like contented kittens, giving off a sense of peace and tranquility.
Lena and Lace were actually acting spoiled!
As expected, the appearance of the Moon Mark wasn’t all bad—at least it allowed her to draw a clear line between herself and these two dragons.
Seeing this, Avira cleared her throat lightly and chuckled:
“Little dragons, sit. If you do, I’ll give you more blood~”
Lena and Lace hesitated at first, but upon seeing the gentle smile on Avira’s face, they obeyed completely.
It wasn’t long before the two dragons lay on the ground like adorable kittens, completely dropping their guard around her.
Moreover, they had already begun to obey Avira’s commands.
—Who could resist a cute maid sent by their master, bearing delicious rewards?
Especially since she must be the Demon King’s wife~
“Awoo~”
“Huff—”
After devouring more of Avira’s blood, Lena and Lace both let out satisfied noises.
In truth, Lena and Lace often felt ashamed because they couldn’t speak.
They were of the demon race, strong warriors, and loyal subordinates of the Demon King… yet they could only express their emotions like animals.
And the Demon King, Ophitia, was often too busy to notice their attempts at acting spoiled.
So now, they could get closer to the Demon King through Lady Vera~
It was a win-win situation.
“Good girls, Lena, Lace. You’re not only beautiful, but your tails and scales are so charming too. I really like them~”
Avira parroted the lines she planned to use in the future.
The two dragons responded with more satisfied cries.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Avira smiled and said:
“The Demon King rarely talks to you, right? That’s because she has her own matters to attend to, so she sent me instead. And honestly, the Demon King is kind of a dummy~”
“Awoo~” Lace nodded in agreement, and Lena reacted the same way.
Avira’s “dummy” must be a term of endearment—the Demon King was indeed slow on the uptake in this regard!
Seeing that the two dragons seemed fully in her pocket, Avira decided to tease them a bit more:
“Your mommy is a dummy~ And pretty oblivious too.”
“Mommy” referred to the Demon King.
“Awoo…”
“You know, your mommy can’t even bathe herself, and she doesn’t know how to cook or do housework.”
“…”
The sudden silence made Avira uncomfortable. Just moments ago, these two little dragons had been backing her words.
To avoid awkwardness, she continued with a laugh: “And also, your mommy actually likes girls. Pretty weird, huh?”
Another silence followed.
Just as Avira sensed something was off, she carefully observed the dragons’ eyes…
The crystal dragons weren’t looking at her—they were staring at something behind her!
Avira turned her head mechanically and discovered
The dragon girl was standing there with her arms crossed, her tail lashing in anger, gazing at her with mocking eyes.
“Vera, what did you just say about me?”
In that moment, time seemed to freeze.
No, it was Avira who froze.
“Who can’t bathe or cook? Who’s the dummy? Who likes girls?”
When had Ophitia returned?
Hadn’t this woman gone to retrieve the seal? How could she be back in less than half an hour?
Avira could sense the magic in the Demon King’s body, but upon closer inspection… the Demon King hadn’t absorbed the seal at all!!
Her magic power showed no growth from before.
What had this dummy been doing? Pretending to leave and monitoring her from nearby?
But that was impossible…
Avira still retained most of her power from before the regression, including the Moon Mark. Sensing whether the Demon King was nearby should have been easy.
“Demon King, hear me out… Earlier, I was just…” Avira’s eyes welled up with tears, her hands clenched tightly as she bowed her head, stammering.
“Forget it. Since you told me the seal’s location, I’ll let it slide this time.”
“Huh?”
Just as Avira thought that, the Demon King actually spared her.
Ophitia patted the dragons lying on the ground, appearing to be in high spirits.
Avira racked her brains but couldn’t figure out what the Demon King had gone through.
“However, since you said I can’t cook, then make dinner for me. You should be familiar with the Royal Palace’s kitchen, right?”
“Yes… I’ll do my best…”
With that, Avira nodded slightly and hurried away.
On the way to the kitchen, Avira broke out in a cold sweat.
Her mind raced. She was now mostly certain that the Demon King retained her past memories!
And this woman had come specifically for her.
For now, regardless of the situation, she should focus on cooking…
Originally, Avira didn’t know how to cook.
But during those years as a familiar, she had handled nearly all of Ophitia’s daily needs—clothing, food, and living arrangements.
She knew exactly what the Demon King liked to eat, her schedule, and her preferences.
Thus, her culinary skills had not only improved but surpassed any servant by the Demon King’s side.
In short, the most important thing now was to satisfy the Demon King…
Before long, Avira prepared a table full of exquisite delicacies in the dining hall.
The Demon King, starved for the day, nodded approvingly at the feast and began elegantly savoring each dish.
“Very good, Vera~ These are all my favorites~”
Avira breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed she had been overthinking.
The Demon King must have encountered something pleasant, which was why she let it go.
The idea that the Demon King had her memories was just her scaring herself~
But just as Avira prepared to worry about the seal and leave to plan her next move,
The Demon King set down her knife and fork, smiling faintly:
“Is it really a coincidence that the princess made every dish I like?”
“Avira, how long do you plan to deceive me?”
Oh no…
This woman was toying with her!
