“Shall we set the rules first?”
Leia gave a faint smile. After understanding Xuefei’s intentions, she seemed even happier.
Xuefei swallowed hard.
She clearly remembered Leia saying that if she won their battle, there would be a reward—but if she lost, there would be a punishment.
“If Xuefei wins, then come to the Toy Room with me. We can have some fun together.”
“Mm…”
Xuefei nodded in agreement, her gaze unwavering.
Even so, she still looked utterly adorable in front of Leia. It seemed only Xuefei herself believed her expression was serious.
It wasn’t as if this would be her first time going there—who was afraid of whom, anyway!
“Then what if I win?”
“If Xuefei wins, you can make a wish of me. As long as it’s within my power, I’ll grant it for you.”
Leia’s hand trailed over Xuefei’s tender lips, leaving a faint trace of moisture before flicking away. She repeated the motion until a dark wet mark stained her black silk glove.
Xuefei was stunned.
Was Leia really giving her a “victory” option?
A wish. Any wish at all.
Did that include sending her back to her original world…?
…
Xuefei shook her head, banishing the unrealistic fantasy far from her mind.
As if that would ever happen!
Besides, even if she were sent back to her old world, she was absolutely certain she’d end up with an extra little sister or childhood friend living with her—and that girl would undoubtedly be Leia herself!
“Hmph, I hope you won’t go back on your word!” Xuefei’s expression turned a bit petulant.
“How could I ever deceive you, my cute Little Xuefei?”
Leia casually speared a piece of neatly cut steak and held it to Xuefei’s lips. With her other hand, she propped up her head, her smile as warm and refreshing as a spring breeze.
She seemed to look upon everything with detached calm, but it felt more like she had everything firmly in her grasp.
Indeed, for a being who wielded the power of the gods, even the greatest catastrophes were mere trifles.
Xuefei parted her lips gently. The perfectly medium-rare beef burst with flavor in her mouth.
The Dragon Clan loved meat, and beef was no exception. Leia had retained some of her human preferences from the past, which was why she avoided exotic meats.
“Is it good?” Leia watched Xuefei’s face with careful attention.
Xuefei let out a sigh.
It seemed Leia really was treating this like a romantic dinner. Was she the only one still fretting over their duel? Damn it—in the end, she still felt like she was being toyed with by this woman.
“Did you cook this yourself too, Leia?” Xuefei asked, deciding to play along.
“Of course. I have Little Xuefei’s tastes completely figured out—what you like, what you don’t. I know it all inside and out.”
At that moment, she reached for the wine bottle on the table. With nothing more than a glance, the cork popped free. A rich fruity aroma mingled with the scent of alcohol, spreading through the air like a refreshing spring.
Xuefei was certain this wine cost enough to buy several houses in the city center. Even in this world, it was a vintage far beyond what ordinary folk or commoners could dream of laying eyes on.
But… something felt off.
“Sparkling wine?”
“Mm-hmm. Not red wine, though it does look similar~”
Xuefei could hardly believe it—Leia even knew about that.
Leia tilted the bottle with graceful precision, her wrist bending just so. The crystal-clear liquid traced a perfect arc, swirling into a tiny vortex in the tall-stemmed glass.
“Do you remember?” Leia suddenly asked, her eyes softening with tenderness. “The Hero Party’s gathering before we left the Human Realm.”
“Of course.”
Xuefei remembered.
That day, everyone had drunk a lot of beer. No one knew what horrors lurked in the shadows of the world. It felt like a vast, pitch-black maw yawning toward human lands. Even now, all the maps of the human world were imported from the neighboring Elf Kingdom.
And so, they had held a banquet.
Leia and she had hosted it, with Miss Great Sage handling the preparations. The elites of the Knight Order had raised their glasses alongside her, while the members of the Hero Party recited their vows of brotherhood and loyalty.
Everyone had gotten drunk that night, but Xuefei remembered keeping her wits about her until the end.
A woman had appeared before her.
“Leia?”
“Come on, Mo Ran—if you can’t hold your liquor, don’t push yourself. Do you want to end up sick and bedridden for days?”
“It’s not like that…”
“You know I don’t like drinking much either, Leia. But there’s no helping it.”
“…No helping it, huh?”
“Yeah. If I had my way, I’d rather have something fizzy and sweet… That stuff’s delicious!”
…
Her thoughts returned to the present.
“Hee hee…”
“Xuefei, what are you laughing at?” Leia eyed the silver-haired girl awkwardly, as if miffed that the other hadn’t shared her amusement.
“Leia’s such an idiot,” Xuefei said, looking immensely pleased with herself. “Did you really think that was sparkling wine?”
Not that Xuefei disliked sparkling wine, of course.
But did something fizzy and sweet have to be sparkling wine?
“If you don’t tell me right now, I’ll just read your memories, you know?” Leia planted her hands on her hips and thrust out her chest, looking for all the world like she was about to unleash a dragon’s fiery breath.
“You can do that too?”
“What else would I do?”
“…Actually, it’s just cola,” Xuefei answered obediently.
“What’s cola?”
Leia considered herself worldly and erudite enough as it was, and after devouring gods and the evil dragon, her knowledge had only grown vaster. Yet she’d never heard of this “cola.”
“Fizzy and sweet.”
“Isn’t it some kind of wine?” Leia’s interest was clearly piqued.
“No, it’s a beverage. Never mind—you wouldn’t get it even if I explained. You’d be better off thinking about how to beat me in our fight,” Xuefei said with a smile, spreading her hands in a shrug.
“…”
Wait—something felt off.
All of a sudden, Xuefei realized she’d said too much.
As Leia’s gaze darkened and a sly smile curled her lips, Xuefei shuddered from head to toe. She had a sinking feeling that something unpleasant was about to happen.
…And it would be an experience she wouldn’t soon forget.
“Is it too late to say I’m sorry?”
“Way too late.”
Leia crossed her slender legs, clad in sheer black stockings, and tilted her chin up in that signature evil dragon arrogance—an imperious gaze down upon the world.
But this wasn’t the scorn she reserved for all creation. Amid the crimson glow, there was far more indulgence than disdain.
Today’s Xuefei was being a little disobedient.
“Looks like I’ll have to make Xuefei fall for me completely tonight. So tell me, Little Xuefei—how many do you want to get pregnant with?”
“Wait, wait, wait…!”
Xuefei threw up her hands in a frantic stop sign, her ahoge shooting straight up like a radar antenna as her eyes went wide. Her scarlet pupils carried the same oppressive intensity as Leia’s, but in a moment like this, it was easy to tell who was top and who was bottom… or rather, who was the attacker and who was the receiver.
“Aren’t we supposed to have our duel? Hold on—are you backing out now, Leia?”
Xuefei’s eyes bulged as she shrank into a defensive ball, terrified that Leia might pounce on her right then and there.
Because she absolutely could—and would!
“What duel?” Leia still hadn’t bothered to stand. Seeing how earnest Xuefei was, though, she decided to humor the adorable little princess.
“Fine. If Xuefei really wants to fight me that badly, then let’s settle it right here. Quick and decisive.”
“So we don’t waste our lovely evening banquet~”
