The embrace lasted a long time. The two Dragon Princesses had transformed into beautiful ladies at the banquet, offering each other a dance. After completing the spins and the flower-like falling poses, Leia opened her eyes again to find herself in a vast expanse of green grassland.
It was flat and tidy, stretching endlessly in every direction. The clouds drifting across the clear sky seemed even softer, and the vibrant theme of growth before her eyes was utterly incomparable to the majestic canyons and mountains. Xuefei appeared oblivious to the drastic shift around them, much like how someone in a dream never realizes they are dreaming.
Of course, lucid dreams were the exception.
But those who could consciously control their own dreams were exceedingly rare. Leia had yet to interact with the “Dream Demons” from the Succubi branch, but based on Dark Filth’s profound insight into souls, she was certain that dream-controlling races did exist.
Clearly, Xuefei was not consciously shaping this dream.
It felt like lazily lounging on a sun-warmed beach—a serene dream free of war, revealing only the laziness buried deep within Xuefei’s heart. Far from disliking this “laziness,” Leia wholeheartedly approved of Xuefei finally setting aside her heavy burdens.
“Xuefei,” Leia said, “it’s said that a person’s dreams are closely tied to their thoughts and personality. The scenes within not only reflect their current life but also reveal their core traits.”
“Oh?”
Xuefei tilted her head, puzzled, caught between thinking Leia’s words rang true and wondering where the conversation was headed.
Leia smiled and gazed deeply into Xuefei’s eyes. Xuefei gazed back, full of anticipation for what Leia would do next.
That expectant look only strengthened Leia’s resolve.
What Leia wanted was not a puppet, but Xuefei herself.
Reason had prevented Leia from fully surrendering to the beastly desires long corrupted by Dark Filth. She had no intention of turning Xuefei into such a thing; this form was perhaps ideal instead. Even if she had already tested Xuefei’s loyalty in the past.
“Instead,” Leia whispered, “I need you to choose to become inseparable from me.”
“So, did we know each other before?”
Xuefei suddenly lifted her head from Leia’s embrace, having caught the murmur. Her little dragon tail poked tentatively at Leia’s body.
“Yes, we know each other. We’ve known each other for a very long time.”
Leia’s mischievous grin sparked a flicker of doubt in Xuefei. Just moments ago, this woman had explored her body freely before pulling back at the last second—but the impression lingered in her heart.
“Shall we take a stroll?”
“Yay~”
Leia took Xuefei’s hand and stepped forward. The Dragon Princess followed close behind as the two of them happily half-walked, half-ran across the grassland. Every so often, they kicked up pink flowers, only to trip over pebbles hidden who-knew-where. Each time, Xuefei landed squarely in Leia’s arms, as if this “closeness” had been carefully orchestrated all along.
Suddenly, as they lay on the ground, Leia wrapped an arm around Xuefei’s waist and murmured, “Want to fly~?”
“Ah, fly? Like a little bird? Sure, I wouldn’t mind that at all.”
“You’re so dense, Xuefei,” Leia teased, pinching her cheek. “I want you to take me flying—not me carrying you.”
“You do believe you’re the Evil Dragon by now, right?”
“Mm…”
Xuefei nodded.
Leia leaned in once more, the contact less fervent than before.
Yet the flush on her cheeks burned hotter than ever, as if she already knew what was coming.
We’re both girls, so it should be fine, right?
Of course, as long as it’s nothing too out of the ordinary…
This kind of teasing felt achingly familiar, like something from long ago that happened frequently—but she couldn’t place it. The sensation was far stronger than mere déjà vu.
Soon… I’ll remember soon… being with Leia.
In that instant—whether by pure instinct or some ancient memory stirring in her genes and soul—Xuefei’s wings finally served a purpose beyond squirming in Leia’s arms.
Swish—!
They unfurled with effortless grace, blurring into afterimages as they streamlined against the air to cut through resistance. In a heartbeat, they soared a thousand meters into the sky.
“Ehhh?! I-I’m flying? What’s with this height?! I’ll fall to my death for sure! That’s gotta be it!!”
Xuefei shouted at the top of her lungs.
She had admitted she was a dragon, just like the girl before her.
Yet the doubts lingering deep in her heart still eroded her confidence, convincing her she was a creature rooted to the earth, forever grounded and unable to take flight.
“Don’t be afraid~”
Leia’s hand didn’t let go. Instead, she shifted her position, taking the lead as she swiftly steadied herself and spun Xuefei through the air, hoisting her up onto her own “dragon claws.”
The ground rushed closer with every passing second. The sheer velocity of their freefall left Xuefei shouting incoherently at the top of her lungs:
“Rei-Rei-Rei-Leia, what are you…?”
“I’m only teaching you this once—how to fly.”
“Aaaaaah?”
Flying was certainly within Leia’s power, but she showed no sign of accelerating upward or slowing their descent. On the contrary, she sped up even more in the downward direction, partnering with the reliable pull of gravity to achieve a terrifying velocity that surpassed the speed of sound… And yet, this wasn’t even half the strength the Evil Dragon was truly capable of.
Their heads pointed straight down, hurtling like a rocket.
Even crashing into the ground at this speed would be little more than a tickle to the Evil Dragon.
“Leia! Leia, stop! Waaah—!”
“Hehe~”
The ground loomed mere inches away now. Xuefei was on the verge of total surrender, her eyes drifting shut in serene resignation.
In that final instant before impact, she squeezed her eyes tight—but the expected pain never came. At the crucial moment, Leia unfurled her wings, gradually redirecting their momentum. Then, skimming just above the earth, she glided low across the terrain.
At last, Leia plunged into a lush flowerbed, still cradling Xuefei in her arms.
Once Xuefei’s cold sweat had fully ebbed away, the two women exchanged smiles and slipped back into conversation:
“We’ve left the waterfall behind now. Are you happy about that? Or to put it another way—do you remember why we came here in the first place?”
“I’m happy. Really happy. But… I can’t even remember who I am anymore…” Xuefei bowed her head and hugged her knees to her chest.
“Don’t worry. This isn’t your fault, Little Xuefei. I promise you that.”
Lost in bewilderment, Xuefei felt Leia’s hand gently stroking her head.
A sudden gale whipped across the vast, endless grassland, but it barely ruffled the Evil Dragon. At most, it lifted her hair ever so slightly, sending it swaying in unison with the wind-bent blades of grass and the countless petals dancing through the air.
“How should I explain it? Um… If you hadn’t reminded me about the waterfall, Leia, I might have forgotten it entirely. And there’s no path here at all—no way to see anything in the distance unless I stare straight at the horizon.”
Xuefei went on, her voice tinged with anxiety. “I thought there were mountains nearby, but it’s just grassland everywhere… grassland as far as the eye can see. Why is this happening?”
Leia kept stroking Xuefei’s head, her touch providing a steady warmth to the girl’s body as she replied:
“Dreams are always fragmented like this. Anything remotely logical can happen—like massive boulders tumbling one moment, only to be replaced by tumbling baby rabbits the next. That’s exactly what’s going on here.”
“Mm… So, does that mean I’m dreaming?”
