As the sun dipped below the western mountains, the two scratches were buried beneath the ice and snow. This beautiful memory lingered only in the hearts of the pair. Of course, Tilly would tell Mama Leia all about it, turning it into a cherished recollection for all three of them in the end.
After all, Tilly had two mothers.
~~~
In the early morning, the sun had yet to peek out with its curious eyes. Only the tower tops, twinkling with light, had turned the orange hue of dawn, gleaming brilliantly against the clear sky. Cool air poured through the windows into the palace, accompanied by the maids’ soft chatter now and then. A few crow girls streaked across the sky, dodging the hated sunlight as they retreated into their cozy nests.
The Dragon Nest remained as quiet as ever, filled only with the steady breathing of three people.
On any other day, they would have been awake by now.
But the long-overdue winter rest for the Evil Dragon had not yet ended, even though the spring winds were already rolling in from the ocean currents.
She would sleep as long as she wanted.
“Suckle… suckle… suckle…”
Xuefei rolled over, seemingly oblivious to the odd noise coming from her chest.
Her mind had already stirred from the land of dreams, but she merely pulled the blanket back over herself… with no intention of fully waking.
Who had won yesterday’s race?
Xuefei, who had carried Tilly across the finish line, had been tempted to call it a tie. After all, letting the soundly sleeping Tilly in her arms claim victory would have been absurd.
But Tilly had somehow eked out a win by the length of a single dragon horn.
At the time, Xuefei’s eyes had gone wide, but she had to admit Leia had been meticulous…
Since Tilly had won, let her have the victory.
That meant Xuefei had lost to her daughter 1-2 in the duel. She had no desire to be a stern mother—such harsh upbringing produced warriors, not adorable daughters. Xuefei was even starting to think that letting Tilly live like nobility, spoiled and pampered, might not be so bad after all.
“Suckle… suckle… suckle…”
The sound persisted.
It was like a little animal slurping juice through a straw, punctuated by occasional licking noises—thoroughly soothing to hear. Reminded of Isabella’s pet squirrel, Xuefei’s expression softened. She wondered if she should get a pet of her own; she was even hallucinating such strange sounds.
“Mmm…”
Xuefei stretched lazily, baring her cute little belly button. At the same time, the noise from her chest grew louder, taking on a complaining tone, as if annoyed by her fidgeting.
When Xuefei looked down, she discovered Tilly happily enjoying her breakfast.
“Mmm…”
Xuefei had nearly called out Tilly’s name on instinct, but the little one seemed to have fallen asleep again.
…Asleep and still nursing? Though nothing sweet was coming out right now. If she wasn’t mistaken, the child’s actions were purely reflexive—perhaps offering her some psychological comfort.
Xuefei didn’t dwell on it. With a bit of magic, she produced more sweet milk, and Tilly’s face lit up with delight. The “suckle… suckle…” sounds quickened a touch.
“So itchy… mmm, Tilly, can you switch sides?”
What she didn’t know was that Tilly had already switched during the night—otherwise, the strange itchiness might have woken her.
After all, Tilly had been suckling it in her sleep.
As she nursed, Tilly let out an adorable murmur.
“Mama…”
Xuefei’s heart bloomed with joy, her cheeks flushing faintly. She drew Tilly closer into her embrace and peacefully closed her eyes.
By contrast, Leia was having a rather pitiful time.
She hadn’t broken her promise. Clutching the dragon egg tightly, she kept her eyes shut. True to her word, she spent her days either holding the dragon egg or Tilly—though Tilly occasionally wriggled free from her arms. After all, Leia couldn’t produce the rich nourishment that Xuefei provided.
Leia cracked her eyes open and rolled over, gazing at Tilly with eyes full of envy. She muttered under her breath:
“That was supposed to be my spot…”
“Mmm, Xuefei’s so mean. Guess I’ll just have to endure these next few years?”
With the Demon Mark already etched on her, there wasn’t much else to say.
Raising a daughter wasn’t easy—she knew that full well—but a few years of loneliness were bearable. All her [Obsession] could be vented through the Demon Mark. And knowing Xuefei would return to her arms for love and affection eased any worries.
Leia glanced at the dragon egg.
Its shell was almost the same color as Tilly’s, but there were subtle differences.
Dolores.
As expected of her—she could tell who had nurtured her.
In Leia’s arms, Dolores grew more active, radiating extra warmth. In Xuefei’s arms, she stayed perfectly still.
Didn’t that mean she was closer to Leia?
That was because Dolores was comforting herself.
After all, it wasn’t a dragon egg she had carried in her own womb. Though it carried Dolores’s own genes, she still feared feeling a sense of loneliness from not experiencing that firsthand, which was why she was throwing herself into it with such enthusiasm.
“Smack, smack, smack…”
The sounds coming from Xuefei’s embrace were utterly enviable.
Leia shook her head.
Dolores’s “birth” had been rather complicated. Unlike a simple fusion of genes, she had actually “died” once before. Her soul had been absorbed into the gem embedded in her chest, her body gradually “melting” away until she had fully transformed into that very soul gem.
Then Leia had swallowed the soul gem, fused it with her own genes, and through some special method, delivered it into Xuefei’s womb. There, it merged further with Xuefei’s genes to form an extraordinarily unique embryo, which grew within Xuefei in the peculiar manner unique to the Evil Dragon.
This process had been far more complex than the fusion with Laer.
The Head Maid had simply combined two deceased souls, but for Dolores, the gem even had to be placed inside Xuefei’s belly—the risks involved went without saying.
“Xuefei…”
Leia muttered softly.
What the little dragon didn’t know was that most of Dolores’s power was gradually converting into Xuefei’s own strength. Once born, Dolores could no longer be as powerful as she had been in life. All of this hinged on Xuefei successfully accepting the Light Envoy and transforming it into Dark Filth, without any loss of power. Such a unique force had gone unrecorded for tens of millions of years.
She seemed less like the Demon God King and more like an entirely new existence.
~~~
“Leia, do you think I’ve forgotten something?”
“Hm?”
In the quaintly decorated restaurant, two Dragon Girls were having their meal.
Xuefei suddenly remembered something important.
“Right, Tilly signed up for that competition…”
“Does Xuefei want to go to the competition herself?”
“As expected of you.” Xuefei nodded in agreement. This wasn’t the first time Leia had seen right through her thoughts.
“Since she signed up, I plan to impersonate Tilly and see that competition through to the end.”
“Is that so? Well, good luck then~ I’ll take good care of the little one, hehe…”
“Don’t you dare teach her anything weird!” Xuefei shot Leia a glare. With Tilly out of earshot, her expression turned deadly serious.
“They say there’s someone claiming to replace the Dragon King who’s been making waves at Ephise Academy.”
“And I want to go see exactly who she is.”
Xuefei’s face was etched with displeasure.
“Who the hell does she think she is, daring to bully my daughter?”
