Laer’s dormitory was on the third layer of the palace.
As the head maid, Laer had to pay more attention to her grooming, shoulder broader responsibilities, and enjoyed a higher salary, but in other respects, her living conditions hardly differed from those of an ordinary maid.
Lady Xuefei gazed at the dormitory block, which resembled an apartment building with rooms lining both sides of the corridor. Joyful chatter from the girls drifted endlessly from within, drawing her into a moment of contemplation.
…So this was a girls’ dormitory? The atmosphere was even livelier than she had imagined.
It was Xuefei’s first time visiting the maids’ dormitory.
But where was Laer?
Xuefei steeled her resolve. She had to find Head Maid Laer here—at the very least, to rule out the possibility that she was the “other woman.” That would offer some small comfort to her restless heart.
Xuefei wandered aimlessly, her eyes scanning every room in search of the woman. She might remember every maid’s name, but pinpointing which dormitory belonged to whom was a tall order for her little brain.
“Excuse me, Lady Xuefei. Who are you looking for?”
A lively, cute voice suddenly piped up from behind her.
Xuefei turned to see a girl wrapped in a bath towel.
Without her maid uniform, Xuefei almost mistook her for a stranger.
The towel clung tightly to the girl’s upper body, leaving her slender, beautiful legs bare. Her damp hair hung smoothly, and the air carried a blend of fresh, fragrant scents. She had clearly just emerged from the maids’ bathhouse and was heading back to her room.
No sooner had she spoken than the entire dormitory seemed to hush, the noise level dropping by dozens of decibels.
Was it because of Xuefei’s name?
Maids began peeking out from their doors, fluttering their little wings as they lined up, one atop the other, watching the adorable little Xuefei with gazes full of warmth and affection.
“Lucy… um, I’m looking for Laer’s dormitory.”
Xuefei’s voice carried a hint of shyness. She wasn’t used to so many eyes on her at once, and it left her a touch nervous…
And what was with those looks?
She was the Evil Dragon—the most wicked and powerful being on the Camiran Continent! So why did they stare at her like she was some cute little pet?!
“Laer’s place? Hehe… let me show you the way~” Lucy tightened her bath towel, her face alight with mischief.
That expression gave Xuefei pause, but what came next left her eyes wide and rooted her to the spot.
“Head Maid Laer? We’re close; I’ll take you!”
Another maid emerged from one of the rooms, her looks and figure every bit as striking as Lucy’s, a matching sly grin playing on her lips.
And it didn’t stop there…
“Take me too! Take me too!”
“I wanna go! Cute Xuefei, let me guide you!”
“Come to big sister’s room—I’ve got tons of treats~”
More maids poured out, their voices bubbling with excitement and cheer, turning the scene into a veritable festival.
Xuefei suddenly felt like some uniquely cherished figure in the Evil Dragon Palace. Perhaps this was the pampered life of the supreme being, the group’s favorite pet…
But why was it so utterly different from what she’d pictured?
Amid the maids’ expectant stares, someone popped a fruit candy into her mouth.
Xuefei accepted the kindness without protest, parting her little lips to take it gently. The burst of rich fruit flavor eased her expression at once, her scarlet eyes widening in delight as she savored it.
She recalled Leia’s advice: when you’re feeling down, have something sweet.
But the candy seemed to spark an avalanche. In moments, her arms overflowed with snacks of every kind, piling up into a little mountain.
“Hey, Lucy, give her a cookie~”
“I’ve got beef jerky—try some!”
“And I’ve got chocolate. Xuefei loves sweets, right?”
What in the world?
Xuefei had always thought receiving food—snacks in particular—was pure bliss. But those pet-like gazes from the maids made her realize the truth…
They were feeding her like a little animal!
Damn it all! This had to be Laer’s doing.
Her authority among the maids had once rivaled only the Dragon King’s. Now, every one of them sported a little Dragon Girl pendant doll on their arm, recasting her from a enigmatic, formidable Evil Dragon into an irresistibly cute baby dragon!
No—she had to show them the true pressure of the Dragon Clan.
Xuefei was instantly surrounded by miasma. The evil dragon’s roar swallowed mountains and rivers, followed by a blazing breath capable of devouring entire peaks. Winds and smoke vanished, the land shattered, leaving only scarlet dragon eyes arrogantly overlooking the feeble Camiran Continent. With a mere flap of its sky-obscuring dragon wings, it conjured world-ending tornadoes, reducing the charred remnants beneath the flames to pitiful ash!
—The above was all Xuefei’s imagination.
“Rawr—!” Xuefei bared her little tiger fangs and let out what she believed was a majestic, domineering roar.
This outright caused several maids to faint on the spot. Just as Xuefei thought her intimidation had finally worked, she noticed the nosebleeds trickling from their mouths and realized it had backfired spectacularly.
“Ah, even her angry face is so cute!”
“As expected, how on earth did Lady Leia win her over? She’s just too adorable, hehe.”
“I really want to keep one like her. What do I do?”
Had it failed?
It wasn’t just a failure—the maids’ gazes grew even gentler, and Xuefei’s arms were suddenly stuffed with even tastier snacks.
Damn it!
She had come here to find Laer, but things seemed to be veering further and further from her original goal.
“Have you heard? It sounds like Xuefei’s pregnant. Is it really okay to feed her all this junk food?”
No one knew which maid had blurted it out, but the atmosphere plunged into an icy freeze in an instant.
It lasted all of one second.
Yellow stars sparkled in the maids’ eyes as curiosity turned to concern, then to boundless enthusiasm. Suddenly, Xuefei felt like they were the evil dragons, and she was the helpless prey about to be devoured whole!
“Can you tell us your love story?”
“Yeah, yeah! When did you first meet Lady Leia?”
“Why did you fall in love? Was it on a romantic rainy night, aboard a lantern-lit boat under dim lights, with a passionate confession that set your hearts ablaze?”
“By the way, when are you laying the dragon egg? Wow, I really want to see what a legendary dragon egg looks like. Waaah~”
Xuefei’s head was spinning. She clutched her little head and shook it back and forth.
I’m going numb here—what do I do?
But right then, a woman pushed through the crowd, putting an end to the chaos.
“What are you all doing? Nap time means you should be sleeping properly. The afternoon work is going to be very busy, you know.”
Xuefei was about to thank this savior who had ended it all—and maybe ask where the person she was looking for might be—when she realized the woman was none other than Laer herself.
Laer wasn’t dressed in her usual maid apron and white stockings. Instead, she wore a casual, breezy outfit: a white blouse and a blue skirt that made the stern Head Maid look more like the girl next door.
“Good afternoon, Miss Laer. We’ve got a lost little Xuefei here,” Lucy said with a slight nod, explaining the situation to the Head Maid.
“Xuefei?”
Laer looked puzzled. Just then, her eyes met Xuefei’s in the center of the crowd, and a hush fell over everyone.
The maids didn’t disperse. They lingered, watching eagerly to see what kind of sparks might fly between their revered Head Maid and the adorable little Dragon Princess, Xuefei.
Xuefei was tense to the extreme.
Laer’s eyes held a hint of confusion but were utterly composed. Xuefei should have felt a sense of closeness, but the thought that this woman had stolen Leia away left her at a complete loss for how to face her.
“La… Laer… um… you…”
“Xuefei?” Laer gazed at her with concern.
Damn it—she had no idea how to broach the subject, couldn’t voice the words in her heart at all!
But for Leia’s sake, Xuefei decided she could throw away any shred of dignity.
Her face flushed bright red, as if she were forcibly squeezing the words out from deep in her throat:
“You… give her back… Give Leia back to me!”
