27?!
That meant twenty-seven fools had thrown themselves at Leia, only to be defeated and turned into her energy!
This was the first time Xuefei had ever complained that the gods’ power was too weak—and it would be the last. No matter how you looked at it, this was just too absurd.
What kind of strategy could lead to twenty-seven gods lining up to die one after another? No… weren’t there gods renowned for their cunning and schemes? Were those guys just freeloading? Even if you handed control to a bunch of teenagers, they should’ve been able to at least challenge Leia properly, not flop around like a pack of idiots charging in one by one to their doom!
She was truly disappointed. Utterly disillusioned with the gods.
Before, it had been their motives and resolve she’d questioned. Now, it was simply because they were weak.
“You… exactly…”
Xuefei leaned back toward the wall, but Leia gave her no chance to escape. She pressed close, keeping Xuefei firmly within her grasp.
Sensing Xuefei’s confusion, Leia smiled and replied, “That was simple. I just took control of one of the gods and had him send out false information. Then those leaderless fools came charging in one after another to their deaths~”
“As expected… as expected of Leia.”
“Thanks for the praise, Xuefei~”
“Eep!”
Suddenly, Leia flopped onto Xuefei, nuzzling and hugging her soft, fragrant shoulder. Her plump dragon tail hooked around Xuefei’s, curling them together on the sofa into a perfect heart shape.
Leia said excitedly, “So, when do we start? Xuefei, I can’t wait any longer!”
“The fight, that is…”
Xuefei stammered incoherently. Though she’d grown used to Leia’s constant hugging and cuddling, thinking back on the “duel” she’d impulsively proposed earlier made her fully grasp the meaning of “one careless step leads to eternal regret.”
“By the way,” Leia continued, “more than wondering why you think you can beat me, I’m curious why you chose to challenge me in the first place.”
It reminded Leia of her own experiences over the past few days.
Aside from signing non-aggression pacts with a few weak races—extorting heaps of wealth from them in exchange—she’d mostly lounged on the edge of her bed, fretting and pondering over Xuefei.
She’d secretly instructed Laer to keep an eye on Xuefei, ensuring no harm came to her. In any emergency, Laer was to open a connection to Leia, who would rush to the scene in an instant.
Yet Leia both anticipated and resisted the idea of having to intervene.
She anticipated it because it would mean Xuefei needed her help.
She resisted it because it would mean Xuefei had run into some dire peril… and Leia couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her.
In the end, wouldn’t it just be safer to raise an obedient little dragon baby of her own?!
But today’s events had truly opened her eyes.
Setting aside the matter of absorbing gods, Leia had actually allowed Xuefei to build up her own strength… but Xuefei was defying her? She wanted to fight her?
If it were simple dislike or rebellion, Xuefei could have just fled. She could’ve slipped away in the Snake Demon Country and hidden away in some forgotten corner forever.
Thus, Leia reached her conclusion:
“Xuefei really likes me a lot!”
“Mmmph—!”
Xuefei shuddered—not from Leia’s closeness, which she’d grown accustomed to, but because Leia had started nibbling on her earlobe!
“Not there, waaah…”
“This spot’s sensitive too, right? Hehe~”
Xuefei’s face flushed crimson. Her small hands pushed weakly at Leia’s encroaching body, but the sensitivity left her limp and powerless, making it seem more like a teasing invitation.
She could clearly feel the citrus-scented dragon breath wandering across her neck. Any other creature would have been overwhelmed by the terror and despair of having an Evil Dragon zero in on their vital spot, knowing they were about to be devoured!
Even if it was just a simple devouring, Xuefei was the fish on the chopping block, with Leia wielding the knife. Truth be told, she’d never had a chance to resist from the very start.
“Leia, about the fight… can we put it off? I… I just got back from my journey yesterday. How about we do it some other time?”
“Of course not.”
Leia narrowed her eyes and whispered into Xuefei’s ear, reminding her of that one time a succubus maid had “hunted” a poor, innocent maidservant who’d foolishly overstepped. That succubus had done exactly this…
Of course, Xuefei didn’t think her own situation was any better than that innocent maid’s…
When it came to raw desire, an Evil Dragon—no, Leia herself—outranked ordinary Demon Race members by several levels!
Evil Dragons excelled at combat and conquest. Anything won through battle held special appeal for them.
Just like Leia right now.
“Wahh… Leia, I was wrong…”
“Xuefei cares about me so much—how could she possibly be wrong? Very well. Though I’ll decide the stakes for our duel, you get to pick the battlefield, Xuefei. Or you can even set some match rules. After all, that’s what makes it fun, isn’t it?”
At that, Leia flashed a charming smile.
“The bed counts, you know~”
“Is that so? Let me think…”
Xuefei actually started pondering the idea, paying no mind to Leia’s horns gently grinding against her own. A strange itch prickled at the top of her head…
It was clear now: dodging the fight was out of the question.
But if she could dictate the rules, couldn’t she play to her strengths somehow and claim victory? Obviously, it wouldn’t be a straight test of raw power.
After all, if bed battles were fair game, surely a few other odd tricks would be allowed too…
“I’ve got it!” Xuefei exclaimed, struck by inspiration. But before laying all her cards on the table, she needed to confirm one thing…
“By the way, Leia—what are the prizes and penalties for winning and losing? Care to share ahead of time?”
“Of course!” Leia’s enthusiasm for the duel was palpable. She already looked like she wanted to gobble Xuefei up on the spot. “If you win, Xuefei, you can wish for anything from me~”
“And if I lose?”
Leia’s wicked grin sent a shiver racing through Xuefei’s entire body, but she screwed up her courage and pressed on.
The Evil Dragon replied:
“You know we’ve got a wedding coming up in a few days, right? If you lose, Xuefei, you’ll spend the whole ceremony leashed by my collar~”
A col—collar?!
One of those pink toys from the basement prison—the weird gadget with one end looped around the neck and the other gripped in someone else’s hand.
“Mmf, that’s… not out of the question,” Xuefei said, her face flushing red. She resolved not to lose an inch in sheer bravado. As usual, flames erupted from the corners of her mouth, and she declared with what she imagined was fierce, righteous gusto, “In that case, I’m laying out the match rules! You better accept!”
“The challenge: Maid Challenge.”
“For one full day, each of us serves as the other’s personal maid—inseparable, attentive to every whim. Highest score wins.”
“Well? Scared yet, Leia?”
Xuefei swallowed hard.
This contest would force Leia to set aside her brute strength and authority for a fair fight.
No way she’d go for it.
But Xuefei’s real ace was up next: present two bad options and let her pick the lesser evil, blurring the lines until it felt real, like boiling a frog in warm water, until Leia caved.
It was all part of the plan. The Maid Challenge was just a sacrificial pawn to trick her into accepting something unreasonable!
This time, victory was in the bag~
No way Leia would willingly play maid for her, right?
“Sure thing~”
To Xuefei’s utter shock, Leia’s smile widened with even greater excitement. The gleam of interest in her eyes burned brighter than ever!
Xuefei sat there dumbfounded on the sofa, utterly baffled by what had just happened.
Wha… what?
