“Do you have time tonight?”
Celi didn’t know how to bring it up. She was still watching every move in the match, seriously judging Leia’s score. Although Laer had asked her to favor Xuefei, the Dragon King was the Dragon King after all. Even her critiques had to be reasonable and thorough, so no matter what, Celi had to take it seriously.
“No worries, they can’t hear us,” Laer whispered. “What the Dragon King wants is Xuefei’s love. Sometimes you don’t need to be so serious. The Dragon King’s vision stretches far beyond ours.”
“Oh, is that how it is?”
“Mm. Put another way, if she truly cared about winning or losing, there wouldn’t even be a scoring round…”
Celi got the message from Laer’s words.
That made sense.
From her recent observations, Celi had realized that if Leia set her mind to something, there was nothing she couldn’t accomplish. Once the child in Xuefei’s belly was born, a second dragon egg would surely follow.
If the Dragon King’s power surpassed even Xuefei’s, Celi simply couldn’t believe any god could easily defeat the supreme ruler of the Camiran Continent.
At the same time,
Laughter and playful clamor echoed from inside the room. Did these two really seem like opponents locked in a fierce contest?
The answer was obvious.
Besides, the outcome of this match had been decided long ago…
Whether by design or not, these two had been swept up in a blazing romance from start to finish—a strange, intoxicating feeling the princess had never known.
“Mm, I’ll keep it in mind. But the task you gave me, Laer—I still have to see it through.”
“You’re so innocent,” Laer sighed, planting her hands on her hips in exasperation as she shot Celi a complaining glare.
“Eh?”
“I’m telling you not to focus so much on them because I want to do something with you. Pay attention to me!”
“Ah, that’s what you meant? Got it…” Celi nodded.
In other words, Laer wanted to talk to her about something. It was her own fault for being so slow on the uptake.
Laer couldn’t stand it any longer. She reached out and gently stroked Celi’s chin.
“When are you going to catch on? I thought you were smarter than this…”
“Wah, I’m a total dummy…”
“Whatever.”
Laer patted Celi’s shoulder. Celi immediately straightened up, ears perked, resuming her vigil on Leia and Xuefei’s every move.
Logically speaking, they were all girls, so boundaries shouldn’t be an issue.
Yet Lady Leia and Xuefei always shared these heart-fluttering moments that left her blushing.
Were she and Laer the same way? Like, the rare act of reproduction between females—conceiving a female snake demon’s egg. That should be fine, right?
“Laer…”
Celi’s cheeks burned.
She debated voicing her inner thoughts. But when she opened her mouth, the words stuck in her throat, earning only a puzzled look from Laer.
Still, her heart was set. She had to say it.
The topic Laer had brought up that evening…
“Laer… please tell me… what is love?” The instant the words left her mouth, Celi’s face turned scarlet, as if she’d forced them out.
“…”
Silence fell between them.
Celi panicked.
What’s going on? Why isn’t Laer responding?
Her refusal that night had already been a mood-killer, and now she was asking about love?
“Um, I didn’t mean it like that… wah, Laer, I didn’t mean any harm, I’m sorry…”
“Do you really want to know?”
Laer tilted her head, seemingly ignoring everything else.
“Y-Yes, of course…”
The sounds from the dressing room droned on without end, but they did nothing to disrupt Laer’s calm or the soft tenderness in her expression. She stepped closer, bracing one hand against the wall behind Celi and leaning in until their bodies nearly touched.
From this angle, Celi caught Laer’s scent—shampoo, and something warmer, more enticing. Her breath brushed hot against Celi’s neck, like a predator eyeing her pulse, though it was her face that flushed deeper.
“La-Laer?”
“I’ve heard snake demons can bear Demon heirs. Right?”
“Eh, eh? What’s that all of a sudden, Laer?”
“You wanted to know what love is, didn’t you?”
Laer narrowed her eyes. Truth be told, she hadn’t planned to be this forward.
But now that she’d started, she had to follow through.
Even if Celi didn’t seem entirely on board?
What Laer didn’t know was that Celi had regretted her melancholy from that night ever since. No one had ever taught her about “love” from childhood onward. As the princess, she spent every day studying how to manage state affairs in preparation for her ascension to the throne. Even her fascination with magic had left no room for romance.
But now everything was different.
The Snake Demon Country was under the rule of the Evil Dragon, and most people enjoyed happy, peaceful lives. Beneath her overwhelming power, even the resistance groups had vanished without a trace. They might say they wouldn’t tolerate the Demon Race’s invasion, but after enjoying a full meal and warm clothes, the snake demons realized how simple their true desires had always been.
Just staying alive was already a stroke of luck.
The common folk were war’s eternal victims.
“Since Laer puts it that way, then we…” Celi’s gaze darted uncertainly, her fair cheeks flushing and quivering slightly, as if something in her mind had drifted away.
“Is that so, then…”
Perhaps from her own nerves, Laer’s cheeks were tinged pink as well. But in her role as Head Maid, she feigned composure, pretending to be utterly calm.
She seized Celi’s wrist with one hand, playfully pinning her against the wall, while her other hand fumbled over Celi’s fingers before interlocking them tightly, ten fingers laced together.
“Are you… nervous, Laer?”
“No.”
“But your heartbeat…”
“It’s not.”
“Then… shall we try?”
Celi tentatively leaned her head forward, testing the waters. In the next instant, Laer parted her lips in perfect sync, her breath sweet as orchids, debating whether to unleash that sinful little tongue.
Whatever their reactions, this was undeniably the first time for both girls.
There was an immense, incalculable gap between hands-on experience and bookish theory. Even Laer, who fancied herself experienced, had no idea what to do next.
But she did know one thing: for this opening salvo, win or lose, they had to settle who was better suited to take the top position…
Gathering her courage, Laer aimed for Celi’s cherry lips and kissed her.
Celi was a little unaccustomed at first, her brows furrowed. But soon they smoothed out, and she matched Laer’s rhythm, their tongues dancing in unison… their minds pulsing with excitement, savoring each other’s emotions.
This was “love.”
Do you like it, Celi?
