“Very… very painful. It hurts so much… waaah…”
Damn it, stop crying already.
But the tears kept falling anyway, uncontrollably. It wasn’t just the pain—Leia had drawn out all of Xuefei’s buried nightmares, letting them spill free.
Xuefei realized she had started to see Leia in a new light.
She didn’t know why Leia was doing this, but it made her want to cry all the same.
On the journey called “life,” everyone faced setbacks sooner or later. Whether you vented them or bottled them up, there was always hope—always the chance to find that one kindred spirit who truly understood.
Yeah…
But more important than a kindred spirit was simple “companionship.”
Every day, Leia dragged her into all sorts of bizarre activities. In a way, that had become companionship. So why hadn’t she run away after gaining divine power?
Because deep down, her heart had already fallen at some point along the way.
So lonely… so incredibly lonely. She didn’t want to wander through life like a walking corpse. She wanted a life of her own, free from everyone else’s control.
She had watched the Hero Party grow, from a lone wanderer to the grand lineup of the World-Saving Squad. Their table companions grew rowdier, the gatherings louder. Then came the first defeat, the heroic sacrifices of comrades, a brutal awakening to the world’s cruelty. Numbness set in. And finally, she was alone again…
Watching their fading backs, Xuefei had long since lost the ability to show any expression. She was a living corpse. Even her emotions were just faint flickers, swaying in the cruel winds—barely worthy of the name.
In the end, Xuefei stood alone before the God.
The God extended merciless hands, all pomp and false grandeur, filling her with disgust.
“Are you certain? No regrets? You’ll return to your own world?”
“Certain.”
Certain…
Really?
So in the end, she chose escape.
Not because she wanted to, but because…
She was powerless.
But escape changed nothing. It was a choice only Xuefei knew about…
Even using the Holy Sword to deceive everyone—even herself. Even absorbing the God’s power to defy Leia. Even scheming to win the Maid Competition fair and square, claiming the Dragon King’s throne legitimately.
If she stood once more before that devoured God, Xuefei would absolutely say:
“Not certain…”
“But I had no choice, did I?”
“I’ve had no choices left. There’s no future here…”
“I hate you. I hate everything. I loathe it all. I’ll kill you every one! Even those self-righteous Heroes prattling about justice!”
But it all dissolved into a fleeting illusion, vanishing without a trace.
Without Leia, she would have kept running forever. Without Leia, her life would have been an endless, monotonous grind.
That’s why she chose Leia.
By that measure, Xuefei had fallen long ago.
But not the so-called “Evil Corruption.”
Just then, Leia placed a hand on the tip of Xuefei’s dragon horn, toying with it at first—but mostly caressing it tenderly.
“Xuefei, how could that be powerless? Everyone makes mistakes. That’s why second chances are so precious, right?”
“Waaah, I hate it, I hate Leia… waaah…”
“Come on now, you can be more confident, my Little Xuefei. You were unlucky, but we don’t have to worry about that anymore. We’ve got a better life ahead.”
The truly pitiful ones were those who’d never been loved.
Xuefei considered herself fortunate.
At least on that journey, there had been someone who loved her unconditionally.
Leia.
In Leia’s arms, Xuefei gradually calmed. But then she remembered the Endless Treasure hidden in her grasp, and burst into fresh sobs.
“Waaah…”
“Why are you still crying?”
“Waaah…”
After Leia’s words, waves of self-reproach crashed through Xuefei’s soul like a storm.
She didn’t know how to heal her body—or maybe she hadn’t even noticed. Without the Endless Treasure’s repairs, the God’s power would have torn her soul apart again. The same Miracle couldn’t happen twice. Even as the Complete Filth Soul, Leia couldn’t avert such doom.
Or perhaps Xuefei had realized her body was failing and said all this because of it.
She was still just a girl who struggled to express herself.
In the First Playthrough, she’d sensed Leia’s feelings several times, but never once heard “I like you.”
In the end, she wouldn’t even tell Leia when she felt unwell.
“Liar…”
“…”
Xuefei’s choking sobs came one after another, making it hard for her to utter a complete sentence.
At this moment, countless fragments flashed through Xuefei’s mind.
‘Didn’t we agree that you’d come back early so we could eat together? Everyone’s been waiting for you for a long time.’
‘Sorry…’
‘Forget it, let’s read a book together. This one’s pretty good.’
‘……’
‘Oh, right—did you see what was on the bedside table when you woke up this morning?’
‘I did. Ah, I thought it was yours, so I put it back in your storage space for you.’
‘Are you an idiot?! That was your birthday gift. Happy birthday, you idiot! Whatever, I wouldn’t be able to explain it clearly to you anyway.’
‘Ah? Today is…’
……
‘Don’t let go of my hand until I fall asleep, okay?’
‘Promise me……’
……
Liar.
Didn’t we agree to stay by each other’s side forever? But you won’t even share your basic pain with me? Could it be that Leia doesn’t simply want to release her [Obsession]…
As time ticked by second by second, Xuefei realized an extremely important fact:
People change.
This wasn’t the first time Leia had interacted with her, but their true romantic relationship was a first. Even discussing these things after she got pregnant with the Dragon Egg felt somewhat untimely, but it was an undeniable fact.
It wasn’t as if only Leia could change…
Xuefei lifted her head, and Leia reached out to wipe away the dried tear stains on her tender face—surprisingly, she then licked them into her own mouth.
Leia treated every part of Xuefei’s body like a treasure.
“Didn’t you say you’d hold me tightly in your hand and never let go? What do you mean by this now?”
Leia’s hands tightly embraced the soft flesh beneath Xuefei’s back wings, pulling Xuefei’s body even closer to her own. The shameful pose didn’t make either of them feel the slightest bit embarrassed; instead, it made Leia’s already excited emotions surge with even greater joy. Because she knew that, at this moment, Xuefei’s eyes held only her.
“Stupid Xuefei, I’m no liar.”
It was Xuefei’s love that had changed her.
If there was a single trigger for all of this, it had to be that flower crown.
Once Xuefei set aside her past responsibilities and sense of identity, her heart truly acknowledged her—and loved her.
So, that was enough.
“Haven’t I already been holding you tightly in my hand this whole time?”
