Volume 4 Chapter 22

Volume 4 + Chapter 22: You Really Understand Too Well

Hiding in the corner, Xia Yi witnessed that scene with her own eyes.

Elly had used her unique ability as a green dragon to disguise herself as Xia Yi and return to the Dragon Palace.

Yes—this was Xia Yi’s scheme:

A swap under heaven itself!

First, she had Elly find an excuse to leave the Dragon Palace.

Once Elly left, she remained on standby, ready at any moment to transform into Xia Yi’s appearance—becoming the “Silver Dragon Princess”—and wait for Xia Yi to slip out.

Then, when Xia Yi departed the Dragon Palace, the gate guards’ first instinct would naturally be to report upward, and Xia Lulu would quickly learn of it.

At that moment, they would have the disguised Elly hurry back. Seeing the “Silver Dragon Princess” return, the gate guards would give up on reporting anything unusual.

A flawless plan!

“Hehehe!”

Xia Yi laughed triumphantly.

Xia Lulu, you’ll never keep me locked up!

With this method, the “Silver Dragon Princess” would remain inside the Dragon Palace, attracting everyone’s attention.

Meanwhile, the real Silver Dragon Princess could enjoy complete freedom within the imperial capital~

“Tss—my sweet tooth is acting up again!!”

The silver-haired loli rubbed her hands together. Just imagining diving into an ocean of desserts—escaping the bitter-melon hell for a while—made her break into a radiant smile.

Then she changed into the casual clothes Elly had brought out beforehand.

She tied up her long silver hair and tucked it under a hat.

She put on a gray casual jacket, a white shirt, a silver necklace, ultra-short shorts showing off slender pale legs, a single black thigh band around her left leg, and sporty sneakers on her small feet—giving off a burst of youthful energy.

Finally, she put on oversized sunglasses to hide her eyes and began chewing bubble gum… No one would ever associate this outfit with the dignified Silver Dragon Princess.

A perfect disguise!

“Now then, time to enjoy myself!”

Humming happily, the little princess blew a huge bubble and headed toward the capital’s city district.

……

“Wh-what am I doing?!”

Now transformed into the “Silver Dragon Princess,” Elly walked nervously, trembling with every step.

When she passed the Dragon Palace gates and felt the guards’ eyes on her, her soul nearly left her body.

If anyone realized she was only pretending to be the princess…

Fortunately, the guards suspected nothing. Terrified of lingering too long, she hurried straight into the Dragon Palace.

“Uuuu… when will this be over?!”

Elly was almost in tears.

According to Xia Yi’s original plan, she had to act as the Silver Dragon Princess for at least an hour. But in the current situation, even a few minutes felt like mental torture of the highest order—pure agony for her heart.

“I’m going to cry…”

“Your Highness, did something sad happen to you?”

A familiar voice sounded beside her.

She looked up, saw who it was, and nearly screamed—letting out an indescribable green-dragon wail.

“AAAHHH!!”

“Eh? Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

Atiya was startled by the exaggerated reaction of the “Silver Dragon Princess.”

“I-I…”

Elly discreetly pinched her thigh.

Don’t expose yourself—don’t expose yourself!

“It’s nothing, Atiya… I’m just a little tired. I want to take a nap.”

“Oh, I see! I thought too much!”

Atiya scratched her head like a goofy Alaskan malamute and laughed.

“I even wondered if someone was disguising themselves as Your Highness, since you felt a bit different than usual—but you’re just sleepy! Ahaha!”

“……!!” Elly’s body trembled.

“Hm?”

Seeing the reaction, Atiya frowned slightly.

“Oh right, Atiya—have you seen Elly anywhere?”

“Oh! Now that you mention it, my junior is nowhere to be seen!”

“She… probably snuck off somewhere. Atiya, hurry and find her!”

“That damn junior—how dare she slack off at a time like this! I will bring her to justice!!” Atiya shouted and ran off.

Phew—

Elly exhaled in relief.

Thank goodness Atiya-senpai was such a ‘genius’—easy to fool and easy to send away at a crucial moment.

She knew she absolutely couldn’t stay near people familiar with the princess, or they might discover her secret.

So Elly rushed at top speed toward Xia Yi’s room.

“Next… I have to enter Her Highness’s chambers…!”

Nervous to the extreme, she knocked on Xia Yi’s door. She waited a long while, but there was no response.

Puzzled, she gradually realized she had done something incredibly stupid, and quickly glanced around.

Good—no one saw. Otherwise her cover would be blown.

“Your Highness, pardon my intrusion!”

Elly pushed the door open.

Once inside Xia Yi’s room, she looked around. As expected, it didn’t differ much from before…

“Huh? A little dragon pillow?”

She spotted several adorable dragon-shaped cushions on the bed and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Your Highness, is this really okay? Hahaha… You still haven’t changed these sleeping habits. Thinking about it, it’s kind of cute!”

Although she walked around the room several times, the timid Elly didn’t dare touch anything—only looked.

Knock knock knock.

A sudden knock on the door nearly stopped her heart.

“Your Highness, you’re inside, aren’t you?”

It was Sister Serra!!

What to do? What now?

Elly’s face collapsed. She was about to cry, but under the looming threat of losing her head, she slapped her cheeks and forced her nerves to tighten.

Oh! Right!

I have to imitate the princess’s behavior!!

What would the princess usually be doing?

Under pressure, Elly thought at full speed. She wasn’t a personal maid, so she could only deduce based on what she knew.

Although always playing pranks with people, the princess’s talent and skill were exceptional—far surpassing her peers. Most importantly, she never failed a single class.

Magic, alchemy, etiquette… everything she took was excellent.

With Her Majesty’s elite education added on top, the conclusion was clear—

The princess must be diligent and hardworking!

There was no way she would ever slack off. Right now she would absolutely be using her time to study.

Elly acted immediately. She sat at the desk, took out a magic textbook, opened it, and posed as if she were studying hard.

“…Come in, Serra.”

“As you command, Your Highness.”

Serra opened the door. She first looked to the bed but didn’t see the little princess lounging lazily as usual. Confused, her gaze shifted—only to find the “Silver Dragon Princess” studying earnestly at the desk…

Her pupils trembled.

“I must master these spells as soon as possible… and then continue researching dragon history. Today’s schedule is so full…”

Elly spoke loudly on purpose for Serra to hear, while laughing triumphantly in her heart.

Haha—

I really do understand the Silver Dragon Princess!!