Volume 1 Chapter 154
by Need_More_SleepVolume 1 + Chapter 154: Without Dignity
“Why are you here as well?”
Inside a temporary guest room of the Imperial Palace, Anna stared at the person before her, disbelief written all over her face.
She never would have imagined that her cousin, the one she only ever saw once or twice a year at family gatherings, would actually appear here. She frowned slightly, a faint sense of unease rising in her heart. If Andai was here too, then did that mean… Eve’s Dragon God Project also included her?
Seeing the seriousness on Anna’s face, Andai immediately grew a little guilty. She lowered her head, lightly tugged at her sleeve, and spoke with a hint of grievance in her voice. “W-w-well, sister… it’s a long story…”
She bit her lip, hesitating as if unsure whether to continue, but in the end she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell the other dragons, okay…?”
Her voice dropped to a whisper, laced with an unspeakable sense of shame. She looked utterly dispirited, clearly having suffered a heavy blow.
In truth, her heart felt unbearably stifled. Being beaten into submission by Leah was mortifying beyond words, but she still desperately wanted someone, some dragon, to listen to her pour out her bitterness.
If she didn’t say it out loud, she really would suffocate from holding it in. She was just that kind of dragon, the more she buried things inside, the worse it became for her.
And for Andai, Sister Anna had always been someone she could trust.
No matter what happened, Anna would always respond with calm composure, offering guidance and help. Yet at this very moment, Andai’s heart was tangled with hesitation. She wasn’t sure whether telling Anna about this would earn her comfort, or a scolding.
After all, given Anna’s personality, she might very well say that Andai was useless, or even question why she had surrendered so easily.
But the problem was, she truly had no choice! The pressure the other side exerted was simply overwhelming, far beyond anything she could contend with. Andai was just a young dragon scraping by in the world, how could she have ever faced something like that?
Forget resisting, even forcing herself not to show fear had already taken every ounce of strength she had.
A fire-red witch disguised as an ordinary human, and her daughter whose strength could only be described as monstrous.
A single fire-red witch was already enough to give countless dragons splitting headaches, something none of them wanted to confront head-on. And yet, she also had a daughter who was even more terrifying. That level of oppression was enough to cast a shadow over a dragon’s entire life.
“You mean… you were also, ” Anna abruptly cut herself off mid-sentence, realizing she had nearly let something slip. She hurriedly corrected herself. “No, I mean… you were taken down by a little girl?”
Her tone carried a hint of surprise, but deep down, a barely perceptible spark of relief flickered through her heart.
So… she wasn’t the only one who had suffered such humiliation. Still, the feeling lasted only an instant. Anna quickly composed herself, making her expression look like simple astonishment.
Fortunately, Andai was too immersed in her own grievances to notice that fleeting change in Anna’s expression.
“…Mm.”
Andai lowered her head, her voice heavy with frustration. She clenched her teeth, as if steeling herself, and spoke in a low voice. “You probably wouldn’t believe it even if I told you… that human girl was terrifyingly strong. I didn’t even have the slightest chance to fight back…”
Her voice was thick with undisguised defeat, mixed with a trace of unwilling resentment.
What surprised Andai, however, was that Anna showed no sign of reproach at all. Instead, she quietly reached out and gently patted Andai’s head, her movements unbelievably tender.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Anna said softly, as if soothing a frightened baby dragon. “This isn’t a big deal. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret for you.”
Those words made Andai freeze for a moment, her nose suddenly stinging with unexpected tears. She had braced herself to be scolded, even prepared to be mocked, but she never imagined Anna would comfort her like this…
Warmth welled up in Andai’s chest, and she couldn’t help but feel deeply moved. She had hesitated before deciding whether to tell Anna about her experience, but now it seemed she had made the right choice.
At the very least, in front of Anna, she wasn’t laughed at or looked down upon. Instead, she was met with comfort and understanding. That feeling alone made her quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
What Andai didn’t realize, however… was that she could only receive such a response because the listener was Anna.
If it had been any other dragon, blood relative or not, she likely wouldn’t have received a single word of comfort. Instead, she would probably have become the butt of endless jokes.
After all, a dignified dragon being defeated by a human little girl?
If that ever got out, who knew how many dragons would laugh themselves senseless!
Unless… the other party had gone through the same ordeal and could truly empathize, otherwise, no one would ever understand her suffering.
As she spoke, Andai suddenly lifted her head and looked at Anna, a spark of curiosity flashing in her eyes. “But, Sister Anna, you still haven’t told me, why are you here?”
She frowned slightly, her tone filled with confusion. “Aren’t you the one who hates humans the most? Why would you cooperate with them?”
The moment the question left her mouth, Anna’s expression froze. The corner of her lips twitched faintly, clearly caught off guard by Andai’s bluntness. She stood there awkwardly, as if her words had been blocked in her throat, unable to come up with an answer right away.
Or perhaps she simply hadn’t prepared any explanation at all, or was debating whether she should just change the subject altogether…
“I… Well, Eve is my good friend.”
Anna coughed lightly, trying to make her tone sound casual. “We knew each other from before. Friends help each other out, it’s only natural, right?”
She deliberately put on a relaxed expression and even shrugged, but Andai clearly sensed the unnatural stiffness in her voice. In truth, Anna herself knew full well that she was here not because of any so-called “friendship,” but for the exact same reason as Andai, forced into compliance by overwhelming authority.
As that thought surfaced, a deep sense of powerlessness, even despair, rose within Anna’s heart. She never would have imagined that she, a proud dragon, could be driven to this point by a human.
If things continued like this, she feared she would sink deeper and deeper into unquestioning obedience to Eve… until one day she might even grow accustomed to submission. Perhaps if Eve ever decided she wanted a “dragon sisters rice bowl,” they would have to rush to comply, obediently stacking themselves together with practiced ease…
But what choice did they have?
Resist? That was simply impossible. In the face of absolute power, any resistance would only look laughable and futile.
Run away? Hah, don’t joke. Even if they were given three full days to flee at top speed, they probably wouldn’t escape the range of Eve’s magical aura. In the end, they’d only be effortlessly captured again, and likely subjected to even more humiliating “lessons.”
“Ka-click, ”
Just as the two sisters, bound by shared misfortune, were drowning in their mutual helplessness, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open from outside.
The abrupt sound shattered the silence. Already tense, Anna jolted violently, nearly leaping out of her chair. Her heart shot straight into her throat, and even the scales along her tail almost bristled. It was clear that she had truly been scared out of her wits this time.
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