Chapter 115

Chapter 115: The Fierce One Is The Dragon King

In Naya’s heart, her child was still the most important.

After meeting Semira and the human princess during the day, word of their presence in Boros City had already spread. Although Iris had already sent Flanna and Bella on a patrol around the city before Naya went to bed. 

Naya couldn’t help but worry that, just like in Gerris City, she’d be woken up by a loud knock early in the morning. This lingering anxiety affected her sleep quality.

Additionally, over the past few days, she’d gotten used to having Illya nestled in her arms as she slept.

Now that the little pink bundle was suddenly gone, Naya’s body instinctively sensed a certain discomfort.

Iris, trying her best to fool Naya’s habits, snuggled into Naya’s embrace, pretending to be Illya and burying herself amidst the stormy waves. But even in a half-asleep state, Naya unconsciously reached out to touch the spot beside her.

Hmm?

Since when was Illya’s head this big?

Naya’s eyes flew open.

She pushed the head in her arms away with both hands.

“This is…”

Hurriedly patting the space next to her, she realized that the little pink dragon was nowhere to be seen, and only the large, red dragon remained.

“Where’s Illya?! Iris, turn on the light.”

“What’s wrong? Bad dream?”

In her panic, Naya forgot she could use magic herself.

Usually, Iris was the one to control the lights, so Naya immediately raised her hand and released magic towards the magical crystal lamp on the ceiling.

The crystal fuel ignited, filling the room with bright light in an instant.

Though the sudden brightness stung her eyes, Naya forced them open to survey the surroundings.

Indeed, the only ones on the bed were her and Iris, the pink dragon loli was nowhere in sight.

At that moment, Naya felt her heart stop. She heard a deafening rumble, like a thunderclap striking her brain.

Illya was gone again?

“Iris, where’s Illya?!”

Her eyes red with worry, Naya questioned the person beside her.

Not expecting such a strong reaction, Iris felt a pang of guilt. She managed to force a calm smile.

“Don’t worry, she’s just gone out to play with Flanna and Bella, she’ll be back soon.”

“Gone out to play? At this hour, you’re telling me she went out to play? What did you send her to do?”

Naya quickly regained her clarity.

From what Iris had said, she gathered that Iris knew why Illya had disappeared in the middle of the night.

Her emotions settled slightly, though she continued to glare at Iris.

“Sh-she went… to kidnap a human princess…”

Iris dragged out her response, uncertain of how Naya would react.

Naya took a deep breath, feeling like she might faint from frustration with this mother-daughter pair.

She clutched her chest, breathing heavily, trying to stay calm so she could get a full explanation from Iris.

“You let her go? Or was it your idea?”

“She insisted on going. To ensure her safety, I sent Flanna and Bella as her bodyguards. Don’t worry, Illya won’t be harmed—she’ll come back safe and sound, and with the human princess.”

I’m sorry, Illya. Mama’s angry, and Mother’s afraid.

When your Mama gets angry, I feel like I can’t bear it all.

So, you should share some of your Mama’s anger.

If your Mama finds out that it was Mother’s idea to encourage you to kidnap the human princess and slip away, then Mother is going to be kneeling on the washing board for sure.

Between the Dragon King’s dignity and credibility, Iris chose the former.

Moreover, for a king, it is unworthy to keep trust among enemies.

Illya was Iris’s rival in love, so it’s not wrong to say Illya is half Iris’s enemy

Illya, this is the way of the noble and powerful, it’s all schemes and strategies. You’d better be careful in the future.

As expected, upon hearing Iris’s lie, Naya didn’t vent all her anger on Iris.

“You didn’t stop her?”

“As the Dragon King’s heir, Illya should learn to make her own choices and to bear the consequences of those choices. I won’t stop her—that’s how I teach her.”

Naya felt angry but couldn’t easily refute Iris.

It was true for the Dragon King’s heirs.

As a parent, you can’t protect your children forever.

Yet, Naya was still angry; she couldn’t accept this method of teaching. There are things in life that, no matter how correct, are hard to forgive.

She bit her lower lip, frustrated but unable to do much about Iris. 

From the Dragon King’s perspective, Iris was not wrong.

But from a family member’s perspective, neither was Naya.

“Then, you shouldn’t have hidden it from me! That’s where you went wrong! As a family, shouldn’t we talk things over openly? Why would you hide it from me? You know how anxious I get when I can’t see Illya. Tonight, you hid from me that she was going to rescue a princess, what will it be tomorrow night? Hiding from me that she’s going to assassinate the king? Illya has been led astray by you. She won’t tell me her true feelings anymore. Give me back my sweet little cotton-padded jacket!”

Once Naya’s thoughts took hold, her mind continued spiraling to the worst scenarios.

Once there is a first time, there will be a second time.

From then on, Illya kept things secret from her more and more, telling her nothing.

Over time, the gap between them would grow.

Naya couldn’t bear to imagine such a future.

Seeing the sad look on Naya’s face, Iris gently comforted her.

“Oh, that won’t happen. Illya just didn’t want you to worry, which is why she acted in secret. It was all out of concern for you. As long as she has that heart, she will always be your sweet little cotton-padded jacket.”

“No, I’m going to find Illya.”

Naya threw back the blanket, her feet just touching the floor when Iris wrapped her arms around Naya’s waist from behind, stopping her.

“Let go of me! Things have already happened—don’t you care? Are you really going to let Illya face all this alone? You are right to let the Dragon Princess Illya make her own choices, but it’s just as right for me to protect my daughter.”

“Flanna and Bella are with Illya. Relax, everything will be fine. Let’s wait here and welcome them home in triumph.”

Naya struggled to pry the hands from her waist.

“When did she leave?”

“About… three hours ago.”

“Three hours?!”

It had been so long, and she hadn’t returned yet. Something must have gone wrong!

Moreover, Illya wasn’t even by her side—how could Naya have slept soundly for three hours?

Naya’s mind buzzed in shock.

She was furious—at everyone, including herself, for not noticing Illya’s absence sooner.

“Ah!”

Whether from anger or anxiety, a sharp pain suddenly gripped her stomach.

Naya bent over, pressing her abdomen, her face pale.

“Naya?”

Iris immediately noticed something was wrong.

“My stomach… it hurts…”

Iris’s hands were on Naya’s stomach, so the moment Naya called out, she instantly released her magic to analyze Naia’s condition.

The diagnosis came quickly, Naya’s poor sleep quality had left her in a weakened mental state.The two little souls within her belly, needing to draw energy from her spirit, weren’t getting what they needed. 

With “dinner” quality suffering, the two little souls are angry and starting to act up.

All day today, Naya had been fleeing the royal guards of Boros City, and her night’s sleep was unsettled by worries over Illya. It had taken a toll on her spirit.

The two little souls were now expressing their long-standing grievances.

“Lie back.”

Iris helped Naya lie down.

Raising Naia’s nightgown, Iris moved closer to check on her more thoroughly.

Naya, however, was focused only on the pain, oblivious to anything else.

She raised her arm to her forehead.

[System, energy… wasn’t there some leftover? Give them something to eat…]

[Dinner preparation has started. Hang in there a bit longer. I’m releasing earth vein energy into your body, but Iris will handle the rest.]

To keep her presence subtle, the system quietly released the prepared energy, letting Iris channel it into feeding the two little souls.

Iris felt the intense energy fluctuations within Naya.

She released her own magic to guide the energy.

It was ready-made earth vein energy, just enough for feeding the two little souls.

Was Naya’s internal system always at work?

Iris wasted no time, channeling the energy to suppress the two little souls.

With the eggshell in Naya’s womb beginning to calcify, it was increasingly difficult for Iris’s magic to break through its defenses.

In the future, it would be crucial to keep Naya in good spirits. Otherwise, if the two little souls’ have outbursts again, Naya will not be able to hold on until the day she gives birth to them.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side.

For reasons unknown, the closer they got to their destination, the heavier the atmosphere grew around Flanna, Bella, and Illya.

Hipper dared not ask, nor say anything.

It wasn’t until they reached the designated inn.

On the third floor, outside a certain room.

Flanna and Bella set Hipper and Illya down.

Flanna took a key from her pocket and handed it to Illya.

“Princess, you… You can open the door yourself. We’ll head to our rooms.”

“Flanna…”

Seeing the look on Flanna’s face, as if saying “Good luck,” Illya grew more anxious. She glanced at Bella, whose eyes were filled with sympathy.

“Bella…”

“Goodnight, Your Highness. Our task is done. Take your beloved human princess to see your Mama.”

Flanna nudged Bella, and they hurriedly left.

They didn’t want to risk losing favor with Naya.

Especially since Naya’s support group had just recently been formed.

“Illya, what’s wrong? Why are they so afraid?”

“I’m not afraid!”

To avoid embarrassment in front of Hipper, Illya braced herself and, with trembling hands, inserted the key into the lock.

She turned it gently.

Hopefully, her Mama was still asleep.

If that was the case, she could sneak into bed, and come morning, she could claim the human princess came on her own, that it had nothing to do with her, that she hadn’t gone out in the middle of the night to abduct her.

However, the moment the door opened, blinding light greeted her.

Illya felt a chill run down her spine.

Holding Hipper’s hand, she stepped into the room.

Illya braced herself for whatever was to come.

But, as they moved past the table and looked toward the bed…

What was her Mother doing with Mama?

She saw her Mama panting heavily while Mother was half-hidden beneath her skirt.

Both Illya and Hipper’s jaws nearly hit the floor.

Iris, emerging from beneath Naya’s skirt, turned to see the two stunned little lolis.

Naya’s pain had mostly subsided by then.

Realizing the situation, she looked up to see her daughter and the silver-haired human princess she had met that morning.

Something seemed to explode in her mind.

“Illya! I… who is this person?”

“The human princess…”

“Oh, so you remember to come back? Do you know what you’ve done?”

Seeing that Naya was about to lose her temper again, Iris quickly steadied her, speaking gently.

“Don’t be mad, Naya. Listen to me. Your stomach hurts because of your poor mental state. The two souls inside you weren’t getting good nourishment, so they acted up. When you’re in a good mood, the energy is better, and they stay calmer.”

They hadn’t actually done anything, Iris had simply pressed her hand to Naya’s stomach to channel energy.

However, from an outsider’s view, it was indeed a suspicious sight.

But Illya was still young, too young to understand.

The real issue was the human princess.

Illya quickly recovered, regaining her vigor, while the human princess remained frozen like a statue.

With her sense of shame tempering her anger, Naya felt somewhat pacified, though it didn’t mean she wasn’t still upset or that she accepted Illya’s midnight mischief.

She pushed Iris aside, despite the lingering pain in her stomach, her pride demanded she not let Iris hold her in front of others.

Crossing her arms and crossing one leg over the other, Naya demanded, “Explain yourself, Illya. What exactly were you doing?”

The lingering discomfort left her looking pale and fierce in Illya and Hipper’s eyes.

Hipper snapped out of her stupor and cast a quick glance at Naya’s face before bowing her head.

Now she understood why Flanna, Bella, and Illya had been so apprehensive. This silver-haired dragon was indeed the Dragon King—the intensity in her gaze alone could frighten an army.

“I-I went to save the princess, because she didn’t want to stay in the palace. I wanted to give her freedom, so I went to rescue her. I… I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I just…”

“Time stops!”

Realizing that Illya was about to tell the truth, Iris urgently activated her special ability and everything in the world stopped working.

In the extra moments allowed by the time stop, Iris racked her brain on how to prevent Illya from confessing. Finally, she quickly used magic to write a line on the wall behind Naya.

[Don’t say anything, or we’ll both be in serious trouble. If Mama asks you something, just say “I’m sorry” and nothing else.]

Then she closed Illya’s mouth, interrupting her.

After completing this sequence, Iris was already sweating slightly. No battle had ever felt as tense as tonight.

As time flowed again, Illya’s words were cut off. She was about to continue when she noticed the bold red letters on the wall behind Naya. She glanced at her Mother, who gave her a serious nod.

Illya gulped.

“I’m sorry, Mama.”

The writing on the wall disappeared.

“Not intentionally hiding it from me? How exactly was it unintentional?”

“I… I’m sorry, Mama. I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to, but… but… I’m sorry!”

Illya lowered her head, apologizing over and over.

Naya raised a hand to touch her own face.

Did Illya’s sudden change in attitude mean she was truly that intimidating? And Illya had been staring at her for quite a while just now…

Naya licked her dry lips, sensing her earlier discomfort must have left her looking quite harsh.

“Alright, look how frightened you’ve made her. Illya was only trying not to worry you. You know if you get stressed, it could affect the twins inside. We’re all just trying to look out for you, so don’t stay angry. It’s over now. See? Illya’s fine. Illya, come here and let Mama take a look. You’re all in one piece, aren’t you?”

Iris gently patted Naya’s back, continuing her strategy to soothe Naya’s temper.

Illya stepped forward slowly.

“Mama, I’m not hurt. You can see for yourself!”

She spun around in front of Naya, her clothes perfectly intact and her skirt as pristine as when it was new.

Naya bent down, putting her hands on Illya’s shoulders to inspect her face, neck, and arms up close. She even lifted Illya’s collar to check for any hidden injuries.

Illya tilted her head up to help, and catching Iris’s gaze, they shared a sigh of relief and a discreet smile. It was clear, listening to her Mother’s advice and simply apologizing had defused the situation.

Poor Illya, unknowingly thrown under the bus by her own Mother.

If she revealed the truth, once the human princess was settled, only Iris would end up punished.

Naya calming down didn’t mean she truly forgave them.

Punishment was still necessary, or they’d never learn their lesson. Otherwise, this mother-daughter pair would start disregarding her more and more, and soon her position in the family would be less than even the dog’s.

Naya didn’t want to see that future.

“Yes, you are not injured, but hiding things from me to go rescue the human princess was a huge mistake! No one can escape the punishment they deserve.”

“Huh?”

“Illya, don’t question your Mama.”

Iris chimed in, supporting Naya.

Illya was bewildered, not understanding her Mother’s game.

Naya finally showed her first smile of the night.

“Exactly, Illya. Admit your mistake like your Mother, and the punishment will be lighter.”

“Uh… but…”

“Ahem! Illya, excuses will only increase your punishment. Don’t try to say nonsense like hiding things for my peace of mind. A mistake is a mistake, and when you make one, you stand tall and take responsibility.”

Seeing her Mother’s stern face, Illya genuinely thought she was at fault, so she can only weakly nod.

“Alright…”

Then, with her pink eyes wide and sparkling, she looked up at Naya, hoping to reduce her punishment with a cute expression.

“Mama, what will the punishment be?”