Chapter 118

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Chapter 118: The Dragon Queen And The Human Princess’s Pact

“Alright, Illya, you keep copying your ‘Three Character Classic’, no more distractions,” said Iris, setting the handkerchief aside, as Hipper’s tears of blood had finally ceased.

“Ugh… fine.” 

Illya reluctantly let go of Hipper. Before leaving her embrace, she gazed deeply into Hipper’s one green and one red eye, filled with sincerity.

“Hipper, you have to trust my mother. She’s the most amazing person in the world—she can do anything. Don’t worry, she’ll definitely get rid of that horrible vampire blood in you. Then, you can be normal, or even a dragon, and travel with us! We’ll go eat, eat, and eat!”

Hipper smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Illya. I believe in you both.”

Illya was so sweet. How could she be so kind, especially as a dragon? 

Staring into Illya’s innocent pink eyes, Hipper couldn’t detect any hidden motive. It felt like Illya was genuinely being friendly. She didn’t quite understand why Illya was so kind to her. Or maybe… was Illya this nice to everyone?

A hint of jealousy stirred in Hipper’s heart.

Confirming that Iris had no other instructions, Naya turned to Bella. 

“Bella, give me the room key.”

“Here you go, Your Majesty.” 

Bella pulled the key from her pocket and handed it to Naya. 

Although curious, she knew it was best not to question her superiors.

“Anything else we need to take care of, Iris?”

“That’s all.”

“Then come with me. Flanna, Bella, you two stay here. I’ll talk with Iris in your room.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Naya took Iris by the hand, led her next door, and closed the door behind them. They sat down at the table, facing each other.

“Tell me, did you have plans for Hipper from the start?”

“Yes.”

“So last night, when you let Illya go off to save the princess, it wasn’t just about letting her learn to make her own choices and bear the consequences—it was also to fulfill your scheme, right? You wanted to win over the princess of the Dia Kingdom and gain more influence over it?”

“A bit of both.”

Naya took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on Iris, her previously softened expression turning serious once more.

“I’m sorry, Naya. I didn’t tell you in advance, but I wanted to spare you any worry.”

“Hmph!” Naya turned her head aside, looking miffed.

Iris paused for a moment before beginning to outline her plan.

“Actually, I saw Hipper’s vampire heritage right away yesterday morning. I could see every detail of the illusion she cast on Illya. That’s when a plan started to take shape. While you and Illya were bathing, I shared it with Flanna and Bella. We scoped out the palace and Boros City, so they could protect Illya and help her take the princess of Dia Kingdom, then escape safely.”

Iris paused before continuing.

“From what the princess said to Semira, we could guess she loathed the palace and resented being confined. I believe she must hate the king. So, I’m going to use that against him, help the princess transform into a dragon so she can rebel. I’ll guide her growth, and one day she’ll become the next queen of this kingdom.”

“Oh.”

“Since Illya is a key player in all of this, I was worried you might object, so I didn’t tell you.”

Illya’s role was crucial, without her charm and innocence, Hipper might not have been loyal to the dragons.

“Understood.”

Naya sighed, deciding to let it go. Iris’s meticulousness was almost disappointing—after all, Naya had just assured her she’d be her second pair of eyes.

In the end, Iris’s sharp eyes saw right through everything.

Sometimes, it wasn’t that Naya wanted to play the role of Iris’s little wife, it was just that under Iris’s protection, she had little choice but to play that part.

[So, it’s not wrong that I want to make you stronger, to help you prove your worth in this family, Host.]

[But Iris is so strong, she’s already thought of everything. In the end, I feel like I’m the one messing around, while Iris is taking care of real business, and I’m just worrying needlessly.]

[That’s the Dragon Queen for you. Even if her intelligence isn’t the very best, she’s more than worthy of her title as the Dragon Queen, with a maxed-out power level.]

[What’s the next task, System?]

[Haven’t decided yet.]

[Haven’t decided yet?]

[Yes, Host. This system is… a bit lost. Not sure how to proceed with the main storyline mission.]

[Forget about that main mission. Just assign me some random tasks to go through the motions, provide me with the energy I need so I can evolve into an emperor-level dragon sooner.]

[No, the main mission isn’t the end goal, it’s a way to make you stronger. You don’t have to complete it in the end, but you do have to get stronger. Only when you control your own destiny can you truly grasp happiness.]

The system couldn’t just hand over energy to Naya without a reason. Every mission had to align with opposing the Dragon Queen’s enemies for the rewards to be granted. Otherwise, the mission wouldn’t pass approval.

For now, life was peaceful, and the system had no grounds to make Naya stir up trouble.

“Naya?”

Seeing Naya lost in thought, Iris softly called her name.

“Hmm?”

“What are you thinking about? Are you upset?”

Naya snapped out of her daze, the corners of her eyes lifting in a smile.

“No.”

She stood up and then sat sideways on Iris’s lap, leaning against her shoulder with a sigh.

“It’s just… sometimes you seem so strong that you feel almost out of reach to me.”

“I’m sorry to have made you feel that way.”

Iris gently ruffled Naya’s hair.

“No, it’s not a worry… actually, it’s kind of nice like this.”

“Mmm.”

Holding Naya, Iris closed her eyes, settling into a comfortable silence.

…

Finally, during the afternoon, Illya finished copying the “Three Character Classic” a hundred times.

“Ugh, my hand is so sore! Bella, bring me the food!”

The little dragon girl threw down her feather quill and grabbed Hipper’s hand, who was accompanying her in copying the “Three Character Classic”.

“Come on, Hipper, it’s time to eat.”

Back in Rex City or during the struggle for the Earth’s Sacred Relic, Flanna and Bella often stayed out of sight, so they were not remembered by the mother and daughter of the Paladin. This meant they could walk around freely without fear of being recognized.

They brought back lunch in packages.

Yes, that’s right. With Illya’s appetite, it took both Flanna and Bella to carry all the food in a single trip.

The table in the room was fully set. They weren’t worried about Illya not finishing, they were only worried she’d still be hungry.

“What’s the matter, Hipper? Don’t you like the food?”

Illya looked over at Hipper, who seemed disinterested in lunch.

“Mmm… it doesn’t look as good as in the palace. I’m… not used to it.”

“Ugh, you’re too picky! No wonder you’re so frail. Eat more, or your body will be too weak to become a dragon.”

Illya pushed a bowl towards Hipper and eagerly piled food onto her plate.

Spending time with Hipper felt a hundred times better than being with Parnis back in the palace.

Both she and Hipper were the same age, both little girls.

The concept of “peers” was precious to Illya.

But, staring at the full table, Hipper had no appetite.

Still, she forced herself to eat so as not to raise Illya’s suspicions.

During the midday rest.

“Hipper, come on, let’s nap together. Sleep well and grow strong!”

Illya practically couldn’t bear to part from Hipper, and after copying the “Three Character Classic”, she couldn’t wait to stick to Hipper’s side.

Now it was nap time, and once again, Illya tugged on Hipper, insisting they sleep together.

“Mmm.”

Having just eaten the heavy meal, Hipper felt a bit light-headed as she followed Illya to the bed for a midday rest.

However, her craving for blood still tormented her spirit.

Her dreams were filled with the color of blood, and every memory she had was tinged with crimson.

But Hipper knew she had to suppress this desire. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be worthy of joining Illya on her journey.

She couldn’t let Illya down. She wanted to experience all the world’s delicious foods with her.

Luckily, since she’d had a special tomato juice just yesterday, she could bear this small craving.

But by nightfall, the bloodthirsty thoughts were incessantly gnawing at her mind.

She opened her eyes to find herself wedged between two dragon maids.

Their enticing scent made her hunger rise.

No. She couldn’t harm them!

Hipper clutched her head, fighting off the wicked thoughts.

Carefully, she climbed over Flanna, slipped out of bed, and put on her slippers.

Maybe there’d be a lone night wanderer outside, a “lucky” passerby she could drain to ease her hunger, which might restore her appetite for regular food.

She tiptoed to open the door, only to be startled by a flash of red before her.

Iris stood leaning against the hallway wall, hands behind her back.

“Why are you up in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”

“I…I have to pee…I have to go at night…”

“Hmph…”

Iris smiled faintly, producing a bottle of crimson tomato juice from behind her back.

“!!!”

Hipper’s eyes went wide.

“Since I promised to bring you along on our journey, how could I let you go hungry? Here.”

Walking over to Hipper, she bent down and handed her the blood-red bottle.

“Really? I can have it?”

“Of course. However much you want, I can provide. After all, you’re not fully part of the vampire race. This will ease your thirst and bring back your appetite for normal food. Lunch must have been hard, right?”

Holding the bottle to her chest, Hipper nodded slowly.

“What… Do you want me to do?”

“You’re sharper than Illya in that regard.”

There were no free meals, especially when it came to a Dragon Queen’s goodwill toward a human.

“Drink up first, then we’ll talk.”

Iris placed a supportive hand on Hipper’s back and guided her into Flanna and Bella’s room. The lights flicked on abruptly.

The two maids on the bed climbed down and greeted Iris.

“Your Majesty.”

“Mmm.”

Closing the door, Iris led Hipper to the table and had her sit.

“Take a seat, Hipper.”

Climbing onto the stool and sitting in front of Iris, Hipper unscrewed the bottle cap, opened the bottle, and swallowed the blood inside with gulps.

With her thirst eased, Hipper felt instantly revived.

“Thank you, Dragon Queen.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You already know I have something I’d like you to help me with.”

“Please, tell me.”

“I want you to become the ruler of this kingdom.”

“The ruler?”

“Yes, in other words, the next King.”

Hipper stared blankly at Iris. Could someone like her really do it?

“You can. Using your vampire abilities: control, and memory insertion.”

“But… my skills are still at a low level… I can only control ordinary people.”

“No worries. I’ll help you. I’ll infuse dragon royal blood into you to bolster your mental influence.”

Iris had already analyzed Hipper’s condition. She wasn’t as fragile as she seemed.

On the contrary, she was an ideal alchemical vessel.

Using the secret art of dragon transformation, by infusing dragon blood, Hipper would become a hybrid of three species.

Of course, this would inevitably bring Hipper mental torment.

But as they say, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If Hipper wanted freedom, she’d have to pay a price.

“Can this really be done?”

“There’s nothing I can’t do. You were born to be a hybrid, your body was always intended as an experiment.”

“…”

A devilish grin curled at Iris’s lips, as if she were an agent of darkness.

“Well? Do you accept this deal? After all, don’t you resent your father? He discarded you, killed your mother, and cast you aside, leaving you to fend for yourself. Is that something worth your loyalty? Wouldn’t it be better to destroy it all?”

“I accept.”

Under Iris’s persuasion, Hipper stopped hesitating.

If it meant gaining freedom, Hipper was willing to do anything.

“Excellent. When the time comes, walk right back to the palace. Use your abilities to cleanse the royal family, make them bow to you, and kneel before you.”

The prospect of the deal made Hipper’s heart race.

The thought of everyone submitting to her stirred her bloodline’s inherent desire for control. After all, Vampires naturally like to dominate others, otherwise they would not like to raise so many blood servants.

“When do we start with this plan?”

“The day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’ll infuse you with dragon blood, and the day after, you’ll return to the palace and do exactly as I instruct.”

“All right.”

“This will be a most enjoyable deal, Princess.”

Iris extended her right hand to Hipper. 

After a brief pause, Hipper lifted her small hand, placing it in Iris’s palm.

They exchanged a knowing smile.

With everything laid out, Hipper felt reassured.

Otherwise, accepting Iris’s kindness without understanding her intentions would have left her constantly on edge.

After giving Hipper’s hand a little shake, Iris released her and stood, casting a glance at the two maids nearby.

These two maids weren’t just for carrying luggage. They handled all the tasks Iris kept hidden from Naya.

“Keep an eye on our Princess. Flanna, Bella.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Goodnight, Hipper.”

“Goodnight, Dragon Queen.”

With a sweep of her robe, Iris left, closing the door behind her.

Hipper let out a long breath. Tonight, she could finally sleep in peace.

Meanwhile, Iris returned to her room.

She crouched beside the bed, watching Naya’s peaceful sleeping face in the darkness with her night vision.

Gently, she raised Naya’s hand, lightly brushing her fingertips over Naya’s delicate wrist, her thumb softly stroking her skin as she searched for the location of the blood vessels.

“My dear wife, I’ll be borrowing a bit of your blood.”

Naturally, this wasn’t for Hipper to drink—Hipper had been given ordinary human blood.

Naya’s blood, however, was far too precious to waste on drinking. It was the key ingredient to make Hipper a supreme hybrid warrior.