Chapter 123

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Chapter 123: What Else Are You Hiding From Me?

The young dragon girl, being carried on a shoulder as they left the palace, kept calling out.

“Mother! Let me go back! Hipper isn’t that kind of person! If we just explain things properly, she’ll understand we only wanted to help her find justice.”

Iris glanced back at Illya.

“Illya, if we go back to Hipper now, she’ll be fully branded as a traitor. Can you let her at least have a reason to clear her name first?”

“Huh?”

The little dragon girl instantly stopped struggling.

After thinking it over, she realized it was true!

Their presence here, causing such chaos, would undoubtedly lead people to suspect Hipper of inviting danger into her own home.

“But wait! Mother, wasn’t Hipper supposed to come with us? We could just find out her past, beat up the king a little, and leave. Who cares if people misunderstand her? After all, Hipper will be coming with us to live among the dragons.”

“Illya, you’re the future Dragon Queen. Can you stop thinking about playing all the time?”

Iris’s words carried a hint of blame.

Illya lowered her gaze.

“Oh…”

So Mother really had her own intentions for helping Hipperl?

Iris’s intentions were so clear now that Illya stopped protesting.

In the end, Hipper hadn’t misunderstood them at all.

Illya pressed down on Flanna’s shoulder.

“Flanna, let me down. I want one last look at where Hipper lives.”

Flanna loosened her grip, letting Illya slide down her shoulder and dangle from her back. Then she held onto Illya’s short legs.

Illya turned her head for one last glance at the glittering, opulent palace, her eyes filled with a sense of loss.

“Goodbye, Hipper.”

“Don’t worry. Dia Kingdom and the dragons will be allied kingdoms now, so there’ll be plenty of chances to see each other.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because Hipper is on our side. I’ve already told you, she said those things to give herself an excuse to stay. Once Hipper has full control of Dia Kingdom and becomes its Queen, she’ll hold the power to choose her alliances. She could favor the dragons, and then you’ll be able to see her as often as you like.”

“Oh, I get it now.”

Illya wrapped her arms around Flanna’s neck, watching her mother carrying her weakened “Mommy” ahead.

Her mother was still exhausted and had to walk slowly, needing time to recover.

“But I’m still disappointed. I really liked the thrill of kidnapping a princess and watching humans scramble to rescue her, only to keep losing and being powerless against me.”

If, one day, she and the princess met as part of diplomatic relations, Illya felt that her excitement and heartbeat would be reduced by a lot.

No one responded to her, so she buried her head against Flanna’s shoulder.

“Sigh…”

She let out a helpless sigh.

The world of adults was truly awful.

Avoiding the public’s gaze, Iris led her family back to the inn.

For today, their mission had come to an end.

Naya lay on the bed, looking at Iris, who sat beside her, and voiced a simple request.

“I’m hungry.”

“Flanna and Bella have gone to buy food. Just wait a bit longer.”

“After we eat, I’ll deal with you.”

“You still have to deal with me?”

“Yes, once I’m full and have regained my strength, be ready.”

Naya raised her hand and softly slapped Iris’s thigh.

The energy she had gathered near Rex City had been completely consumed. No, wait—

There was still a bit left in the system.

Most of what the children had taken in had either contributed to their souls’ growth or been expelled, all just to create that dazzling light show.

The “bomb” had been planted in her body by Iris yesterday.

Iris herself likely couldn’t control the souls of those two little ones, but Herax was intimately familiar with the energy fluctuations in her body.

After Herax communicated with the two little ones, they willingly unleashed their true power—what was called “Dragon God Radiation”.

According to legend, anyone who followed the path of the Dragon God could transform into a dragon without any side effects.

The Dragon God itself was a formidable source of radiation.

Of course, this transformation only occurred if there was a sufficient supply of leyline energy, allowing the Dragon God to emit radiation that could induce genetic mutations in humans.

These mutations were targeted, enabling humans to evolve into dragons.

Previously, Iris had mentioned that the Dragon God was a branch of the Star Gods, specifically a branch of the “Synchronization” Star God.

It turned out that Iris had hidden much from her.

The worst part wasn’t that Iris had entered her room yesterday to plant the “bomb”—it was that Iris had always known the true identities of the two little ones. This whole journey was built around the theme of the Dragon God.

How could it all be a coincidence?

Right near Rex City lay a history related to Herax, the leyline memories preserving humanity’s attempts to create the Dragon God. Everything was perfectly aligned.

All of it had been planned by Iris.

Iris took Naya’s frail hand in hers.

“You can punish me however you want.”

“After we eat,” Naya replied.

“Mommy, you’re such a glutton.”

Watching her mother and mommy interact from beside the table, Illya gave a silly smile.

Iris turned to Illya and said nonchalantly, “Illya, you should eat a bit less and leave more for Mommy. Mommy’s been drained by the little ones and needs extra energy.”

“Ugh…”

Illya’s face immediately fell into a pout.

If Mother wanted more food, she would have flatly refused. But for Mama, she couldn’t bear to see her suffer, she only wants Mama to be happy.

She could sense the energy density in the light Mommy released in the palace and knew exactly how much Mommy had expended.

Naya struggled to sit up.

“It’s okay, Illya, you eat as much as you like. Illya’s had a hard time too—not like someone who constantly has her wife running in circles. Illya always thinks about Mommy and rushes to the battlefield the moment Mommy is in trouble.”

Another jab.

Iris looked tearfully resigned.

In truth, her plan had still relied on a lot of luck.

If Semira hadn’t pulled Naya into the domain at the same time, this plan would have completely fallen through, and she wouldn’t have needed to tell Naya.

Illya shook her head.

“No, let Mommy eat it all. I—I didn’t really help. If not for Mommy’s help, Herax would have lost.”

Illya lowered her head, feeling a bit ashamed.

Thankfully, Hipper hadn’t entered the domain. Otherwise, her boasts would’ve been thoroughly exposed.

Soon, Flanna and Bella entered Naya’s room carrying four bags of food and began setting dishes on the table.

“Your Majesty, please enjoy your meal. We’ll go get more.”

“Huh? Why don’t you both sit down and eat too?”

“You’re too kind, Your Majesty. At this time, you need to replenish your energy. We wouldn’t want to take any of your food.”

Naya looked at the two maids. They showed no signs of fatigue.

Only then did she remember that one couldn’t compare dragons to humans—carrying a few bags was nothing for dragons.

“Very well.”

“Enjoy your meal, Your Majesty.”

Flanna and Bella left the room and continued shopping, chatting as they walked to keep their conversation from reaching others.

“Bella, did you see that magnificent sight? Lady Naya might be the Dragon God!”

“Not necessarily—it could also be Lady Naya’s child.”

“But if Miss Naya can bear a Dragon God, it means she herself must possess divinity. This isn’t a case of a commoner rising to power—Her Majesty the Queen was the one reaching up.”

“Who exactly is Miss Naya?”

Bella looked up at the blazing sun in the sky.

All Bella remembered was that, in the beginning, Naya had lost her memory and had been taken in by Her Majesty the Queen to serve as Illya’s personal nanny.

From nanny to Queen Consort, Bella had always thought Miss Naya’s story was a classic tale of a commoner rising to the top.

So, it turned out Naya had a background all along.

But before she lost her memory, just who was she?

Bella and Flanna didn’t go to a high-end restaurant; they chose a regular one instead, aiming to get lunch as quickly as possible to bring it back.

Restaurants were usually good places to pick up information.

However, Bella and Flanna didn’t hear any news from the patrons about Casimir Knights stopping in Boros City. Instead, everyone was passionately discussing the recent disturbances in the royal palace.

That put them at ease.

Otherwise, if the Casimir Knights chased them here just because they’d let their guard down—right after they’d stirred things up at the palace, then snuck out like it was no big deal—another fierce battle would’ve been inevitable.

Right now, the Boros Palace was in a state of internal chaos, and with the pure-blood vampire Hipper guarding it, no one except the Casimir Knights would likely bother them.

…

Naya admitted that today was the most unladylike she had ever been.

Looking at the empty plates on the dining table, Naya picked up a napkin and lightly dabbed her mouth.

She had devoured about 90% of the food, leaving 9% for Illya and 1% for Iris.

At last, Illya witnessed what a true “fairy-style feeding frenzy” looked like.

Driven by the instinct to replenish energy, Naya had been shoveling food into her mouth.

When she finally snapped back to reality, she had cleared the entire table.

The stomach of a dragon is like a massive battery, it can store a huge amount of energy from large meals.

So, even after eating so much, Naya didn’t feel particularly full.

“Want more? I can ask Flanna and Bella to go out again.”

“No, that’s enough.”

Naya shook her head.

But she noticed Illya’s dazed look at the empty plates—Illya’s meager 5% portion for lunch was barely enough to fill a tooth gap.

“Illya, why don’t you head next door and join Flanna and Bella for their meal?”

Naya was now fully re-energized and ready to settle the score with Iris.

And it was a perfect way to send Illya off.

“Yay, yay! Flanna, Bella, here I come!”

Without a moment of regret for the lunch that had disappeared, Illya swiftly slipped off her chair and dashed out the door with a gleeful determination to eat her fill.

Now, only the dragon couple remained in the room.

“Now, it’s your turn, Iris.”

Naya pointed her finger at Iris.

“Are you ready to face my judgment?”

Iris glanced at the empty table.

“This meal was paid with my money.”

“What… what do you mean, ‘your money’? Your money is my money!”

“And you’re carrying my child. The baby can’t be born without their mother.”

Iris, this scoundrel.

Naya had to admit, those two lines had managed to deflate her anger just a bit.

She crossed her arms.

“Divorce is off the table, but if you ever want back in my bed, then come clean right now—how much more have you kept from me?”

“Basically, nothing.”

“‘Basically’? Meaning there’s still something?”

“Um… can’t think of anything right now.”

Naya took a deep breath.

Fine, she’d save those secrets for another time. For now, she needed to clarify the events at the palace.

“About the Dragon God—you have nothing to explain about that? Am I the Dragon God, or is it the baby?”

“The baby.”

“Then what am I?”

“You’re the mother of the Dragon God.”

Iris’s answers were technically complete, but Naya felt like they barely scratched the surface.

Naya frowned, glaring at Iris.

“Explain yourself. Don’t just wait for me to ask everything.”

Iris put on a solemn expression.

“The story starts a long, long time ago.”

“Iris!”

Naya stood up, walked over to Iris, and plopped herself right down on Iris’s lap. Turning sideways, she grabbed Iris’s ear with both hands.

“Stop with the jokes and tell me what I want to know!”

“Muah~”

Taking advantage of Naya’s distraction, Iris stole a quick kiss on her lips.

“Ow!”

It seemed that without a bit of force, Iris wouldn’t get serious. But mindful of Iris’s status as the Dragon King, Naya only tugged a little before letting go of her ear.

“Now, can you start talking?”

Iris blinked her eyes innocently, feigning a hurt expression.

“The story begins six years ago, when I first brought you back after you’d lost your memory. I was curious about how you became a dragon.”

“Mhm, and then?”

“So, I started digging, and what I found was astounding. You’re very different from an ordinary dragon—like, for example, you have a high fertility rate. Also, because of the energy from the system, your body was saturated with the same kind of energy that initially transformed you into a dragon. It had fused into every part of you. That’s when I began wondering: what if I tried to conceive a child with you through natural means?”

“…”

The silver dragon on her lap didn’t look pleased.

Iris quickly continued.

“But I didn’t rush into it. First, I combined your genes with mine to create Illya. And what I discovered was remarkable—despite not being born from your body, Illya possessed extraordinary talent and pure Dragon King blood, without a trace of impurity.”

“Mhm…”

“Later, after I hopelessly fell in love with you, when I decided that I couldn’t live without you, I secretly… made you pregnant.”

“Hmm?”

Iris wrapped her arms around Naya’s waist, gazing deeply into her eyes.

“I swear, I haven’t lied about anything. Naya, from the moment I decided I wanted you to carry my child, I was set on you being my queen. I wanted all of you to belong to me. I didn’t inform you beforehand because, yes, I wanted to tie you to me forever… In hindsight, I realize it wasn’t right. But you forgave me, didn’t you?”

“Of course.”

Hearing this, all the worries in Naya’s heart dissipated.

She raised her hand to caress Iris’s cheek.

What she had feared was that Iris had made her pregnant out of some hidden agenda, not love.

Iris had held back for nearly 6 years before taking that step.

While part of it was her curiosity about what kind of dragon egg Naya’s body might produce, by that time their relationship had already deepened—the number of times they’d shared a bed was beyond count, so having a child wasn’t too much to ask.

“I’m sorry, Naya. I know I was wrong.”

Iris buried her head in Naya’s ample cleavage, but Naya quickly pulled her head back up.

“Hold off on the apology. Is there anything else? Tell me everything, and then you can apologize all at once.”

“Well, there’s… your blood. I’ve taken quite a bit of it for research, using it to develop my own dragon transformation technique.”

“That doesn’t matter. Anything else?”

“Then, there’s what I already told you. From the moment you became pregnant, I analyzed the child’s dual souls. And yesterday, I added a bit of magic into your body to help them sense external energy fluctuations, building a bridge for them to communicate with Herax.”

“Anything else?”

“Well… there’s something regarding Illya.”

“Something else about Illya?!”

“No, no, it’s nothing major. Calm down, calm down.”

Iris patted Naya’s back, putting on an ingratiating smile.

“Out with it.”

Only when she sat on Iris’s lap did Naya feel she could truly look down at her.

It was important to keep up the pressure and maintain her dominance.

That was absolutely the reason she was sitting on Iris’s lap, and not because being held by Iris was so comfortable and reassuring.

“Illya has always grown up healthy, so you don’t need to worry about that. I just kept it from her that I used her to lure out the human princess, made her build a good relationship with her, and drew the human princess to our side. Then, I tricked Illya into thinking she could bring the human princess back to the dragon side with her. I also had her encourage Semira to use her domain so you’d be pulled in too, allowing Herax to communicate with the souls inside you. That’s it. Not too overboard, right?”

“Anything else?”

Naya sounded insatiable, pressing Iris for more and more.

But Iris was out of secrets to reveal.

“No, that’s all.”

“Then you can apologize now.”

“I’m sorry, Naya. I was wrong. You can punish me however you like.”

Iris’s gaze held 3 parts guilt, 3 parts pleading, 3 parts mischievous glee, and a touch of anticipation.

Based on her past experiences, Iris no longer feared Naya’s punishments—in fact, they felt more like rewards.

“Punish you, hmm…”

Naya’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she grinned.

“I’ll save it for later.”

Keeping Iris on edge was the best punishment. Otherwise, every time Naya resolved to punish her, she always ended up caving in.

Naya slid off Iris’s lap.

“Overall, everything you did is still within my tolerance, so I’ll delay your punishment for now.”

She looked down and patted her skirt.

Setting aside whatever purpose Iris had in making her release radiation, Naya wanted to handle her own immediate concerns first.

“But you used up all the children’s energy. So what’s the plan until we find the next energy source? Am I going to have stomach pains every day?”