Chapter 124

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Chapter 124: Now You Know Who’s Really In Charge, Right?

Iris gave a slight smile.

“Of course not.”

A little grievance might be tolerable for her wife, but there’s no way she’d let Naya endure something so tormenting.

“Why? Logically speaking, without the earth vein energy, wouldn’t they be going hungry?”

“The energy they absorb mostly goes into storage. It’s like when we eat—if we eat a bit too much, we don’t feel overly full because it turns into a backup energy source. They’ve just released their backup energy, and you produce mental energy every day for them to absorb. That’s their primary energy for growth. After all, formula can’t compare to breast milk, right?”

What a vivid metaphor.

Naya breathed a sigh of relief.

Iris suddenly shifted her tone.

“But occasional stomach aches are unavoidable. Even if they’re full, they’ll still sometimes act up. They’ll never feel truly satisfied with energy, so we just have to soothe them when they get restless.”

“Alright.”

Naya counted on her fingers—there were still more than half a month until the nearby earth veins would bloom.

Based on the frequency of her recent stomach aches, she figured she’d have to endure this pain three or four more times.

“Sigh, why did you use up all that energy? What was the point?”

“It was a rare chance to run an experiment. The Dragon God’s radiation has only ever existed in legend. Hearing about it a 100 times can’t compare to seeing it once. I wanted to see how many people it would affect.”

Just for a glimpse, just for a test.

It’s easy for her to experiment like this—she’s not the one carrying the children. She just loves to mess around.

Naya crossed her arms. Though it wouldn’t hurt the children, Iris’s behavior felt like she was taking their snacks and handing them out to others. Naya couldn’t help but think the children might be a bit unhappy about it.

“A world-class amount of energy just wasted like that. My heart aches.”

“I’m sorry.”

Seeing Iris’s pitiful expression, Naya knew she was faking it.

This woman, Iris.

Outwardly, she acted like a henpecked spouse, but inside, she still carried that pride and dominance of a Dragon King.

But then again, Naya adored Iris.

Every time she got angry, Naya would end up giving Iris some kind of reward.

This time was no exception.

She didn’t want to turn into a fierce, nagging wife.

Naya bent down, sharing her warmth and tenderness with Iris.

When she lifted her head, she saw a smug look in Iris’s eyes, as if she had expected everything to go exactly this way.

Naya suddenly regretted it.

Once again, she’d caved too easily.

“You’re not a child like Illya. After apologizing, you should also sincerely reflect. We’re going to be partners for life, and if all these little conflicts in our daily lives keep piling up, even someone as gentle and kind as me will reach a breaking point one day.”

“Alright, I will listen to you.”

Naya straightened up, gazing at Iris.

She figured it was time to give this woman a little punishment. Otherwise, Iris’s ego would soar sky-high.

So that evening, Naya took her family of three to bathe. She undressed Illya first and placing her into the water, letting her play with her toys on her own.

As Naya stood by the locker, undressing, she brought up what she had said at noon.

“Iris, I’ve decided on your punishment.”

“Hmm?”

She glanced meaningfully at Iris’s smooth backside.

Iris’s lips twitched nervously.

“What… what are you planning?”

Usually, if Naya gave her that look when they were alone, it meant Iris was in for a treat. But the child was still here.

“I told you, wash up and wait for me.”

“Wait for what?”

Smack!

Naya clapped her hands.

“But… Illya’s still here.”

Iris glanced at Illya, who was happily playing with a toy duck in the water. Her usual slime spirit form wasn’t convenient to carry around because it needed a whole night to dry out and return to its normal shape. Illya actually preferred small toys that were easier to carry.

“What? You don’t want to? You said you’d accept any punishment, didn’t you?”

“Naya, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

This time, Naya wouldn’t go soft.

Iris had repeatedly gone behind her back to cause trouble. On the bed, Naya could let Iris take charge, but in daily life, if she showed any weakness, Iris would just take things further.

Naya didn’t want to go back to the way things were before—when she was Illya’s nanny, humbly obeying Iris’s every command.

She wanted to be a strong, independent woman with responsibility and conviction. She kept her gaze fixed on Iris’s backside.

“Bend over.”

Iris swallowed.

“Naya, do you know what you’re saying?”

“I know.”

Naya placed her hands over her belly, pressing into her thick layer of fat.

“Today, I’ll show you who’s truly in charge in this household.”

Who takes the lead in bed means nothing.

True authority comes from strength in daily life.

“You’re already the biggest one in this family. I admit, I’m no match for you.”

Naya’s face flushed as she noticed Iris’s gaze shift downward, realizing the implication in Iris’s words.

She grabbed a bathrobe from the locker and threw it over herself.

She glared at Iris.

“Are you going to bend over or not?”

“Naya, you’re not serious, are you?”

“Stop babbling!”

Naya was angry, and the consequences were serious.

She walked over to Iris, grabbed her hand, and pressed her firmly against the locker door. She stood on her toes, pinning Iris in place.

Iris didn’t resist, letting Naya hold her hands in place. She was already anticipating Naya giving in.

“Turn around.”

Would Naya give in?

With that doubt in mind, Iris obediently turned around.

Following the usual script, Naya would wrap her arms around Iris from behind, hold her waist, and launch into another lecture about how much she loved her.

Yes, knowing Naya’s personality, she would definitely do that.

Smack!

What was that sound?

Illya, playing with her toy duck in the water, heard a crisp sound echoing in the bathroom, sharp and resonant like the snap of a bamboo stick.

She glanced over at the two adults by the locker.

Getting all lovey-dovey again.

“Adults…” she sighed.

It must have been the locker door slamming shut when her Mama pushed Iris against it, she thought.

She looked back down and resumed playing with her toy.

Then another sharp sound echoed.

This time, Illya couldn’t help but feel curious. She carefully watched her Mama and Iris, observing their every move. Through the thick steam, she couldn’t make out their expressions, but she could see their shadows and outlines.

After waiting for half a minute, Illya saw a shadow of a hand rise and then fall.

Smack!

The sound made Illya flinch slightly.

Wow, Mama and Mother are really going all out.

“Enough, Naya…”

It had happened three times already, and Iris’s face was flushed with shame and frustration. She summoned her strength, broke free from Naya’s hold, and turned around, grabbing Naya’s right hand.

“Hmph!”

Naya let out a cold huff.

Sometimes, reasoning requires a firm hand.

Iris felt a bit displeased. She sensed that her Dragon Queen dignity had been trampled on by Naya, but she couldn’t bring herself to get truly angry or criticize Naya for her punishment.

Naya held Iris’s hand and pulled her close, letting Iris feel her determination.

“Now, do you know who’s the boss in this house?”

“Yes, I know. You’re the boss. You’re the biggest.”

In every sense of the word.

Oh wow! So there’s still a reward in the end.

Suddenly, Iris felt it was all worth it.

No matter how strong Naya acted, she could never break her habit of giving a sweet reward after a firm hand.

“Hmph…”

To avoid things from getting out of hand, Naya released Iris’s hand.

She hoped this lesson would truly help Iris realize that her position in this household was essential, and she couldn’t keep going behind Naya’s back with her antics.

Plus, she’d intentionally chosen to do it in front of Illya—to suppress Iris’s pride a bit more and to show Illya that her mom was the true core of this family.

“Come on, let’s go bathe and cool down.”

Naya slipped off her nightgown and walked toward the bath.

Illya carefully observed Naya’s backside. Nothing there!

Then, her mother finally arrived.

Whoa!

There was a clear mark of five fingers, like an imprint of a palm.

“Illya, what’s the matter? Do you want a nice tattoo like this too?”

“!!!”

Her mother’s gaze felt like it could kill, and though Illya was soaking in warm water, a chill ran down her spine.

She quickly shook her head.

Beside her, Naya pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh.

Iris was helpless, reduced to scaring a child—how amusing.

[System, I think… I understand now.]

[Understand what?]

[It feels amazing to be in charge!]

[Host, you’ve finally gotten it.]

The system was practically moved to tears when Naya had given Iris those three loud claps on the waist.

Its host had finally come into her own.

Thinking back to Naya’s initial timid self, she had hesitated for days before completing a task of giving Iris 10 light spanks, even using an excuse to avoid it in the end.

Now, Naya could even take the initiative.

Watching her growth firsthand—how could the system not be proud?

The only regret was that Naya hadn’t yet truly taken the lead.

But tonight’s actions gave the system hope for a future where Naya would fully embrace that role.

One day, the “Naya-attack” party would finally rise.

[By the way, System, was everything Iris said at noon true? About my body, I mean.]

[It should be, mostly.]

[What do you mean ‘mostly’? You’re a system, don’t you know how my previous system transformed me into a dragon? You should understand my physical situation, right?]

[Generally speaking, there’s no error. Systems were born in the main god space, essentially, systems are servants of the main god. Your previous system sacrificed itself, converting its energy to use divine means to transform you into a dragon. This did indeed grant your body a degree of divinity, making you an ideal divine mother. Combined with Iris’s Dragon King genes, the two of you could easily produce extraordinary offspring.]

[So, does that mean every child I have from now on could be a god?]

[Not necessarily. But, at a minimum, any child born from you two would have pure Dragon King blood and won’t be weak by any means.]

[The children born through my pregnancy won’t all have dual souls, right?]

[No, quite the opposite. Your next child is very unlikely to have dual souls. That phenomenon was due to the influence of royal blood, possibly a sign of a unique ability. There are countless abilities among Dragon Kings, so the odds of getting the same one twice are incredibly low.]

[Thank goodness.]

Now, she could relax and look forward to having more children.

Naya’s hands, submerged in the water, instinctively moved to her lower abdomen. In about a month, she’d finally be giving birth. She felt both excited and a bit reluctant.

…

After learning from the king about her mother’s past and the truth of her own body, Hipper chose not to kill the king or seize the throne.

Instead, she controlled him in secret, directing him to manage the affairs of the palace.

Those under her control retained their normal personalities, but they developed a sense of loyalty to her. In other words, Hipper had effectively hypnotized the king, so he acted mostly as usual, though he behaved somewhat differently in front of her.

Hipper’s abilities alone wouldn’t suffice to calm the civil and military officials after a dragon attack on the palace, nor to quiet the rumors circulating throughout Boros City. So, even though she despised the king, she still needed his help.

In the days following the dragon attack on the palace, scales began to appear on the bodies of some palace residents and civilians in nearby areas. The king himself exhibited these symptoms as well. He summoned the highest-ranking healer in the city to analyze these cases. They were surprised to find that the patients’ conditions resembled a historical ailment known as Dragon Scale Disease.

To prevent widespread panic across Boros City and the entire Kingdom of Dia, the king gathered all those affected by the Dragon Scale Disease in the palace for temporary quarantine and study.

Thankfully, the condition didn’t impair bodily functions. Aside from the itching sensation of scales growing on their skin, the affected individuals were largely normal.

Upon hearing these developments, Hipper sat alone in her room, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Her crimson eyes already looked otherworldly, but since she had taken control of everyone who knew her vampiric nature, she could roam the palace freely without anyone suspecting her true identity.

Hipper raised her hand, inspecting her snow-white arm, which bore no trace of dragon scales.

“Why haven’t I contracted Dragon Scale Disease? Both Father and Baris have it…”

She longed to become a dragon herself. If she did, one day she could see Illya again, and they could enjoy human delicacies together. Currently, she could consume nothing but fresh blood.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

“Princess, pardon the interruption.”

Hipper stood up, opened the door, and a maid presented her with a pink envelope.

“Princess, you have received a letter.”

“A letter? Who is it from?”

“I’m sorry, Princess. His Majesty asked me to pass it to you, but he didn’t tell me who sent it.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

Hipper took the pink envelope, closed the door, and sat down at her vanity. She opened it, pulled out the paper inside, and saw the round, childlike handwriting.

It was from Illya!

[Dear Hipper, I’ve missed you so much in just 3 days.

I heard from my mother that the things you told us were due to circumstances beyond your control.

You’re still on our side, and you still consider me a good friend.

Today is my birthday.

So, I wanted to invite you to my birthday party with this letter.

Tomorrow, we’ll be leaving Boros City to go on an adventure. I hope you’ll come—same inn, same room.

From, Illya.]

Hipper held the letter, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Illya… But I can’t taste cake anymore.”

But, with a sniffle, she resolved to go regardless. The cake wasn’t what mattered, it was the thought behind it.

She would prepare a special gift, both to celebrate Illya’s birthday and as a farewell present before they parted ways.