Chapter 28

However, the answer was beyond Naya’s expectations. To confirm she hadn’t heard wrong, she asked again.

“Time reveals true love?”

“Yes.”

“I, I don’t quite understand.”

What does that mean?

Is it what she thought it meant? Or something else?

“It means exactly what it says. Naya’s voice is very pleasant to listen to. After experiencing the great seas, no other waters suffice, after seeing the clouds of Mount Wu, no other clouds will do. After witnessing Naya’s graceful figure and hearing her mermaid-like voice, no other dragons in the world can catch my eye.”

“You… Are you really this shallow?”

“What else could it be?”

“……”

Naya lowered her head, dissatisfied with the answer.

If feelings were only developed through physical connections, could they easily be replaced by someone else?

After all, the author of that poem, Yuan Zhen, was known to be a scoundrel.

Naya believed more in “Beyond the mountain, there are even higher mountains, will the singing and dancing of West Lake ever cease?”

Sensing Naya’s emotions, Iris added more explanation.

“Alright, let me tell you the truth. Do you remember four years ago?”

“Four years ago…”

“Yes, about four years ago, you asked me if I could give Illya a complete family, so she could grow up in a healthy environment. Back then, I looked into your eyes, saw your humble gaze, and my response to you was silence. But over time, as I observed you and Illya, I was deeply moved by your love for her.”

Iris had never seen what maternal love was, it was something only described in books.

Illya.

That tiny little dragon cub, just freshly transformed.

In this lonely castle, Naya treated Illya as her only ray of hope.

Naya gave all her love to Illya.

Iris watched Naya interact with Illya, watched as Illya gradually learned to call her “Mother”.

This maternal love was blindingly dazzling to Iris at the time.

Finally, after a year of observation and inner conflict, Iris responded to Naya’s request.

“Fine, I can marry you as my queen, and we can play house.”

That’s what Iris told Naya back then.

As it turned out, what started as a pretense eventually became real.

“I remember most of it. Back then, you were still a proud and aloof Dragon King, barely talking to me.”

Naya had been very afraid of Iris at that time.

She rarely initiated conversations with Iris, just to avoid making any mistakes.

“Do you hate me when you think about how I was back then?”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Thank goodness I was moved back then, or I would have missed out on so many more years.”

“Love always requires a process.”

With that explanation, everything made sense.

Starting because of Illya was also the answer Naya was most satisfied with.

They couldn’t linger in the room any longer.

She had to quickly go bathe and then come back to put Illya to sleep.

Breaking free from Iris’s embrace, Naya gathered her clothes and hurried to the bathhouse.

She comfortably soaked in the bath.

Iris was there with her.

Naya turned her head and leaned on Iris’s shoulder, closing her eyes. The warm, milky water enveloped Naya, and fragrant steam rose around them, making it feel like they were soaking in a beautiful dream.

The fatigue and soreness in her body slowly melted away in the warmth.

Her thoughts drifted back to five years ago.

When she had just lost her memory, she was completely at a loss.

In her understanding, it was Iris who had taken her in, fed her, clothed her, sheltered her, and even gave her a name, so she deeply respected Iris.

Whatever Iris told her to do, she obeyed. She often lay on the experiment table, cooperating with Iris’s experiments.

One day, Iris handed her a pink dragon egg and said coldly,

“A dragon egg needs its birth mother to hatch. I don’t have time to deal with it. You help me hatch this egg.”

In one simple sentence, the relationship between the dragon egg, herself, and Iris was made clear.

After receiving the task from Iris, Naya held the dragon egg every day.

She was terrified that if she failed to hatch it, Iris would be angry.

When that little pink dragon finally broke through its shell, Naya still remembered the joy and excitement she felt.

It was at that moment that Naya’s heart truly transformed. She felt like a mother.

Of course.

At that time, in Iris’s eyes, she was essentially a nanny, responsible for caring for Illya, not much different from the maids.

That’s why, even to this day, the maids still call her “Miss Naya” instead of queen or empress.

After all, her true relationship with Iris, as a couple, only came much later.

“Iris…”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“Thank you for letting me know what happiness is. After regaining my memory, I often recalled the past. I kept wondering what happiness meant to me. Was it roaming the world with a sword? Or farming and trading? I used to think that marriage was the end of life, a surrender to it. But thank you for giving me a chance to rediscover love.”

Therefore, the marriage contract she had made with Lina was actually an unreachable goal.

It was a helpless choice after they retired as heroes.

“Naya…”

“I love you, Iris.”

She couldn’t help but express her true feelings.

By the time Naya realized it, she had already bitten her lip, embarrassed by her words, burying her face in the crook of Iris’s neck.

Like a fiery chili about to explode, her face was bright red.

Iris held Naya’s shoulders, her deep red eyes shimmering, filled with endless tenderness.

Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.

……

After successfully putting Illya to sleep.

Naya began preparing today’s pineapple pie!

“Watch closely! Iris, today I’ll show you my culinary skills!”

She dismissed the maids.

Now, only Iris and Naya remained in the kitchen.

It was rare for Iris to take a day off, and she wanted to spend all her time with Naya.

For five years, she had never seen Naya cook.

No, in fact, Iris hadn’t entered a kitchen for over a hundred years, except as a child when she was hungry and would sneak in for food.

“Chop the pineapple into small cubes.”

“Mix the flour, make the dough base. Stir the cornstarch with water.”

Pineapple pie was a common dessert in this otherworld, and Naya rarely made it. The maids probably made it better.

But she just wanted to show off in front of Iris.

Although pineapple pie didn’t really test cooking skills, to Iris, who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen, Naya seemed incredibly impressive.

“Fry the butter, then add the pineapple cubes. Stir with cornstarch.”

In just half an hour, Naya had the pineapple pie ready.

Taking it out of the magical oven, Naya squinted and smiled as she brought it to Iris.

“Ta-da! The delicious pineapple pie is ready!”

Sitting at the kitchen’s center table, Iris looked up, glancing at Naya’s wildly wagging silver dragon tail. Seeing her expectant face, Iris couldn’t help but laugh.

“My wife is really capable.”

The thick silver dragon tail wagged even more enthusiastically. Her little wish fulfilled, Naya was in an ecstatic state.

[Host, don’t forget your real task.]

The system in Naya’s consciousness suddenly chimed in.

[Am I really that unreliable?!]

[Last time, you were. You got so happy that you were easily coaxed by Iris. Oh right, it went something like this: ‘System, stop talking. Let her love me.’]

And now, Naya was almost in the same situation.

Just from Iris’s one sentence, “My wife is really capable,” she was already so overjoyed.

Let’s hope the evening doesn’t end the same way.

Naya’s tail stiffened as memories of past embarrassment surged through her mind, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

[This time is different, okay? I don’t have much credibility left. I’ve already overdrawn all of it last night. There won’t be another giveaway!]

[You better be right.]

[Aren’t you slacking off? Why do you care? Go chill somewhere and stop interrupting me while I feed Iris pineapple pie!]

The system residing in Naya’s consciousness watched as she scooped the pineapple pie and fed it to Iris, bite by bite, using the same spoon, completely shameless.

The system was confused.

But, looking at it from another perspective, if the main task was never completed, would that mean it could keep enjoying the sweetness between Naya and Iris forever?