Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Final Step

Night had fallen.

Naya arrived early at Illya’s room to tell her a bedtime story, hoping to lull her to sleep quickly. She still had to return to her room to complete the system’s task—riding the Dragon Queen, Iris, for the first time.

“Last time, we left off with the brave hero-turned-dragon princess. At the Dragon Queen’s castle, she learned of the curse of dragon blood. She searched tirelessly for a way to become human again. After combing through countless books in the library, she finally found one that recorded the curse of dragon blood and how a human had once turned into a dragon, only to lift the curse and return to the human kingdom…”

Naya continued narrating.

“One day, the princess learned how to change back into a human. During an outing, she secretly escaped without telling her maid. Upon returning to the human kingdom, she wanted to meet with the king to tell him her story and reclaim her title as a hero.”

“Mhm, mhm…”

“And then? Guess what? The king refused the princess’s request. By then, humans had fabricated a tragic tale for the hero. Heroes were not supposed to return.”

“Why?”

“Because the king needed hatred. He needed people to remember that the hero’s death was glorious. He needs heroes who are willing to sacrificed everything to march bravely into the dragon’s den, regardless of their own safety. That, my dear, is what made the hero worthy of the title.”

“Ugh… I don’t get it.”

Naya smiled softly. She was simplifying the complex relationship between racial hatred and national interests.

“That’s okay. After that, the king ordered the knights by his side to kill the princess. Forced back into her dragon form, she was too gentle and could not bring herself to harm the knights or the king. Taking advantage of her hesitation, one of the knights struck her, and her cursed dragon blood splattered everywhere, filling the palace hall. The king’s eyes turned blood-red, stained with the blood of the dragon. But remember? The blood of the Dragon King carries a curse, and as the heir to the Dragon King, the princess’s blood held the same powerful curse.”

“And then? What happened next?”

Seeing the eager look in Illya’s eyes, Naya smiled and reached out to stroke her pink hair.

“That’s a story for tomorrow night.”

Illya’s face immediately fell in disappointment.

“Ugh… Mama, you always end on a cliffhanger.”

At this moment, Naya seized the opportunity to bring up the news about Illya’s soon-to-arrive sibling.

“Illya, do you know how dragons are born?”

“When humans are cursed by dragon blood, they’re born.”

Just as Naya expected. This was the perfect time to give Illya a proper lesson in dragon reproduction.

“That’s not quite right. Stories are just stories. Illya, don’t take them too seriously. Do you remember how your Mother and I were studying biology the other night? When two dragons love each other, after doing the most intimate thing, they can create a dragon egg, which will eventually hatch into a baby dragon.”

“So… was I born from you, Mama?”

“Uh…”

Oh no, Naya didn’t know how to answer that.

Illya’s case was special. She wasn’t exactly born from her Mama—she was hatched. But for Illya’s mental well-being, it might be best not to tell her exactly how she came into being.

“Yes, Illya. And soon, you’re going to have a little sister. She’s growing inside my belly right now.”

“What?!”

Illya sat up straight in shock, her eyes wide with horror as she stared at Naya.

“Mama, did you eat my sister?!”

Naya burst into laughter.

“No, no! ‘Inside my belly’ is just a figure of speech. There’s a place inside a female dragon’s body called a womb. After your mom and I studied biology, we created a dragon egg in there. In about three months, it will hatch, and by then, you’ll know how a normal dragon is born.”

“What? Biology? How did you create it? Can I make one with you too? Mama, I’m curious— is there really a dragon baby in there?”

Illya stared intently at Naya’s belly, bombarding her with a flurry of questions.

She understood some of it, but not completely.

“When you grow up, you’ll understand. With the blood of the Dragon King running through your veins, you’ll also be able to help another female dragon have dragon babies.”

As soon as Illya heard that she could help others have dragon babies, she was ecstatic.

“I don’t want to wait until I grow up! I want to know now!”

Oops, Naya had gotten too carried away. If she kept talking, Illya would never fall asleep.

Naya thought for a moment, then gently smiled at Illya.

“Listen, Illya, the Dragon King’s blood will give you the answer. You just need to close your eyes, ask the blood in your veins, and it will explain everything to you in a dream. That will be far clearer than anything I could say.”

“Really?”

Naya stood up and gently pushed Illya back down, making sure she was lying properly.

“Yes, sleep now. The former Dragon King will come to you in your dreams and tell you all the secrets of the Dragon King.”

Naya pulled Illya’s pink blanket up to her chin.

Illya blinked her big, round eyes as she looked up at Naya.

“Be a good girl, close your eyes, and sleep. You’ll get your answer in your dreams.”

“Mhm! Goodnight, Mama.”

“Goodnight ~”

Illya obediently closed her eyes.

The excitement of a child comes quickly and fades just as fast.

Within three minutes, Naya could hear the sound of Illya’s steady breathing.

Finally, she could go find Iris to “study biology.”

As Naya stood at the door of her own room, she suddenly stopped.

[System, do you think doing that too frequently might affect the life inside me?]

[Host, what are you trying to say with that?]

[Well, I mean, it’s just that, uh…]

[What? Don’t tell me you’re backing out now!]

If the system had lungs, it would have been fuming with anger.

[No! It’s just that my body has recovered way too fast—my back isn’t sore anymore, my waist doesn’t hurt, and my water pipe are working perfectly again.]

[What do you want? What more do you want? Are you going to complete this task or not? Do you need my help? Want me to upgrade you with a Kirin arm or teach you the Toad Technique?]

The system was losing its mind.

Why was it so hard for Naya to take charge for once?

Iris had already agreed to let Naya lead, but now, at the last moment, Naya was chickening out!

[I’m not saying that. I just wanted to make sure the baby is safe. If something went wrong, I’d be devastated.]

[Sigh, Host, have you completely forgotten that you were once human? And a male at that?]

[This has nothing to do with being male or female. Don’t men care about their children? Would a man heartlessly terminate a pregnancy? System, you don’t understand the emotions of living beings.]

[Don’t worry, your child is perfectly safe. Iris knows better than you do. If she’s doing that with you, she’s certain the baby will be fine. So just go and get the task done. Stop overthinking it.]

[System, let me confirm one more time…]

[Confirm, confirm! What more do you need to confirm? Even if you end up getting pinned down, I’ll protect your child, now stop asking and get in there already!]

Naya wiped a bead of imaginary sweat from her forehead. What was the system so worked up about? Had it never seen two beautiful girls getting close?

[I just wanted to confirm the content of the task. It’s to top Iris once, and give her ten spanks, right?]

“Exactly! You just need to venture into the dragon’s den and you’ll have completed the task.”

“Alright!”

Naya lifted her head, gazing at the door, her eyes filled with determination. She clenched her fists, her body brimming with fighting spirit.

Tonight, she would wipe away the shame of being a “pillow princess”! Tonight, she would prove who the true head of the household was!

If I don’t succeed, I will die trying.