Chapter 52

Chapter 52: I Will Protect Mama!

“Parnis, can you perform that again?”

“That one?”

“Yes, yes!”

In the public courtyard, a group of little dragon children gathered together to play.

Palnis was the fourth child of Chloris, inheriting her golden attributes, with a head of golden hair. He was three years older than Illya and a head taller than Illya.

Illya loved playing with Parnis the most.

This was because Parnis was very entertaining and always did some strange antics to please her.

Parnis looked at the little pink-haired Loli in front of him.

After hesitating for a moment, he broke into a cheerful smile.

“Alright! Keep up with my steps, Illya. I haven’t even shown this move to Kernis.”

“Mm-hmm!”

Illya watched Parnis with eager anticipation.

Parnis took two steps forward and shouted.

“Grass, go, ignore!”

He performed a beautiful backflip, and then landing accurately, the body is as solid as a rock, without any shaking.

Illya laughed so hard at the sight, her smile was wide. Parnis walked back in front of Illya, hands on his hips, proudly tilting his head.

“Well? Illya, this is my signature move! Don’t you have to show us yours?”

“Yeah, Illya, brother Parnis has shown you his signature move so many times already, but you haven’t shown us yours yet.”

“I’ve shown you already, but you haven’t shown us your special skill!”

The children chimed in one after another, echoing Parnis’s words.

They all urged Ilya to perform.

Even though the dragon civilization had developed for thousands of years, evolving from pure savagery to gradually learning to be civilized like humans, the combative genes still flowed through their veins, and showcasing special skills was a way to demonstrate one’s strength to others.

“Okay, all right.”

Other children could do backflips, fencing, and dancing.

But Illya, apart from eating, couldn’t showcase anything impressive.

With so many people urging her to perform, she wouldn’t know what to do. She turned to look at Flanna.

“Then you all better watch closely.”

Illya took a deep breath, her legs tensed with nerves.

“Evil dragon roar, rawr!”

The cute girl shouted, jumping three meters high.

“Crows fly planes!”

Her special skill was the anti-gravity skirt!

She fell from three meters high, and her skirt could still be directed downward.

Then, Flanna caught her perfectly when she landed.

This made everyone burst into laughter, evidently, her move was even funnier than Parnis’s backflip.

Illya nestled into Flanna’s arms, listening to the laughter, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“Illya, you were amazing! Here, I’ll reward you with a lollipop. If you stick with me, I can teach you many more special skills!”

Illya turned her head to see Parnis gently smiling at her, extending a lollipop.

“Thank you, your Highness.”

Flanna quickly took the lollipop, using magic to inspect it for poison before handing it over to Illya.

She looked at the group of children.

In the royal family, there were no true siblings.

They played with Illya partly to give face to the royal princess and partly to test how capable she was, which is why they all rushed to showcase their special skills.

“Thank you, Parnis.”

Having grown up in a greenhouse, Illya opened the lollipop wrapper without any doubt and cheerfully popped it into her mouth.

“Illya, how about we go out to play tomorrow?”

“Where to?”

“To the beach! Staying in the palace all the time is so boring.”

Illya’s pink eyes twinkled.

“Hmm… I need to ask Mama first.”

“Illya, you’re a dragon, not a human. There’s no need to ask your Mama for everything. In this world, no creature can overpower us dragons. What’s there to be afraid of?”

“I still have to ask Mama.”

Parnis sighed helplessly.

“Alright, fine. It’s getting late. Illya, we should head back. Bye-bye.”

“Bye-bye.”

Illya watched her friends leave, the sunset casting a warm glow on their backs. Sometimes, she felt a sense of disconnection from them.

Feeling the warmth of Flanna’s embrace behind her, she realized one difference about herself. She always had a maid following her wherever she went.

However, her other little friends did not have that, they all played independently.

Flanna stroked Illya’s pink hair and said softly, “Let’s head back, Princess.”

“Mm-hmm.”

After arriving at the palace, it was Illya’s first time experiencing the joy of playing with peers. Previously, in the castle, she could only play with the maids or follow her Mama for lessons.

So, this was how interesting the outside world was.

She had to discuss with her Mama about going out to play with Parnis tomorrow.

One hand held the lollipop while the other held Flanna’s hand.

When they returned to the Dragon Hall, Illya went upstairs to her room, turned on the magical crystal lamp, and sat on her bed, crunching the lollipop and swallowing it. After thinking for a moment, she stepped out of her room and ran next door to open the door.

“Hmm? Mama isn’t here.”

Could she still be in the dining room?

The sun had already set, and Mama and Mother hadn’t finished dinner yet?

Closing Naya’s door, Illya hurried downstairs, excitedly running toward the dining room.

“Mama! Mama!”

“Illya, please, stop!”

Bella, who was cleaning in the outer hall, spotted the little pink dragon first, but unfortunately, by the time she shouted, Illya had already dashed into the dining room.

“Ah! Illya, you’re back!”

Mama was sitting on Mother’s lap, her complexion flushed, and her clothes disheveled, as if she had just run a marathon.

Naya awkwardly smiled, meeting Illya’s pure, innocent gaze.

Meanwhile, Iris was splashed with water all over her face. Thankfully, Iris’s seat was facing away from the dining room door, so Illya could only see Iris’s back. Otherwise, even if they jumped into the Yellow River, they wouldn’t be able to clear their names.

On the other side, Bella stood at the dining room entrance, looking anxious and caught in a dilemma.

What should she do?

Should she go in and pull Illya out?

Going in would disrespect Her Majesty and Miss Naiya, but not going in meant Illya would be opening the door to a new world.

Inside the dining room, Illya looked at Naya in confusion.

“Mama, what’s wrong? Why is your face so red? Why are you sitting on Mother’s lap?”

“Uh… um… I…”

Naya’s mind was nearly crashing, in her current state, how could she think rationally?

But Illya suddenly seemed to realize something.

“I got it! Mama is being all cute and cuddly in front of Mother, right? Mama acts like a little child in front of Mother, wanting kisses and hugs! Hehe! But Illya also loves cuddling with Mama, so there’s nothing to be shy about.”

Naya bit her lip, trying to suppress her discomfort.

“Illya, can you step out for a moment? Mama is… Mama is currently helping your Mother detoxify. She just ate a whole plate of bitter melon, and if I don’t hold her down, she might go into a frenzy and could hurt you.”

Recalling that plate of bitter melon, Illya instantly shivered.

Oh my goodness, Mother actually ate all of it! After eating so much of something that bitter, Illya felt she would go into a frenzy too.

Ilya looked at Naya in fear.

“Then, Mama, being so close to Mother, isn’t that even more dangerous? I’ll protect you, Mama!”

How could she let her Mama face danger alone? She had to rescue her Mama from Mother’s grasp!

As Illya took her little steps forward, Naya felt her whole body tense up and could not help but let out a sharp scream.

“Illya!!!”