Volume 4 Chapter 20

Volume 4 + Chapter 20: A Crime Worth Beheading

“Ah~”

“N-No, I can’t!”

Xia Yi stared at the spoon before her—filled to the brim with bitter gourd juice. She felt as though she could hardly breathe.

The maid-sister was affectionately feeding the little princess by hand.

“Your Highness, please open your mouth~”

A cheerful smile bloomed on Serra’s face—

While Xia Yi’s own little face twisted up like a miserably scrunched bun.

Why… why had her originally happy, peaceful time transformed into a hellish torture session?

Of course, it all began with her losing the previous challenge against Xia Lulu.

Because she lost, she had to accept a punishment—enduring a full week under the Bitter Gourd Act. For seven days, her beautiful afternoon tea time was abolished and replaced with bitter gourd juice.

“Your Highness, I prepared this bitter gourd juice especially for you,” Serra said. “I squeezed it myself, and I even tasted it beforehand—it’s very fresh and very delicious.”

“E-Even if you say that, Serra… I just can’t handle bitter gourd!!”

“No one truly hates bitter gourd. And if someone thinks they do, then you give them one serving of bitter gourd juice. If that doesn’t work, give two. Keep feeding them until they learn to love it.”

“Serra, why do you suddenly sound so terrifying?!”

“Her Majesty taught me,” Serra replied calmly.

“Mmm—mmf!”

Xia Yi tried to push the spoon away.

“Your Highness, if you don’t finish it, there will be punishment,” Serra reminded her.

“What kind of punishment?”

“If you refuse the bitter gourd juice, that means you are insulting the great Bitter Gourd. You will incur the punishment of the Bitter Gourd God,” Serra explained. “After that, you must be placed into a wooden barrel filled entirely with bitter gourd juice, the lid sealed, for one hour. If you still don’t submit, then two hours…”

“Ah!!”

Xia Yi suddenly remembered.

This was from the Osmanthus Cake Act—her very own law. Xia Lulu had merely swapped “osmanthus cake” with “bitter gourd.”

And now, the boomerang had come back full force, smacking her squarely in the face.

If she were really stuffed into a barrel full of bitter gourd juice—

Xia Yi didn’t dare think further. She bit down on the spoon and swallowed the juice in one gulp.

“Your Highness… that was… truly admirable.”

Moved by Xia Yi’s bravery, Serra wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.

“I-It’s fine, Serra. I can handle it. Bring on the next one!” Xia Yi declared.

…

…

“Aah…”

Xia Yi lay face-down, her soul seemingly departing her body.

It felt like she had lost some memories.

Ugh… her head hurt. It was as if she had eaten something catastrophic during afternoon tea, the shock so overwhelming that her mind went hazy.

When she snapped back to herself, she was already in this state.

Apparently, the Bitter Gourd Act had entered its second day.

But she was already on the brink of collapse…

“Ahhh!! I’m going to lose my mind!!”

Xia Yi hugged her little dragon-shaped pillow and rolled around on the bed.

“I want sweets! My sweet cravings are attacking! Cravings! CRAVINGS!”

But under the Bitter Gourd Act, she was forbidden sweets—her afternoon tea abolished.

What should she do?

Xia Yi felt that if she didn’t eat something sweet soon, she might just explode.

Yet she also had to avoid Xia Lulu’s ever-present surveillance…

“No… I must come up with something! I am the steadfast, unyielding Sword Saint—how could I possibly submit to the Silver Dragon Queen?”

Xia Yi stood up.

“For every policy, there is a countermeasure! If soldiers come, block them, if floodwaters come, divert them! Xia Lulu, you won’t defeat me with bitter gourd!”

…

Xia Yi wandered the Dragon Palace halls.

Right now, she wanted nothing more than to leave the palace, head into the capital, and find a dessert shop to unleash her suffering.

But there was a huge problem: if she left the palace openly, the palace guards would certainly report it.

And news would reach Xia Lulu immediately.

After all, every guard in the Dragon Palace worked for Xia Lulu.

In this situation, she needed an accomplice.

But who in the entire palace would dare help Xia Yi defy the Silver Dragon Queen?

Probably no one. No one had that kind of courage.

Xia Yi sighed.

At that moment, standing on the second floor, she looked toward the first floor…

“La la la~ la la la~ I’m a happy dragon maid~ Cleaning the palace is my joy~”

A little green dragon maid-in-training was doing her cleaning duties.

“Hm? Elly?”

Xia Yi focused her gaze on the tiny maid.

What began as confusion shifted into contemplation… and finally, into satisfaction.

A tool—no, a trustworthy partner—was standing right here.

…

“Come on, Elly! You can do it!! You’ll be promoted soon!!”

Elly was busy dusting a statue.

The statue depicted none other than the Silver Dragon Princess—Xia Yi Christie.

Elly dusted it with utmost care, ensuring not a speck remained. After all, this was the Princess, she had to treat it with caution and respect.

“There, all done!”

After finishing her meticulous cleaning, Elly lifted her bucket and prepared to leave.

Hiding in the shadows, Xia Yi sprung her trap.

Now!

She flicked a pebble at the statue—her own statue—knocking it off balance so it wobbled dangerously and made noise.

“Ah!!”

Elly turned and saw the statue shaking. Startled, she dropped her bucket and dashed forward, water splashing everywhere.

“Princess! I’ll catch you!!”

At that moment, Xia Yi flicked another pebble, striking the statue mid-air and knocking it off trajectory just enough that Elly failed to catch it.

The statue fell.

Because it was made of stone, its head shattered instantly.

“T-This…”

Elly nearly fainted on the spot.

Xia Yi then slowly walked out from her hiding spot. Seeing the frozen Elly and her decapitated statue, she feigned horror.

“E-Elly, you… you… were you trying to… ah!”

Xia Yi clutched her head dramatically, as if overwhelmed by shock, and collapsed.

“No!! Your Highness, that’s not it!!”

Elly, pale as a sheet, rushed to support her.

“The statue… it fell on its own… I-I didn’t mean to damage your statue, Princess! I swear!”

“Elly…”

“Your Highness, you must believe me!!” Elly felt utterly helpless, unable to explain herself.

“What happened?”

A guard’s voice sounded from outside.

The dragon guards had heard the noise and were coming.

It was over.

Elly’s mind went blank. She was finished. Her life was ruined.

In her mind, she already saw the image of herself being judged guilty of desecrating royalty and dragged to the execution platform.

“It’s nothing. Don’t come in—I was just playing a game with Elly!”

Clenching her teeth, Xia Yi forced herself upright and stopped the guards from entering.

“But, Your Highness—”

“Hurry and leave. Don’t interrupt us—we’re having fun!” Xia Yi commanded.

“Understood.”

The guards exchanged glances but obeyed and left.

Elly watched this scene and nearly burst into tears. She had made a mistake—yet the Princess still saved her life.

“Princess, thank you so much! You saved me! To repay you, I would go through fire and water for you! I’ll do anything!”

“You just said… anything, right?” A sly smile curled on Xia Yi’s lips.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Excellent. Elly, I want you to…”

Xia Yi whispered her request.

Elly listened—and fell back onto the ground in fright.

“P-Princess!!! I—I can’t do that!! That’s a capital offense!! A crime punishable by beheading!!”