Volume 4 Chapter 24

Volume 4 + Chapter 24: What’s Going On?

Elly was completely dumbfounded.

Why—why did she run straight into Her Majesty the Queen?

She had been so close—so close. Just one more step and she would have reached an empty room, transformed back, and everything would’ve been fine.

Now she was finished.

She had collided directly with the Queen.

If it were the actual princess, that disguised little rascal… what would she do upon meeting Her Majesty?

Dash forward, hug her, act cute, and beg for head pats?

No…

NO!!

There was absolutely no way Elly would dare do something like that. She was timid to begin with—even if you stuffed her full of courage, there was no universe in which she’d commit such a wildly inappropriate act.

So the little green-dragon maid unleashed her ultimate technique right before the Silver Dragon Queen—

The Tiger-Prostration Dive!

“Waaaah! Y-Your Majesty! I’m so sorry!! I didn’t mean to do anything foolish!! I got dizzy for a moment—that’s the only reason I committed such an unforgivable crime!!”

Elly didn’t even try to maintain her disguise. Her whole face twisted into a mask of pure misery as she reverted back to herself right in front of Xia Lulu.

She collapsed on the floor, clutching her head and sobbing, her body shaking like a leaf in a storm.

“Oh? So it’s one of the trainee maids from the Royal Maid Corps,” Xia Lulu said with a gentle smile. “The green dragons’ transformation arts really are impressive.”

But to Elly, this didn’t sound like praise at all.

It sounded like the sharpening of an executioner’s blade.

Terrified out of her mind, she began hallucinating.

She saw herself locked in a prison wagon, paraded through the streets as the dragons of the Dragon Kingdom hurled vegetable scraps and rotten eggs at her.

Then she was dragged beneath a guillotine—where she even saw her entire family gathered.

Under the cold proclamation of the execution official, the gleaming blade descended.

Shnk-shnk-shnk-shnk-shnk—

Elly and her nine generations of relatives were wiped out in a spectacular family-wide annihilation.

“Your Majesty, please spare my nine clans!! Just take my head—my family is innocent!!”

Xia Lulu looked genuinely puzzled. If she remembered correctly, this clumsy little maid was supposed to be extremely timid—how could someone like her commit something so audacious as impersonating the princess?

“Why did you pretend to be Xia Yi?”

“Th-that… that’s because…”

“I’ll give you ten seconds—zero.”

“Your Majesty!! It was because Princess Xia Yi ordered me to do it!”

Elly confessed everything in a single breath, not daring to hide even a syllable.

“While I was cleaning the palace, I accidentally damaged one of the princess’s statues. She happened to catch me in the act and became very upset.”

“Oh? Quite the coincidence—she appeared the moment you broke it?”

“Princess Xia Yi is kind and merciful. She didn’t punish me—instead, she helped distract the palace guards. She only made one request, that I disguise myself as her, leave the palace, and then…”

Elly proceeded to recount in full the entire plan she and Xia Yi had discussed.

“That’s everything, everything, Your Majesty! I didn’t hide anything at all! This is all I know! It’s all my fault—it’s all my mistake—uwaaaa…”

Xia Lulu didn’t get angry. Instead, she chuckled softly.

It seemed her daughter really did have a knack for mischief.

So full of trickery—she even set up a trap for a trainee maid.

Most likely, she couldn’t endure her bitter-melon punishment anymore and found a way to sneak out and play.

Xia Lulu quickly pieced together Xia Yi’s little schemes.

“So Xia Yi is somewhere in the imperial capital?”

“Yes.”

“I understand. Elly, I’ll give you a chance to atone for your mistake…”

Xia Lulu leaned close and whispered instructions into Elly’s ear.

……

Ding ding ding ding!!

Watching coins clatter onto the floor, the staff of the northern capital’s finest dessert shop were stunned out of their minds—this tiny loli rich girl was actually making it rain nonstop!

The shop’s owner, sensing something unusual with her seasoned business intuition, suspected this wealthy little lady had a special identity. She stepped forward personally to serve her.

“Honored young miss, what may we prepare for you?” the owner said. “If our shop dares claim second place in desserts, no one in the northern capital would dare claim first. Whatever you desire, we will satisfy.”

“I already told you—I want everything!” Xia Yi said smugly.

After returning, Xia Lulu had indeed replenished her allowance quite generously.

Before leaving the Dragon Kingdom on her trip to the human world, one of Xia Yi’s goals had been to solve the issue of pocket money.

Now that her allowance had come in, how could she not enjoy herself properly?

Strictly speaking, the dragon royal family was wealthy, but Xia Lulu had never given Xia Yi an outrageous amount. She didn’t want her daughter developing wasteful habits.

Even though today’s spending would completely drain her froggy wallet, Xia Yi was determined to burn all her allowance here.

After all, she’d already set her heart on the goal of renting out the top dessert shop in the capital.

Today, she was going to live her best life!

“Very well, honored miss! Today, this entire shop is yours. Since you want everything, I’ll summon our finest patissiers to serve you in rotation!” the shop owner said with a bright smile. “We will display every skill we possess, until you are fully satisfied!”

Xia Yi agreed.

She was escorted to the most prestigious seat. One top dessert after another was freshly prepared and placed before her, piling up into a sugary little mountain.

Pure bliss—absolute bliss!

Just watching the endless parade of desserts appearing and changing before her eyes—this alone was a form of spiritual enlightenment.

Her only regret was that there was no osmanthus cake here.

Osmanthus cake was notoriously unpopular in the dragon realm.

Hmph! That hateful Xia Lulu—she rejected my Osmanthus Cake Proposal! If she’d approved it… everyone could be eating osmanthus cake every single day!

Thinking about it made Xia Yi sigh.

She picked up a piece of tiramisu, opened her mouth to take a bite—and paused.

Wait…

Something occurred to her. She grabbed the shop menu and flipped through it.

“Honored miss, do you need something?” the owner asked, stepping forward.

“I see your shop has a variety of drinks?”

“Yes. Which category would you like? Or would you prefer… all of them?”

“No. What I want isn’t on the menu.”

“And that is…?” The owner leaned closer to listen.

“Would it be possible?”

Xia Yi whispered her request.

“No problem at all, honored miss. Please wait ten minutes,” the owner replied respectfully.

……

Ten minutes later, the owner presented the drink Xia Yi had asked for.

Xia Yi was extremely satisfied.

After the owner left, the little princess murmured to herself—

“Huh? What’s going on? Why is there a cup of taro bubble milk tea here?”