Volume 4 Chapter 3

Volume 4 + Chapter 3: Recognizing The Facts

If this had been any ordinary day, Xia Lulu would surely be sitting at her office desk, buried beneath a mountain of documents. And when she saw Xia Yi suddenly rush in, she would undoubtedly show a startled expression.

But now…?

Inside the office, Xia Lulu’s seat was completely empty—there wasn’t a single person in sight.

The documents piled upon the desk all appeared to be pending work, stacked in considerable quantity.

Judging from Xia Lulu’s usual work habits, she was always the type to finish everything on the same day.

Xia Yi walked over and gently brushed a finger across the documents, a layer of dust clung to her fingertip.

“Not here…”

She lowered her head and looked at the chair.

It was painfully clear that for quite some time now, no one had been using this office.

Could it be that Xia Lulu had truly left her?

“No… no, that’s impossible!”

Xia Yi shook her head vigorously.

She couldn’t accept such a thing.

Even when the Knight Princess invited her to return to the human world, she had refused, choosing instead to leave with firm resolve.

Because there was someone she wanted to see.

She had finally returned to the Dragon Palace—only to be told that Xia Lulu was no longer here?

How could she possibly accept that!

“Xia Lulu…” Xia Yi’s voice gradually choked.

She tried her best to restrain her emotions, yet her voice still trembled with tears.

Even her eyes were reddening.

“Don’t… don’t give up. What if I’m just overthinking? And why am I standing here imagining things on my own?”

Xia Yi muttered to herself.

“I haven’t even confirmed it with anyone yet! What if Xia Lulu just went on a business trip—or maybe a vacation somewhere?”

Yes, that must be it.

Perhaps during this period, there were royal dragon events that required attendance, and because of work, Xia Lulu had temporarily left the Dragon Palace.

And she just happened to return during this time and missed her, leading to this misunderstanding.

“Right! That must be it, absolutely!”

Steadying herself, Xia Yi raised her hand and wiped away her tears.

After leaving the office, Xia Yi walked through the Dragon Palace.

Her first priority was to find someone—anyone—who could tell her Xia Lulu’s current situation.

After walking for a while, she spotted a few patrolling guards.

“Your Highness, when did you return?”

The guards, startled, hurried up to her and immediately saluted.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“I have a question for you,” Xia Yi said.

“Please ask, Your Highness.”

“Where did Xia Lulu go?”

“Her Majesty the Queen—this…”

The guard hesitated, looking troubled, as if unsure how to answer.

“Everything you know—tell me. Do not hide anything!” Xia Yi ordered.

The guard lowered his head. “My apologies, Your Highness. I truly do not know.”

“…You don’t know?”

“Yes. For quite some time now, none of us have seen Her Majesty anywhere in the Dragon Palace.”

“Did Xia Lulu leave the palace?”

“No, Your Highness. As far as we know, Her Majesty has not left the Dragon Palace recently,” the guard explained. “If she intended to leave, we would have received notice. But no such message ever came. And during this period, everyone gradually realized that Her Majesty simply stopped appearing in public at all.”

“That’s impossible! How could she just disappear into thin air? She is the Dragon Queen—there’s no reason for her to abandon the dragon race!”

“Yes, Your Highness. We also find it extremely strange. Her Majesty’s chambers have not shown any light at night, and her office has remained unused…”

“I don’t believe you! You must be lying. Or Xia Lulu ordered you to hide the truth—to mislead me, to make it seem like she’s not here!!”

“I would not dare deceive you, Your Highness,” the guard replied, unwavering.

Xia Yi turned away and left immediately.

He must be talking nonsense!

Next, Xia Yi questioned several more palace guards about Xia Lulu.

But the answers were nearly identical.

It was as if, on some unknown day, Xia Lulu had suddenly vanished—and no one knew where she had gone.

“Lucia… Lucia definitely knows! I’ll go ask her!!”

Xia Yi suddenly thought of Lucia.

Lucia was no ordinary palace guard—she was a member of the royal maid corps, serving Xia Lulu directly, even handling her secret missions. She would surely know something.

But something strange happened.

Despite having seen Lucia earlier, it now felt as though she too had vanished from the Dragon Palace—nowhere to be found.

No matter how long Xia Yi searched, she couldn’t find a trace of Lucia.

…

By now, night had fallen.

The more Xia Yi searched, the more she felt certain—something had happened to Xia Lulu.

Unknowingly, she found herself before the rear garden of the Dragon Palace.

Stepping into this place made memories of her time with Xia Lulu come flooding back.

Her heart ached unbearably.

As she entered, small animals gathered around her, encircling her.

“Squeak!”

A little hamster spotted her and dashed out of the bushes, circling around her feet.

“…Little Mouse?”

Xia Yi picked up the hamster and placed it gently in her palm.

“Squeak squeak!”

The hamster looked as though it had missed her dearly, rolling around in her hand adorably.

“You look even plumper than before…? Little Mouse, has Xia Lulu been feeding you while I was away?”

“Squeak?”

The hamster paused, lifted its head, and looked at her in confusion.

“Tell me, Little Mouse… During this time, has Xia Lulu been coming to the garden to feed you all?” Xia Yi asked anxiously.

Little Mouse had no ill intentions—he would never lie to her.

She desperately wanted confirmation through him.

“Squeak…”

But the hamster lowered its head, as if saying it hadn’t seen Xia Lulu at all.

Xia Yi looked toward the other animals.

All of them fell silent, as though sensing her sorrow.

At that moment, the little princess finally broke—she accepted reality.

Xia Lulu was gone…

“Uuuh… w-waaahhhh!!”

Xia Yi fell to the ground, tears streaming endlessly.

The animals tried to comfort her, gathering close—but nothing helped.

It only made the silver-haired girl sob even harder, tears falling like shattered petals.

Suddenly, the animals all lifted their heads, becoming excited.

Even a small deer tugged at her sleeve with its teeth, trying to pull her upright.

But she ignored them completely, sinking deeper into her grief.

“I’m sorry, Xia Lulu… If I had known, I should have told you earlier—told you that… I… I…”

At that moment, a familiar voice sounded beside the little princess’s ear.

“My daughter, what is it you wanted to tell me~?”