Volume 6 Chapter 44

Volume 6 + Chapter 44: Leaving Purple Iris Valley

Xia Yi walked out of the room.

When she came out, her eyes were red, but she was no longer crying.

Dorothea asked curiously, “Little Xia Yi, what did you just say to Xia Lulu?”

“I won’t tell you. That’s between me and…” Xia Yi paused. “…Xia Lulu’s secret.”

“Has little Xia Yi grown up?”

Dorothea rubbed Xia Yi’s ahoge.

“Do-don’t touch my head!” Xia Yi protested.

“You would be so adorable as a puppet. What a pity I can’t do that now. I must restrain this urge…”

“Eek!!”

Hearing Dorothea’s remark, Xia Yi’s entire body broke out in goosebumps, and she quickly jumped back.

It scared her all over again.

If other people thought “cute” meant simply adorable, then what Dorothea meant by “cute” was the desire to turn something she liked into a puppet, and call it art.

She truly could not understand Dorothea’s hobby.

But still, the other woman had helped her with something crucial, so she had to thank her properly.

“Anyway, thank you, Dorothea. You’ve given me incredibly important help.”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about Xia Lulu. She can stay frozen for a very long time.”

“Do you need any… compensation?”

Xia Yi mustered the courage to ask.

In her heart, she was already prepared for Dorothea to make some outrageous demand.

For example, demanding that after she dies, she become a puppet or something…

However, Dorothea’s reply surprised her.

“No.”

“No?”

“Yes.”

“But before, when you helped Xia Lulu, didn’t you also make some quite outrageous demands?”

“Different circumstances. Freezing Xia Lulu is just a small favor to me, not the same as forcibly awakening the Dragon King’s Heart.”

“So I don’t have to become a puppet…”

“What’s this, little Xia Yi? You sound almost eager to become a puppet,” Dorothea laughed. “If you insist so strongly, then I could…”

“No, no! I was just saying! Don’t take it seriously! I have absolutely no such intention!!”

Xia Yi waved her hands frantically in denial. She was genuinely afraid that Dorothea might misunderstand her on this point, which would put her in a terrible situation.

“Is that so? What a shame. If you ever feel like becoming a puppet, you can come find me. I am rather interested in you.” There was a deeper meaning in Dorothea’s words.

…

Xia Yi and Dorothea left the giant cross together.

Looking at the purple sea of irises ahead, and then back at Dorothea’s grave, Xia Yi fell into thought.

“Dorothea, I understand now. Why don’t you want to leave Purple Iris Valley.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Dorothea was curious.

“Puppets that are too far from their core would have problems, wouldn’t they? If you went outside and your puppet body was destroyed, you couldn’t immediately replace it. But inside Purple Iris Valley, you can.”

“…You guessed wrong.”

“Did I?”

“It would be very easy for me to go out into the world. I just don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“My lifespan is no longer like that of ordinary dragons. A thousand years may seem long to a dragon, but to me, it isn’t much. If I were to get to know too many people, I would experience too many partings through life and death. Like making a good friend one week and attending their funeral the next… Such things, when they pile up, become no small burden.”

“Is that so…”

“In the early days after becoming a puppet, I still often went outside. I even made some new friends. But watching them gradually grow old and die made me realize that I am different from others.”

Dorothea seemed to be reminiscing about someone from the past, a faint trace of nostalgia and sadness in her eyes.

So Dorothea had gone through so much.

Xia Yi thought to herself.

“Still, Xia Lulu was somewhat of an exception. She came to me on her own.”

“What was Xia Lulu like back then?”

“She was, well…”

Dorothea started to speak, then stopped herself.

“If I tell you, Xia Lulu will definitely throw a tantrum. You’d better ask her yourself.”

“So stingy!” Xia Yi muttered.

“Alright, go on back, little Xia Yi. You and your friends have been making quite a ruckus in Purple Iris Valley.”

“Are they all right?”

“They’re fine. I already recalled my guards, and I’ve opened the way out. You can leave whenever you want.”

“Good. Then I’ll be going. Sister Dorothea, goodbye!”

Xia Yi called her “sister” again in a sweet voice, then ran off, leaving to find the members of the Royal Maid Corps.

…

“Hey, hey, inner demon, can you hear me?”

Xia Yi tried to talk to her inner demon.

“Ugh…”

Inner Demon Xia Yi responded.

“Damn, I feel dizzy… I think I passed out just now…”

“Inner demon, what happened earlier?”

“That puppet girl controlled this gigantic dragon, grabbed me, and knocked me out cold. I thought she was going to crush me to death… But from the looks of it now, we’re okay?”

“We’re fine. Dorothea let me go. She didn’t turn me into a puppet and even offered to help.”

“What? How did that puppet girl become so kind-hearted??” Inner Demon Xia Yi was incredulous.

“Princess! Princess! Waaahhh!!”

A familiar voice interrupted Xia Yi’s conversation with her inner demon.

The little green dragon maid, teary-eyed, came rushing toward Xia Yi.

“Are… Are you alright!!”

“I’m fine, Elly.”

Xia Yi looked over at her.

Elly’s clothes were torn in places, and her face was covered in dust, she looked like she had taken quite a beating.

Still, she had thick skin and hadn’t been seriously injured.

“Princess, when I was surrounded by those bone dragons, I really thought I was going to be beaten to death. But then suddenly the bone dragons stopped, shattered into pieces, and flew away. They haven’t appeared since,” Elly said, letting out a long sigh of relief. “And that’s how I survived. It seems the others were the same…”

“Princess!!”

The other members of the Royal Maid Corps, hearing Elly’s voice, quickly gathered around and spotted Xia Yi.

Serra, Lucia, and Atiya, all seemed to be in generally good shape, nothing serious. Just in need of some rest.

“Alright, alright, everyone calm down. Everything is fine now.”

Xia Yi patiently explained the situation to the others, reassuring them not to worry.

“I met Dorothea. Though there were some ups and downs along the way, she agreed to help me.”

“Then… is Her Majesty the Queen going to be saved?” Lucia asked.

“Yes. We’ll talk about it in detail once we return to the Dragon Palace. Dorothea has already withdrawn her guards. We can leave Purple Iris Valley safely.”

“Hooray!”

Atiya cheered happily.

Lucia and Serra also breathed sighs of relief.

Seeing that a turning point had appeared, everyone couldn’t help but be overjoyed.

“Let’s go home together,” Xia Yi said.

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