Hiccup—the crisp and sudden sound of a milk hiccup echoed especially clearly in the quiet corridor.
Yiyi froze for a moment, her cheeks instantly turning as red as burning embers, even the tips of her ears and the soft fur on the ends of her dragon horns blushing pink.
In a panic, she covered her face with her little claws 『which were really just hands』 and shrank further into Xamiel’s embrace.
She wished she could bury herself in the other’s collar, leaving only the silvery back of her head and the tense, white tail tipped with a tiny pink heart exposed.
“Mmm…” A muffled whimper slipped through her fingers, and Yiyi’s heart was pounding wildly.
Just a moment ago, I was threatening to kill Xamiel, and now, because I drank too much, I hiccuped from the milk.
And right in front of my “enemy” 『Xamiel』… I’ve utterly disgraced myself, the former Holy Spirit Order’s Knight Commander!!
“Haha, Yiyi, your reaction is just too cute.”
Xamiel looked at the little thing curled up in her arms and finally couldn’t hold back a laugh.
The vibration in her chest passed through her clothes to Yiyi, making her feel even more awkward.
“Stop laughing, stop it, don’t laugh at me… mmph.”
But Xamiel didn’t tease her any further, simply raising a hand to gently pat her back, the motion so tender it was as if she was coaxing a sulking cub.
The gold vertical pupils were filled with endless softness: “Alright, I won’t laugh.”
Once Yiyi’s embarrassment faded a bit, Xamiel carried her forward again.
Her steps slowed a little, and she even deliberately scratched Yiyi’s little claws clutching her collar with the tip of her finger:
“I’ll take you to see ‘Dawn’ now. It’s sitting in my study’s glass cabinet, and no one’s touched it.”
As soon as she said that, Noel’s head, buried in her embrace, quietly lifted a little.
The scarlet vertical pupils peered out, sneaking a glance at Xamiel’s profile.
Pale silver hair fell along her cheek, glowing softly under the ice lamp’s light.
The golden eyes showed no trace of teasing, and that eased some of the awkwardness in her heart.
Xamiel, you bastard, once I get the Holy Sword, I’ll turn the tables on you.
Hmph💢! How dare you tease me, the Holy Spirit Order’s Commander! Just wait—I’ll make you pay!!
But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, Xamiel’s next sentence made her freeze.
“Oh, right, you also have a ‘little sister.’”
Xamiel’s voice was deliberately light as she gently pinched her dragon horns: “I’ll bring her to meet you soon, I guarantee you’ll ‘love’ her.”
Yiyi jerked her head up, scarlet eyes wide, forgetting even to cover her blushing cheeks: “Little sister? When did I ever get a little sister? What are you up to now?”
Her little claws clutched Xamiel’s collar even tighter, and the heart-shaped pink tip of her tail went rigid again: “Did you kidnap a human child to trick me? I won’t fall for it!”
Xamiel looked at her ruffled expression, the amusement in her eyes growing deeper.
She purposely kept her in suspense, merely flicking her nose: “You’ll see soon enough. She’s definitely not some silly human child, Yiyi. She’s just like you—an incredibly adorable… little cub.”
“You! Xamiel, you jerk, don’t say that about me, I’m not some little cub!!”
Yiyi wanted to kick her legs in protest, but as soon as she moved, the fullness in her stomach reminded her of the recent milk hiccup.
Reluctantly, she pulled her legs back, turning her head away in a huff.
Xamiel chuckled softly, using her right hand to pinch Yiyi’s nose and speaking gently:“Of course you’re not a little cub. Yiyi is my precious baby.”
“You—you bastard, don’t say that, or I’ll bite you!!”
“Say whatever you want, Yiyi. In your mother’s eyes, you’ll always be my chubby, silly, milk-scented little dragon cub who talks in a babyish voice.”
“I’m not, I’ll bite you!!!”
But the moment her teeth touched the cold dragon scales, the hard surface made her teeth ache.
Far from hurting Xamiel, her own cheeks went numb, like a kitten gnawing on a rock.
Yiyi puffed up her little cheeks in anger, scarlet pupils blazing, and with her not-yet-grown sharp teeth, she chomped right at Xamiel’s neck.
“Mmm!” She grumbled in protest but didn’t let go, her little claws clinging stubbornly to Xamiel’s collar.
As if she needed to prove with this “ferocity” that she wasn’t a “little cub.”
Xamiel looked down at the little one hanging from her neck, golden eyes brimming with laughter so much she even stopped walking, teasing on purpose:
“What’s this, giving me a little ‘scratch’? If you bite harder, your mother will give you a piece of dragon milk cake as a reward.”
“Jerk, who wants your reward!”
Yiyi let go, glaring angrily at her, but the corners of her mouth still caught a trace of silvery fluff from Xamiel’s collar, making her look both fierce and silly.
She wanted to argue more, but the fullness in her stomach returned.
After drinking too much dragon milk, even speaking left her a bit breathless.
She could only mutter in a low voice: “I’m not some kid who can be bribed with milk cake… I’m Holy Spirit Order’s Commander Noel Hades…”
Xamiel didn’t expose her half-hearted defense, simply brushing the fluff from the corner of her mouth and letting her fingers linger on Yiyi’s soft cheek: “Alright, alright, you’re Commander Noel.”
She deliberately stretched out her words, and the indulgence and affection in her tone couldn’t be hidden at all: “So, Commander, do you want to see ‘Dawn’ first? If you keep dawdling, the runes in the glass cabinet will go dark.”
Mention of the Holy Sword made Yiyi’s eyes brighten instantly.
Her anger faded by more than half, but she still tried to act aloof, shrinking shyly into Xamiel’s arms and whispering: “Fine, I’ll look! I just want to make sure you didn’t break my sword!”
Xamiel laughed quietly, hugging her closer and picking up the pace.
The ice lamps in the corridor stretched the shadows of the three of them long and thin.
The pink heart at the tip of Yiyi’s tail swayed gently with each step, no longer stiff as before, but with an almost unnoticeable softness.
After all, seeing her Holy Sword as soon as possible was far more important than sulking at this “jerk Dragon Emperor.”
Hmph, just you wait!
As long as I can touch the Holy Sword, I’ll recover my power!
Xamiel, hehehe… then I’ll skewer you right through!!!
Xamiel carried Yiyi to the study’s doorway.
With a gentle lift of her finger, the ice-carved doors followed the patterns and slowly opened.
A cool, crisp scent of ice crystals and books washed over them.
The walls of the study were inlaid with softly glowing night pearls, and on the central high platform, inside the glass cabinet, rested a Holy Sword.
The silver-white blade shimmered with pale golden runes.
The gem in the hilt wasn’t fully lit, but still radiated a familiar, chilling aura—it was none other than “Dawn.”
Yiyi’s gaze was instantly drawn to it, her scarlet eyes shining, little claws unconsciously clutching Xamiel’s collar tighter, even her breathing lightening.
She stared at the sword, thoughts spinning madly in her mind: That’s it! As long as I touch it, I’ll surely remember how to restore my power.
Then I’ll take out this jerk Dragon Emperor Xamiel first, then escape back to Dragon’s End Valley! Find Azé, and take Azé out too, take them all out!
Xamiel seemed to see right through her thoughts, but said nothing.
She simply carried her to the glass cabinet, and with a gentle tap on the cabinet door, the transparent glass slowly unfolded.
“Here you go, your ‘Dawn.’ No one’s touched it, and it’s not damaged.”
She deliberately moved Yiyi closer to the cabinet edge, her tone teasing: “Commander, do you want to touch it? Check if it’s really your sword.”
Yiyi’s little claws were itching, but just as she reached out, she suddenly pulled back, eyeing Xamiel warily: “Don’t think you can trick me! Does something happen if I touch it? Is there a trap?”
I won’t fall for it.
This Dragon Emperor is full of dirty tricks—who knows if she’s waiting for me to take the bait!
Xamiel saw her little “I’ve seen through everything” face and couldn’t help but laugh, reaching over to pinch her dragon horn: “A trap? If I wanted to harm you, would I have waited this long?”
As she spoke, she gently guided Yiyi’s little hand toward the sword’s hilt: “If you don’t believe me, give it a try. It only recognizes its master. If anyone else touched it, it would have exploded by now.”
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