“Let go of me, I can get down by myself. I don’t need you, Xiamir.” Yiyi stiffened her little neck, her voice still tinged with childishness, yet she forced herself to act tough.
But her claws, which were clutching Xiamir’s collar, quietly loosened, her fingertips lightly rubbing the fabric.
Xiamir looked at her, seeing through the contradiction between her words and actions.
Amusement deepened in her eyes, the golden vertical pupils reflecting Yiyi’s flushed cheeks, as if gathering the warm light of dawn.
She didn’t release her tail right away.
Instead, the tip gently curled around Yiyi’s waist with a playful little tug.
“Oh? By yourself? Then Yibao, you’d better stand steady. Don’t slip and fall now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the silver-white tail wrapped around Yiyi’s waist slowly unwound, the scales making a faint rustling sound as they slid across the fabric, like a reluctant farewell.
Yiyi seized the moment, twisting her little body to the edge of the bed, her short legs quickly reaching for the bedside as her toes brushed the soft carpet.
She hadn’t even had time to feel pleased when Xiamir’s teasing voice sounded behind her.
“Yibao, your tail’s pink heart is still rubbing against my tail.”
Yiyi froze instantly and looked down.
Her little tail was gently wrapped around the end of Xiamir’s tail, the pink heart at the tip fully spread, stroking against the other’s silver-white scales.
Her face went bright red in a flash.
She jerked her tail back, hugging it tightly behind her, and stubbornly insisted, “I—I only hooked onto it by accident! Who told you to put your tail so close to mine!”
After she finished, Yiyi hurried off the bed, her bare feet landing on the soft carpet.
Her quick, hasty little steps were like a small animal that had been provoked yet insisted it wasn’t bothered, even her back radiating a “definitely not looking back” stubbornness.
A moment later, Yiyi gripped the hem of her pajamas, growing more and more flustered as she wandered through the Ice Palace corridor.
The carpet, woven with silver patterns and subtle designs, was so soft it wrapped around her toes, but couldn’t block the chill that seeped through the gaps in the ice pillars.
The cold crept up from her ankles, making her instinctively hug her arms to her chest.
The hem of her pajamas swayed, exposing a small stretch of pink-tinged calf.
She stopped, frowning at the fork in the corridor.
At the end of the left hall stood a gold-trimmed ice door.
The right led deeper into the palace, but neither path was familiar.
When she’d followed Xiamir here earlier, her mind had been tangled up in the awkwardness of “being held to sleep.”
She hadn’t paid any attention to the route.
Now, staring at the identical ice-carved railings and the animal skin tapestries hanging on the walls, she just felt muddle-headed.
“I’m sure we came this way last night…” Yiyi muttered softly, tiptoeing two steps left before quickly retreating.
The corridor was silent, only her footsteps echoing in the emptiness.
Occasionally, she could hear the soft “drip-drop” of distant icicles melting, making the quiet seem even colder.
She clutched the collar of her pajamas, fingertips brushing cold fabric, suddenly recalling the warmth of Xiamir’s embrace.
At that time, the other’s tail was wrapped around her waist, the scales carrying warmth, even her breathing faintly tinged with dragon breath—unlike now, when even the air felt chilly.
“Mm…” Lost in thought, she was startled by the soft sound of fabric shifting behind her.
Yiyi whipped around, thinking Xiamir had caught up, her heart tightening for no reason.
She was just about to put on her “I’m not lost at all” look, but saw only the wind at the end of the corridor stirring the curtains.
She breathed a sigh of relief, but was left with an odd feeling of disappointment.
She kicked at a loose thread in the carpet, muttering softly, “Who needs you to worry about me… I don’t want you to care, hmph💢”
But as soon as the words left her mouth, her stomach gave an untimely “grumble.”
She hadn’t eaten much last night.
Now, after getting a bit chilled on an empty stomach, she felt hollow inside.
“So hungry…” Yiyi patted her belly, her eyes drifting in the direction of the kitchen.
I remember the kitchen is downstairs, but… where’s the staircase again?
Yiyi walked slowly along the corridor, her fingers occasionally brushing the icy railings.
The cold sensation made her instantly withdraw her hand.
Her steps slowed.
The earlier “definitely not looking back” stubbornness was gradually replaced by the anxiousness of being lost.
“Oh no, I’m lost—what should I do…” Just then, familiar footsteps sounded behind her, not too light nor too heavy, their rhythm reassuring.
Yiyi’s body tensed, but she didn’t turn around.
She just quietly stopped walking.
A moment later, a warm silver-white cloak was draped over her shoulders.
It still carried Xiamir’s scent, mixed with a hint of snow pine.
“Why did you run out without shoes?”
Xiamir’s voice sounded behind her, tinged with helpless amusement.
Yiyi turned to see her holding her little cotton shoes, pink hearts embroidered on the toes.
They were the very shoes she’d once called “childish” but always liked to wear.
Xiamir crouched down, placing the shoes by her feet.
When her fingertips touched Yiyi’s chilly ankles, Yiyi frowned slightly.
“Lost your way, huh? Your little feet are all red from the cold, so chilly. Put your shoes on, Yibao.”
“I wasn’t lost!”
Yiyi instantly straightened her neck to argue, but instinctively snuggled deeper into the cloak.
“I just… wanted to look around.”
Xiamir didn’t expose her.
She simply picked up Yiyi’s foot, gently slid it into the cotton shoe, and tied the laces for her.
The inside was lined with soft fur, wrapping her feet in warmth that crept up from her toes, tinting Yiyi’s cheeks with a faint blush.
“The Ice Palace’s halls are a bit winding,” Xiamir stood up, reaching out to rub Yiyi’s head, her fingertips brushing over the pink-tinged dragon horns.
“Come on, there should be some snacks left in the kitchen. Want to go eat?”
“I’m not hungry. If you want to go, go by yourself. I’m leaving. Hmph💢 I don’t need you to care.”
Yiyi turned, deliberately making the cloak rustle as she tossed it.
Her steps, though, were no longer so hurried.
Instead, she seemed to count the silver patterns on the carpet as she moved along.
She hadn’t gone far when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Xiamir hadn’t followed.
She just stood where she was, watching.
For some reason, Yiyi felt an emptiness in her heart.
Her steps faltered, but she stubbornly pressed on.
A gust of wind at the end of the corridor brought a chill, making Yiyi shrink her neck.
The warmth inside the cloak seemed to scatter.
Just as she turned into the grand hall, her steps stopped with a “thump”—her whole body stiffened.
“……”
Hundreds of Dragon Ministers, dressed in silver-white, scale-patterned court robes, stood in neat lines on both sides of the hall, their gazes landing squarely on her.
Some of the ministers looked at her in surprise, while others secretly studied the obviously Xiamir’s cloak on her shoulders, even their breathing seemed to quiet.
The ice crystal throne at the center of the hall was empty, morning light pouring through the sculpted ice windows of the dome, scattering over the ministers’ scaled armor and casting a cold, sharp glow.
Yiyi clutched the cloak’s tie tightly, her toes curling up inside her shoes, her previous stubbornness vanishing in a flash, replaced by panic.
How could I forget—at this hour, the Dragon Ministers always gather in the main hall for court! What should I do now!?
“Th-this is…” The elderly minister at the front stepped forward half a pace, his eyes landing on Yiyi’s pink-tinted dragon horns, his tone uncertain.
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