Just as Xiamir let down her guard, Yiyi quietly took out a mini version of ‘Dawn’ from behind and stabbed it hard into Xiamir’s side.
“Hiss~!”
Xiamir gasped in pain.
The moment her tail loosened, Yiyi immediately turned and dashed away.
“Bleh bleh bleh, I’ll beat you up, you big baddie!”
Yiyi had just dashed past the corridor when Xiamir teleported in front of her and blocked her way.
Xiamir’s face darkened.
She reached out and gave a gentle knock on Yiyi’s small head—a “dong” sounded, and a little bump instantly swelled up.
“Run, why don’t you run now?”
Xiamir grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and placed her on the floor in the center of the main hall, her tone stern.
“Kneel.”
Yiyi clutched her aching little head, lips trembling as she looked at Xiamir’s gloomy face.
Tears welled up in an instant as she obediently knelt on the ground and sobbed: “Wuwuwu, Mother… I was wrong~”
Looking down at her, Xiamir’s tone carried a hint of anger: “Wrong about what? You just acknowledged your mother and dared to stab me already? Pretty gutsy, aren’t you?”
“I-I don’t know…”
Xiamir was both angry and amused.
She reached out and flicked the bump on Yiyi’s head again: “Don’t know? Fine, then we’ll take our time thinking about it!”
She turned, pulled a chair over, and sat right in front of Yiyi, arms folded.
“Speak. Why did you stab your mother?”
Yiyi shrank her neck, teary-eyed, scratching nervously at the floor: “I-I just wanted revenge…”
“Come on, then? Be honest—how should I punish a naughty little brat like you?”
Xiamir hooked Yiyi’s chin with her tail, then pinched her cheek, pretending to be very stern.
Yiyi’s cheeks were squished out of shape, and her tears fell even harder, her small body shaking uncontrollably: “Wu… I-I don’t know…”
Xiamir raised her brow, easing up a bit with her hand, but her tail gave Yiyi’s little bottom a light smack: “Don’t know? Then Mother will decide for you.”
She leaned in close, her voice serious and brooking no refusal: “First, copy the clan rules thirty times. Your handwriting must be neat—bring it to me for inspection when you’re done. Second, you’re not allowed to go outside for the next five days, nor can you seek out Lilia. Third, you must give me a back massage and serve as my maid for half an hour each day, until I’m satisfied.”
Yiyi’s watery eyes widened, cheeks still squished, her voice both tearful and incredulous: “T-too much… I can’t finish copying it thirty times… I don’t want to be a maid either…”
Xiamir gently rubbed Yiyi’s soft cheek with her fingertip, still stern: “Don’t want to? Then why didn’t you think of the consequences before stabbing your mother just now?”
Her tail gave another light tap to Yiyi’s little bottom.
“Either accept the punishment, or I’ll double it. Your choice.”
Yiyi pouted, her tears flowing even faster, her small body trembling nonstop: “Wu… I-I choose the first one…”
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come to get revenge on you… wuwuwu~”
Hearing this, the sternness in Xiamir’s eyes faded a little.
She reached out to wipe away Yiyi’s tears, her tone softening: “Now you know regret? What were you doing earlier?”
She stood and pulled Yiyi up from the floor, patting the dust off her knees: “Don’t cry. If you can’t finish copying, you can split it over two days, but your handwriting must be neat. Maid work isn’t hard either—just serve me tea, tidy the room. Do it well, and maybe Mother will lighten your punishment.”
Yiyi sniffled and clung to the hem of her clothes, aggrievedly muttering, “R-really?”
“Of course.”
Xiamir rubbed the top of her head.
“Hurry to the study and get the clan rules. Start copying now—no slacking off.”
Yiyi nodded and shuffled toward the study, her little back radiating unwillingness.
She muttered under her breath: “Hateful mother… hateful Lilia… they both bully me, hmph 💢… two big meanies~!”
…
In the study, Yiyi stood on tiptoe, her little hands reaching up with all her might.
Her cheeks puffed red, and her tail swished impatiently behind her.
The bookshelf was too high.
After stretching for ages, she only managed to touch the edge of a book spine.
The stool beneath her feet wobbled precariously.
“Ugh…”
She gritted her teeth and suddenly jumped.
At last, her fingers hooked the cover of the clan rules, but she pulled too hard.
With a loud “whump,” the whole book fell, knocking several ancient texts down with it.
The books hit the floor with a heavy thud.
Yiyi was so startled she shivered, nearly tumbling off the stool.
She quickly grabbed the bookshelf for balance, then looked down at the mess of scattered books.
Her lips quivered, and tears started welling up in her eyes again: “Wuwu… why am I so unlucky…”
Just then, Luoli appeared at the doorway.
She silently entered, bent down, and picked up the scattered books.
At last, she lifted the thick clan rules and handed it to Yiyi, her voice still as cool as ever: “Her Majesty says, copy your book quietly and don’t cause a scene.”
Yiyi took the clan rules, shooting a resentful glance at Luoli, but dared not say much.
Hugging the book, she plopped down on the stool, puffing her cheeks as she opened the first page.
Her little hand held the brush, but she hesitated to start, muttering softly: “Hate it, hate it… they’re all bullying me…”
Yiyi hugged the heavy tome, her round eyes widening, fingers trembling as she ran them over the densely packed characters, her voice choked with disbelief: “Wait… t-this is just the table of contents?!”
She quickly flipped to the very last page.
Seeing the string of page numbers, her little face instantly collapsed, tears finally spilling onto the pages with a “plop plop”:
“Wuwuwu… there’s no way I can copy this thirty times! She’s just picking on me on purpose!”
Luoli stood to the side, watching Yiyi sobbing and struggling for breath.
In her cold, clear eyes, there was a flash of nearly invisible helplessness: “Her Majesty said, your handwriting must be neat. If it’s sloppy, you’ll have to copy it double.”
“No!”
Yiyi immediately shook her head, gripping the table edge tightly.
She sniffled, unwillingly picking up the brush: “I-I’ll just copy the book…”
Xiamir, satisfied, ruffled the top of her head and turned away: “That’s better. Luoli will keep an eye on you, so don’t even think about slacking off.”
Watching Xiamir’s departing back, Yiyi pouted miserably.
She looked down at the densely packed characters, let out a heavy sigh, and began copying, her little face filled with despair.
Yiyi had barely written a few characters before her eyelids began to droop uncontrollably.
Her little head bobbed, and the hand holding the brush gradually sank lower and lower.
“Ugh… so sleepy…” she mumbled, head tilting sideways as she slumped onto the desk piled with xuan paper.
Her breathing soon became slow and even, her tail unconsciously sweeping across the tabletop.
“Hmm? Yibao, how did you fall asleep here?”
Lilia looked at the dozing Yiyi sprawled on the desk, reached out to gently stroke Yiyi’s dragon horn, then left.
“I’ll come find you later.”
When her dragon horn was touched, Yiyi’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
She mumbled vaguely in her sleep.
“Don’t touch…”
Then she turned over and shifted position, burying herself deeper in her arms and continuing to sleep soundly.
Her tail, as if with a mind of its own, quietly coiled around the corner of xuan paper hanging off the desk.
No one knew how much time had passed before Yiyi suddenly made a soft whimper, her little head rubbing against her arm as if she was having an uneasy dream.
Her tail suddenly tightened, wrinkling the xuan paper, but she remained blissfully unaware, still fast asleep.