Moreover, ever since Ka Xiya could remember, she had only felt a stifling sense of familial affection from that so-called blood relative.
Not that there was anything wrong with Yilisi.
If it were solely an evaluation of the Demon King, Ka Xiya actually had a bit of respect, even admiration.
As a child she might not have understood, but after growing up and truly learning about the current state of the demon race, she gradually came to realize just how immense the pressure the Demon King had to bear.
However, within the family, what Yilisi left Ka Xiya was mostly harsh training and commanding, preachy communication—such a way of getting along was ultimately a bit cold.
After all these reasons combined, the result was Ka Xiya’s rebellion.
Even though she understood the Demon King’s lack of control over her own situation, there was still a rebellious thought stirring deep inside her.
Fortunately, she wasn’t arrogant enough to call Yilisi by her full name to her face.
Ka Xiya only dared to talk big in private and in front of her mother.
After all, the other party would really beat her without mercy.
She still remembered that time in childhood.
Ka Xiya, who was spoiled rotten by Fei’ouna, didn’t know what she was thinking.
On a whim, she used ink to give her own castle a disastrous super graffiti.
But unfortunately, Yilisi had a cleanliness obsession.
Not to mention thick, sticky ink—even if there was dust in the room, Fei’ouna, who was in charge of cleaning, would be called over to be scolded♀.
Of course, the actual Fei’ouna would never make such a low-level mistake.
However, Ka Xiya’s behavior made her—for the first time in her draconic life—know what rules were and what the Demon King’s wrath meant.
Looking at the messy castle, the sculptures stained with black ink, and the paintings, Yilisi felt her vision go black.
Without thinking much, she pulled out the bone whip she used for battle and angrily went looking for Ka Xiya.
Realizing that something was terribly wrong, the little princess also immediately ran back to her mother’s side, trying to seek shelter.
Unfortunately, she had really gone too far this time.
No matter how Fei’ouna tried to persuade her, Yilisi was determined to teach her daughter a harsh lesson.
And Ka Xiya, hiding in her mother’s arms, did not resign herself to her fate.
Just as Yilisi was about to lift her by the tail and drag her out from beside Fei’ouna…
she twisted her little face and breathed out…
“Ha!”
Without anyone teaching her, Ka Xiya had self-mastered the skill [Flame Dragon Breath].
As for its power, it was certainly lacking.
Even though it caught Yilisi off guard, because the precision of the released mana was too poor, the flame didn’t fully take shape and didn’t cause any damage to the Demon King.
It only produced a small flame before disappearing into nothing.
So her fate was to have her pants pulled off, be hung in the air by her tail tied into a knot, and have her butt beaten until it was raw.
But to be fair, after that incident, Ka Xiya really didn’t dare to mess around in the castle anymore.
So much so that to this day, due to the psychological shadow from her childhood, she only did sneaky things in secret and never openly challenged or provoked Yilisi.
At least, that’s how it is for now~.
Because as she grew older, Ka Xiya’s power also grew stronger.
If there’s a suitable opportunity in the future, she truly wants to challenge this Demon King that her mother says is unmatched in power.
But now, with the situation unclear and war imminent, it’s not the time for Ka Xiya to issue a challenge.
*
Although Ka Xiya was very disdainful toward Yilisi, since her mother had spoken, she naturally wouldn’t argue or talk back.
“Fine.”
“I understand, Mom.”
“I can’t call her Yilisi; I have to address her as Your Majesty the Demon King~”
“So, what exactly did Her Majesty the Demon King tell you? That at a time like this, she needed to call me back too.”
Regarding her daughter’s rebelliousness, Fei’ouna was also very helpless, because she had every reason to suspect that Yilisi was deliberately fostering this antagonistic relationship.
As for what the Demon King told her…
Fei’ouna really couldn’t tell her daughter, because it involved that long-buried desperate past that couldn’t be mentioned to anyone.
But come to think of it, why was Yilisi being so cryptic?
She called her daughter back without a word, neither informing her in advance nor explaining the reason to her daughter.
Given this situation, the mother and daughter would have to go confront her in person to get a clear answer.
“Alright.”
“It seems our Demon King wants to gather the whole family and announce something important at a family meeting.”
Watching her mother, who was untying her apron and smiling as she explained for Yilisi, Ka Xiya’s heart was inevitably extremely indignant at this kind of diva behavior.
‘Ha…’
‘So fake…’
However, just as she was silently cursing in her heart, Yilisi had already appeared behind Ka Xiya silently at some unknown time.
“What?”
“Do you have some complaint about my arrangements, Ka Xiya?”
Although it seemed like a light, casual question, it made Ka Xiya, who had been badmouthing her just a second ago, break out in a cold sweat.