Yiyi slowly opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering with the haze of just waking up.
She stared at the canopy above, embroidered with dark patterns, for quite a while before slowly sitting up.
She rubbed her eyes, and her little hand instinctively groped beside her.
The spot that should have been warm was empty, leaving behind only a lingering trace of warmth, like the remnant heat before the morning breeze sweeps it away.
Last night, Xiamir’s gentle voice, the touch of her fingertips as she helped dry Yiyi’s hair, and that sentence—“I’ll come pick you up in seven days”—all jumped into her heart like little pebbles, making her suddenly much more awake.
“She really left…”
Yiyi mumbled softly, lowering her eyes, her little hand clutching the blanket beneath her.
Last night, she’d stubbornly said, “I don’t rely on you,” but now, looking at the empty half of the bed, she felt like something was missing, an emptiness settling in her heart.
She remembered Xiamir saying, “Dragon cubs rely on their mother dragons,” and couldn’t help but wrinkle her little brows, softly protesting: “That’s not true, I don’t miss her at all…”
But as soon as the words left her lips, the tips of her ears turned pink.
She quickly turned her face away, as if to convince herself, and added another sentence: “She definitely said those things just to tempt me, to make me weak, to confuse me—yes, it must be that. I won’t fall for her tricks!”
As she spoke, she nodded firmly, clutching the blanket even tighter, as if that would make her words more convincing.
But as her gaze swept across the bedside and landed on the little jacket Xiamir had folded for her last night, that empty feeling crept up again, making her pout unconsciously.
Clearly, her words were tough, but she instinctively buried her face in the pillow, which still carried a faint trace of warmth, like a kitten lost and searching for direction.
After a long while, Yiyi finally lifted her head from the pillow, sniffled, and padded barefoot onto the cool carpet, heading for the stool.
She picked up the neatly folded pink dress and white over-the-knee socks, clumsily tugging them onto herself.
Her fingers kept fumbling with the dress buttons, never getting them quite right, while she muttered in her soft, childish voice: “It’s all Xiamir’s fault, insisting on such troublesome clothes… They’re so hard to put on, nowhere near as comfy as pants.”
When she pulled on the over-the-knee socks, the lace at the cuffs kept slipping down.
She puffed out her cheeks and tugged at the lace, her complaints growing softer:
“And these socks, the lace makes my legs itchy… She must’ve done it on purpose, just to make me uncomfortable… Next time, I’m definitely not wearing them!”
But there wasn’t even a hint of real anger in her voice.
Her soft, milky tone sounded like a kitten nuzzling up to someone, not that she realized it herself.
Her eyes held no real dissatisfaction as she complained, only the unmistakable little grievance brought by Xiamir’s departure.
And, when she faced these girlish clothes, there was also that indescribable awkwardness and helplessness.
The corridor of the Blood Clan’s palace was lined with deep purple velvet carpet, muffling every footstep.
The crystal lamps hanging on the pillars refracted a soft light, stretching Yiyi’s tiny shadow and making it sway.
She wore her pink little dress, with the lace on her white over-the-knee socks still askew beside her knees.
Her two short legs, unaccustomed to the dress’s restraint, made her waddle awkwardly with every step, completely uncoordinated, like a little dumpling just learning to walk.
She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a Blood Clan maid nearby stopped cleaning, her eyes shining as she quietly whispered to her companion: “That’s the little guest Lady Lilith mentioned, isn’t it? She’s so cute～”
Yiyi heard the whisper and halted, her cheeks instantly flushing red.
She quickly lowered her head and sped up her little legs, grumbling inwardly:“It’s all Xiamir’s fault, picking such flashy clothes… She must have done it on purpose to embarrass me!”
She’d barely gone a couple more steps when the guards at the corridor’s corner also paused, their once stern expressions softening as their gazes landed on the uneven lace of her socks.
Suppressing their smiles, they exchanged a glance.
One guard couldn’t help but say quietly, “Careful there, little one, don’t trip.”
“Hmph… I-I won’t!”
Yiyi abruptly stopped, glaring up at the guard, her little brows scrunching together.
She tried to look “fierce,” but her milky voice still lingered, soft and sweet, making her sound more like she was pouting than scolding.
After saying her piece, she quickly turned around, gripping her skirt tightly with both hands, afraid of being stared at again.
Her short legs moved even faster, but as she rushed, her skirt accidentally tripped her up.
Her body wobbled, and she nearly fell.
A maid beside her quickly reached out to help, but Yiyi managed to steady herself, blushing furiously as she darted forward without looking back, muttering under her breath as she ran: “Meanies, why are you all staring at me… Xiamir is the worst!”
The crystal light sparkled on her swaying skirt, as if scattering a layer of tiny diamonds.
This “puffed-up” little dumpling looked even more like a darling that people couldn’t help but want to tease.
Yiyi was so focused on rushing forward that she didn’t notice someone in the shadow at the corridor’s turn.
Just as she rounded the corner, a pair of warm hands suddenly reached from behind, gently pinching her nape—like picking up a bristling little kitten—and steadily lifted her off the ground.
“Yah!”
Yiyi cried out in surprise, her short legs flailing instinctively, arms waving about. When she turned her head, she found herself staring into Lilith’s smiling eyes.
Lilith’s long silver-white hair draped over her shoulders, her fingertips carrying a faint scent of roses.
Seeing Yiyi’s startled yet indignant little face, she couldn’t help but laugh: “Running so fast, Yiyi—who are you mad at?”
“Lilith, why is it you? Put me down! Put me down! You and Xiamir are both meanies!”
Yiyi puffed out her cheeks, her little face flushing bright red as she squirmed with all her might.
Her short legs kicked even harder, but she couldn’t break free from Lilith’s hand.
She glared at Lilith, her eyes full of “anger,” but with her soft, childish voice and the sight of her dangling in mid-air, she looked more like a little kitten throwing a tantrum than anything threatening.
Lilith suppressed a laugh, deliberately lifting her a bit higher, her tone teasing: “Oh, is our Yiyi really angry? Come on, tell me—why are me and Xiamir ‘meanies’?”
As she spoke, she gave her arm a gentle shake, making Yiyi sway a little.
That only made Yiyi more flustered, her little mouth pouting so much it could hook onto a spoon.
She could only glare angrily, unable to squeeze out another fierce retort for a long while.
“Y-you’re both the same, only know how to bully me, tease me for your amusement, hmph💢!”
Yiyi finally managed to get this sentence out, her voice tinged with a hint of a sob, her eyes turning red.
She turned her face away, not wanting Lilith to see her teary eyes, but her little hand still stubbornly clung to Lilith’s wrist, like a ruffled little dumpling with nowhere else to turn.