“Tch, whatever, as long as you don’t bother me.”
“At least you know what’s good for you.”
Aze let out a low chuckle and said nothing more, just snuggling deeper under the covers.
The silver tail still wrapped around her wrist like a reassuring tether.
“By the way, when will you start your atonement?”
“No idea. Anyway, I’m going to sleep now. Hades, if you nag me again, I’ll hit you.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
Yiyi stiffened her neck, but still obediently shut her mouth.
The silver tail wrapped tightly around her wrist brought a warm, indescribable feeling to her heart.
“I told you, shut up, I’m trying to sleep!”
Aze sat up and pulled Yiyi into her arms, pressing her beneath her.
Yiyi’s head was buried between the pillow and Aze’s chest.
“Mmm…” Yiyi’s muffled groan was stifled by the fabric, her nose filled with Aze’s cool scent, mixed with a faint hint of healing salve.
The wound on her chest was gently pressed against, not exactly painful, but it made her heart skip wildly, her cheeks burning as if on fire.
“Hey, I don’t want to sleep, let me go… mmm…”
“Shut up…” Aze’s voice was thick with sleep, soft yet domineering.
Her palm pressed against Yiyi’s back, not heavy, but carrying an unyielding insistence.
The silver tail at her back tightened even more, the cool scales clinging to Yiyi’s spine, as if soothing her, yet also restraining her.
…
In the palace’s little garden, Lilia was picking flowers with Yaoyao in her arms.
“Lilia-jie, what are Big Sis and that pretty lady doing in the room? Yaoyao wants to play too.”
Yaoyao stared with her round eyes, holding a freshly picked daisy in her small hand, her curiosity clear as she pressed on.
Lilia gently patted Yaoyao’s head, plucked a pale pink rose with her fingers, and lightly brushed her little nose.
A gentle smile shimmered in her eyes: “Yaoyao is still too young. Those things are better not known for now.”
“But Lilia-jie, you’re not that old either, are you?”
Yaoyao blinked, her blunt retort making a faint blush creep over Lilia’s cheeks.
“Last time, I saw Lilia-jie pinning Big Sis to that big chair…”
“Hey, hey, stop! You little rascal, what do you even know?!”
Lilia panicked in an instant, her cheeks red as ripe cherries as she hurriedly covered Yaoyao’s mouth, her voice carrying a note of alarm.
“T-that was just me and your Big Sis playing around! Kids shouldn’t watch, and definitely shouldn’t talk about it!”
Blinking under Lilia’s hand, Yaoyao pried her fingers away, tilting her head with an innocent face: “But Yaoyao wasn’t making things up. Big Sis even blushed that time.”
Lilia felt her cheeks were about to catch fire.
She quickly changed the subject, picking a blooming sunflower and handing it to Yaoyao: “Look at this sunflower—it’s so pretty, doesn’t it look like a little sun? Let’s pick some more and make flower crowns to give to our big sisters later, okay?”
“Okay, okay!”
Yaoyao’s attention was instantly caught by the golden sunflower, and she promptly forgot the earlier topic, her little hands grasping the stem as she smiled with crescent eyes.
Next time, I have to wait until this little one is asleep before getting close with Yibao again.
How did she catch us last time?
Lilia sighed in relief, afraid Yaoyao might remember the earlier conversation, and quickly added: “Yaoyao, after we finish the flower crowns, let’s go read at the library, okay? There are lots of picture books with magical castles inside—it’s really fun.”
“Really?”
Yaoyao’s eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly.
“Okay, okay! Let’s hurry and finish the flower crowns, then go to the library!”
Lilia agreed with a smile, her fingers weaving swiftly through the petals, finally feeling at ease.
…
A short while later, the library was silent and peaceful.
Lilia found a picture book for Yaoyao, the cover painted with a rainbow castle, and gently placed her on a soft-cushioned couch, softly instructing: “Yaoyao, read your book quietly. I’m just looking for something nearby. Call me if you need anything, okay?”
Yaoyao nodded obediently, absorbed in the picture book, her little brows knitting from time to time with the story, muttering quietly, “The little knight is so brave.”
Seeing this, Lilia felt reassured.
She turned toward the shelves, fingers brushing along the spines, searching for a quiet essay to pass the time.
After wandering among the bookshelves for five or six minutes, a book with a deep blue cover caught her eye, its gilded title especially striking.
《An Explanation of Dragonkin Developmental Stages》
“What is this?”
Lilia muttered unconsciously, gently pulling the book free.
The cover felt heavy and substantial, the edges worn as if it had been read countless times.
Curiously, she opened the first page.
Inside were dense, esoteric words, along with several hand-drawn illustrations of dragonkin forms.
The further she read, the hotter her cheeks became, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Suddenly, a line of bold print leapt into view—《Every dragonkin hatchling may enter a period of estrus before reaching adulthood》
“E-estrus?”
Lilia froze, her cheeks flushing red to the tips of her ears, even her breathing in disarray.
She hurriedly flipped further, finding a detailed description of estrus in dragonkin.
Elevated body temperature, irritable mood, intense dependency and desire for closeness with a compatible kin, and for some, even tail tips turning hot and scales flushing red.
“Then could Yibao also…” Lilia stared at the page, the thought suddenly popping into her mind.
The heat in her face surged higher, and the corners of her lips lifted in an uncontrollable silly smile.
“So that means I…”
Eh heh heh…
The more she thought, the harder it was to hold back, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the words “compatible kin” on the page.
In her mind flashed the image of Yibao, face flushed and ears red, leaning dependently against her, her heart pounding as if it would leap from her chest.
Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when Yaoyao suddenly popped up, pointing at an illustration in the book: “Lilia-jie, what are you smiling about? The little dragon’s tail is all red—is it not feeling well?”
Lilia snapped back, hurriedly wiping away her silly grin.
Her cheeks burned even more fiercely as she stammered: “N-no, I wasn’t smiling! This little dragon is just… just a bit hot, not unwell.”
“Oh?”
Yaoyao nodded, only half understanding, then pointed at the words: “Then what’s ‘desire for closeness’? Does it mean the little dragon wants to always be with someone it likes?”
“Y-yeah…” Lilia’s voice was barely above a whisper, fireworks bursting in her heart as she remembered how Yibao always snuggled up to her, her soft cheek rubbing against Lilia’s neck.
The corners of her mouth couldn’t help but rise again.
“Alright, alright, Yaoyao, go back to your book.”
Lilia quickly nudged the little one toward the couch, afraid she might ask more questions and give her away.
“Oh, okay.”
Yaoyao was still a little curious, but seeing Lilia’s red face, she obediently returned to the couch, though she still peeked back at Lilia’s book from time to time.
Watching Yaoyao settle back onto the couch, Lilia’s finger traced the notes in the book, her cheeks hot enough to iron the pages.
She stole a glance—Yaoyao was reading her picture book in earnest, her little head bobbing with the story.
Only then did Lilia finally breathe easy and continue reading.