novelraw Chapter 77 : Loving Warmth
Chapter 77 : Loving Warmth
Why has this wretched dragon come?
Patunasankus gazed in the direction Liulan had departed, a puzzled expression on her face.
In Patunasankus's memory, this despicable dragon who loved collecting princesses as trophies rarely left her lair.
Aside from kidnapping princesses, Liulan had virtually no other hobbies.
She spent her days either plotting which princess to abduct next or sneaking into royal courts under human guise, spending decades subtly influencing the upbringing of young royals—administering potent fertility drugs to kings, ensuring the birth of exceptional princesses.
Behind every distinguished princess, there was always an evil dragon pulling the strings.
But as that oft-quoted writer (whose name Latifa could never remember) once wrote:
"Back then they were too young to know that all gifts from fate come with a price secretly marked in advance."
Every bit of Liulan's effort was aimed at that glorious moment when the girls became extraordinary princesses.
This evil dragon particularly enjoyed snatching them at the pinnacle of their lives, when their people adored them most, then imprisoning them in the eternal stillness of her lair—exhibits for her endless Princess Gallery.
During the decennial symposiums, Liulan would occasionally bring her royal collection along.
To the fundamentalist princess-purists among evil dragons, this artificial cultivation of princesses was utter heresy, making Liulan rather unpopular among them.
Still, dragons maintained cordial relations with their kin—no outright brawls, just quiet scheming about raiding Liulan's treasure troves.
"Is she off to kidnap another princess?" Patunasankus mused.
She couldn't fathom why Liulan wasted her days on such trivial pursuits.
Patunasankus closed her eyes.
Latifa's elegant smile surfaced in her mind—radiant as spring dawn, laughter dancing in her eyes and glistening lips.
"Just a princess. What's so special about them anyway?"
Tilting her head back, Patunasankus appeared indifferent. The sky stretched above—an endless blue, sparse clouds drifting like white chrysanthemums. The scene mirrored her own tranquil demeanor, suggesting life's natural state was serenity.
One peculiar detail nagged at Patunasankus though.
Ancient dragons were notoriously sensitive to each other's scent—an ancestral territorial marker used for identification. Just as she'd easily detected Liulan, the reverse should hold true even in human form.
Yet Liulan had shown no awareness whatsoever.
Patunasankus pressed slender fingers to her temples, pondering. A delicate necklace shimmered faintly around her graceful neck, its petite sapphire dazzling in sunlight.
After brief consideration, she dismissed the mystery—never one to dwell on trivialities.
No matter. This worked in her favor, sparing her the trouble of shape-shifting to deal with that wretched dragon.After all, a worthless dragon who could think of nothing but the Princess wasn't worth even a moment of her time.
Patunasankus estimated that this short journey likely wouldn't bring her face-to-face with Liulan.
Since things had come to this, she might as well eat first.
Patunasankus thought.
And then, she would reduce Taurant to ashes.
○
Elaphia truly adored the Princess.
Every movement of the Princess seemed adorable in Elaphia's eyes. It was as if there was a fire burning in her heart, though passersby could only catch a whiff of smoke.
But if someone approached her, step by step, close enough to reach out and touch, they would feel that warmth.
Elaphia had always been greedy for this warmth.
To her, the Princess was like a soft, silent spirit living deep in the forest, with feathers bearing the faint hues of a soul's reflection.
Just watching from afar was enough.
She was fine, and she hoped the Princess would be too.
This was only the beginning, with little hope—just a tender, fragile bit of affection she couldn't bear to sever.
This state had lasted a long time, until last night when she accidentally witnessed the Princess's vulnerable side, which made Elaphia reflect deeply.
For the first time, she realized the Princess was just as fragile. She wasn’t always cheerful; her heart could be as delicate as her body.
In Elaphia's view, the Princess, who couldn’t even restrain a chicken, should return to the safety of the Royal Capital as soon as possible. There was no need for her to accompany the two of them to all these dangerous places.
This was clearly a protective instinct, and she should have made this decision long ago.
Running into a lich not long ago was just bad luck, but attempting to break into a bloody palace operated by a Grand Duke of the vampires for centuries was absolutely unacceptable.
This wasn’t some childish game—even with the hero present, things could easily turn deadly.
And Elaphia knew all too well that as one of Vlad’s thralls, she was doomed no matter what. Such was the fate of a thrall.
No matter how she thought about it, it would be better to escort the Princess back to the Royal Capital and then go alone to Taurant to deal with Grand Duke Dreka, who for some reason wanted the Princess dead.
She had thought her pain had long since dulled.
But that pain seemed to be the only living thing inside her, always fresh and intense, never giving her a moment’s respite when it flared up.
She didn’t want to drag the Princess into this. She didn’t.
As for the Princess, having the hero by her side should be enough.
Having made up her mind, Elaphia stood up and walked over to Patunasankus, who was stuffing her cheeks like a hamster.
Elaphia saw her blue eyes, like the sky, her slender figure outlined against the azure backdrop.
"Munch munch munch?"
Noticing Elaphia standing before her, Patunasankus paused her chewing.
She blinked and gulped, the food sliding down her graceful neck in lumps.
"Is something the matter?"
Patunasankus could tell Elaphia seemed troubled.
"I want to leave the group," Elaphia said bluntly.Patunasankus' already large eyes widened even more.