Ji Zhaoxi originally wanted to hide the gemstones in her cave, afraid that this person might steal her precious collection.
With so many jewels lying out in the open, one touch of his hand, and a piece would vanish.
The evil dragon lay on the large stone slab, swishing her tail as she stared at him.
Celeste didn’t spare a single glance at the gemstones in the cave, because he knew that if he so much as looked at them, this dragon would start suspecting him.
This was an extremely suspicious evil dragon.
Celeste moved in and out of the cave, and soon he had arranged a bed in the corner that looked incredibly soft.
He wasn’t used to sleeping on a stone slab.
Celeste continued searching for materials to make the bed more comfortable—a good night’s sleep was crucial.
The moment he returned with an armful of soft, clean wool, the bed in the corner was gone.
He looked over at the bluish stone slab, where Miss Dragon was sitting on his bed, polishing those already spotless, gleaming jewels.
Ji Zhaoxi glanced at him guiltily, wiping one jewel and then the next.
When people feel guilty, they always stay busy.
But this bed was really too comfortable!
Celeste walked up to Ji Zhaoxi: “Miss Dragon, this is my bed.”
Ji Zhaoxi said, without a shred of shame: “You’re mine, so your bed is mine too!”
Celeste was silent. That statement left him with no comeback.
This was a very bossy evil dragon.
Ji Zhaoxi rolled around on the soft bed a few times, clearly refusing to give it back.
Celeste didn’t say a word, he just sat off to the side, wordlessly stuffing the wool into the mattress.
Ji Zhaoxi was pleased with his cooperation and generously handed him a gem.
Celeste paused for a moment, then took it: “Thank you, Miss Dragon.”
Miss Dragon could be quite generous sometimes.
Meanwhile, at the palace gates, a crowd of princes stood wearing crowns, their clothes studded with diamonds, even their shoes sparkling with jewels.
News of Prince Celeste’s disappearance had somehow spread, and for days a flood of people had been gathering at the palace entrance, all claiming to be Celeste.
Very few people had ever seen Prince Celeste’s face, as he always wore a mask. He was so outstanding yet so low-key that hardly anyone recognized him.
Now they were testing each one.
Could these princes feel the sword beneath the mattress? Every single one of them could!
“Are you idiots? Stop testing whether they’re princes by putting a sword under the mattress!” the soldier snapped. “Any person can feel that!”
How long would this farce drag on?
Absurd!
A nearby soldier pulled him aside: “Hal, keep your voice down.”
“This is the King’s order.”
Hal stared at him in disbelief: “The King’s order?”
The soldier nodded. “This is a scheme the King came up with. You’re questioning His Majesty’s decision.”
Hal was speechless.
The King was so senile that people had to repeat things dozens of times before he understood—wasn’t it only natural to question his decisions?
On top of that, he was nearly deaf. Anyone speaking to him in the palace had to shout. By now, the palace guards’ throats were a wreck.
In a lavish room, hushed voices murmured in discussion.
“Listen to me, Eva. You dress yourself up as a prince, and then you can become a prince.”
The Queen wiped her tears, eyes red as she looked at her child.
Eva was her child from a previous marriage, and now that Celeste had gone missing, she wanted to bring Eva into the palace to live a good life.
Eva stared at her in shock: “You’ve lost your mind. I’m a woman.”
The Queen shook her head, pleading with her: “It doesn’t matter, Eva. The King is just a doddering old fool. If you wear a prince’s clothes, he’ll never recognize you.”
That old fool would probably even mistake her for Celeste. She was so beautiful how could he be that blind? He had reached that cursed age.
Eva hesitated, lowering her head: “Let me think about it…”
The clouds in the sky were soft as cotton candy, a few squirrels hopping about in the grove, glowing mushrooms swaying gently below, and an occasional breeze passed through the forest, blowing straight into the cave.
“Magic mirror on the wall, tell me, who is the most fearsome evil dragon in the world!”
The surface of the magic mirror flickered.
“It is Princess Lorian.”
Ji Zhaoxi choked.
“Magic mirror on the wall, then who is the second most fearsome evil dragon?” Ji Zhaoxi closed her eyes and asked devoutly.
The mirror’s light dimmed for a moment: “It is Lady Arella.”
“And the third?”
“Lady Lumi.”
Celeste sat in the corner, silently watching Ji Zhaoxi as she worked her way through the top one hundred on the list.
Miss Dragon had a very persistent personality.
“And where does Ji Zhaoxi rank?” Ji Zhaoxi finally couldn’t hold back and blurted out.
The mirror was so exhausted its light could barely shine.
“Ji Zhaoxi, an Eastern dragon, has never participated in battles, has never kidnapped a prince, so she is not included in the rankings…”
Ji Zhaoxi sighed, sprawled on the bed.
“Magic mirror on the wall, within a one-meter range, who is the most fearsome evil dragon?”
The magic mirror paused for a moment: “Ji Zhaoxi.”
Within a one-meter range, wasn’t she the only dragon there? Was that even worth asking?
Celeste: …
Having received the mirror’s “praise,” Ji Zhaoxi was now brimming with fighting spirit.
“Celeste, pack up. We’re going to kidnap a prince.”
She dragged a huge trunk out from the corner. Inside were whips, ropes, all kinds of knockout drops…
Celeste was silent for a moment: “Miss Dragon, exactly which prince are you kidnapping?”
Ji Zhaoxi was very busy: “That prince you impersonated last time.”
The one the soldiers had driven away.
“Once I catch him, you can see what a real prince looks like.”
Celeste looked at the contents of the trunk with a headache—he really didn’t want any of it to be used on him in the future.
“Miss Dragon, maybe we could use another method.”
Ji Zhaoxi snapped angrily: “You’re a servant. Know your place.”
Watching Ji Zhaoxi pull out increasingly extravagant items, including handcuffs and leg irons, Celeste decided he needed to protect himself.
“Illustrious Miss Dragon, perhaps we could use a more direct approach. Princess Lorian, for example, just uses her claws…”
Ji Zhaoxi became terribly upset. The mention of claws reminded her that because she had been expelled from the castle too early, she had never even developed her grip strength. Every time she grabbed gemstones, a few would slip through her claws.
Celeste was mocking her!
Furious, Ji Zhaoxi threw Celeste out.
Celeste dusted himself off and sat on a big rock by the cave entrance.
Even the rocks were studded with gemstones, making them horribly uncomfortable to sit on.
The sky was growing dark, but he was absolutely not going to sleep in that doghouse next door. That was his last shred of dignity.
