Celeste was washing clothes by the river, carefully scrubbing the silk, leaving no trace of dirt behind.
At that moment, Ji Zhaoxi was hiding under her blanket reading up on dragon physiology. The more she read, the more embarrassed she became.
What did it mean? Just because a little blood had dripped from Celeste’s hand, she had been that affected?
A Forest Priestess shouldn’t be so easily tempted.
The next morning, a little bird with dot-like eyes flew into the cave. It gazed at Ji Zhaoxi pleadingly and lifted one of its legs.
Ji Zhaoxi was still a bit drowsy. She gently blew away the feathers around the bird’s wound, cleaned the mud from its leg with warm water, and then held her breath as she precisely set the broken bone.
The little bird suddenly let out a pitiful shriek.
Ji Zhaoxi carefully trimmed away the broken twigs and placed them as splints against both sides of the bird’s wing.
She ground the herbal powder into a fine dust and lightly applied it to the bird’s wound.
Celeste stepped quietly inside and watched Ji Zhaoxi treating the bird. The sunlight streaming into the cave fell fully upon her, making even the fine down on her face visible. She had her head lowered, her lashes casting shadows beneath her eyes, and all he could perceive was the steady rhythm of her breathing.
Celeste unconsciously held his breath.
As the final thread was pulled tight, the little bird fluttered its wings and hobbled off.
Before leaving, it cast a confused glance at Celeste. Its dot-like eyes were full of bewilderment.
Wasn’t this servant supposed to be Miss Dragon’s enemy? Why was he still in Miss Dragon’s cave? Should it keep pecking at his hair in the future or not?
Unfortunately, no one answered its questions.
Ji Zhaoxi just sat up, only to meet Celeste’s gaze. Both of them froze for a moment.
Celeste smiled at her. Ji Zhaoxi looked away uncomfortably, then snapped in a mix of embarrassment and irritation, “What’s so funny?!”
Celeste’s eyes curved. “Miss Dragon is so skilled at healing.”
Ji Zhaoxi’s ears turned red, and she ignored him.
Just because of what happened yesterday didn’t mean his status had changed. He was still her servant, and he would be her servant forever!
Ji Zhaoxi received a letter that day. She had to go see Mother Dragon.
Her mood soured instantly. Mother Dragon would start lecturing her again.
Mother Dragon was always either scolding her or on her way to scold her.
Ji Zhaoxi deliberately brought a parenting book along. Even though it was about raising human children, she figured there had to be some common ground between raising humans and raising dragons.
She hoped Mother Dragon could accept that she simply wasn’t suited for combat. Could she please just resign herself to having an ordinary dragon for a daughter!
She had prepared a long speech on the way, but the moment she saw Mother Dragon, she forgot all of it. Mother Dragon’s aura was overwhelmingly strong.
“How long are you going to fool around in the forest?” the Dragon Queen’s voice was heavy. “Treating birds, stopping people from cutting down trees, digging in the dirt every single day—what meaning does this life have for you?”
Lorian stood silently beside Mother Dragon. Ji Zhaoxi guessed that Lorian was probably delighted right now—after all, Lorian loved nothing more than clinging to Mother Dragon’s side.
Back in the day, the mere act of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mother Dragon used to thrill Lorian beyond measure.
Ji Zhaoxi’s mind wandered for a moment until Mother Dragon finally finished her lecture.
“Mother, the meaning is that I’m doing what I love,” Ji Zhaoxi said softly, mustering her courage.
In her imagined version, she would have argued fiercely with Mother Dragon. But the moment she opened her mouth, her nerves won out.
Still, she would bravely try to say what she had wanted to say, even if in a timid voice.
“Does every dragon have to find meaning in fighting? Maybe that’s true for others, but not for me.”
Ji Zhaoxi didn’t want to do things she disliked and wasn’t even good at. It only made her feel defeated.
Was protecting the forest a bad thing? She helped so many animals, and every day they sang her praises.
The Dragon Queen looked at Ji Zhaoxi’s righteous expression and laughed in disbelief. “So you’re proud of being this weak in combat?”
The air around them began to twist.
Ji Zhaoxi: …
Mother Dragon always threatened her when she lost an argument…
“Can’t I be proud? I’m happy with my life every single day. Mother, aren’t you proud of me?” Ji Zhaoxi’s voice was barely a mumble.
Her voice was soft, but she didn’t leave out a single point she wanted to make. She timidly glanced at Mother Dragon.
Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Mother Dragon was still her mother, and she wasn’t a male dragon. Her eldest sister was standing right at the entrance. She wouldn’t die from this.
Lorian’s gaze rested on the Dragon Queen, her eyes downcast. She couldn’t understand why Mother Dragon felt compelled to force Ji Zhaoxi to train so hard. How she wished Mother Dragon would just stop meddling with Ji Zhaoxi.
Mother Dragon had never spoken this much to her…
