The sky outside the window gradually darkened, heavy clouds pressing low. At first, it was just a fine drizzle, but soon the rain grew heavier, slamming wildly against the windows.
Celeste set down the feather pen in his hand, fastened his oiled cloak, and prepared to return to the Crystal Palace. The newly awakened dragon clan often lost control, especially on rainy days. Celeste usually went home early, but today the rain had come too suddenly.
“Your Majesty, are you still going out now?” the soldier asked, staring at Celeste in disbelief.
Celeste nodded. “It’s raining. You should head back and rest early too.”
The soldier watched Celeste’s retreating back. True enough, the harder the king worked, the easier life was for them.
At first, they had felt a little embarrassed by Celeste’s diligence. But now, they simply hoped the king would work even harder, so they could rest a little longer.
The wind howled fiercely, and the trees seemed to be frantically combing their messy hair. Their tangled locks whipped about wildly, making them look truly ugly.
Celeste sped through the forest, his cloak flapping violently in the gale. The sound of hooves rang through the air, punctuated by rumbles of thunder.
Dot Eyes poked its head out of its burrow. The evil lady dragon’s servant still comes even in this rain—how dedicated. It pecked at its feathers and then crawled back into its hole to sleep.
The crystal palace door was pushed open with force. Before Celeste could step inside, a sickly sweet scent slammed into his arms.
He caught her steady. Tossing off his cloak, they both tumbled straight onto the soft woolen carpet.
She had no idea how to kiss. Acting purely on instinct, she bit at him, gnawing randomly, her teeth accidentally scraping the corner of his lip. Soon, faint metallic taste seeped through.
“Celeste, you’re late. From now on, I’m only giving you one gem a month.”
Her breathing was ragged, but she still remembered her gems.
Celeste let out a laugh. He held her waist gently, his other hand stroking her back in a soothing rhythm.
“Slow down, Miss Dragon…”
Instead of rushing to kiss her, he softly brushed his lips against her slightly swollen ones. They were barely more than a gentle caress as he waited. When she finally parted her mouth, gasping for breath, his tongue pushed past her teeth and swept forcefully across the roof of her mouth.
His hand slowly traced up to the horn on her head, sliding from the base to the tip. His movements were steady, making her taut body gradually relax.
Their breaths tangled together as his hand slid down her spine and pushed aside the hem of her silk skirt.
“Miss Dragon…”
He kissed her slowly, the cold air and his burning hands constantly stimulating her skin. Her breathing quickened more and more. Celeste matched his touch to her breaths. Finally, her entire body tensed for a moment, then went limp in his arms.
Celeste suddenly felt grateful that Miss Dragon was a member of the dragon clan.
After all, he thoroughly enjoyed helping her relax.
Celeste carried Ji Zhaoxi to the bathroom, bathed her, lit candles, and stoked a fire.
Then he washed her wet clothes clean.
Not far from the palace stood a spire. Two people were crouching in a small room beneath it—the vantage point with the best view in the entire kingdom. They saw everything that happened near the palace.
“That princess has appeared again. Looks like she just finished a date with King Celeste,” said one civilian, peering through a telescope.
“But she rarely shows up. I’m starting to wonder if the king isn’t visiting a dragon, but sneaking off to see this princess instead.”
Another civilian sat on the ground sketching. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we can get firsthand news.”
“The princess and the king look perfect together. They’re kissing!” the civilian with the telescope said, trembling with excitement.
The one drawing hesitated and looked at her. “You probably don’t need to draw that part.”
That was a bit creepy.
Though Ji Zhaoxi rarely visited the palace side, every time she did, she caught someone’s attention. More and more people in the kingdom knew the king was dating. Even though Celeste never said so, everyone assumed the other person was some sweet little princess.
The civilian holding the telescope was thrilled. She had no idea that the king’s romance was basically no different from anyone else’s.
He still had to coax her, and this princess didn’t seem easy to please…
Just as they were thinking they could live happily ever like this, the civilian with the telescope suddenly trembled.
“Well, speak up! What color dress is she wearing?” demanded the one drawing, annoyed.
“Wings… wings…” stammered the other, her voice shaking.
The artist blinked, confused. “You want me to draw the princess with wings?”
Wasn’t their style supposed to be realistic? When had they switched to fantasy?
The civilian with the telescope let out a shriek. “That’s not a princess—that’s an evil dragon! She has wings!”
“Our king has been kidnapped by an evil dragon!”
Disaster. Catastrophe.
Who knows how long the king had been bearing this burden in secret? Their poor king…
The artist jumped, shocked. “Are you sure?”
The civilian with the telescope nodded, her face pale. “Really.”
They both agreed not to say a word about it.
If the king didn’t want to create panic, they would keep the secret.
The two stopped publishing updates. Several people came looking for them.
“Why aren’t you updating anymore? We’re all waiting for your new stories.”
They both shook their heads, pale-faced. “We’re not updating anymore. Never again.”
This was way too terrifying.
No way! Their new king had only been on the throne for a short time. If anyone from other countries found out their king was under the control of a dragon, their kingdom’s dignity would be trampled all over.
Celeste paid no mind to these trifles. He started planting trees, wanting to hide the Crystal Palace better. He didn’t want anyone to find its exact location.
Soon, the forest grew denser, completely sealing off the palace. Once, even Ji Zhaoxi almost got lost.
A few bold adventurers, having heard the legends of Ji Zhaoxi, ventured into the forest despite repeated bans from the guards.
They wanted to see the legendary Crystal Palace for themselves.
But the moment they set foot in the forest, they were stunned by the endless dense trees. The animals there were also especially rude—either scaring them or pelting them with things…
Several of them scrambled out of the forest, their hair covered in tiny marks of claws and beaks, looking completely ragged.
“Those animals should be sent straight to a witch!”
“I bet they’re all witch’s pets. Horrible, sinister creatures…”
