Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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The day the princess returned to the city, she received a hero’s triumphant return.
Starting from the small border town, wherever the Princess Guards passed, the streets were crowded with people, and were filled with flowers and fruits. The human race spread word of mouth about the thrill and wonder of this dragon-slaying journey and marveled at the feat of dragon-slaying accomplished by Her Royal Highness.
Those who died in the Dragon City in the past had been forgotten, and only those who succeeded and survived became legends among the brave; and in the past, the shadows and nightmares that would be cast when the dragon territory was mentioned was now only crowned with glory for the dragon-slaying heroes, which added a touch of gorgeous color to the whole thing.
But the “Legend” herself was depressed.
All the way from the border to the royal city, Gu Nian didn’t even get off the princess sedan.
It was now only the last leg of the trip to the royal city. The princess’s honor guard rested between the two cities, and the members of the guard team gathered together to chat.
“When we left, she still rode with us. Why did when she had slain the dragon and is returning triumphantly, Her Highness Cheng had to ride in the princess’s sedan instead?”
“Maybe she was injured?”
“You can’t speak nonsense! Your Highness is a wise and mighty dragon-slaying hero. How could she be injured?”
“Yes, she must be just tired.”
“But I heard that after Her Highness woke up, she went to the sinkhole where the evil dragon’s territory collapsed and her eyes were red when she came back.”
“This, this… maybe it’s because we have been tortured by the evil dragon for so many years and finally succeeded. So Your Highness was too excited?”
“Possible.”
“Your Highness cares about the common people. As expected – oh, Mr. Xiu, why did you come out in person!?”
One of the members of the guard team suddenly exclaimed after looking up at one point, and the others were so frightened that they quickly climbed up from the stone.
Several people hurriedly arranged their armor and helmets, and metal and iron clashed, making a heavy and clear sound.
The Excellency whom the guards spoke of was parked nearby. He was dressed in defenseless clothes, with long hair hanging back, and a gentle look on his face. He looked exactly like a noble young man with no power to restrain a chicken.
Even so, none of the guards holding spears with sharp and cold light dared to look down upon him, or even dare to look at this long-haired beauty.
That kind of fear came from the bottom of their hearts, and they didn’t know why.
But knowing the reason was even more frightening.
The long-haired beauty turned a blind eye to their awe and smiled as gently as before and asked: “Your Highness hasn’t come out yet?”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Then I’ll go take a look.”
“This…”
The leading member of the guard team wanted to stop him, but as soon as he said a word, he met the long-haired beauty’s gentle gaze.
He was stuck, his voice was stuck in his throat, and he hurriedly lowered his head before he could say the second word.
Xiu calmly and gently withdrew his gaze, then he turned around and walked towards the princess sedan. When he arrived outside the princess sedan, he saw the maid coming out of it with a sad face.
The maid looked up and saw the long-haired Xiu, her expression looking hesitant: “Your Excellency?”
“I came to visit the princess.”
“Your Highness is not feeling well, so it may be inconvenient to see you.” The maid lowered her gaze worriedly and gestured to the things in her hands, “His Highness asked me to take out the meal prepared for lunch today without even taking a few bites.”
“…”
Xiu’s eyes flickered over the tray.
Soon he raised his gaze and reached out: “Give it to me.”
“……”
The maid wanted to refuse, but as soon as she raised her eyes, she saw the man slowly approaching, and his eyes seemed to carry some kind of irresistible and rebellious pressure, such that she almost instinctively handed him the tray she carried by both hands.
When she suddenly came to her senses, the maid woke up with a start, and she only had time to see the last piece of the beauty’s clothes disappear into the outer curtain of the princess’ sedan.
The maid was covered in cold sweat.
She began to try hard to remember what happened just a moment ago, but she couldn’t recall any details. The only thing that remained in her memory was a pair of…
A pair of slightly golden pupils.
The maid panicked and took a step towards the princess sedan: “Your Highness, you——”
“It doesn’t matter, you can go and rest.”
“…”
A female voice came from the princess sedan, soft and lazy, a voice that the maid was all too familiar with.
The maid breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and left as if running away.
After Gu Nian finished answering, she returned her gaze.
The princess sedan was small but well-equipped. There was an exquisite low table placed inside, and the long-haired beauty who didn’t show any emotion was sitting opposite her.
Things on the dinner plate that she hadn’t touched twice were placed on the low table one by one by his long and beautiful fingers. Perhaps it was because of the beautiful hands that she forgot to stop eating the dishes that she had seen as unappetizing earlier.
After a while, the small table in front of her was filled again. Gu Nian frowned and wanted to speak.
“What are you looking at?” A gentle voice made her raise her eyes and take the initiative.
Gu Nian lowered her head and hesitated for a few seconds about what was in her hand. She slowly lifted her hand from under the table and put it on the table.
The folded five fingers slowly opened and stretched flat.
A gem-like scale was exposed in her white palm.
Xiu didn’t seem to be surprised. He glanced at the reverse scale with gentle eyes, and then raised his gaze to look at the princess without any nostalgia: “Your Highness likes it?”
“…”
Gu Nian pursed her lips and answered.
She didn’t speak and only endured it, because she knew that she would say something outrageous if she opened her mouth – she didn’t like Xiu’s attitude towards it, as if in his eyes the dragon scales were like a gift.
A gift stained with blood.
There was nothing wrong with this. If the origin of this dragon scale was announced, all the races in the world would cheer and celebrate it. In their eyes, the death of the evil dragon was not a pity.
Originally she came here for this. But if this dragon scale belonged to that half-demon boy, if he did not want to do evil, if he intimidated the border of the kingdom again and again in the rare days when he woke up, because he could not speak, and just wanted to beg for a few things of hers, if it picked up and played with things like that dressing mirror, then did it make such a big mistake that it deserved to be killed?
But whether he was or not, he was already dead.
Even the reverse scale was torn off, the painful dragon roar she heard before she passed out, and the rain of blood…
Gu Nian closed her eyes tightly and closed her fingers over the scale again. The hard edges of the scale were almost wedged into her palms. They hurt before, but now they were only numb.
“…I know.”
After a long time, Gu Nian heard herself speak slowly in a very low and soft voice.
“I just don’t know. Even if it turns out I know.”
Xiu’s eyes moved.
He slowly raised his eyes, and there was a suppressed dark emotion in his brown eyes that needed to be broken out. He lowered his eyes gently: “Your Highness, are you willing to give up?”
Gu Nian was silent for a long time and said softly: “I just regret it.”
“What do you regret?”
“I regret it… Maybe I should have kept him by my side at that time, and at least taught him how to communicate and talk to the human race, and how to make requests.”
“Request?” Xiu’s eyes dropped, but the corners of his lips raised slightly, “What request?”
“No matter what his requirements are, if the human race could meet them without the hope or possibility of being threatened by it, then the human race will not fight to the death with him.”
“Any request would have been okay?”
“…”
Gu Nian clenched the scales tightly, and the cold touch reached her heart. She felt sad and wanted to cry.
But she was a hero of the human race and a warrior who slayed a dragon. She should not cry for a dragon during her triumphant return.
Gu Nian’s voice was low and hoarse: “He could ask for anything.”
Xiu smiled suddenly: “Even if that evil dragon wanted you, His Highness?”
Gu Nian was startled.
That dragon’s roar, and the dressing mirror that fell in front of her in the rain of blood, the sound and the image came back to her.
Gu Nian’s eyes shivered slightly from the blood-red rain. She clenched the scales tighter and tighter. The thin and tender skin was finally unable to withstand the sharp edges.
A trace of blood slowly soaked into the gem-like scales, and then merged.
Gu Nian didn’t notice, and her voice trembled slightly: “If I could foresee such an ending, then I would choose another path.”
“——”
Xiu’s eyes flickered and he looked at the palm of Gu Nian’s hand thoughtfully. He saw the only difference in the flowing blood beneath the scales.
When she was thinking about it, she saw Xiu still looking at the reverse scale in her hand. Gu Nian looked down for a while and asked, “It must be very painful when you tear it off.”
Xiu’s eyes flashed slightly, and after a moment he lowered his eyes and smiled: “It hurts.”
Gu Nian looked up in shock.
Xiu’s voice was gentle: “This piece of reverse scale was voluntarily presented to His Highness.”
“…”
Gu Nian froze for two seconds, then lowered her head and laughed at herself: “But I went to kill him. If he knew, he should hate me to death.”
“No.” The voice was gentle, like a promise, “He has been in love with Her Highness since many years ago. No matter what Your Highness does to him, the dragon will never change his heart.”
“…?”
Gu Nian was startled when she heard this.
After she had calmed down, she subconsciously raised her head to ask something, but the voice of the maid could already be heard from outside the princess sedan: “Your Highness, there is a message from the palace. His Majesty is urging us to return to the palace as soon as possible.”
“I understand,” Gu Nian took a breath and suppressed her emotions, “Give the order to break camp and set off.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
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