“Zhu Xiaxia! I hate you! *Waaah*～”
The Little Princess rushed out the door without looking back.
Zhu Qiu’s words echoed continuously in Zhu Xiaxia’s mind, eventually dealing a heavy blow to her mental world.
As a mother, being hated by her own daughter…
In that moment, not only did her vision blur, but her ears also began to ring.
She was in such a daze that she felt as if she might faint in the next second.
“*Waaah*～”
Zhu Qiu ran all the way to the first floor with tears streaming down her face, then burst through the gates of the Imperial Palace.
Xiaguang, who was clearing the dining table, was stunned by the sight.
“Why was the Princess crying like that? Had Her Majesty the Queen bullied her again?”
Zhu Xiaxia quickly pulled herself together.
“Daughter, don’t leave yet!”
She anxiously chased after her.
Zhu Qiu was currently standing at the edge of the palace clearing, her back turned to Zhu Xiaxia.
“My precious daughter, if you have a problem, you can discuss it with Mother. There’s no need to cry, right?”
“Waaah! Zhu Xiaxia! You’re just a big liar! You’ve been tricking me all this time, and in the end, you try to brush me off with some broken stone. Do you take me for a fool?”
Inside the Imperial Palace, Xiaguang heard the shouting from outside.
She put down her work and curiously walked to the door to eavesdrop.
“Don’t you want to go back to the Human Race? That’s why Mother specifically prepared this stone, to help you hide your identity.”
“What I need isn’t a disguise! I want to truly change back! I want to return to my original identity, not have to sneak around even when I go to my own home. What kind of life is that?”
Zhu Qiu’s emotions were running high, her voice growing louder and louder.
“Zhu Xiaxia! Tell me the truth. Can I change back? Don’t give me any more vague answers! I’m done playing games with you!”
“Mother… is truly powerless. It really can’t be changed… I’m sorry.”
Zhu Xiaxia told the truth, lowering her head in shame.
This was the first time she had truly apologized since Zhu Qiu arrived at the Dragon Race Imperial Palace.
Once those words of powerlessness were spoken, Zhu Qiu felt like a total joke.
Because of Zhu Xiaxia’s empty promise of changing back, she had played the role of a well-behaved daughter for nearly 2 months, only to receive a declaration of helplessness in the end.
Zhu Qiu broke down.
“Go away! Zhu Xiaxia, I never want to see you again! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!”
Every “I hate you” pierced Zhu Xiaxia’s heart like a bullet.
‘My daughter… hates me… She really hates me…’
In a daze, Zhu Qiu took out the Wind Element Crystal Zhu Xiaxia had given her earlier and gripped it tightly.
“I’m leaving this place that makes me sad right now. I’m leaving the person I hate most. Zhu Xiaxia, let us never meet again!”
With that, Zhu Qiu skillfully channeled her Magic Power, using the magic within the Wind Element Crystal to float into the air.
“Daughter!”
Zhu Xiaxia chased after her frantically, wanting to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
“You might not be very skilled at using that Wind Element Crystal. It could be dangerous. D-do you need Mother to give you a lift…?”
“No!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhu Qiu dove through the clouds toward the ground.
“Zhu Qiu!”
Zhu Xiaxia shouted her daughter’s name one last time, but there was no response.
She collapsed weakly onto the ground, her head bowed in thought.
‘My daughter really… hates me. Should I have kept the truth hidden? Should I have kept leading her on so she would stay a well-behaved daughter?’
As soon as the thought appeared, Zhu Xiaxia shook her head violently.
‘That would be too inhuman. Choosing to control or deceive Zhu Qiu just to keep her as my ideal daughter would only destroy our bond. Eventually, she would grow to loathe me.’
‘Perhaps… my initial approach was wrong from the start. I should have made things clear earlier and let my daughter develop freely. She should do what she wants, go where she wants to play, and return to the Human Race if she wishes, instead of being kept here in the Dragon Race Imperial Palace to be educated by a teacher.’
Zhu Qiu was still a child. In terms of her Dragon Race age since hatching from a Dragon Egg, she was only 2 months old.
She should be playing happily, not being lectured by a teacher or strung along by her mother.
Zhu Xiaxia had an epiphany.
She struggled to climb up from the ground, and a hand reached out from behind to support her.
“Your Majesty, are you alright?”
“Xiaguang… I, I’m fine.”
“I saw the Princess run out crying, and then Your Majesty rushed out so anxiously. I was afraid something might have happened, so I came to check. What happened to the Princess?”
“It’s nothing. Zhu Qiu just went out to play. Don’t worry.”
Zhu Xiaxia forced herself to appear calm and brushed the dust off her clothes.
“As long as everything is okay. Your Majesty, Xiaguang shall return to her work.”
“Very well.”
In truth, Xiaguang hadn’t heard the argument between Zhu Xiaxia and Zhu Qiu very clearly.
She caught snippets about returning to the Human Race and “hating you,” but by the time she tried to get closer to listen, she only saw Zhu Xiaxia slumped on the ground and hurried to help her.
‘What a strange pair of mother and daughter.’
‘Now that I think about it, it’s also strange. The Princess’s birth was quite sudden. No one knows when Her Majesty laid that Dragon Egg. I don’t recall her ever being with a male dragon…’
“Xiaguang, bring me a glass of water. I’ll sit here for a while.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Zhu Xiaxia’s voice pulled Xiaguang’s thoughts back to reality. She stopped dwelling on it and obediently went to pour the water.
Zhu Qiu wiped her tears as she flew over the Primeval Forest using the magic of the Wind Element Crystal.
“*Waaah*～”
To get home as quickly as possible, she forced her Magic Power into the crystal just to fly a bit faster.
Flight was different from running or walking. With the boost from Magic Power, one could travel over 100 times faster over the same distance, saving a lot of time.
By late afternoon, Zhu Qiu reached the great grassland at the border between the Human Race and the Dragon Race.
Once there, she landed on the ground and put away the Wind Element Crystal.
Even though she was extremely angry and furious, she still possessed basic rationality.
She had already left the Dragon Race’s territory and stepped onto the Human Race’s land.
Even if humans rarely visited this place, she switched to walking just in case.
If she were seen by a human while flying like that, she would never be able to explain herself.
Zhu Qiu glanced at the red stone on her necklace. It didn’t look like anything special.
She continued on her way.
‘I hope what Zhu Xiaxia said is true.’
As she walked, she suddenly heard the faint voice of a young boy in the distance.
Zhu Qiu immediately became alert.
Why would there be a human in a place like this?
If it was a real person, it would be the perfect chance to verify if the necklace Zhu Xiaxia gave her actually worked.
She walked slowly toward the sound. By now, the sky had turned dark, and she could only move forward by the dim light of the moon.
As she grew closer, she could finally hear the words clearly.
“Is anyone there? Is anyone there!”
The boy was repeatedly shouting those few words.
To think someone would be looking for people at the border of the Human Race and Dragon Race… How bold was he?
Zhu Qiu was also bold. Without knowing the other party’s intentions, she responded directly.
“I’m here! I’m over here!”