“Baby daughter, you wouldn’t want your identity as the Human Sword Saint to be discovered, would you?”
Hearing Zhu Xiaxia’s words, Zhu Qiu’s heart skipped a beat.
‘How did she get up here so fast?’
‘Also, was that sentence she just said… a threat?’
“Taking out all these maps… are you preparing to run away again? My baby daughter is being naughty~”
Zhu Xiaxia’s magnetic voice swirled in Zhu Qiu’s ear, piercing straight to her heart.
‘How did she know I was going to run away! I kept the plan so secret!’
Zhu Qiu stood up and turned around to glare fiercely at Zhu Xiaxia.
“Zhu Xiaxia, just what do you want? You turned me into a Dragon Cub, and now you want to forcibly imprison me in the Dragon Race Imperial Palace? What kind of Dragon King behaves like this!”
“You shouldn’t say it like that. I didn’t turn you into a member of the Dragon Race; you did that voluntarily. That wasn’t up to me. Besides, I’m not exactly imprisoning you, am I? Look, you have your own room here with everything you need. How can you call this imprisonment?”
As soon as Zhu Xiaxia spoke, Zhu Qiu’s face turned green with frustration.
“I don’t care! You tricked me into crawling into that Dragon Egg! It’s all your fault! If you don’t let me leave the Imperial Palace, you’re imprisoning me!”
“Is that so?”
Zhu Xiaxia’s expression turned serious.
She took out a green crystal and handed it to Zhu Qiu.
“Daughter, this is a Wind Element Crystal. It can release two types of Magic: Levitation and Flight. Your Mother has already stored enough Magic Power inside. If you want to leave, you can go at any time. I won’t stop you.”
“However, as for where you’ll go, that’s not for me to decide. Since my daughter says I’m imprisoning her, then this crystal is enough to prove that I am not the kind of Mother you claim I am.”
Zhu Qiu took the crystal, feeling incredibly excited.
She even started to smile.
With this, she could go home!
She wouldn’t have to stay in this terrifying Dragon Kingdom anymore!
“But, Mother must remind her daughter… if you return to the Human Race now, you’ll be hunted down as a member of the Dragon Race~ I believe the faith of your Human Race is built upon the foundation of challenging the Dragon Race, isn’t it?”
Zhu Qiu froze.
‘How does Zhu Xiaxia know even that?’
“Hmph! That’s none of your business. Anyway, I can prove my identity. I… I have the Holy… Holy Sword.”
Zhu Qiu’s voice grew smaller and smaller.
She had no confidence in her heart.
She wasn’t sure if the humans would recognize the Holy Sword, or if they would just assume it was a fake created by the Dragon Race.
“Oh?”
The corners of Zhu Xiaxia’s mouth curled up slightly.
“Has my daughter’s Holy Sword returned?”
“Of course! If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.”
“Holy Sword, Jian Ge Yi!”
In the next second, the golden Holy Sword appeared in Zhu Qiu’s hand.
“It seems my daughter is quite impressive. However, I think it’s necessary to give you a reminder.”
Zhu Xiaxia leaned in close to Zhu Qiu’s ear.
“Whatever you do, do not expose your Holy Sword. If the other dragons find out, you’ll be treated with suspicion. If that happens, and you can’t make it on the humans’ side, you won’t even be able to return to the Dragon Race~”
“In the end, you’ll be alone in the wilderness with no bed, no blanket, and no pillow. There will be nothing but the whistling of the wind and endless cold, with no way to return to Mother’s embrace.”
“???”
“Stop!”
Zhu Qiu couldn’t stand Zhu Xiaxia’s nonsense anymore.
She only ever thought of the worst-case scenarios.
“Couldn’t she think of something positive?”
“Zhu Xiaxia, what is the point of saying all this?”
Zhu Xiaxia turned around, her back to Zhu Qiu.
“This is just a mother’s normal concern for her daughter. It doesn’t mean anything else. I will always deeply love my daughter and won’t let anything happen to her.”
Zhu Xiaxia walked out, pausing for a moment at the door.
“Remember, you must protect your Holy Sword well. Do not let the other dragons discover it — not Xiaguang, and definitely not Ilanka.”
“Ilanka is the teacher I hired for you. If you don’t plan on leaving immediately, go study with her this afternoon. After you finish your lessons, you can come to Mother to collect a reward.”
“I’m sure you’ll like it.”
With that, Zhu Xiaxia left the room.
However, her words lingered in Zhu Qiu’s mind for a long time, sinking her into deep thought.
‘Should I… really go back?’
‘With my current identity, will the Human Race accept me?’
‘Will Father recognize me?’
‘Will they believe my Holy Sword is the real thing?’
‘Even if it is real, they might only believe the sword and not me.’
‘Maybe I’ll be treated as a spy sent by the Dragon Race. They might even laugh at how incompetent this spy is for not even trying to disguise herself, foolishly holding a Holy Sword while pretending to be human.’
‘Maybe… I should postpone this plan for a few days. I’ll stay here for a while longer and see if I can find a way to change back.’
Zhu Qiu’s mood plummeted.
She retracted the Holy Sword and lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling until she eventually fell asleep.
By the time she woke up, it was already 2:00 PM.
The moment she stepped out the door, she ran into Zhu Xiaxia, who was just about to wake her up.
“My baby daughter is so disciplined today, actually getting out of bed on her own.”
“Zhu Xiaxia, why are you everywhere? I’m in a bad mood right now, so don’t bother me.”
“But, my daughter is supposed to officially start her studies today. As long as you study hard, Mother will give you a reward.”
“A reward? I’m not interested in that right now.”
“Are you sure? This thing can fulfill your wish to return to the Human Race. Don’t you want to see your father?”
“!”
“!!”
‘Father!’
‘Going back?!’
“Didn’t you say I couldn’t change back? How am I supposed to go back to the Human Race like this?”
“It’s true that you can’t permanently change back, but I am the Queen of the Dragon Tribe, after all. I know a bit of Magic.”
“Really? I… I can really go back?”
Zhu Qiu became excited.
“Of course, though it won’t be permanent.”
“Not permanent? Then for how long?”
“One or two weeks, perhaps. That’s enough time for you to go back and have some fun.”
“Fine!”
Zhu Qiu agreed without hesitation.
If this succeeded, it would at least prove that Magic could potentially change her back; it was just a matter of duration.
Now that there was a precedent, could a permanent reversal be far off?
Zhu Qiu’s mood instantly brightened.
She skipped downstairs while a grin that looked like someone watching a drama played on Zhu Xiaxia’s face.
From beginning to end, she had only said she could let her go back.
She never said she could change her back.
—
After finishing her meal, Ilanka remained in the room, propping her head up with one hand as she waited for the Princess.
“Seriously… why hasn’t the Princess come to find me yet?”
“Ilanka! I mean, Teacher Ilanka!”
Zhu Qiu rushed to Ilanka’s side with a cheerful expression.
“Teacher Ilanka, let’s start our lessons quickly!”
Seeing Zhu Qiu’s passionate display, Ilanka immediately sat up straight.
Finally, they could begin.
“Princess, let me introduce myself. I am…”
“Oh, no need for introductions. I already know. You’re my teacher, your name is Ilanka. Let’s just start now!”
She hadn’t expected the Princess to be so proactive.
“Alright, then we shall begin.”
Ilanka led Zhu Qiu to the back gate of the Dragon Race Imperial Palace.
Outside, there was a large open space perfect for teaching.
“Princess, we will begin our first lesson right here: Magic.”