Slowly, they stopped in front of one snack stall.
Zhu Xiaxia pulled Zhu Qiu in front of her.
“Ugh… I don’t want to.”
Zhu Qiu covered her eyes, not daring to look.
“Don’t be shy. We’re all friends here.”
Zhu Xiaxia rubbed Zhu Qiu’s head and gave the boss lady running the stall a small smile.
“Hello, please give me one order of takoyaki.”
“Coming right up, Her Majesty the Queen. It’ll be ready in a jiffy,” the boss lady replied enthusiastically.
The two interacted like good friends, unaffected by their difference in status.
“Mo… Mother, let’s go home. I’m really not hungry anymore.”
“Oh?”
Zhu Xiaxia looked down at Zhu Qiu, who was so afraid of being seen that she was willing to give up on food.
‘She’s so cute!’
‘No, as a Princess, how can she be afraid of people? She’s way too timid. Today is the perfect chance to toughen her up.’
Soon, the fresh and delicious takoyaki were ready.
They were packed into a box, lined up neatly in a row.
“Her Majesty the Queen, your takoyaki is ready.”
“Thank you!”
Zhu Xiaxia paid, took the box, and immediately tried to hand it to Zhu Qiu.
“Eat something, Daughter. Don’t be so afraid.”
“Ugh… I’m not eating. You eat it yourself; I’m not hungry,” Zhu Qiu insisted, still being stubborn.
Zhu Xiaxia didn’t say a word, simply holding the box silently in front of Zhu Qiu.
The aroma of the takoyaki wafted through the air, relentlessly teasing Zhu Qiu’s taste buds.
The Little Princess sniffed.
Her expression shifted instantly, and she moved the hands covering her eyes.
“What is that? It smells so good!”
“It’s delicious food, of course!”
As she spoke, Zhu Xiaxia placed the box and a bamboo skewer into Zhu Qiu’s hands.
“Hehe… Then I won’t be polite!”
Zhu Qiu’s eyes lit up at the sight of the food.
In her eyes, no one could stop her from enjoying this meal right now!
With one bite, the Little Princess’s eyes sparkled, and she nearly cried out in surprise.
‘It’s so good! This is so satisfying!’
After that, Zhu Qiu let loose.
She stopped paying attention to the gazes of others and focused entirely on the continuous rows of snack stalls on either side of the street.
Zhu Xiaxia felt very relieved.
She hadn’t expected Zhu Qiu to be such a foodie; it only took one snack to make her lose her fear entirely.
As they walked, Zhu Qiu suddenly stopped.
Before she had even finished the takoyaki in her box, she pointed to a nearby stall and said, “Mother! I want that!”
“Alright, Mother will buy it for her precious daughter right now.”
When they walked over, they saw it was a stall selling candied haws.
Sure enough, sweets were invincible to children.
No child could refuse candied haws, and if they did, it was probably because they were allergic.
Zhu Xiaxia bought two — one for herself and one for Zhu Qiu.
As time passed, the two traveled further and further along the Snack Street.
Along the way, Zhu Xiaxia kept buying food for Zhu Qiu.
As long as Zhu Qiu wanted it, Zhu Xiaxia bought it.
Whether it was sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy, she got it all.
Surprisingly, they unknowingly reached the very end of the street.
This was the first time Zhu Xiaxia had ever reached the end.
This Snack Street was several kilometers long.
Usually, Zhu Xiaxia would be full before she even finished half of it, but today, she had walked for so long while accompanied by Zhu Qiu.
‘Wait, it’s been so long. It must be very late, right?’
Zhu Xiaxia turned around.
“Alright, we’ve finished the walk. My precious daughter must be full now, so we should head home.”
“Huh? We finished it already?”
Zhu Qiu was holding a large bag of snacks she hadn’t started yet in her left hand and a giant meat skewer in her right, her face full of reluctance.
“Yes, it’s time to go home and sleep. Staying up late is bad for your health.”
“Okay then,” Zhu Qiu agreed.
She remembered that her Father was still living underground, and she had to wake up at 8:00 AM tomorrow to bring him breakfast.
“Ah? Is it that late? By the way, what time is it now?”
“Yes, that’s why we have to go home. It’s already 11:00 PM.”
“Alright.”
Zhu Xiaxia walked to a slightly open area, transformed into her Dragon Form, and carried Zhu Qiu home.
Sitting on the dragon’s neck, Zhu Qiu thought while she ate.
She realized that going to sleep this late would make it very hard to wake up at 8:00 AM.
‘Maybe I should skip breakfast and just bring him lunch?’
‘But if I don’t bring him breakfast and Father wakes up and doesn’t see me, he’ll definitely worry himself to death.’
‘I’m so torn.’
Even though it was still the holidays, the poor Little Princess had to prepare to wake up early.
“Zhu Xiaxia, can you wake me up at 8:00 AM tomorrow? Also, prepare two portions of breakfast for me,” Zhu Qiu requested.
“My daughter wants to get up that early? That’s quite rare,” Zhu Xiaxia said jokingly.
“I’m serious. You should know that I’m a disciplined Sword Saint.”
“Then why do you need two portions of breakfast?”
“Because I have a bigger appetite now and want to eat more.”
“If you want to eat more, Mother can just make your portion larger. It’s the same thing.”
“No, I want two. Even though they are the same breakfast, I can taste different flavors in identical foods. Making it one big portion wouldn’t have the same effect,” Zhu Qiu said, talking absolute nonsense with a straight face.
“I see. Alright then,” Zhu Xiaxia agreed.
In reality, she had already guessed Zhu Qiu’s little plan.
After learning that the person living in the house she had helped teleport was Zhu Qiu’s Father, and combining that with the requests to help bring dinner and prepare two breakfasts, she had long since figured out that the girl wanted to bring her Father breakfast in the morning.
It wasn’t that hard to figure out.
Thinking about this, Zhu Xiaxia found it a bit amusing.
Once they reached the Dragon Race Imperial Palace, Zhu Qiu excitedly hopped off Zhu Xiaxia’s back and ran toward her room on the second floor, clutching her snacks.
“I’m back!”
When Zhu Qiu reached her door, she pushed it open.
She was about to jump and flop onto her soft bed when she suddenly remembered something.
She hadn’t bathed.
‘Right, I’ve been running around all day. How can I not take a bath? I’d be a dirty child.’
‘But before I bathe, I should finish the food I just bought. I can’t let it go to waste.’
‘Hehe~’
A short while later, Zhu Qiu was full.
She wiped her mouth with satisfaction and threw the trash into the bin.
She rummaged through her wardrobe for fresh Little Dragon Pajamas and headed off to bathe.
Just as she reached the bathroom door with her change of clothes, Zhu Xiaxia happened to walk by with a smile on her face.
“Zhu Xiaxia, I’m going to take a bath now. You absolutely, definitely cannot come in. This is a very serious matter.”
“Alright, alright.”
With that, Zhu Xiaxia turned and walked back toward her own room.
“Eh?”
Zhu Qiu looked confused.
This wasn’t like Zhu Xiaxia’s usual style at all.
‘Could it be…’