Since Her Majesty the Queen was acting like that, Xiaguang had no reason not to lie down and continue resting.
She showed a happy smile, never expecting the Queen to be so considerate.
It was truly surprising.
To be honest, this was the first time she’d heard the Queen offer to cook.
She wondered what it would taste like and felt a little anticipation.
In no time, Zhu Xiaxia finished cooking and set the food on the table.
Zhu Qiu, who had been sleeping in her room, just woke up.
After this nap, the little princess felt much better, but she was still a bit down, tangled in thoughts about what to do next.
Keep hiding, or confess to Father.
“Hmm… how can I perfectly solve this situation…”
“Sweetie, time to eat~”
While Zhu Qiu was still thinking, Zhu Xiaxia suddenly called out from the first floor, breaking her train of thought.
Forget it, forget it. Let’s eat first.
I’ll deal with these annoying matters after the meal.
She walked to the first floor and, seeing Zhu Xiaxia busy, asked, “Is Xiaguang awake?”
“She’s awake, but she’s still very weak and needs to rest a bit.”
“I see. Wait!”
Zhu Qiu suddenly realized something was off.
If Xiaguang was too weak, she couldn’t cook, so today’s lunch was still made by Zhu Xiaxia.
This time, without much thought, she dashed out of the Dragon Race Imperial Palace, leaving behind, “I’m going out for something. I’ll be back after lunch!”
In truth, she had long known that Zhu Qiu had been sneaking out to eat because her cooking was so bad.
“Go on, and come back early.”
Zhu Xiaxia waved goodbye.
“Sigh…”
Zhu Xiaxia sighed, comforting herself.
It’s fine, it’s fine.
At least I still have Xiaguang to keep me company. I guess I need to study harder if I can’t even satisfy my own daughter’s appetite. But who could she blame? She only had herself to blame for not being good enough. If all else failed, at least Xiao Hei would work.
Outside the Dragon Race Imperial Palace, Zhu Qiu went to the same restaurant as last time and bought the same food. The only difference was that this time she bought one extra portion, making it five in total—one for herself, one for Zhu Xiaxia, one for Xiaguang, one for Xiaguang’s mother, and one for her father.
Ensuring she was far enough from home that her father wouldn’t see her bringing the food in, Zhu Qiu returned to the ground and stood there in a daze.
“I’m so conflicted. Should I confess to Father? If I do, can he accept me as I am now?”
She fell into thought again.
Finally, after a rapid ten-minute deliberation, Zhu Qiu decided to tell the truth.
She walked step by step toward the front door. Each step felt unbearably heavy, as if her body carried unnecessary burdens.
As she got closer to the house, her steps grew slower and smaller. Even the elderly neighbor crossing the street was moving faster than her.
In the end, she reached the front door, but it took an excessively long time, all wasted on anxiety and hesitation. She hoped the food in her hands hadn’t gone cold, so Sodlan could still enjoy a warm meal.
Zhu Qiu nervously knocked on the door. To confess, she had already placed the Concealment Necklace in her pocket, hoping her father would believe her.
Knock, knock, knock~
“Father.”
When she uttered those two words, her heart leaped to her throat, and her gaze wandered. This was the first time she spoke to her father in a voice he could actually hear.
But after waiting for a long time, there was no response from inside.
“Father?” Zhu Qiu called out again.
This time, she got an answer.
“Soran, you’re here.”
It was her father’s voice. He responded.
“Yes, I… I’m here.”
“If you’re here, open the door and come in.”
“Okay, okay…”
Sodlan was sitting in a chair with his back to the door, holding a freshly brewed cup of tea.
Hearing a voice that bore no resemblance to Soran’s but shared the same tone, he took a small sip of tea for final confirmation, unwilling to give up hope. He placed the cup on the table and said meaningfully:
“Are you really my son?”
“Yes… yes.”
Since she had the courage to come, Zhu Qiu had no intention of hiding it any longer. No one would choose an agonizing pain between long and short suffering.
“Then, please prove it.”
“Prove it?” Zhu Qiu had never expected her father to ask her to prove herself.
“Right. You can’t prove it, can you? So you’re not my son. You’re just an ordinary dragon, aren’t you?”
Sodlan couldn’t wait any longer and denied it outright.
He desperately hoped that dragon couldn’t prove it. As long as it couldn’t, it meant his son was still fine and safe.
“Father, I really am your son.”
After hesitating for a second, Zhu Qiu summoned the Holy Sword, quietly walked to Sodlan’s opposite side, and placed the sword on the table.
“This… should be proof enough.”
Her hands trembled as she set the sword down, her gaze dodging, unable to meet his eyes.
Sodlan glanced at the sword radiating a golden Holy Light and recognized it instantly.
It was undoubtedly his son Soran’s.
After confirming, Sodlan stopped pretending. He stood up, walked over to Zhu Qiu, and pressed both hands against her cheeks, studying her face closely.
Zhu Qiu didn’t resist; she just stared blankly at him.
“Soran, what does it feel like to be a dragon?”
Sodlan released his hands and asked a very abrupt question.
“It’s… just that. What else could it feel like?”
“I never thought, never thought that after raising you as a son for so many years, you’d become a daughter. Isn’t that absurd? How am I supposed to explain this to your mother?”
Sodlan shook his head to himself.
“Mother?”
When Soran was very young, his mother had left home without saying goodbye. He had almost no memory of her, and she left nothing behind, as if she had never existed in this world.
“Let’s not talk about that.” To avoid troubling Soran further, Sodlan quickly cut off the topic.
“What do you plan to do from now on?”
“What else can I do? It’s already like this. I can only live a plain, ordinary life. Compared to the ambitions I had back in the Human Race, they’ve been pretty much worn away by now.”
Zhu Qiu voiced the true feelings she’d had recently.
“That’s fine too. Peace and stability aren’t a problem. Soran, remember this: no matter what, you’re still my son… or should I say daughter now? No matter what you become, I’ll be a good father.”
“Maybe you should still call me son. ‘Daughter’ sounds too awkward.”
“Either works, either works.”
Sodlan let out a sigh of relief. Talking like this, he felt much better than before. At least everything was clear now.
“Son, I still want to ask you one thing: what did you go through to end up like this?”
The author wishes everyone a happy New Year here (。·ω·。)/
Love you all~