Chapter 212

——Had the Queen already anticipated that coming here would lead to Sheffy and…!

This, this, this… this wasn’t foresight!

This was downright devious scheming!

No more studying, no more—there’s no way to learn this level of strategy!

Regardless of whether the Queen had truly predicted everything, Xiarette couldn’t let herself get lost in the moment of happiness and forget their actual business.

Though reluctant to wake her, prioritizing the greater mission, Xiarette still had to gently shake her smooth shoulder.

But Xiarette’s soft call… didn’t exactly sound like she truly wanted to wake her up, did it?

“Sheffy… Sheffy, time to get up, Sheffy. Let’s head out—you can sleep a bit more in the carriage, okay?”

“Mmm… Xia… went to grill fish… the fish… got burnt…”

“Really now… what kind of fish did you catch again? Ugh… can’t do anything about you. Since I was the one cooking in your dream… then, five more minutes?”

“Grilled fish… Belith, don’t steal… Bel…”

“Get up right now, Sheffy!! No more sleeping!! Time is tight!! Not a single minute to waste!”

“Ah?!”

That was what it meant to be jolted awake from a deep dream!

Sheffy hadn’t even fully come to her senses before Xiarette’s urgent shout startled her awake—along with yanking off the small blanket covering her body!

The smooth little bundle of silver-haired fluff rolled across the bed three full times, her sleepy and exhausted eyes staring blankly at the familiar ceiling. Before her thoughts even had time to settle, she already felt a cold breeze brushing against her skin.

After all, she wasn’t wearing any clothes.

Ugh… how pitiful I am…

Still groggy, stark naked, aching in the waist and legs, woken up by brute force, cold, hungry, and nearly beaten too—who else could possibly be as miserable as me?

Looking at the curled-up, shivering little mess that Sheffy had become, Xiarette’s wicked thoughts began to stir agai—ahem! This time, Xiarette was all righteous and firm!

“Sheffy, if you’re awake, hurry up and get dressed! It’s getting late, we can’t delay any longer.”

“Mmm… now…? We’ve still got time. But you, Xia, why are you so upset? Mmm… I just dreamed of grilled fish, and then… and then you and Belith were both busy around the grill, and I was preparing the seasoning… I think I even heard you say you were going to do the cooking or something…”

“That’s exactly why I’m upset. Ahem—no, I mean, I’m not upset.”

Ohhh, got it.

So Xiarette was angry because of the grilled fish—not braised fish.

It’s all your fault, big fish. You made Xiarette angry, didn’t you?

Pushing the blame onto the big fish—Sheffy, ever the high emotional intelligence queen, obviously knew the real reason for Xiarette’s anger.

She knew… but dared not say it aloud.

Sheffy stretched with the grace of a little white cat, and accepted the clean clothes Xiarette handed over.

A faint blue glow shimmered from her fingertips—【Cleaning Magic】 formed a blue arc, surrounding her and Xiarette in a gentle sweep.

The great battle had just ended, and they’d both broken quite a sweat. With no time for a nice, relaxing bath, this would have to do.

Cleaning Magic offered a much stronger cleansing power than bathing~ but it lacked the comfort and pleasure of soaking in warm water, so it wasn’t used often.

With the preparations done, Sheffy sat at the edge of the bed and began quietly changing her clothes.

Xiarette turned to the other side and began changing as well.

When Sheffy turned her head, she caught a glimpse of Xiarette’s golden hair cascading down over her cottony front.

“Mmm… Xia, you really don’t have to be mad. In my heart, you and Belith are equally important. But in some aspects, you’ve already surpassed her by too much. Just now, you were pressing down on me—I almost suffocated.”

Thank you, marshmallows.

The atmosphere in the room remained just as suggestive.

Xiarette, as she changed her clothes, was still gritting her teeth.

If it weren’t for the urgent matter at hand, there was no way she’d let this clever little loli off so easily.

After putting on a snug, movement-friendly corset dress, Xiarette gave her head a shake, patted her cheeks to perk herself up, then swept her waterfall-like golden hair from under her collar and let it fall over her back.

Since they were about to depart, Sheffy would naturally want to ask about the others.

But she needed to be cautious—just in case things went sideways again.

“Xia, I wanted to ask where Belith is. You… wouldn’t get mad about that, would you?”

“Hey, don’t make me out to be so petty. Relationship matters are one thing, but when it comes to business, I wouldn’t—wait! Don’t talk with only one sock on! And finish putting on your skirt before speaking! Honestly…! You have to be extra careful at times like this!”

“?”

At times like what exactly?!

Sheffy was still only wearing one over-the-knee sock, the other leg bare, and the hem of her skirt hadn’t been pulled down yet. The little bear-patterned triangle cloth was practically dazzling.

Without another word, Xiarette rushed over and tidied up Sheffy’s clothes. At lightning speed, she grabbed the girl’s short little legs and helped her put on the other sock, dressing the entire little loli neatly from head to toe.

With such meticulous care, Sheffy even started to feel a bit embarrassed.

“Xia, I can dress myself, you know? What, do you think I’m a kid?”

“You can dress yourself, but if you don’t do it quickly, you’re going to make me run late.”

“Uh-oh, I really didn’t get that one.”

“You don’t have to. Understanding would be the problem. Alright… now you look presentable. You asked about where little sister Belith is, right? I know. Let’s talk on the way—we don’t have much time.”

“Okay.”

Just before getting up, Sheffy also stood on tiptoe and helped adjust Xiarette’s collar.

And on top of that—she gave the marshmallow a tug.

Because otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair!

Xia, when you were fixing my clothes, you tugged and pulled all over, so this counts as payback~

The ambushed Xiarette was stunned for a second.

Then she bent down—

And gave Sheffy another firm peck on the lips to satisfy her craving.

This time, there was no lingering.

Just a touch and part.

Sheffy stared, stunned, and reached up to touch her lips, which had just been kissed again…

Then she heard Xiarette’s determined voice as she twisted her own thigh, seemingly holding herself back.

“Now’s not the time to provoke your big sister…”

Xiarette delivered one final “warning.”

“Otherwise… even if it delays everything—we’ll see if big sister cares then, hmm?”

“!”

No… not saying another word!

Sheffy immediately shut her mouth and crossed her index fingers in front of her lips to signal total silence.

It was clear—Xiarette had been super serious just now!

She packed all their luggage into 【Storage】, took tiny steps, and followed behind Xiarette out of the room.

To prevent things from escalating again, Sheffy quickly changed the topic.

“Sp-speaking of which… I wonder if the Fire Lizard found a new bed after leaving earlier? It’s been an entire afternoon already.”

“No idea. But I believe Miss Timani can fend for herself.”

“I think so too… uh…”

“……”

As she turned back to lock the door, Sheffy’s short stature gave her a low-angle view—completely by accident—toward the edge of the wall.

Xiarette naturally saw it too.

At the door, along the wall—

There sat the Fire Lizard, leaning against the stone surface, sleeping peacefully.

Wrapped in the little blanket Sheffy had given her earlier.

Whether she’d never left after stepping out…

Or had taken a lap around and returned to the same spot…

Whatever the case—

She didn’t seem to have found a new bed.

—

42. Departure!

There were two major takeaways for Timani during her time at the Demon King’s Castle.

First, she had witnessed Sheffy’s true strength and gained hope for the future.

And second…

She’d received new clothes!

Her old fiery red dress had been burned by Sheffy’s magic. Though Sheffy hadn’t said anything outright, she wasn’t the type to leave debts unpaid.

Especially not to a penniless Fire Lizard.

That dress was all Timani had—her entire worldly possession. Without it, she was basically bankrupt.

Outside the Demon King’s Castle was a high-end tailor shop renowned throughout the Demon Domain. Sheffy had a maid go place a custom order for several outfits, made to suit the Fire Dragon Clan’s standards. That meant accommodations for wing slits on the back, and a skirt wide enough to conceal a dragon tail.

Once the tailor shop heard that the order came directly from a Princess, they rushed into production. What should have taken more than three days was instead completed before nightfall, and the finished garments were delivered back to the castle by the maid.

Perfect timing.

Just in time for their departure, so Timani didn’t have to travel in her sleepwear!

And so, here they were—

Inside the hero’s carriage disguised as an ordinary transport.

Timani lifted her arm and glanced at the luxurious emerald green dress she was wearing, her eyes glimmering with curiosity.

This dress… even the cuffs had intricately embroidered patterns—at a glance, it was clearly worth a fortune.

Her old fiery dress had matched her well, sure, but with her crimson hair paired with a fiery outfit, the whole dragon gave off a far too aggressive vibe.

Only this nature-toned green could temper her down a bit—suddenly, the irritable fire dragon now had the air of a highborn young lady.

The air, maybe—but once she opened her mouth, you could tell she had no class.

“This dress must be crazy expensive… How many loaves of bread and crumbs could this buy? Sheffy, you’re such a reckless spender.”

“I’m gonna puke.”

If this world allowed profanity, Sheffy would be cursing the name of a certain plant from her past life right about now.

Timani might’ve been snide on the outside, but her actions were careful and considerate, her fingers softly brushing the premium fabric in front of her with curiosity.

The roominess of the fit surprised her.

“Of course… I should thank you. Since I left the Fire Dragon Clan, I haven’t had new clothes… wait, huh? Why does this fit me so perfectly? Sheffy, you never asked for my measurements, did you?”

“Heh, why would I need to ask? With these eyes of mine, just one look and—! I mean, no, I guessed.”

“Oh, you guessed? Then it makes sense. Your eyes are pretty sharp.”

“……”

Stupid dragon… thank you for being too dumb to dig deeper.

Belith and Xiarette sat on either side of Sheffy, like two mighty bodyguards, radiating pressure.

No matter how sharp her eyes were, she’d better not go staring around randomly.

Or those eyes were getting poked out.

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