Life After Being Claimed by the Disabled Dragon Lady - Chapter 17

It was a warm spring day, and Long Ling was enjoying coffee under a tree with Butler Marcia.

The squirrel beastmen worked very efficiently, and the main structure of the crystal kitchen was quickly erected.

Large, polished crystal raw stones of various colors were pieced together into wide crystal surfaces. The golden sunlight shone upon them, refracting incredibly clear colors.

These squirrel beastmen were very strong, with each one easily lifting large crystals tens of times heavier than their own weight.

Renee led the squirrel beastmen’s work, busily running back and forth. The beastmen shouted rhythmic chants as they worked, coordinating perfectly, creating a lively atmosphere.

Butler Marcia sipped her coffee and said to Long Ling, “They are very capable. Miss Long Ling, if you still need cabinets, you can also ask them to build them. Her Highness will cover the costs.”

Long Ling cradled the warm coffee cup and blew on the steam. “I’ll discuss building the cabinets with them once the kitchen is finished.”

Butler Marcia recalled the matter that Violet had entrusted to her. “Miss Long Ling, Her Highness instructed me this morning to arrange some servants for you. What kind of servants would you prefer?”

Long Ling was stunned. The Wicked Dragon Miss was truly efficient; she kept her promises.

“Just some steady and hardworking people who can help me clean the tavern. Do you have any suitable candidates, Butler Marcia?”

Butler Marcia suggested, “I have a few candidates here. Miss Long Ling can choose some that seem agreeable.”

When Long Ling was an imperial chef in the imperial kitchen, she was not the only head chef; she also had many sous-chefs and helpers, so she had some experience managing subordinates.

However, her previous situation was different from her current one. Back then, she held an official position and a rank. Now, from a status perspective, she was just a “freeloader” Dragon who had married the Wicked Dragon Miss three days ago and hadn’t yet obtained marriage qualifications.

From an employer-employee relationship standpoint, these people belonged to her fiancée, the Wicked Dragon Miss, not truly to her. Would they be sincerely willing to obey her?

While Long Ling was contemplating, she overlooked the most fundamental issue: her current identity was that of a Dragon, not a human.

To humans, Dragons, with their magical abilities and high intelligence, were creatures to be treated with extreme caution, regardless of their status.

Butler Marcia noticed the young Alpha’s instantly serious and nervous expression and kindly reassured her, “You don’t need to worry so much. If you’re not satisfied, you can dismiss them all. I will handle the compensation issues. You just need to feel comfortable using them.”

Butler Marcia was now exceptionally respectful of her opinion. Long Ling guessed that Violet must have said something, which was why Butler Marcia had changed her previous rigid attitude.

Long Ling sincerely thanked her. “Thank you very much.”

Butler Marcia elegantly set down her coffee cup. “These are all things I, as a butler, should do. Please wait for me here. I’ll go fetch the people now.”

Butler Marcia stood up and saw Long Ling still holding the coffee cup. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened with a smile. “Is today’s coffee to your liking? I had someone buy it from Teme City. Does it taste different from yesterday’s?”

Long Ling held up the coffee cup and took a small sip. “This coffee is less bitter than yesterday’s, and the taste is more fragrant and mellow.”

Butler Marcia smiled slightly. “I’m glad you like it. Coffee is a wonderful drink. When I’m tired from work, I enjoy a cup of coffee. It revitalizes me, and now drinking a cup every day has become part of my routine.”

After hearing that coffee could be refreshing, Long Ling quickly asked Butler Marcia, “Butler Marcia, is coffee very effective at keeping you awake? If I drink a lot, will I not feel sleepy as easily at night?”

Butler Marcia looked at her with concern. “Did something happen to you?”

Long Ling nervously scratched the back of her head. “I slept with the Duchess last night, and I should have served her well, but I accidentally fell asleep while rubbing her. When I woke up, the Duchess had already left.”

This is the kind of thing no Alpha would admit to being bad at. Young Dragons are so much trouble, Butler Marcia thought, with an understanding smile. “Your situation can’t be fixed just with coffee; you also need to buy some special potions specifically for Alphas.”

Long Ling quickly asked, “Where are these sold?”

Butler Marcia seemed to recall something and said quite mysteriously, “They are sold in the nearby small town. There is a special magic potion shop there. You can go and choose the potions you like.”

Long Ling nodded. “Okay, I’ll go see this afternoon.”

Butler Marcia smiled and said, “Then I will bring the servants I’ve selected for you now.”

Before long, Butler Marcia returned, bringing four maids with her.

These maids were all human, wearing the estate’s uniform gray-and-yellow checkered aprons. They were roughly between twenty and forty years old, all looked healthy and strong, and had good spirits.

Long Ling looked around and was quite satisfied. “You can all come with me to the tavern this afternoon. For the next two days, you just need to clean the dust on the first floor of the tavern. I still need to find someone to repair the damaged bricks and tiles on the second floor. The carriage driver will take you back to the estate in the evening.”

All four maids bowed down and respectfully agreed.

Butler Marcia was a little surprised. “Miss Long Ling, don’t you want to choose further?”

Long Ling shook her head and said gently, “No need. Since you chose them, they must be quite good. As long as they work diligently, that’s enough for me.”

Miss Long Ling is different from other noble young Dragons. Others would choose based on height, weight, and appearance, but Miss Long Ling only cares if the maids can work.

These were the most capable workers she had selected from the estate; they would definitely not betray Miss Long Ling’s trust.

After asking the maids to leave, Butler Marcia beckoned the person waiting aside to come over and introduced her to Long Ling. “Her name is Nora. You don’t have a personal maid, and she can run errands for you. She also served as a knight for several years, so she can ensure your safety if necessary.”

Nora looked to be in her twenties, her face somewhat resembling Butler Marcia’s, but her eyes were rounder, her chin was pointed, and she had bright golden, curly hair.

She bowed respectfully to Long Ling. “Miss Long Ling, hello. I am Nora. I know all the roads near the estate. You can take me with you whenever you want to go out.”

Long Ling nodded slightly. “Alright, this afternoon, I need to go to Liepa Town to buy some potions, and I’ll need you to lead the way.”

Nora immediately patted her chest. “Leave it all to me!”

Seeing this, Butler Marcia glared at Nora. Nora quickly stuck out her tongue and returned to her previous ladylike demeanor, curtsying with her skirt. “Butler Marcia, please rest assured, I will definitely protect Miss Long Ling well.”

Butler Marcia nodded, sternly stating, “You must remain respectful to Miss Long Ling. Don’t be too familiar. If you allow the distinguished Miss Long Ling to be injured, and Duke Violet holds you accountable, I will not plead for you.”

Nora nodded repeatedly, and only then did Butler Marcia leave with peace of mind.

Long Ling needed to go to the general store in Liepa Town first, so she asked Nora to find the carriage driver, and they rode in the carriage together to the small town. The other maids were sent to the tavern for cleaning work first.

The carriage quickly arrived at the entrance of the general store. Long Ling had originally planned to go in herself to buy a lock and see if she could sell the liquor she had obtained from the tavern.

However, since everyone had recognized her as a Dragon last time, which caused a lot of trouble, she could only send the coachman in.

“Yule, please help me buy an iron lock, and ask the store owner if he will accept this liquor.”

“Yes, I’ll go now.”

She gave Yule five hundred silver coins. Yule took them with both hands, then carried the box of liquor from the carriage and walked toward the general store.

Long Ling sat in the carriage, quietly waiting for Yule to return.

Yule seemed to have negotiated with the store owner for a while inside, but the result was not ideal. He only bought a lock and walked out of the general store looking dejected.

“Miss Long Ling, I only bought one lock, which cost fifty silver coins. Here is the rest of the money. The owner said he would not accept liquor of unknown origin and asked me not to interfere with his business.”

It was an expected outcome. Long Ling was a little disappointed, but not too discouraged. It seemed she could only sell the liquor slowly at the tavern later.

She comforted Yule. “It’s alright, we’ll solve it later. Let’s find the magic potion shop first. Nora, do you know where the nearby magic potion shop is?”

Nora asked with confusion, “Which magic potion shop are you referring to?”

Long Ling said, “The one that sells special potions.”

Nora immediately understood and chuckled. “I’ll lead the way. I’ve even accompanied others there before!”

Under Nora’s experienced guidance, Long Ling quickly arrived at the magic potion shop. The shop looked very mysterious. The stone decorations at the entrance were engraved with many extremely obscure patterns. Customers entered individual small rooms where they could not see each other.

Long Ling and Nora were led by the magic potion shop owner into a private room. Rows of pale purple potions were displayed on the shelves, with descriptions of the effects each potion would bring.

Nora, with her keen eyes, immediately spotted the Alpha-specific potions and quickly whispered to Long Ling, “Miss Long Ling, these are all for Alphas. You can buy any of them.”

Long Ling quickly glanced at the potion description list, and her cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

This is too much. She didn’t want to make the Wicked Dragon Miss do that in bed; she wouldn’t dare even if given a hundred chances. She just didn’t want to fall asleep so easily.

Nora, however, was diligently helping her choose, even reading out the small print: “This one can enhance pheromone concentration. Wow, it can also provide a fresh sense of stimulation, making an Omega completely inseparable, ten times a night…”

Nora suddenly felt too embarrassed to read further and secretly peeked at Miss Long Ling.

Long Ling’s cheeks were burning. Biting her lower lip, she quickly grabbed a bottle from the pile. “This one will do. Let’s get out of here first.”

Nora quickly followed behind Long Ling.

After paying and leaving the magic potion shop, the fringe on Long Ling’s forehead was damp with sweat. Her body’s heat only subsided once the wind blew.

Nora looked at Miss Long Ling’s still flushed cheeks and suddenly understood why Duke Violet highly valued Miss Long Ling after only two days—such a beautiful Alpha was indeed too rare.

She quietly leaned forward and asked, “Miss Long Ling, are you missing Duke Violet? Why don’t you go fetch her home? I’ll help you lock the tavern door and return to the estate with the other maids later.”

Long Ling was hesitant. “Will I be disturbing her?”

Nora immediately said, “Of course not! Duke Violet would be very happy if you went. Who wouldn’t want to see their fiancée right after work?”

Long Ling was tempted by her words. She indeed missed the Wicked Dragon Miss a little.