Life After Being Claimed by the Disabled Dragon Lady - Chapter 34

Long Ling emerged from the tent, her cheeks burning hot enough to steam.

Fortunately, the spring wind was cold, and a gust of wind immediately carried away much of the heat on her face.

Nora saw her come out of the tent so quickly and put down the bread she was gnawing on. Miss Long Ling’s speed is too fast.

But as her maid, she could only approach and ask tactfully, “Miss Long Ling, did the potion we bought that day not work? Should I go find the owner and ask for a refund?”

Long Ling’s recently lowered temperature instantly rose again: “Speak quietly, I haven’t used it yet.”

Nora immediately made a sealing gesture with her hand. She thought so; if Miss Long Ling had used the potion and was still that fast, it would be too outrageous.

Long Ling lightly coughed: “Go fetch Mina. The newspaper says the chef competition is coming up soon, and I need to teach her some cooking methods.”

Nora called for Mina. On the way, Nora told Mina that the tavern would be participating in the chef competition to attract customers. Mina, however, had some thoughts of her own. The competition was held once every year in Leipa Town, and to win the encouragement prize, Mina’s entire family would participate by catching a hundred salmon.

Every contestant in the competition used salmon as the ingredient. Even people without any professional culinary skills would know that steaming salmon counts as a dish, or perhaps smoking it, or slicing the fish meat to mix into a vegetable salad.

The techniques were not as refined as Long Ling’s, and the taste might not be as delicious, but if Long Ling chose a similar cooking method, it would not stand out among a crowd of dishes.

The judges might be tired of the taste by the end. Even a delicacy would be greatly diminished in value. Moreover, this was their tavern’s first time participating. They wouldn’t receive the same attention as the former champions, and the judges wouldn’t prioritize their dish.

Outstanding chefs even had their own fan groups who could pull in many votes. It would be difficult for a novice chef to stand out unless their skill was truly exceptional.

Mina finished speaking, still a little worried: “Miss Long Ling, this is just my guess. The chef who won first place in the Salmon Feast Chef Competition every year uses a huge red salmon, roasted on a high-temperature grill. The fish skin is roasted until fragrant and slightly yellow, mixed with butter, herbs, salt, and pepper for seasoning, and sprinkled evenly over the salmon. Even the mayor and the viscount said it was delicious.”

Long Ling knew that there must be deeply hidden chefs in this world. It was already quite helpful that Mina had revealed information about their competitor.

If she wanted to win, she couldn’t use the methods of sliced raw fish or pan-fried salmon. She had to choose a dish with a more dominant flavor. Long Ling considered making braised salmon in her mind but then vetoed it. If the braised salmon wasn’t kept warm after being served, the aroma would dissipate quickly, and the sticky sauce would solidify when cool, easily becoming greasy.

For a novice chef, the time her dish would hold the judges’ attention was short. To ensure her dish could last until the person who truly appreciated it got to taste it, she needed an eye-catching flavor and the ability to maintain the dish’s flavor without change.

In that case, soup would be the best choice. A classic folk delicacy flashed through Long Ling’s mind. She instructed Nora and Mina: “I have a plan. You two should pick more wild shepherd’s purse these next two days. I am going to make some pickled vegetables in the crystal kitchen.”

Nora, as Long Ling’s maid, was assigned by the Duke to accompany Long Ling. She immediately nodded: “Yes, Miss Long Ling, we’ll go now.”

Mina had seen Miss Long Ling’s displayed culinary skills and was already impressed: “Mhm, Nora and I will go together.”

After assigning the two, Long Ling couldn’t help but stretch and gaze into the distance. In her former world, when she was an imperial chef, she never had the opportunity to visit such beautiful places.

The sea, mountains, and rivers were all within sight now. She had visited every place. If she didn’t consider anything else, being with the evil dragon lady like this was quite good.

Long Ling’s mood brightened. She saw many beautiful wildflowers in the distance grass, and picked some to give to the evil dragon lady. She also learned the method of flower bouquet wrapping in this world from Nora and wrapped the bouquet beautifully.

They didn’t return to Illidari Manor until sunset, when the birds returned to their nests.

Long Ling and Violet got out of the carriage together. From a distance, a maiden dressed in chainmail and a cloak, looking like a little witch, stood at the manor gate. Many guards followed her. As soon as she saw their carriage stop, she flew toward them.

She rushed straight into Loran’s arms, hugging Loran tightly and burying her delicate face in Loran’s neck, nuzzling her.

Loran was surprised and pushed her sister away: “Beverly, what are you doing here!”

Beverly put her hands on her hips: “The Empress said you were taking too long to handle the task, so she might as well send me! Hmph, you deliberately left me for so long. When I’m not watching you, are you going on dates with Alphas again!”

Loran was annoyed by the child clinging to her and took a cigarette from her pack: “Adult matters are none of a child’s business.”

Beverly was very angry: “I’ll be an adult in another year, I’m not a child anymore! You’re an Omega, how can you smoke every day like an Alpha! I told you smoking is bad for your health!”

She suddenly saw a red mark under Loran’s neck, and her pair of emerald eyes instantly turned cold. Her gaze swept around, smelling the scent of another Alpha’s pheromones. Before seeing the person, she immediately crushed them with her own pheromones.

The scent of lime pheromones permeated the air, diffusing a strong, pungent, bitter and sour odor. Almost everyone present, except for the Betas, was affected by the pheromone interference.

Violet had been marked by Long Ling’s strawberry pheromones these days, and she had almost forgotten what other Alpha Dragons were like.

Alpha pheromones become more stimulating as the Alpha’s rank increases. The higher the pheromone rank, the more irritating the scent when it explodes.

Omegas submit under the influence of strong Alpha pheromones; this submission comes from their genetics. Some inferior Alphas will take advantage of being an A to recklessly release pheromones, forcing the Omega to lose their minds and enter their heat period.

After Violet was marked by Long Ling’s pheromones, the impact of other Alpha pheromones was reduced. Coupled with the fact that she was an S-rank Omega herself, the A-rank pheromones only made her feel a little stimulated.

Loran didn’t have it so easy. The Alpha she dated two days ago was only B-rank. Even though it was her own sister, this A-rank pheromone made her feel uncomfortable.

Long Ling instinctively felt repulsed by the other Alpha and couldn’t help but frown. She didn’t want a conflict, but when she saw Violet lightly pressing her slender finger against the bridge of her nose, Long Ling immediately released her own pheromones.

The S-rank strawberry pheromones instantly swept across the entire area, directly overwhelming Beverly until her face turned pale and her legs trembled, almost causing her to kneel on the ground.

Beverly looked in disbelief at the source of the pheromones. A silver-haired woman with a delicate face, more beautiful than an Omega, was actually releasing such dominant pheromones, exclusive to an Alpha.

Is this woman really an Alpha? Beverly’s eyes were full of confusion. Her pheromones were heavily suppressed, and a hint of humiliation appeared on her arrogant face.

With the two Alphas’ pheromones colliding, Loran was the one who suffered the most. She hadn’t been temporarily marked by Alpha pheromones in the past two days, and now her entire scent gland was scorching hot, faintly showing signs of entering her heat period.

She hadn’t expected Long Ling to not only be a good cook but also have a pheromone rank far exceeding A-rank. No wonder Violet favored Long Ling.

Loran’s fingertips trembled as she took out an emergency inhibitor, swallowing two doses quickly.

Long Ling used her own pheromones to suppress Beverly, lowered her head, and asked Violet concernedly: “Violet, are you alright?”

Violet slightly nodded: “I’m fine.”

If it weren’t for Long Ling’s temporary pheromone mark, she might have been affected by the Alpha. Now, it was completely irrelevant.

Beverly trembled all over, but her mouth was still sharp: “Heh, a strawberry-flavored A. She looks so delicate, her skin is more tender than an Omega’s, with no Alpha smell at all. Sister, when did your taste change?”

Dead child, do you know how offensive your mouth is.

After taking the medicine, Loran immediately pulled the troublesome Beverly behind her, explaining with an awkward smile to the two: “This kid isn’t an adult yet and is spoiled. Her mouth needs a good lesson. I’ll discipline her properly when we get back.”

Violet’s golden-amber eyes narrowed with coldness when she heard someone speaking to Long Ling like that: “If you can’t discipline her, I have ways to teach her a lesson.”

Long Ling frowned. She knew she wasn’t a strong Alpha, but she had never been spoken to like this before. Do I really have no Alpha scent in the eyes of other Alphas?

But having Violet speak up for her made her less angry. As long as the evil dragon lady liked her, that was enough.

Beverly felt uncomfortable being suppressed by Long Ling’s pheromones, but she was also a little afraid of Violet, so she could only huff angrily and make a face at Long Ling.

Loran gave her a flick on the head: “Behave yourself. That is your Sister Violet’s fiancée, Long Ling.”

Beverly stomped her foot in anger, gathered her chainmail cloak, and sneered: “Hmph! What fiancée? Don’t think I don’t know, you’re only doing it for fun—”

Loran covered her mouth before she could finish and dragged her into the manor.

Long Ling’s brow furrowed more deeply, and her eyes looked somewhat lost. Her hand was suddenly patted lightly by someone.

Violet was looking at her: “Beverly is too rude. I will have Butler Marcia ask them to leave tonight.”

Long Ling knew Violet was rare in showing concern for her, and a smile reappeared on her face: “It’s fine, she’s just a child. Her pheromone rank isn’t even as high as mine.”

Violet saw that she didn’t take it to heart, and the expression on her face softened considerably.

Long Ling gave a look to Nora beside her, and Nora quickly placed the bouquet into Long Ling’s hand, which was behind her back.

Long Ling felt the weight in her hands and touched the soft petals. She then presented the bouquet to Violet with both hands: “This is for you.”

A large bouquet of bright, assorted flowers bloomed before her eyes. The light blue hyacinths were quiet and fragrant, yet not as bright as Long Ling’s eyes, nor as sweet as her face. Violet took the bouquet and gently smelled it.

The corners of Violet’s lips curled into a smile, and she said warmly: “It smells very nice. You’ve been very well-behaved today.”

Long Ling’s heart thumped. Thinking about what would happen tonight, she wasn’t actually that well-behaved.

Her eyes were bright: “If you like it, I can go pick a bouquet every day to give to you.”

Violet asked: “What if I receive too many, and there is no more space in the bedroom?”

Long Ling hesitated: “They can also be placed in the corridor.”

Violet said softly: “Next time, send me little strawberries instead; that would be better.”

Long Ling hummed lightly: “Then I’ll go to the farm in a couple of days and have them plant some strawberries. I saw you drinking red wine every time you ate before. When the strawberries ripen, I can brew some strawberry wine for you.”

Violet was speechless for a moment. She rotated the ruby ring on her finger, planning to leave this little strawberry dragon who lacked romance behind.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Long Ling couldn’t help but reach out and grab Violet’s hand. Violet’s fingers were very slender, with defined joints. The blue veins under her cool, white skin were visible.

Long Ling enclosed the slightly cool hand in her palm, her fingertip brushing against Violet’s thumb, creating a slight itch. Violet raised her eyes to look at Long Ling.

Long Ling’s fingertip pressed against the ruby ring on Violet’s finger and she said softly: “Why are you leaving without a word? If you prefer sweets, I can also make those for you.”

Violet’s gaze fell on Long Ling. Why is the clingy little milk dragon suddenly so flirtatious?

Their eyes met, and Long Ling froze for a moment, then quickly withdrew her hand: “I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to stop you.”

Violet watched the little milk dragon’s cheeks turn red again and her dragon horns pop out. She wasn’t this easily shy in bed, so what if she touched her hand now? She hadn’t said she couldn’t touch it.

Violet said reservedly: “If we don’t return to the manor, what are you keeping me here for?”

Long Ling realized she had been a bit foolish just now. If Violet wanted to leave, she just needed to follow her; why did she have to hold onto Violet’s hand, making her seem rough?

A hint of embarrassment flashed in her eyes, and her neck turned completely pink: “Um, can I push you for a while?”

Violet saw the blatant shyness in Long Ling’s eyes and slightly nodded.

Long Ling’s lips curled up. She walked to the back of Violet’s wheelchair and gently pushed Violet into the manor. The evening breeze ruffled Violet’s long, dark curly hair, making her look very gentle, and the clouds in the sky became romantic.

Dinner was personally prepared by Long Ling—a table of piping hot stir-fries, along with the manor chef’s sweet pudding. A portion for Loran had been prepared as well, but because of Beverly’s inappropriate remarks, Loran was also implicated. It was already a favor that Violet didn’t have the guards immediately drive them out of the manor that evening, so she simply had them dine at the other side of the luxury table.

Beverly had been drooling over the aroma of the many delicacies for a long time. When she heard Loran say that Long Ling had personally cooked all of it for Violet, she muttered silently in her heart again: An Alpha who spends every day learning to do these things to please an Omega is completely disgracing the name of Alpha.

Under Violet’s authority, Beverly, despite being a respected princess, dared not confront the great evil dragon on her own fiefdom.

Beverly could only whisper a complaint to her sister: “Sister, why does that person, Long something Ling, make food that smells so good? She’s too stingy, and an Alpha at that. I only said a couple of things about her, why is she holding a grudge against a child like me, and why did she tell Sister Violet not to let us eat together?”

Loran was also “gazing at plums to quench her thirst” (craving what she couldn’t have). If Beverly hadn’t suddenly shown up today, she wouldn’t have been relegated to the cold bench, missing out on the delicious feast.

But since Beverly was her own sister, she simply said gently: “That’s enough. We’ll leave Illidari first thing tomorrow morning. If you dare to provoke Violet again, I genuinely can’t clean up your mess.”

Beverly huffed twice, ate the plain food prepared for them by the manor chef, and with the tantalizing aroma of the dishes she hadn’t tasted wafting over, she couldn’t swallow a bite. She pushed her plate away and said she wasn’t eating.

Loran was used to her willfulness and just warned: “This is not the royal palace. If you get hungry tonight, there’s no specialized chef to cook for you.”

Beverly muttered softly: “I know, I know.”

After dinner, Long Ling thought she could spend a beautiful evening with Violet. However, Loran suddenly walked over and said to Violet: “Violet, I plan to leave tomorrow. I still have something to discuss with you tonight. It won’t take too long, alright?”

Violet knew what Loran was plotting—some cruel and dark matters that were not suitable for the little clueless dragon to know. Violet raised an eyebrow slightly: “Let’s talk in the study.”

Long Ling thought Violet would at least say something to her before going to discuss matters with Loran, but Violet just agreed to Loran like that.

It was Loran who noticed Long Ling’s slightly disappointed expression and gently comforted her: “Don’t worry, I won’t talk to Violet for too long, and I certainly won’t interrupt your nightlife.”

Long Ling’s face flushed at her remark. She looked at Violet expectantly: “Then I’ll wait for you in the bedroom tonight.”

Violet’s neck felt hot from Long Ling’s gaze. The young Alpha’s eyes were always so fervent.

The two Omegas left together. Long Ling was about to go wash herself when Beverly walked over from the other side of the dining table, deliberately blocking her path.

“You are that Alpha Dragon from the Arnold family?”

Long Ling knew the person was looking for trouble and didn’t bother to engage with Beverly.

Seeing that she ignored her, Beverly felt the sense of humiliation from being suppressed by Long Ling’s pheromones resurface. She stared Long Ling up and down and couldn’t help but mock her.

“You don’t look as tall as Sister Sylvia, nor as mature as Sister Sylvia. Your dragon form seems to be silver-white, not beautiful at all. How could Sister Violet possibly truly like you?”

Long Ling knew Beverly hadn’t reached adulthood and didn’t take her words to heart. She just said coldly: “It has nothing to do with you.”

Beverly was angered by her aloof gaze but quickly suppressed it. A malicious smile curved on her lips, and she suddenly leaned close to Long Ling’s ear.

“You don’t really think that if you try to please Sister Violet like this, she’ll stay with you forever, do you? Has no one told you about what happened between Sister Sylvia and Sister Violet before you came along?”

Long Ling clenched her fist and said with a cold face: “I don’t want to know.”

Beverly sensed her restless pheromones. Alpha pheromones repel each other, but seeing Long Ling angry made her feel excited.

Beverly gently blew a breath into Long Ling’s ear: “Let me tell you. Before she was with you, Sister Violet was originally going to marry Sister Sylvia. They have known each other for hundreds of years. During the time Sister Violet was injured, the two of them lived in the same room. You should know what happens when an Alpha and an Omega stay alone together, right?

Even though Sister Violet and Sister Sylvia aren’t together now, it must be because some misunderstanding occurred in the middle. They will reconcile sooner or later, and you are nothing more than a temporary seasoning between them. It’s better to recognize your position early. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Sister Loran. Everyone knows about this except you.

She didn’t tell you, right? Do you know why she didn’t tell you? Because to her, you’re just a moment of novelty. You don’t actually think of yourself as Sister Violet’s Alpha, do you?”

Long Ling’s fingers turned white as she tightened her grip. She transformed into her dragon form and suddenly grabbed Beverly by the collar.

The violent pheromones made Beverly’s face pale, but she smiled nonchalantly: “Even if you hit me, it won’t change the fact that you’ve been toyed with. I’m just kindly reminding you not to fall too deeply.”

Long Ling tightened the grip of her dragon claws again. Beverly’s face was choked and gradually turned red. She was about to lose her breath, and her hands dropped weakly.

Long Ling looked at her tender neck and her trembling, slender arms and suddenly realized that the other party was still a juvenile dragon.

She was committing murder.

Long Ling abruptly let go and left the dining room alone.

Beverly slumped onto the floor, rubbing her red neck with a triumphant smile.

In the warm bath, large tears silently rolled down Long Ling’s cheeks, splashing ripples in the pool water.

She wrapped her arms around her knees, pressing her cold cheeks against her legs. Her silver-white hair hung to one side, like a lonely little animal licking its wounds.

Every time she felt life was starting to look up, she was inevitably struck a blow, as if to tell her that she was simply unworthy of embracing a good future.

She had told herself not to dwell on Violet’s past, and whoever she had been entangled with was in the past. As long as she and Violet were together now, and they would be happy in the future, that was all that mattered. But why did people always have to bring it up near her?

Who did Violet truly love? Did she genuinely care about her? Or was she simply insignificant in Violet’s eyes, which is why she could only ever receive an average rating, never measuring up to the best person in Violet’s heart?

What was she lacking compared to the other person? Why couldn’t she be considered the best? Why couldn’t Violet belong only to her?

Jealousy made Long Ling’s eyes even redder. She opened the potion she had bought from the apothecary, pulled out the cork, and the pale purple liquid sloshed inside the bottle.

This was the first time she had drunk this kind of potion. It smelled very refreshing. She took a sip, and it was as bland as water.

Long Ling waited for a moment after drinking it, but didn’t feel any special reaction, just like drinking a sip of water.

If emotional setbacks weren’t enough, I even got scammed when buying medicine…

Long Ling felt even more bitter. Thinking that she might have stayed in the bathroom for too long and it hadn’t taken effect, she put on her bath robe and went to the bedroom.

She sat on the bed in the bedroom, continuing to wait, but there was still no reaction.

Long Ling sighed, lay down on the bed, and stared blankly for a while. Two lines of tears automatically slid down from the corners of her eyes.

It seems it really is ineffective.

She wiped away her tears on the soft quilt, sadly picked up a bottle of wine from the cabinet next to the bed, snapped the neck of the bottle with her sharp dragon claw, and started gulping it down.

This wine tasted much better than the potion from earlier. The more she drank, the more she felt like she was recovering. Long Ling leaned against her plump dragon tail. After finishing the entire bottle, she didn’t feel so bad anymore.

She leaned against the corner, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes gradually became hazy and unfocused.

The moment Violet opened the bedroom door, she noticed it was pitch black inside, but the strawberry pheromones had reached an extremely excessive state. The dense pheromones made the air sticky and damp. Even Elina, who was serving her, couldn’t help but bend down and ask.

“Your Grace, should I call a few guards to clear the bedroom to avoid harming you?”

Violet thought Long Ling’s vulnerable period might have arrived. The strawberry pheromones surging around her neck gland made her very uncomfortable: “There’s no need to call the guards. You go fetch some inhibitors first.”

Elina quickly retrieved the inhibitors and handed them to Violet, but still worried: “Your Grace, should I stay by your side? If the Alpha in their vulnerable period dares to harm you, I can ensure your safety.”

Violet tightly gripped the cool inhibitor, giving Elina a faint look.

Elina immediately stopped speaking, bent down, and closed the bedroom door for Violet.

Violet turned her wheelchair and headed into the room. Dragons have strong night vision, and for an Omega, finding an Alpha based on pheromones is also very easy.

However, under the thick strawberry pheromones, the closer Violet got, the more flushed her face became, the hotter and more moist the scent gland on her neck felt, and her fingertips trembled uncontrollably. The inhibitor patch was quickly soaked with sweat and hung precariously from her pale neck.

Is this the surprise Long Ling prepared for her? To enter a vulnerable state herself, wanting her to also enter her heat period?

Violet continued forward, her slender fingers reaching for her sweat-soaked inhibitor patch. She was about to tear it off and replace it, but as soon as she peeled it back a little, the strawberry pheromones wrapped around her like a fervent kiss, similar to the feeling of being embraced and marked from behind by an Alpha. The intense, thirsty need deep within her body caused her to let out uncontrollable, soft gasps.

Her mind was completely filled with images of being marked by an Alpha—the surging tides of sensation brought by the sharp canine tooth plunging in, the gorgeous crimson glow that made her body look incredibly seductive and alluring.

If she entered her heat period with Long Ling now, given Long Ling’s physical state, she wouldn’t be able to withstand Violet’s demanding needs. Violet’s trembling fingers picked up the cool inhibitor, when she suddenly heard Long Ling’s muffled groan.

Long Ling was curled up in the corner, her pale cheeks flushed, her eyes unfocused. Her silver-white dragon tail drooped to the floor. Her crystal-clear dragon horns were tinged with a rosy color, and several empty wine bottles were scattered nearby.

She was too drunk, and her pheromones were in a state of eruption. Without an Omega to soothe her, her lips were bitten crimson, and bright drops of blood oozed from her lower lip.