Life After Being Claimed by the Disabled Dragon Lady - Chapter 47

Four tree sprites brandished huge branches, attacking them. The surroundings shook violently.

The elf placed Long Ling on the saddle, then deftly picked up a longbow, nocked an arrow, aimed, and shot it toward the tree sprite in front.

The green, glowing arrow purified the black demonic energy on the tree sprite upon impact, and the tree returned to its original, motionless state.

A consecutive four arrows effortlessly resolved Long Ling’s crisis.

Long Ling was very grateful and couldn’t help but say, “What incredible archery! Thank you for saving my life.”

The elf’s emerald eyes were as pure as colored glaze, carrying a hint of mischief: “I just happened to be passing by here, heard some commotion, and came over to check, only to find a dragon had fallen from a tree.”

The elf’s voice sounded ethereal, making it feel like a pleasure to listen to her speak.

Mysterious, approachable, and elegant, her aura was like a wild field, very close to nature. This was the first time Long Ling had ever seen an elf described in magic books.

Long Ling snapped back to reality, feeling a little embarrassed: “I didn’t realize those trees would suddenly move, and for a moment, I forgot how to sprout my wings.”

The elf was amused: “Those trees are tree sprites. If you disturb them, they will seek revenge. But I’ve used the Arrow of Wood to put them into hibernation, so there won’t be any danger for a while now.”

Long Ling nodded slightly: “I still have to thank you. If you hadn’t appeared, I probably would have been hurt.”

The elf looped her arm around Long Ling’s waist, pulled the reins, turned the white steed beneath her, and asked warmly, “It was nothing. Where is your home? Do you need me to take you back?”

Long Ling suddenly felt a little sad. She had thought that after marrying Miss Evil Dragon, Miss Evil Dragon’s home would also be her home, but Miss Evil Dragon clearly didn’t care about her and might not marry her.

After all, Miss Evil Dragon had many choices, and she was just the most inconspicuous of dragons.

The elf noticed the sadness in Long Ling’s expression and looked at her with some concern.

Long Ling came back to her senses, realizing the elf had been watching her. How could an elf understand a dragon’s troubles? She didn’t want to bother a newly met elf.

Long Ling put a bright smile back on her face: “Please take me to the tavern up ahead. I opened that tavern, and I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

The elf saw Long Ling was forcing a smile, and her gaze grew even softer: “Alright.”

The elf’s long legs nudged the horse’s flank, and the white steed whinnied, quickly galloping away, carrying Long Ling far from the dangerous area.

The horse’s hooves stepped over a shallow stream and newly sprouted green grass, quickly arriving at the tavern’s entrance.

It was nearly dusk. The elf helped Long Ling dismount, and only then did Long Ling realize the elf was much taller than her, nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a slender waist, long legs, pointed ears, and extremely delicate yet gentle features.

The other party had saved her life, so by rights, since it was mealtime, she should treat her to a meal.

Long Ling took the reins of the white steed, tied it to a low tree nearby: “This is the tavern I opened. I haven’t brought any friends here before. My name is Long Ling. What is your name?”

The elf looked into her eyes and said softly, “Aeloris.”

Long Ling repeated it softly, smiling slightly: “Aeloris, let’s go inside.”

Aeloris strode her long legs, following Long Ling slowly.

At this hour, the tavern was close to closing. Nora was cleaning the floor with a few servants, and Mina was tidying the kitchen counter.

Nora saw Long Ling enter, her eyes full of pleasant surprise, and happily greeted her: “Miss Long Ling, I thought you weren’t going to come today! All the dishes in the tavern sold out today. We sold over a hundred portions in total, plus five bottles of wine, earning a total of thirteen thousand silver coins! So many customers came as soon as we opened this morning; we were all extremely busy.”

Nora bounced excitedly in front of Long Ling. Long Ling had thought participating in the Salmon Feast Competition would bring traffic, but selling out so quickly was completely unexpected—the profit was huge.

Long Ling nodded and said, “Everyone worked hard. Finish up today and go home to rest early. I will prepare some bonuses for everyone in a few days.”

All the staff in the tavern cheered. An extra bonus made all the hard work worthwhile—Miss Long Ling was truly generous!

Nora pulled out the prepared ledger and handed it to Long Ling: “Miss Long Ling, the ingredients in the tavern might not be enough. All these dishes need to be purchased, and we also need to hire people to catch fish. The vegetables you planted in the estate farm are not ripe yet. Tomorrow, we need to buy nutrient solution to catalyze the vegetables on the estate, or we should go to a nearby market first and look for farmers we can partner with.”

Long Ling looked at the long list in the ledger and immediately felt a headache. What Nora was saying was urgent. The tavern had just started making a profit, and finding partners was crucial, as the quality of the vegetables determined the tavern’s future reputation.

But she had just finished arguing with Miss Evil Dragon, so she couldn’t possibly use the vegetables from Miss Evil Dragon’s estate to supply her own tavern.

Long Ling nodded softly: “If I have time tomorrow, I’ll go look for farmers nearby. Today, I brought a guest, and I’m treating her to a meal here.”

Nora quickly said, “Alright, I’ll go with you tomorrow morning. I know the location of several markets.”

Nora had noticed the person following Long Ling—tall, beautiful, and carrying a bow and arrow in the evening sun. She had initially thought it was His Grace the Duke, but it turned out to be an elf.

Don’t elves only live in hidden forests? How did one suddenly appear at their tavern?

Nora was sent by Butler Marcia to help promote the relationship between His Grace the Duke and Miss Long Ling. Being a maid was only part of her duty; her main job was to follow the old lady’s command to get the two dragons to conceive a dragon egg as quickly as possible.

Now, a beautiful elf had suddenly appeared. Miss Long Ling had never been seen getting so close to anyone before. If His Grace the Duke found out, he would surely be furious.

Nora was a little worried but still asked, “We only have some broth and flour left in the kitchen. Do I need to go buy anything else?”

Long Ling looked at Aeloris: “What do you elves like to eat?”

Aeloris: “Vegetarian food with just vegetables is fine.”

Long Ling thought for a moment: “Then I’ll make you a bowl of Yangchun noodles. Nora, please pour the guest a cup of tea.”

Nora quickly went and brought back a cup of hot tea. The steaming hot water was poured into the teacup, and wisps of tea aroma floated out.

Aeloris sat in the chair Nora had wiped clean and looked around the tavern. She had never ventured out of the Misty Forest before, and this was her first time here, where she met a dragon who was both melancholy and interesting.

The tavern’s interior was decorated in a natural wood style, everything neatly arranged. A row of wooden boards was hung above the bar counter with the names of the dishes carved on them. The glass of the liquor cabinet was spotless, reflecting light like a mirror, and the liquor inside the bottles shone like amber.

The tavern was very thoughtfully arranged, full of ingenious touches. It was clear the tavern’s owner was a dragon who lived with intention.

She blew on the hot air above the teacup, slowly took a sip of clear tea, and quietly waited for the dish Long Ling would make.

Long Ling went to the kitchen and saw a bag of flour and a few eggs in the cabinet. She poured the flour into a wooden basin, added cool water to knead the dough, and then added egg yolks, which would make the noodles chewier, and after cooking, the noodles would have a pale-yellow color, making them more appealing and slippery than plain white noodles.

Long Ling mixed the flour proportions just right, forming a ball of dough. The surface of the dough was slightly dry, but the inside was fully moist; it would become smooth with just a bit of kneading.

Mina stood beside her and couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Long Ling, are you making bread? Should I help you knead the dough?”

Long Ling was about to say no, but the cold gaze of Violet suddenly flashed in her mind. If she couldn’t keep her promise, Violet would find another reason to punish her.

But Violet didn’t care about her at all, so why should she keep her promise to Violet!

Long Ling angrily kneaded the dough a couple of times with her head down, pretending the dough was Violet, kneading it fiercely. As she kneaded, she remembered the time Violet spanked her with a staff, and her bottom involuntarily started to ache.

Detestable Miss Evil Dragon! Horrible Great Evil Dragon! Why did she remember that so clearly!

Long Ling gritted her back teeth: “Never mind, Mina, you knead it for a while. Just knead it until the dough is smooth and not sticky. I’ll tell you how to roll it out later.”

Mina made a sound of acknowledgement and quickly went to wash her hands. She had just seen Miss Long Ling’s face fluctuate between red and pale, knowing Miss Long Ling was probably upset. As a servant, it wasn’t her place to ask about her mistress’s affairs, so she could only quietly help Miss Long Ling.

With Mina kneading the dough, Long Ling rested her head on her hands, her head bowed.

Her mind went over every detail of her time with Violet, and the more she thought, the sadder she felt. How could she be treated like this? All she wanted was a formal status.

Why was Violet always so excessive with her, doing nothing but bullying her? Was it because she was sent here as collateral?

But she wasn’t actual merchandise, and she didn’t owe that money. Why was Violet always using it to threaten her? All the effort and compromises she made to maintain their relationship were completely ignored by Violet.

“Miss Long Ling, the dough is ready.”

Mina turned around and was surprised to see that Miss Long Ling’s eyes were red: “Miss Long Ling, why are you suddenly crying?”

Mina frantically searched for her handkerchief, wanting to hand it to Miss Long Ling, but hesitated because she was only a maid and didn’t dare offer her coarse handkerchief.

Long Ling wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her eyes still red and her voice slightly nasal: “It’s fine. The dough is kneaded, now we just need to roll out the noodles.”

The elf had saved her life; she couldn’t let her eat noodles seasoned with salty tears.

The dough needs to be rolled many times to be chewy enough. Only after all the dough has been repeatedly rolled and the sheets are sufficiently pliable does one begin to cut them into equal strips. Some people would stretch the noodles very thinly, creating Dragon’s Beard Noodles that resemble dragon whiskers. That type of noodle takes more time and tests the chef’s arm strength and technique.

Long Ling had originally only planned to make that for Violet, but since Violet was a great evil dragon who would throw a tantrum if she was unhappy, she probably wouldn’t have to make it in the future.

Yangchun noodles don’t require too much skill. Long Ling gave Mina a few instructions, and the noodles were quickly made, briefly boiled in the simmering broth pot, placed in a porcelain white bowl, and then topped with shallot oil heated in a pan. A few pieces of blanched fresh seasonal vegetables were added on top, and a bowl of Yangchun noodles with bright, rich, and delicious soup was ready.

Considering Aeloris was an elf who liked vegetables, Long Ling stir-fried her homemade pickled vegetables with rapeseed oil, added some finely diced fresh vegetables, and made a small side dish. Since they had just met, she didn’t know the elf’s preferences, so she didn’t add chili peppers or anything, only a little salt.

Long Ling carried the Yangchun noodles to Aeloris and said to her, “It’s ready. Please eat it while it’s hot.”

Aeloris smelled the extraordinary fragrance of the noodles. The pale-yellow noodles and the green, tender leaves complemented each other, instantly making her feel hungry: “Thank you for the meal.”

She looked at the silver-haired dragon girl in front of her. A bit of flour had somehow gotten onto her pale cheek. The light in her ice-blue eyes flickered, and the corners of her eyes were still red, suggesting she had been crying somewhere just now.

A hint of pity flashed in Aeloris’s eyes, and she said softly, “You’ve been busy for so long; you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Since there’s so much, we can eat together.”

Long Ling quickly shook her head: “You are my savior. This was made especially for you. I’m not hungry, don’t worry. This is my homemade pickled vegetable side dish; please try some.”

Long Ling politely used her finger to nudge the small plate closer to Aeloris.

Aeloris used a silver fork to pick up some noodles, chewed them in her mouth, and found them chewy and delicious. She couldn’t help but praise, “It’s very tasty.”

Long Ling’s lips curled into a smile: “If it’s tasty, please eat more. You can come to this tavern for meals often in the future; all dishes will be on the house for you.”

Aeloris saw her spirit’s lift: “Will you be at this tavern every day?”

The silver-haired girl in front of her suddenly seemed distracted, as if hiding a worry, resting her chin on her hand and staring into the void.

After a few seconds, she snapped back and said uncertainly, “I might be at this tavern every day from now on, but I can’t be in the front hall during business hours.”

Aeloris asked, “Have you run into some trouble?”

Perhaps due to the elf’s innate charisma, Long Ling felt very comfortable sitting with Aeloris and explained the reason: “The people here are afraid of dragons, so I can only be the behind-the-scenes owner. There are some other things, too, that are hard to explain quickly.”

Just as she finished speaking, a dull sound of horse hooves came from outside the tavern, like distant thunder, arriving at the tavern’s entrance in mere moments.

Hundreds of elite Dragon Guards in iron armor, riding warhorses, surrounded the tavern. The horses’ neighs and the sound of their organized steps were chilling.

“Is Miss Long Ling here?” The Dragon Guard leader, still on horseback, asked the maid closest to the door.

The maid trembled. Long Ling didn’t know when she had offended the military. Afraid of implicating innocent people, she stepped forward: “I am Long Ling. What do you want with me?”

The Dragon Guard leader dismounted, gave her a standard military salute, and said with a respectful yet firm attitude: “Miss Long Ling, we are here on the order of His Grace Duke Violet to escort you back to the estate. Please come with us now.”

Truly Violet’s soldiers—as cold and rough as she was.

Anger surged in Long Ling’s heart, and her desire to resist grew stronger: “What if I say no?”

The Dragon Guard leader stepped forward: “We are only following the orders of His Grace Duke Violet to capture you and take you back, no matter the cost. Please cooperate with us. If you anger His Grace the Duke, no dragon will have a good ending.”