Life After Being Claimed by the Disabled Dragon Lady - Chapter 85

Two days had already passed since Long Ling finished taking care of Violet during her fever period.

Long Ling woke up a bit earlier on the third morning and made a pot of hot, nourishing congee for Violet. She put it in a small earthenware pot on a small stove, where it could simmer and stay warm indefinitely.

She picked up her ledger, dipped her quill pen in the ink bottle, and spread out the yellowed parchment scroll to calculate her current total assets.

She had promised to compensate Annie for her loss, and the only thing she could think of was giving her money.

Long Ling couldn’t abandon Violet during her fever period to complete the engagement with Annie. No matter what, she couldn’t leave Violet in that situation.

All the money she had earned from the pub, even counting her mother’s allowance, and subtracting the repair money for the pub which was damaged by Sylvia last time, plus the money for gifts for friends, she only had less than a hundred thousand gold coins.

She had to start managing the pub seriously again, and not be inconsistent like before, working for three days and resting for two.

She estimated she’d have to mortgage half of the pub’s shares to Annie. The last time she split with Violet, she also lost a pub, so she’d been constantly losing gold coins.

Long Ling sighed softly, and a drop of ink from the quill pen stained the parchment, making a blot. The entire sheet was ruined, and she crumpled the parchment into a wrinkled ball.

Violet woke up to see Long Ling staring out the window, her eyelids downcast, the sunlight illuminating her creamy white cheek and outlining a faint golden glow.

Bright pomegranate flowers hung by Long Ling’s hand. The leaves of the climbing ivy outside the window trailed down, trembling lightly in the breeze. Many wooden boxes were placed on the windowsill, where thriving vegetable seedlings were growing.

She hadn’t noticed during their intimate moments a few days ago, but Long Ling’s temporary residence at the pub was also so full of life.

Violet got out of bed and walked over to Long Ling, seeing the crumpled ball of parchment in her hand.

She placed her hand on Long Ling’s shoulder, pressing her beautiful cheek against Long Ling’s soft profile. “What are you writing?”

Long Ling shook her head slightly. “I’m calculating the compensation for Annie. I left her at the engagement party; she’ll definitely hate me forever now.”

Violet said gently, “Annie’s matter I’ve already arranged for people to handle. I can ensure she gets the largest sum of money without having to marry or become some Alpha’s wife. She won’t hate you.”

Although the Dragons in this world hold a high status in society, not every Dragon is born with wealth and power.

A large portion of Dragons are powerless and poor, still holding the belief that Alphas are more respected than Omegas, which forces some Omegas to rely on marriage to gain the right to inherit property.

This is fundamentally wrong. An Omega shouldn’t need to enter into a marriage to obtain their own wealth; they shouldn’t have to be bound to another Alpha.

As a natural rule-maker and ruler, Violet’s thinking had long escaped the confines of established logic.

Rules are used to control the weak and never apply to the strong.

Violet smiled lightly. “No Omega would refuse to control power themselves. Having one’s own voice is always better than relying on an unreliable Alpha.”

A young Omega might be preoccupied with an Alpha who seems trustworthy, but Rosalind, who had been married twice, would surely know what was truly best for her young daughter.

Even though Violet could resolve the matter, Long Ling had indeed gone back on her promise, and so she still decided to compensate Annie as planned.

Hearing Violet talk about an unreliable Alpha, Long Ling couldn’t help but ask, “Am I very unreliable?”

Violet gently pressed her face to the top of Long Ling’s head, coaxing her softly. “You are very reliable. You didn’t leave me alone during my fever period.”

Long Ling felt a little appeased and said warmly, “Go drink the congee. I cooked it for a long time; it’s very delicious.”

Violet had already smelled the aroma of the rice congee. Long Ling had added yam, black glutinous rice, longan, and red dates, all good for nourishing Qi and blood. The congee was cooked very fragrant. She scooped it up with a spoon, put it in her mouth, and it tasted sweet and savory.

It was perfect for warming the stomach, and one mouthful felt comfortable and pleasant.

Long Ling peeled a perfectly round egg and put it in Violet’s bowl. “Eat it. When you’re well-rested, go back to your own manor. I still have to think about how to deal with the subsequent matters.”

Violet looked at her with a hint of disappointment. “I said I’d help you fix it. It’s been several days, and my subordinates will report back once they’re done. You always want to push me away. Do you really not want to get back together?”

Long Ling lowered her eyes, a bit conflicted. “Viel, I still need some time.”

Just as her mother said, being with another Omega would start a whole new life, but being with Violet would take her back to her old life.

She wanted to live freely, going wherever she pleased, but Violet was the Duchess of a territory. She had a lot of official duties every day. To Violet, she was merely a diversion in her life, a lover who provided amusement and relaxation after work.

A relationship requires effort from both people. If Violet’s kindness to her only existed in the present and things reverted to how they were before, then her wholehearted investment in the relationship would only end miserably.

Violet also knew the little dragon didn’t trust her anymore. She took Long Ling’s hand and said, “I will spend more time with you in the future, and I won’t deceive you again. I promise Sylvia’s incident will not happen a second time. If you like managing the pub, you can stay here; you don’t have to return to the manor. I’ll come over every day.”

Her eyes held a faint, almost imperceptible plea. “Can we?”

Long Ling nodded slightly. “You should eat properly first. Once you finish the congee, go back to bed and rest.”

Violet listened to Long Ling and quickly finished the congee. “Will you sleep with me?”

Long Ling looked at the red marks on Violet’s slender neck, and following the slightly open sleepwear neckline, the tops of her breasts were also covered in red marks from where she had bitten.

Long Ling hadn’t noticed at night, but seeing them in the daylight, she realized she had been a bit rough with Violet.

Long Ling reached out to help Violet pull her sleepwear together, covering her neckline completely and retying the waist sash. “You sleep by yourself. I’m going to the apothecary later to buy you some medicine.”

Violet raised her hand, wrapped it around Long Ling’s waist, and leaned close to her ear, saying, “Should I apply it both inside and out?”

Long Ling’s earlobe immediately flushed red. “I’m going to write a letter first.”

Violet laughed. “Drink some congee before you write.”

Long Ling drank all the remaining congee of Violet’s before going to the table to write letters. Since things had come to this, she could only write letters of apology first—one for Annie and Rosalind, and another for her mother.

She, the letters finished, a knock suddenly came from the downstairs door of the pub. Long Ling peered down from the window. The person was wearing a military uniform, so they must be one of Violet’s subordinates.

Long Ling turned and asked, “Your subordinate is here. Should I excuse myself?”

Violet leaned against the pillow, flipping through a picture book Long Ling usually read. “No need. It should be about Annie’s matter. Didn’t you want to know, too? Tell her to come straight up and report.”

She would make sure Long Ling no longer owed Annie any favor, which would prevent Long Ling from constantly thinking about her.

The picture book Long Ling was reading was also about the Knights, but Violet had flipped through half the book without finding any mention of the Dragon Palace. What was constantly on the little dragon’s mind?

Long Ling hummed a soft affirmation and went downstairs to open the pub’s door.

The person followed her up the stairs and gave Violet a standard military salute.

“Your Highness, after Miss Annie’s engagement banquet ended, your subordinate, following your orders, allocated a separate fiefdom from your territory to Annie. If her family wishes to settle in your territory and receive a permanent tax exemption, they must pledge allegiance to Miss Annie. Miss Annie has already secured a large portion of wealth in advance.”

Annie’s ancestors were originally commoners, and they only gradually became wealthy merchants after making a lot of money through trade. However, the land on the Continent of Aud was perpetually inherited. Initially, only Dukes could be granted land, and other Dragons could only obtain territories they had conquered through military achievements.

Annie’s family was skilled in business but had no Dragon who had established military merit, so they had always lacked their own territory.

Even the manors under their name had to be leased for large sums of gold coins every year, and every bit of wealth they earned had to undergo multiple layers of exploitation, with large amounts of taxes submitted to the local lord annually.

The territory Violet gave Annie was far from her own manor but rich in resources and easily accessible. Annie became her vassal and was granted a special tax-exemption privilege by Violet. For their own benefit, her family would not make things difficult for Annie but would instead try to please her.

The benefits Violet provided were substantial, and both Rosalind and Annie kept their mouths shut.

Annie transformed from a wealthy merchant’s daughter into a sovereign with her own territory. Not only did no one laugh at her, but they would envy her for receiving the protection of Duchess Violet.

Violet waved her hand, dismissing her subordinate. She looked back to see the little dragon staring blankly at her. “Now that you don’t owe her anything, you shouldn’t feel so guilty, right?”

Long Ling hadn’t expected Violet to give Annie an entire territory. She knew that as a Duchess, Violet’s territory was vast, but this was still a huge concession. If she hadn’t agreed to help Annie with the engagement, Violet wouldn’t have had to give up a territory.

She originally felt guilty toward Annie, but now she felt the most sorry for Violet.

Long Ling sighed softly and spoke her true feelings. “I don’t know how I can compensate you now.”

But this was exactly what Violet wanted to achieve. The little dragon couldn’t owe anyone else; if she had to owe anyone, it should only be her.

Violet smiled slightly. “No need for compensation. As long as I can be with you, all of this is my heartfelt willingness. Go buy the medicine, and when you return, apply it thoroughly for me.”

Long Ling’s heart was softened by Violet’s coaxing, and she immediately nodded. “Mhm, I’ll go right now.”

Long Ling changed into her elven cloak, took the apology letters, and mailed them out along with the compensation money. Only then did she go to the magic potion shop to buy a bottle of advanced healing potion.

On her way back, the morning sun was warm. The street a block away from the pub was lively, filled with the sounds of vendors calling out and bustling noise.

She and Violet had stayed in the room for several days and both needed to recuperate. There was large magical beast meat obtained by hunters, and the butcher’s stalls of beef and mutton. Long Ling’s gaze landed on a young farmer’s bamboo basket.

A red-checkered cloth covered the basket, which was lined with straw. Occasionally, the sound of a bird flapping its wings could be heard.

The young farmer was rubbing his hands against the cold. Seeing Long Ling stop, he enthusiastically tried to drum up business.

“These are wild geese, a specialty of the Punabor Water Region. They’ve been raised on fresh fish, shrimp, and pasture grass since they were young. I even feed them fruit sometimes. They’re specifically supplied to the nobility. Why don’t you take these two homes? They’re delicious no matter how you cook them.”

“How much are they?”

“Both wild geese together are only one gold coin. I’ll tie them up for you with a straw rope.”

Long Ling bought the two wild geese from the farmer. They were covered in grayish-brown feathers and looked quite plump when she lifted them. Even a picky Dragon like Violet would probably find the ingredients to be good.

Just as she was about to leave after buying them, a timid voice suddenly spoke up nearby.

“Beautiful sister, buy some hawthorn berries, please. They’re very tasty.”

The little girl was only wearing a thin gray dress in late autumn, and her nose was red from the morning chill. The hawthorn berries in front of her looked plump, large, and round.

Compassion arose in Long Ling’s heart. She squatted down and asked gently, “How much are all the hawthorn berries together?”

The little girl hadn’t expected the beautiful sister to be willing to buy her things. Remembering what her mother had told her, she quickly said, “Only twenty silver coins.”

Long Ling handed the money to the little girl. The girl accepted it with heartfelt gratitude, but then noticed Long Ling had given her ten silver coins too many and immediately handed them back to Long Ling. “Sister, you gave too much. Mama said we can’t overcharge people.”

Long Ling had no choice but to take back the extra money. Carrying the two geese, her hands were almost full, so she could only watch the little girl’s small hands laboriously put all the hawthorn berries on the ground into the bamboo basket.

The young farmer nearby saw that Long Ling genuinely wanted to buy them and also came over to help the little girl put them into the basket. He smiled heartily and asked Long Ling, “These hawthorn berries are large and round, and they’re sour and sweet to eat. You definitely won’t regret buying them. Where do you live? Should I deliver them for you?”

Long Ling asked the young farmer to help deliver them to the pub.

On the way, she also ran into customers who often came to drink at the pub. They asked when the pub would reopen and inquired about her injuries. Long Ling could only say that she was mostly recovered but needed a few more days to prepare, and she would open once everything was ready.

She put the purchased items in the kitchen first, then returned to the room with the healing potion.

Violet had been waiting for Long Ling for a long time and hugged her waist. “Why did you take so long to come back?”

Her gentle, slender hands wandered downward, discontentedly rubbing Long Ling’s plump dragon tail hidden beneath the cloak.

Long Ling nearly dropped the medicine bottle, and her cheeks flushed. “I went to buy food for you on the way. Hurry up and apply the medicine. I need to go to the kitchen to cook after you’re done.”

Violet couldn’t help but ask, “What did you buy?”

Long Ling took Violet’s hand off her dragon tail. “I bought wild geese; we can stew them to nourish the body. I also got some very sweet hawthorn berries; I can make candied haws.”

Violet looked at her with seductive eyes. “My whole body feels like it’s falling apart right now. My lower back really hurts. You apply it for me.”