Reincarnated as a Sickly Princess, She was Kidnapped by the Evil Dragon Lady - Chapter 23

Illycia felt the meaning of the bard’s lyrics was clear: the Roland Empire had defeated Aria.

What Illycia couldn’t understand was how this narrative had emerged. She had personally witnessed Aria eliminate the mages and Paladins surrounding the castle before capturing her and fleeing. How had the story become that Aria had been defeated?

To Illycia’s surprise, Aria showed no shock upon hearing the news. Instead, she seemed to have anticipated it.

“Hmm, that’s for the best,” Aria said calmly, her words sparking a mental storm in Illycia’s mind.

“You… you deliberately let them believe you were defeated?” Illycia asked, her gaze fixed on Aria. Suddenly, she recalled Aria’s earlier words: that she had never harmed anyone and had only taken Illycia to save the entire Dragon Race.

Combined with the bard’s current tale, Illycia grew increasingly convinced that Aria’s earlier claims were true, not lies meant to deceive her.

When Illycia asked her this time, Aria remained silent, not even turning her head as she continued listening to the bard singing nearby.

To Illycia, this silence seemed like tacit agreement to her question.

Could Aria actually be the type who seems fierce on the outside but is kind at heart? Illycia mused inwardly. However, she couldn’t draw a firm conclusion just yet, as she hadn’t personally confirmed whether her father and the others were still alive.

Only if her father and the others were truly alive could Illycia fully trust Aria.

Yet, in the short few days they had spent together, Illycia had already begun to suspect that Aria was the kind of person she had always imagined: cold on the surface but warm inside.

After all, last night when Illycia nearly fainted, Aria had carried her to dinner. And today, despite her earlier resolve to leave, she had brought Illycia to listen to the bard’s song.

These actions clearly showed that Aria was the type Illycia had always envisioned: outwardly aloof but inwardly soft-hearted… or rather, soft-hearted dragon.

And so, Aria and Illycia stood hand-in-hand, quietly watching the minstrel’s performance come to an end.

“Let’s go now that it’s over,” Aria said, releasing Illycia’s hand and looking at her questioningly.

“Mm-hmm, let’s go,” Illycia replied with a cheerful nod, looking utterly content.

Illycia’s sudden contentment struck Aria as odd. After all, she had previously seemed so reluctant to leave, eager to keep playing. How could she be satisfied with just watching a performance?

Just as Aria was about to conclude that Illycia was easily pleased, an untimely and peculiar sound interrupted her thoughts.

Grumble, grumble~

“Oh dear, I just remembered I haven’t eaten yet! I’m so hungry…” Illycia said, clutching her stomach dramatically and feigning discomfort.

Aria clicked her tongue inwardly.

Just as I thought. Humans are all the same—never satisfied, always wanting more…

Aria watched Illycia’s clumsy acting, her inner monologue once again criticizing humanity.

In the blink of an eye, Aria and Illycia were sitting face-to-face in a restaurant.

“Tell me what you want to eat,” Aria said, silently handing Illycia the menu.

“Okay! Hehe.”

Illycia glanced at Aria, confirming her earlier suspicions: Aria was exactly the type of person she’d imagined.

Illycia knew how terrible her acting had been, yet Aria hadn’t said a word and had simply brought her here.

If that’s the case, Illycia thought, maybe I can actually stay in the Dwarf Kingdom for another day of fun?

While Illycia plotted her schemes, Aria rested her chin in her hand, her amethyst eyes—the same color as Illycia’s—staring blankly out the window.

Ever since becoming the Dragon Queen, Aria had been tirelessly searching for a way to save her people, to restore their freedom, and to let her kin see the sky once more.

Every time Aria ventured out, it was to gather information and seek methods to rescue her people.

But now that Aria had found a human woman who could save her people, and the woman seemed willing to help, Aria felt a strange sense of relief.

It was no exaggeration to say that this was the first time Aria had left the Dragon Race without the primary goal of saving her people.

Well, not entirely true. Saving her people was still a secondary objective, but the main goal was to accompany Illycia and fulfill her conditions.

As a result, Aria felt much lighter at heart this time, allowing her to finally relax and experience things she had never tried before.

For example, taking the human girl out to eat and staying in a hotel.

In the past, when Aria was hungry, she would simply find a jungle, kill a few animals, and eat them. When she was tired, she would lie down wherever she was. After all, with her power as the Dragon Queen, nothing could harm her.

So, to be honest, the experiences from yesterday to today weren’t just novel for Illycia; Aria found them quite refreshing as well. However, having lived for so long, Aria naturally wouldn’t be as excited as Illycia.

“I’ve ordered!”

While Aria was still lost in thought, Illycia handed her the menu with their order.

Aria glanced at Illycia, who was grinning as she offered the menu. Her expression remained unchanged, as impassive as before.

“Why are you giving this to me? Give it to the waiter.”

“Oh… right…”

Illycia chuckled sheepishly, scratched the back of her head, and waved over the waiter to relay their order.

After placing the order, Illycia grew restless while waiting for the food. She decided to strike up a conversation with Aria.

“Aria, do you think I could learn magic?”

Aria, who had been gazing out the window, turned her head at Illycia’s question and studied her for a moment.

“No.”

Aria’s response was curt and icy.

“Then could you show me some magic?”

Illycia had anticipated Aria’s rejection, so she wasn’t disappointed. Instead, she was eager to witness firsthand how the Dragon Race wielded magic.