Reincarnated as a Sickly Princess, She was Kidnapped by the Evil Dragon Lady - Chapter 28

“Dad! I’m back!”

Just as Rodas was wondering if something had happened to Isabella, Illycia suddenly darted out from beside the door and appeared before him.

Rodas startled, instinctively taking a step back. But when he recognized Illycia, his pupils dilated in shock.

“Father, as you can see, Illycia has returned,” Isabella explained with a faint smile. After all, Illycia’s return was good news for the whole family.

The ensuing reunion was naturally filled with warm greetings. Isabella then recounted everything she had learned earlier, including introducing Aria.

Unlike Isabella’s initial hostility toward Aria, Rodas was simply astonished to learn that Aria’s true identity was that of a dragon.

After a brief moment of surprise, Rodas quickly regained his composure, thinking it might not be such a bad thing after all.

He had been secretly trying to gather information about Illycia, but instead of news about her, he received reports of rebellions in neighboring countries and the Demon Lord’s Army advancing.

Now, with one of these three major crises resolved, Rodas felt a rare sense of relief amidst the recent pressures weighing on his heart.

“It’s good she’s back,” he murmured, a rare smile gracing his lips.

Yet to the others, the smile seemed tinged with weariness.

“Ah, it’s almost dinnertime. I’ll have the servants prepare a meal.”

Without waiting for a response, Rodas summoned a servant and instructed them to begin preparing dinner immediately.

Only after giving these orders did he turn his attention to Aria.

“Your Excellency, if you wouldn’t mind, would you join us for dinner?” Rodas asked, inclining his head slightly.

As Rodas spoke, Isabella couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Isabella couldn’t understand why her father would invite the dragon who had abducted Illycia to dine with them, especially when he seemed to treat her with such deference.

In Isabella’s view, Aria should stay as far away from Illycia as possible, let alone share a meal with her.

“No, thank you,” Aria replied, her voice cool and dismissive. Isabella breathed a sigh of relief.

Rodas was momentarily taken aback by Aria’s blunt refusal.

But after a moment’s reflection, he remembered the dragon’s inherent pride and overwhelming power. Against such absolute might, even if she wanted to tear down the entire castle, he would be powerless to stop her.

After Aria’s invasion, Rodas had consulted numerous Overlord Mages and Paladins about her capabilities. The unanimous verdict was: invincible. Even a thousand or ten thousand warriors of their caliber couldn’t defeat her.

It was then that Rodas truly grasped the nature of dragons, which explained his current respect for Aria.

“Alright then…”

Just as Rodas was about to arrange temporary lodging for Aria and have her leave for the time being, Illycia spoke up from the side.

“Aria, you haven’t eaten in ages! Won’t you join us?”

Illycia stared intently at Aria as she spoke. After all, Aria hadn’t touched her dinner last night or breakfast this morning, giving all the food to Illycia instead.

Hearing Illycia’s words, Aria was about to decline when Illycia suddenly grabbed her arm.

“Come on, let’s eat together! I’ll introduce you to my family.”

Illycia tugged on Aria’s arm, shaking it playfully as she spoke, her childlike demeanor particularly endearing.

Seeing Illycia act this way, Aria’s resolve wavered slightly.

After all, Illycia had turned cold toward her after learning the truth, but now she seemed…

Before Aria could say anything, Rodas, standing nearby, caught the scene and gave Isabella a meaningful glance. Isabella immediately understood and stepped forward to pull Illycia away from Aria.

“Your Excellency, I apologize. Illycia is still young and naive. Please don’t take her words to heart.”

Seeing Illycia’s behavior, Rodas quickly instructed Isabella to separate the two.

Though Rodas didn’t understand the nature of Illycia’s relationship with the Dragon before him, he saw Illycia as an innocent child who had yet to experience the world. He feared she might be easily swayed by Aria’s words.

After speaking, Rodas turned to Isabella, who was still holding Illycia back. “Take your sister to bathe and freshen up,” he said. “Change into clean clothes, and we’ll all have dinner together later.”

“Yes, Father,” Isabella replied, pulling Illycia away.

As they left, Illycia turned back to Aria and called out, “Don’t forget to join us for dinner later!”

Under Aria’s watchful gaze, Illycia was led away by Isabella and disappeared from sight.

Now, only Aria and Illycia’s father, Rodas, remained in the room.

“Your Excellency,” Rodas said bluntly, meeting Aria’s gaze. “If you desire anything, please state it directly. We will provide whatever we can find or procure.”

To Rodas, it was inconceivable that a dragon like Aria would abduct Illycia and then return her without ulterior motives. She must want something in return; surely this wasn’t just for amusement.

Aria watched Rodas, her irritation growing at his words and interruption.

Humans truly are creatures obsessed with profit, she thought, her dissatisfaction rising. Now she would have to engage in her least favorite activity: explaining herself.

But then she paused. Wasn’t her own actions driven by purpose, just like theirs? What, then, distinguished her from these humans?

The more Aria pondered this, the more agitated she became. Even during her long reign as Dragon Queen, she had never felt such frustration.

As she glared at Rodas, her amethyst eyes gradually shifted, unconsciously transforming into the golden, vertical pupils characteristic of the Dragon Race.

Those eyes sent a chill down Rodas’s spine. The oppressive aura emanating from Aria tightened every muscle in his body.