Reincarnated as a Sickly Princess, She was Kidnapped by the Evil Dragon Lady - Chapter 31

Illycia found herself in this very situation. She decided to take a gamble, betting on her future. She refused to spend another lifetime trapped in her room.

Moreover, Illycia hadn’t forgotten Aria’s promise to teach her magic after she helped Aria complete her task. To learn magic and forge a new life, Illycia was determined to assist Aria.

But there was another, more fundamental reason: Illycia now trusted Aria.

Previously, Illycia had refused to help Aria because she believed Aria was lying, finding her words untrustworthy.

However, now that she saw her family safe and well, just as Aria had promised—that she hadn’t harmed anyone—Illycia chose to believe her.

This was why Illycia had taken the initiative to invite Aria to dinner, recognizing that she had misjudged her earlier.

Just as Illycia had suspected, Aria was simply reserved and appeared cold on the surface.

However, Illycia found it difficult to explain this to Isabella, and even if she did, Isabella would likely never understand.

As she pondered this, Illycia and Isabella arrived at the dining hall. Illycia immediately spotted her mother standing by the table, watching her.

In that brief moment, Rosalia’s eyes reddened as she gazed at Illycia. She rushed forward and embraced her daughter tightly.

What followed was the inevitable round of greetings, her mother’s doting inquiries, and the warm concern of her two brothers and sister.

Though the castle had once evoked only loneliness in Illycia’s memories, this reunion with her family was precisely why she had longed to return.

After the initial flurry of greetings subsided, Illycia realized Aria hadn’t arrived yet.

“Speaking of which, where’s Aria?”

Illycia scanned the room but couldn’t find Aria anywhere.

“She said she went outside for some fresh air, but I can’t find her anywhere.”

Rodas, standing nearby, watched Illycia frantically searching around. He seemed to immediately sense what was on her mind.

“I’ll go look for her outside,” Illycia said, and without waiting for Rodas to reply, she hurried away.

Rodas watched Illycia’s retreating figure and sighed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that ever since her trip, Illycia’s heart had been stolen away by that dragon.

“Isabella, go with your sister,” Rodas finally said. After all, she was still his daughter.

But as Rodas watched Illycia’s behavior, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly she had experienced with that dragon during their time together.

Meanwhile, Illycia had memorized the path out of the castle and quickly reached the main gate.

“Aria!”

“I’m here. Stop shouting.”

Just as Illycia finished calling out, Aria materialized before her.

Startled by Aria’s sudden appearance, Illycia instinctively jumped back.

“You… how did you…?”

“I heard your voice and came.”

Illycia gazed at Aria, then let out a relieved sigh.

“Then… let’s eat together?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Hearing Aria’s response, Illycia was overjoyed.

“Great!”

With that, Illycia led Aria into the castle, ready to share a meal together.

As they turned back, they happened to run into Isabella, who was walking toward them.

“Sister?”

Isabella heard the voice and looked up at Illycia, then glanced at Aria behind her.

Seeing Illycia already heading back, Isabella had nothing more to say.

“Let’s go eat together.”

Though Isabella still harbored some resentment toward Aria, she couldn’t refuse her younger sister’s invitation. Besides, they had already prepared Aria’s portion, so it didn’t matter.

Before long, Illycia and her group returned to the dining room.

The family gathered around the table stared at Aria, who had suddenly appeared. They had overheard Rodas’s explanation earlier and now knew her true identity.

While curious, they also regarded Aria with a degree of wariness. After all, she was the same Dragon who had caused such a commotion before, even leading to Illycia’s disappearance for a time.

Fortunately, the incident had ultimately brought more positive outcomes, and Illycia had since returned. Otherwise, the atmosphere between them and Aria would never have allowed them to sit together for a meal like this.

And so, under these circumstances, they shared a meal together, spending a somewhat surreal time in each other’s company.

Though the first half of the meal was slightly awkward, Illycia’s constant chatter and efforts to liven the mood, along with her occasional attempts to draw Aria into the conversation, eventually eased the tension.

Midway through the meal, especially when Illycia started teasing Aria, everyone’s hearts nearly leaped into their throats. After all, teasing someone without permission was generally considered impolite, even more so when the target was Aria, a member of the Dragon Race. One wrong move, and their entire table might face dire consequences.

But to everyone’s surprise, Aria showed no signs of anger after Illycia’s teasing. In fact, the look in her eyes held a strange, unreadable quality.

Though no one could decipher its meaning, it didn’t seem hostile.

Seeing this, the group couldn’t help but breathe a collective sigh of relief. They began speculating about the true nature of Illycia and Aria’s relationship.

At least for now, their connection seemed amicable, like that of friends rather than enemies.

With this understanding, the group gradually lowered their guard.

Given the current situation, Aria appeared more like Illycia’s close friend than anything else, suggesting they posed no immediate threat to the group—at least not without provocation.

Though Aria had abruptly taken Illycia away earlier, she had thankfully returned her unharmed. This outcome was far better than they had dared to hope for.

Once everyone reached a consensus that Aria wasn’t a villain, the atmosphere gradually warmed up, becoming lively and cheerful. This was exactly the kind of atmosphere Illycia had been aiming for, and she couldn’t have been happier.