Reincarnated as a Sickly Princess, She was Kidnapped by the Evil Dragon Lady - Chapter 34

Aria’s response to Illycia was delivered with an unprecedented gentleness, a quality even Aria herself seemed unaware of.

The warmth in Aria’s voice left Illycia momentarily stunned, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. She found Aria’s current demeanor inexplicably… captivating.

“Ahem… then… then it’s settled…” Illycia stammered, hastily dismissing the unrealistic thoughts swirling in her mind. As she spoke, her gaze involuntarily drifted elsewhere, unable to meet Aria’s eyes.

It was then, as Illycia’s gaze wandered, that her eyes happened to focus on the bustling entrance of a nearby tavern.

What caught her attention were the two beautifully dressed women standing guard at the entrance, seemingly using their beauty to attract customers.

However, as Illycia’s gaze lingered on the women, she realized their attire was remarkably… revealing?

At that moment, Illycia finally realized what kind of place it was, causing her already flushed face to turn even redder. She could barely maintain her composure.

“That’s a Pleasure House,” Aria said, noticing Illycia’s fixed gaze on the establishment. She assumed Illycia was simply curious about such places, given her impression that Illycia had never left the house before.

“I know that!” Illycia replied, her face burning crimson, her voice louder than necessary due to her sudden embarrassment.

“It’s specifically for girls.”

“I said I know… wait, what?”

Illycia’s brain seemed to short-circuit at Aria’s words.

“But the girls standing at the entrance… they’re girls too…”

“Exactly. It’s only for girls.”

Aria watched Illycia’s bewildered expression, confirming her suspicion that the girl was completely unaware of such things.

“It’s not just for girls and girls. There are also places specifically for boys and boys, though they’re less common than regular Pleasure Houses.”

Aria explained this matter-of-factly, her expression remaining perfectly neutral.

After learning all this, Illycia felt her worldview had been completely shattered. After all, she had barely heard of such things in her previous life.

Perhaps I was just too sheltered in my past life…

What surprised Illycia most was how open-minded the people of this world were, allowing such establishments to exist openly and without shame.

Aria, seeing Illycia staring thoughtfully at the distant buildings, assumed she was interested in experiencing them.

“Want to try it out?”

“No way!” Illycia retorted sharply, like a startled rabbit, rejecting Aria’s suggestion vehemently.

“Then… find a male?”

“No!”

“Then…”

“Enough! Shut up!” Illycia snapped, unable to contain herself as Aria continued pressing.

Aria, observing Illycia’s bristling demeanor, realized she must have said something wrong. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have reacted so strongly.

Better just shut up for now, like she said…

Just then, Aria suddenly noticed several glaring gazes sweeping over her.

Under normal circumstances, Aria wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss. But these gazes carried an inexplicable undercurrent of murderous intent.

Aria glanced at Illycia beside her, then swiftly drew her into an embrace, her eyes locking onto the hidden eyes in the shadows.

Just then, a burly figure lurking in the darkness realized Aria was staring directly at him. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and back.

He nudged his slender teammate beside him.

“Hey, is that broad looking at us?”

“She probably… probably just happened to glance our way,” the other man replied, his voice wavering with uncertainty.

But was Aria truly unaware of their presence?

“Hey… you… what’s… what’s wrong?” Illycia finally managed to ask, her voice muffled against Aria’s chest.

Illycia’s position was undeniably awkward. Standing at just 1.6 meters tall, she was dwarfed by Aria’s nearly two-meter frame. When Aria had pulled her close, Illycia’s face had pressed directly against Aria’s chest.

Illycia initially thought something urgent had happened, but after standing there for a moment, she realized nothing was amiss.

Then, she became acutely aware of her current position.

In an instant, Illycia realized her nose was filled with Aria’s scent.

It was a difficult scent to describe, yet Illycia found it deeply appealing, and it made her feel inexplicably shy.

Especially since Aria maintained this posture, the lingering fragrance was starting to make Illycia’s head spin.

“Someone wants to kill you,” Aria suddenly announced, breaking the silence just as Illycia was about to lose her composure.

Earlier, Aria had sensed the source of the murderous intent but remained uncertain about its target.

If the intent was directed solely at her rather than Illycia, Aria would have to consider whether her true identity had been exposed.

So, she had lingered in place, carefully discerning the true target of the murderous intent.

Aria ultimately concluded that the killing intent was directed at Illycia beside her, confirming that her own identity remained concealed.

“Huh?”

Illycia’s mind snapped into focus at Aria’s words. She lifted her head, staring at Aria in disbelief.

She had never imagined that her first stroll through the streets would attract someone seeking to harm her.

Yet Illycia couldn’t understand why she, who rarely appeared in public, would become a target.

She had no doubt someone wanted to harm her, given her father’s prominent position. There must be many who would seek to kidnap her to threaten him.

But how had they discovered her so quickly? Illycia was utterly baffled.

Still, she knew this wasn’t the time to dwell on how she’d been discovered. She needed to focus on how to respond.

“The choice is yours. What do you want to do?”

Just as Illycia was contemplating whether to flee back and inform her father, Aria spoke up, reminding Illycia that she had a formidable ally by her side.

“Ah? You’re really willing to listen to me?” Illycia couldn’t help but ask, despite Aria’s words.

After all, Aria was the leader of the Dragon Race. Her previous assistance on the journey could be understood as protecting Illycia’s safety.

But now, Aria could simply kill the two intruders without asking any questions. Yet she was still seeking Illycia’s opinion.

Though Illycia didn’t know why someone would target her so soon after her emergence, she understood her own identity.

If someone wanted to harm her, it was likely due to her status, which meant the stakes had suddenly become much higher.

Moreover, the Dragon Race was legendary for its neutrality, having never participated in any wars throughout history. Aria’s current actions seemed to defy this ancient tradition.

“Make your choice quickly. If we hesitate any longer, they’ll escape.”

After observing Illycia and Aria for several minutes from the shadows, the two spies noticed Aria’s eyes were fixed in their direction. They immediately realized she knew their location.

“Run!”

This was their final exchange before they decisively unleashed their full power and fled.

But Aria was no ordinary opponent. Unless the spies escaped the Roland Empire within moments, she had countless ways to capture them.

Whoosh! Aria vanished from Illycia’s side.

In the blink of an eye, she reappeared before Illycia.

“Let’s go. I’ve bound them in an alley. I’ll take you there.”

With Aria leading the way, they skillfully avoided the surrounding pedestrians and arrived at a nearby alley.

At the alley’s end, two black-clad figures were pinned to the wall by a powerful Magic Array, completely immobilized.

The moment Aria and Illycia came into view, terror flooded the spies’ eyes.

With a flick of Aria’s finger, the magic sealing their mouths seemed to dissipate, and the two men instinctively gasped for air.

They stared at Aria, their eyes filled with terror.

But as they turned their gaze to Illycia, their demeanor abruptly shifted.

“Let… let us go, or you’ll pay the price!”

Where they found this sudden courage remained a mystery, but their attitude had transformed completely.

Illycia naturally dismissed their bluster.

“Who sent you?” she asked, feigning seriousness as she studied them.

Yet even with her attempt at sternness, her petite frame and slender build failed to project any real intimidation.

Seeing Illycia’s appearance, the men burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! We won’t say a word! You’re just a little brat—go hide in your room!”

“Yeah, go home and drink your milk!”

The two men were completely different from how they acted around Aria, their arrogance toward Illycia reaching its peak. This infuriated Illycia.

Just as Illycia was about to punish and threaten them, Aria unexpectedly intervened.

Aria acted swiftly and ruthlessly. Without a word, she raised her hand and unleashed a blade-shaped magic spell. In less than a second, both men’s right arms were severed. They didn’t even have time to react before their limbs were gone.

Blood spurted violently from the severed stumps, and the men’s faces drained of color at an alarming rate.

It wasn’t just the two men who were stunned; Illycia herself was completely dumbfounded.

“I don’t know where you two got the courage to speak like that,” Aria said coldly, “but next time, it won’t be your arms I’m cutting off.”

Aria coldly glared at the two men before her, her icy gaze sending shivers down their spines.

She struck again, instantly stopping the gushing blood from their severed arms. Had the bleeding continued unchecked, they would have bled to death within minutes.

Illycia, watching the scene unfold, felt a wave of nausea.

She had never witnessed such brutal bloodshed up close before. Fortunately, having lived two lifetimes, her tolerance for such sights was relatively high. After a moment to compose herself, she felt much better.

As Illycia lowered her head to recover, Aria’s hands settled on her shoulders from behind.

Illycia instinctively glanced back at Aria, meeting her concerned gaze. Understanding dawned in her eyes. She waved reassuringly at Aria, signaling she was fine, and turned her attention back to the two men writhing nearby.

After enduring Aria’s brutal interrogation, the two men finally lost their earlier arrogance toward Illycia.

“I’ll ask again: who sent you?” Illycia suppressed her inner discomfort and questioned the men before her.

But as soon as she asked, fear flashed across their faces, as if they dared not speak the truth.

“N-no… we… we can’t say…”

Illycia found it strange that even in their current state, they refused to reveal their mastermind.

“Then what was your objective?” she pressed, sensing something was amiss.

“We… we… we…” The smaller of the two men stammered, his eyes darting nervously to his teammate.