Reincarnated as a Sickly Princess, She was Kidnapped by the Evil Dragon Lady - Chapter 36

“Ahem, well, listen carefully,” Illycia said, her cheeks flushing slightly as she thought of the poem she was about to recite. After clearing her throat twice, she pretended nothing had happened.

“My heart drifts with the wind to distant lands,

I delight in watching clouds dance in shimmering gowns.

Joy blossoms freely on my face,

You shine like a star, radiating light.”

As Illycia finished reciting the poem with heartfelt emotion, her eyes, brimming with anticipation, turned to Aria.

Aria listened intently to Illycia’s poem, her mind dissecting its meaning. She grasped the general sentiment—a longing for freedom—which resonated with Illycia’s situation, given her constant desire to explore the outside world.

However, the line “You shine like a star, radiating light” struck Aria as odd, as if it had been tacked on haphazardly, lacking coherence with the preceding verses.

Aria was already somewhat surprised that Illycia had managed to write this poem at all, given her knowledge of Illycia’s experiences over the past twenty years.

“Not bad, quite good,” Aria said, her words seven parts genuine and three parts feigned, which paradoxically made them sound more sincere. Illycia couldn’t help but feel pleased.

After all, Illycia knew her writing wasn’t great, so Aria’s praise was already a pleasant surprise.

Though Illycia was delighted by Aria’s words, a tiny sliver of resentment lingered in her heart. Aria hadn’t noticed the secret hidden within her poem.

But after a moment’s reflection, Illycia decided it didn’t matter. It was just a fleeting whim, after all.

Probably…

“Hehe, impressive, right?” Illycia brushed aside her lingering doubts, her tone unconsciously becoming a bit smug as she gazed at Aria.

“Mm, impressive.”

“Then let’s play Truth or Dare! Wanna play?”

Illycia, lost in thought, couldn’t help but recall the simple games from her past life. She decided to introduce them to Aria.

“What’s that?” Aria asked, just as Illycia pulled a silver coin from her pocket and placed it in her palm.

“I’ll flip the coin, and we’ll guess heads or tails. Whoever guesses wrong has to choose between truth or dare,” Illycia explained, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she looked at Aria.

Seeing Aria’s still confused expression, Illycia elaborated: “Truth means the winner asks the loser a question, and the loser must answer truthfully. Dare means the winner assigns the loser a task, which the loser must complete, as long as it’s not too dangerous.”

As Illycia explained, Aria’s eye twitched involuntarily. She couldn’t fathom where Illycia had come up with such a pointless game.

“I’m not playing this. It’s boring.”

Aria genuinely found the game pointless and a waste of time.

From the moment Illycia explained the rules, Aria knew it would be a bad deal for her. She was bound to lose.

If she won, it wouldn’t matter much. But if she lost, Illycia would learn too many things about her. Conversely, Illycia had nothing Aria was interested in, making the whole proposition utterly unfair.

“Ah? Fine…”

Illycia had initially thought the game would be fun, but Aria’s immediate rejection left her feeling disappointed.

“Alright, let’s get some sleep. It’s getting late,” Aria said, preparing to leave Illycia alone again.

This time, as Aria turned to leave, Illycia watched her retreating figure with a newfound resolve. She suddenly wrapped her arms around Aria’s waist.

Illycia couldn’t help but notice how slender and soft Aria’s waist felt, making it hard to believe this was the same person who transformed into a colossal dragon covered in hard scales.

However, Illycia hadn’t forgotten her purpose.

“Please, don’t go. Stay with me a little longer…”

Illycia clung to Aria’s waist from behind, her voice trembling slightly.

She couldn’t help it; she truly didn’t want to be alone here right now.

Aria felt the warmth of Illycia’s embrace and heard her words whispered in her ear, a headache brewing.

Despite this, Aria turned to look at Illycia, who was clinging to her, refusing to let go.

“Alright, I’ll stay…”

Aria once again experienced human greed. She had shown the human before her a little kindness, and now the other was taking advantage, even making moves that crossed the line.

Yet Aria couldn’t do anything about it. She still needed Illycia’s help, so she had no choice but to play along.

And so, with a sigh of resignation, Aria sat back down on the edge of Illycia’s bed.

“I’m right here, sitting by your bed. Go to sleep now,” Aria said, scooping Illycia up with one hand and tossing her back to the center of the large bed.

Illycia, in turn, found herself being lifted like a chick and tossed aside.

She hadn’t expected someone her size to be so easily lifted and thrown. The suddenness of it left her stunned for a moment, unable to process what had just happened.

Illycia wanted to say something, but remembering Aria’s earlier impatience at her attempts to keep her here, she obediently tucked herself under the covers, looking remarkably docile.

With only her head peeking out, Illycia gazed at Aria’s retreating figure as she sat by the bed, her back turned.

For some reason, Illycia felt more at ease with someone nearby. And since that someone was Aria, she even felt a sliver of security.

Just as Illycia was staring blankly at Aria’s back, Aria suddenly spoke.

“Actually… I’ve always had a question.”

In truth, Aria simply couldn’t understand.

As she spoke, Aria slowly turned her gaze toward Illycia, who lay on the bed. Her captivating yet somewhat cold eyes blinked, and her crimson lips parted slightly.

“You humans… why do you always want everything, and even after getting it, you still push for more?”

Aria’s words startled Illycia. The joy of Aria finally asking her a question vanished instantly.

Illycia wasn’t foolish. She recognized that Aria’s words were a veiled criticism directed at her.

However, after processing Aria’s words and calming her emotions, Illycia grew thoughtful.

She realized it was indeed a question worth pondering.

Illycia herself felt that humans, including herself, were inherently greedy. Despite having lived two lives already, she still yearned to pursue her own desires and fulfill the unfulfilled wishes of her previous life.

Many people never even manage to live a full life, while Illycia had already lived twice. Yet, even with her current status as a princess, she remained unsatisfied, still yearning to pursue other endeavors.

“Because…”

Illycia paused, considering her words before smiling at Aria, who looked at her with a hint of confusion.

“Because humans don’t live as long as you dragons do.”

As if having reached a realization, Illycia spoke, unconsciously glancing at Aria’s reaction.

True to Illycia’s expectations, Aria’s confusion deepened upon hearing her words.

“Because human lives are so short,” Illycia continued, “we want to do so many things in our limited time—to live, to play, to love, to connect with others, to sleep, to work…”

As she spoke, Illycia extended her fingers, counting off each item. Aria stared, momentarily stunned, before her expression gradually shifted. As if suddenly understanding Illycia’s reasoning, the confusion in her eyes transformed into an unreadable emotion—something complex and layered.

“In short, humans want to accomplish infinite things within their finite lifespans, which makes them seem greedy…”

After speaking, Illycia gazed directly at Aria with her clear, bright eyes. Her smile grew even more radiant, knowing she had finally grasped this truth after living two lifetimes.

“So, do you understand now, Miss Dragon with your long lifespan?”

Aria listened to Illycia’s explanation, then lowered her eyelids slightly and nodded.

“Mm, get some sleep. I’ll be right here.”

Aria turned her head again, leaving only her back to Illycia.

This time, Aria herself didn’t realize that a dragon who had lived for so long had her long-standing doubts cleared by a young girl who had been confined to her home for twenty years.

However, Aria didn’t feel ashamed for not having understood this sooner. She admitted to herself that she had indeed overlooked the significance of lifespan.

At that moment, Aria couldn’t help but wonder: if she only had less than a hundred years to live, what would she do?

As she spoke, Aria glanced at Illycia beside her, then at the radiant white moon hanging outside the window. The tranquility of the moment stirred something deep within her.

If I only had a century to live, Aria thought, then perhaps the greed of humans would make sense.

A hundred years was an impossably short span for a dragon—a mere blink in their timeless existence, like a fleeting snap of the fingers.

As a dragon with a near-infinite lifespan, Aria never had to worry about the future or dwell on past regrets. Time would eventually smooth over everything.

Though she had lived for millennia, only the last few centuries remained vivid in her memory. The earlier years were fading into a hazy blur.

Reflecting on this, Aria began to wonder how much of her past millennia was truly worth remembering.

After much contemplation, she realized that most of her days had been remarkably similar, offering little to distinguish them.

Memories are often cherished, but sometimes they bring pain. For Aria, recalling her millennia of solitude revealed a shared trait with Illycia: both were profoundly lonely.

Though Aria reigned as Dragon Queen, her subjects ultimately regarded her with awe rather than genuine companionship.

Illycia, despite being a princess of the Roland Empire surrounded by family, knew that family could never truly replace friends.

Yet, a sudden thought struck Aria: was loneliness perhaps the natural state for most people?

This conclusion unsettled her, so she decided to dismiss it. She closed her eyes, assumed a meditative posture, and began to clear her mind.

But no matter how hard she tried, Aria couldn’t quiet her thoughts. Illycia’s earlier words lingered in her mind, refusing to fade.

Defeated, Aria reluctantly opened her eyes again.

This time, she found herself in pitch darkness. After a moment, she realized she was still in Illycia’s room, but a considerable amount of time seemed to have passed.

Aria turned to check if Illycia was asleep.

But as soon as she turned, she noticed Illycia had already leaned against her, clutching the corner of her robe in her hand, sound asleep.

Aria instinctively shifted, but Illycia’s grip was too tight to shake off.

After a moment’s hesitation, Aria decided to simply let Illycia hold on. After all, she didn’t exactly dislike it.

As Aria gazed at Illycia, recalling her earlier words, her thoughts began to race. Various ideas swirled through her mind, and finally, she made a new decision.

Though the decision seemed absurd even to Aria herself, she rationalized it as compensation for the lesson Illycia had taught her.

With these complex emotions swirling within her, the night passed.

*****

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight fell upon Illycia’s cheek and then her eyes, the stimulation caused her long eyelashes to flutter slightly, as if she were about to open her eyes.

Then Illycia turned over and went back to sleep…

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