Early the next morning.
There was already a carriage waiting outside the residence.
After Li Ang quickly finished the breakfast that Lias had prepared, he got ready to set out.
The work of compiling the teaching materials was extremely important. Most of the editors would have to live in the place arranged by the Empire from now on, striving to finish the editing as quickly as possible.
Li Ang naturally didn’t have to follow this rule, but as the main force behind the project, it wouldn’t look good if he disappeared. He planned to take time out twice a week to come back and check on Lias.
As for this, His Majesty was quite lenient, allowing him this indulgence.
“All right, I’ll come back every few days. Don’t worry.”
Li Ang reached out to gently pat Lias’s head, feeling a bit sentimental for a moment.
In the past, he only had to reach out to touch her, but now, Lias had grown a lot taller.
“Mm. When you get there, remember to eat on time. Don’t stay up late all the time—it’s bad for your health.”
“I know.”
“The weather is cold outside. Do you want to bring some more clothes?”
“They have stoves there.”
“I still have some preserved fruit here. Take it with you. If the food there isn’t tasty, you can have a bit of this to satisfy your craving.”
“All right.”
“I’m a bit clumsy, and haven’t finished sewing your clothes yet.”
“It’s fine, I can wait.”
“And… you’re not allowed to talk to other women.”
“I won’t. I’m not interested in any other women.”
“And…”
Li Ang gazed softly at the girl in front of him, who was ticking things off on her fingers, reminding him of one thing after another.
Lias clung to Li Ang’s sleeve, wanting to talk with him a bit more. But after going over the same old topics again and again, she was afraid Li Ang would find her annoying if she said too much. In the end, she could only reach out and straighten the collar of the man she loved, saying softly,
“Remember to come back soon… I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Okay.”
When she heard Li Ang’s answer, a smile appeared on Lias’s face.
She trusted Li Ang, and Li Ang had never lied to her.
“I’m off, then.”
Li Ang gently hugged the girl before him, then turned and left the residence.
Lias followed closely behind, stopping at the doorway, watching as Li Ang climbed into the carriage.
Soon, the carriage started to move, rolling down the street into the distance.
Li Ang lifted the curtain, poking his head out to look back at the receding street view and the girl standing at the door.
As the carriage turned a corner, that slender figure disappeared from his sight.
Lias watched as the carriage vanished around the bend, pressed her empty-feeling chest, and turned back inside the house.
She muttered to herself as she tidied up the residence.
“It’s all right, Li Ang will be back soon. Just like before, it’s only a temporary separation.”
The girl’s clear voice drifted through the empty house, sounding especially lonely.
She began cleaning the rooms as usual, preparing lunch. As if by keeping herself busy, she could somehow lessen her longing.
Noon.
Lias stared blankly at the two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, along with the plentiful dishes.
“I prepared an extra serving…”
Li Ang had only just left, and already she had forgotten about it.
Realizing that no one would eat the other portion, Lias silently put it away.
That extra meal, she would leave it at the door later. Li Ang had said, even in the capital there were plenty of poor people who couldn’t get enough to eat.
Lias had been through those days of hunger together with Li Ang, so she could easily empathize with others in the same situation.
After a simple meal, Lias tidied up the dishes in the kitchen.
But suddenly, her expression froze, and she lost her grip on the dishes, which clattered to the ground.
Lias snapped back to herself at once, looking down at the broken dishes in frustration.
She went to the sink, picked up a knife, and deftly drew a cut across her palm. Magic power began to flow from the wound along with her blood.
The wound healed quickly, but she cut herself again, repeating until the previous sluggish feeling disappeared.
Lias let out a long breath and cleaned the kitchen all over again, sweeping up the shattered pieces.
Afterward, she went about cleaning the house as if nothing had happened.
But as evening drew near, she unconsciously glanced toward the door, though she didn’t know whom she was waiting for.
With no reason to keep busy anymore, loneliness rushed at her like a tide.
For dinner, she again prepared two servings, placing the extra one next to the trash bin by the road.
Lias tried to find things to do. She attempted to read, just like Li Ang, but soon realized she couldn’t bring herself to focus on the contents of the book.
What she’d always cared about wasn’t the book—it was that person.
As she watched the sun sink slowly below the horizon, the sky gradually darkening, the doorway never revealed the familiar figure as it had in the past.
Only then did Lias return to her room, hugging her pillow as she pushed open the door to Li Ang’s room, curling up on his bed.
But for some reason, Lias just couldn’t fall asleep that night.
Clearly she was lying on Li Ang’s bed, just like always.
Lias poked her head out, looking at the empty space beside her, and suddenly felt a little cold.
She looked at the moon rising in the sky outside the window, her thoughts a tangled mess.
Li Ang… how is he now?
Is he eating properly?
Is he cold?
Does he… miss me?
Unknowingly, as she thought and thought, Lias felt sleepiness slowly creep over her, and her eyes gradually closed.
Over the next few days, Lias went about her repetitive tasks as usual.
The only troublesome thing was that sluggish feeling was coming more and more frequently, so she had to cut herself to let blood even more often.
Lias knew perfectly well that as her bloodline advanced, her absorption of magic was becoming faster and faster. If she relaxed even a little, the magic would surge into her body.
She was just a step away from another bloodline breakthrough, but she didn’t want to take that step yet.
That’s why she forced herself to keep busy. She didn’t want to fall into slumber just yet. After all, she couldn’t rest easy leaving Li Ang to live by himself.
Thinking of this, Lias rested her chin on her hand and looked worriedly toward the door, muttering to herself.
“Li Ang… when will you come back to see me…”
Though only a few days had passed, Lias felt as if a very, very long time had gone by.
Just as she was lost in thought, a figure suddenly appeared in the courtyard.
“Huh?”
Lias’s spirits lifted instantly, her eyes fixed on the pale blue figure in the yard.
Blue hair, blue eyes… horns on her head, faint dragon scales at the corners of her eyes, and a tail behind her.
Lias instantly remembered the dragon girl she and Li Ang had met days ago—she matched the description exactly.
This dragon girl seemed to know Li Ang. Was she here to see him?
Or…
She tensed up at once. Did something happen to Li Ang?
Thinking of this, she hurried out to the courtyard.
But before she could say anything, the girl before her said coldly:
“Do you have a death wish?”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.