Time passed second by second.
After finishing her bath, Iana carefully gripped the bathroom doorframe with her small hands and poked her head out to observe the hotel room’s condition.
Inside, the lights were already off, and the room was plunged into darkness.
Lilian seemed to have fallen asleep.
Seeing this, Iana let out a slight breath of relief.
After all, if Lilian hadn’t been asleep yet, she didn’t know how she would face her.
She certainly didn’t want to be bothered by Lilian doing that tonight.
She tiptoed over to the bedside.
Although it was still pitch black, thanks to the Dragonkind’s powerful eyesight, Iana could clearly see that Lilian had already changed into her pajamas and was lying on the bed.
Her eyes were tightly shut, and she looked sound asleep.
Iana climbed onto the bed and lay down next to Lilian.
After everything she had experienced today, she was very tired, and in just a few minutes, she had fallen fast asleep.
But just as Iana drifted off, the originally closed eyes of Lilian suddenly opened.
Her gaze toward Iana shimmered like flowing spring water.
“You—you promised me you wouldn’t lay a hand on Iana,” Blonde-haired Lilian said in her mind.
‘Don’t panic. I’m just looking at her, that’s all.’
“Also, when will you return the body to me?”
‘Return the body to you? I’m worried that once I hand over control, you won’t be able to control yourself,’ Silver-haired Lilian raised an eyebrow.
“I—I can control myself, can’t I?”
‘Alright then, how about tomorrow?’ Silver-haired Lilian resigned herself.
After all, you can’t teach someone like a person; they need to learn from experience.
She didn’t want to waste any more breath on her.
Originally, she had planned to suppress that aura completely before returning control of the body to the original owner.
***
The next morning, thanks to a well-functioning biological clock, Iana woke up early.
She felt herself enveloped in something soft.
Turning around, she realized Lilian liked to wear very thin, sheer pajamas while hugging her, so the softness she felt was naturally Lilian’s body.
Iana carefully withdrew from Lilian’s embrace without waking her.
“I hope Ethelrina doesn’t find out about this,” Iana silently prayed.
After a simple wash-up, Iana looked back at Lilian and noticed that the silver hair had returned to its original blonde.
Could it be that Lilian herself had suppressed that aura and reverted back?
This was undoubtedly great news for Iana, considering how much she had been tormented by the silver-haired Lilian all day yesterday.
“Gurgle gurgle gurgle.”
Her stomach rumbled.
She patted her belly and found it had sunken in.
Makes sense—she hadn’t eaten all day.
Last night, Lilian’s teasing had completely dulled her hunger, and only now, seeing Lilian fully recovered, did she feel it again.
“Time to go downstairs and find something to eat.”
Iana glanced at Lilian, still deep in sleep, her lips curved in a sweet smile as if dreaming a pleasant dream.
Unwilling to disturb her, Iana quietly tiptoed to the door, opened it, and then carefully closed it again, afraid of making even the slightest sound.
Outside on the street, it was still early, so only a few shops were open, mostly breakfast places.
Iana picked up some bread and milk before heading back to the hotel.
Passing by a wooden bulletin board, she noticed a crowd gathered.
Curious, she squeezed into the group and looked at the board.
“Where did this kid come from? Don’t shove me.”
“Go away, kid. This isn’t something for kids to see.”
Iana’s pushing forward annoyed many people.
“Who’s the kid? You’re the kid. Your whole family is kids!” Iana snapped irritably, tired of being treated like a child.
After some effort, she reached the front and saw a concert promotional poster.
Printed on it was an elegant woman in a long black and brown dress.
Next to her name was boldly displayed: Aiweina.
‘Isn’t this the person the hotel clerk said was especially close to Saintess Elia last night?’
‘Thinking about the hotel front desk’s gossip of Elia’s flirtations everywhere, I wondered if Aiweina knew about it.’ A mischievous idea surfaced in Iana’s mind.
After all, when Iana was tangled up by Lilian and asked Elia for help, Elia just sat by and watched, indifferent to her plight.
Last night, Elia only paid for one hotel room, forcing Iana to share with Lilian.
If Lilian hadn’t fallen asleep first, Iana would have been in trouble.
“Well, maybe I should get a little revenge on Elia. Not that I hold grudges,” Iana said with a sly smile, clearly scheming something devious.
Returning to the hotel, Iana found it completely empty.
Lilian, who had been dreaming sweetly in bed, was nowhere to be found.
“Lilian? Are you here? I brought breakfast back.”
Iana shook the bread and milk bottles in the air and called into the room:
“If you don’t come out soon, I’ll eat it all by myself.”
No response.
“Looks like Lilian really isn’t home,” Iana said as she sat down to eat the bread and drink the milk, pondering where Lilian might have gone.
“Maybe she got hungry and went out looking for food,” she thought.
Without worrying further, after finishing, she went out as well.
After all, she was here to complete her Trial Mission.
Though she wasn’t exactly sure what it entailed, going out to accomplish it was more likely than staying cooped up in the hotel.
She wandered aimlessly through the streets, nibbling on half a piece of bread that had originally been Lilian’s.
She might have underestimated her own appetite; after finishing her portion, she eyed Lilian’s share.
Thinking Lilian probably went out to find food herself, Iana felt comfortable eating the bread meant for her.
As Iana walked down the street, her Dragonkind’s keen sense of smell detected many scents amid the crowd’s sobbing—the aroma of freshly baked bread, the fragrance of street flowers.
What struck Iana as most peculiar was a faint herbal scent, subtle but distinct.
The fragrance was special—breathing it in brought a refreshing feeling.