With Irina’s figure vanishing into the night, only those in the know remained at the scene.
Magical power flowed through Ye Xu’s fingertips as an invisible barrier quietly unfolded.
[Third-Circle Domain Creation Spell: Sound Isolation Barrier]
“Little… No, Princess Isxila.”
Ye Xu chose his words carefully before speaking. “May I ask why you…”
“You can.”
His question was gently interrupted before he could finish.
Ye Xu looked into Isxila’s eyes in confusion, just in time to meet her gaze — those blue eyes brimming with moisture, emotions surging within them like ripples on a moonlit lake.
“I said you can use that name,” Isxila’s voice was as soft as a night breeze brushing flower petals. “If it’s you, Ye Xu, you can even call me little golden retriever.”
Memories flooded back like a tide.
She still vividly remembered the grievance and anger she felt years ago when she overheard Ye Xu and Navila privately calling her by that nickname.
But as time passed, and she truly realized how childish and willful she had been, only relief and nostalgia remained.
If it was from the person who had helped her grow — the one she had dreamed of all these years — she was willing to keep that nickname tied to those youthful memories.
“…” Ye Xu fell silent for a moment before gently shaking his head. “No, let’s not.”
“Princess Isxila, I want to know the true reason you’re attending this academy.”
That nickname was ultimately too intimate. Ye Xu was never someone who disregarded boundaries — he couldn’t possibly address someone in public with a teasing moniker like that.
More importantly, they would be classmates for the next four years. Without understanding the princess’s intentions, he could hardly feel at ease.
Though border nations often required noble offspring to study at the Magic Academy, royalty was always the exception.
Those at the pinnacle of power — the royal family — stood above most conventional rules and order.
With royal resources, sending heirs to the academy for education was more of a waste than anything.
Ye Xu was at least seventy percent certain that Isxila had come for him.
“…”
The moment Ye Xu asked the question, he didn’t notice the fleeting dimness in Isxila’s eyes.
But it did nothing to shake her resolve.
She knew full well how terrible the impression she had left back then was.
If she lacked even the courage to pursue him now, all her efforts over the years would truly have been in vain.
“Sir Nat.”
Isxila turned to Lol beside her.
The blue-haired, blue-eyed noble youth immediately understood and bowed respectfully. “Your Highness, I shall take my leave first.”
A deep-blue Magitech Knight activated beside the auditorium and approached them.
Lol then leaped lightly into the cockpit and vanished into the night sky amid the hum of the flight module.
Once only the two of them remained, Isxila stepped gracefully before Ye Xu and performed a flawless lady’s curtsy.
“Then, esteemed leader of the Eternal Night Rebel Army, Grand Young Master Ye Xu — may the Imperial Daughter of the Radiant Sun Empire, Ye Lalar, grant me the honor of a visit to my humble abode?”
At 9:50 p.m., the magitech door slid open softly. Two cat-eared maids bowed respectfully, welcoming the pair into the dormitory.
After the maids helped them remove their outer garments and change into slippers, Isxila dismissed the two women back to the attendant room.
She then invited Ye Xu to sit on the sofa. Relaxing her posture, she turned to him with a smile.
“As a partner, may I have the honor of seeing the Imperial Daughter’s true appearance?”
To this, Ye Xu merely looked at Isxila and asked calmly, “Simar told you everything?”
“The count is a man who keeps secrets very well.” Isxila shook her head lightly. “He only admitted to assisting you and told me that you’re doing well lately.”
“I guessed it myself.” She gazed into Ye Xu’s eyes. “After all, the empire would never truly ennoble a man as Imperial Daughter.”
Ye Xu pressed his lips together, let out a soft sigh, and slipped his feet out of the slippers, placing them on the floor.
The next moment, as he cut off the magical supply sustaining the disguise spell, the Radiant Sun royal bloodline — refined to its limit within him — began to awaken.
It transformed him back into her.
When the crown and cloak flew out from the storage gem and settled upon Ye Xu, “Ye Lalar · Tianluo” finally reappeared in the world.
Isxila’s breath caught in her throat.
Even in his male form, Ye Xu’s appearance had been refined enough to make girls envious. Now, with subtle changes in every detail, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Long hair — black with hints of purple — cascaded like a waterfall. Those purple crystal eyes, always carrying a faint trace of sorrow, made one want to drown in their tranquil night.
“This isn’t what the empire claims — you’ve been the Imperial Daughter from the very beginning, haven’t you?” Isxila asked softly. “Can you tell me what you’ve gone through these years we’ve been apart?”
Though she had kept tabs on Ye Xu and the rebel army through various channels, as a citizen of another nation, the information she received was not only delayed but often difficult to verify.
She longed to hear it from the person herself — especially since that person was the one she had never forgotten.
“Mm.” Ye Lalar nodded slightly.
Since things had already reached this point of honesty, there was no use hiding anymore.
Back when they parted, she and Navila had judged that while this little golden retriever was willful, her nature wasn’t bad.
Ye Lalar leaned elegantly against the sofa armrest in a somewhat languid pose.
She began recounting everything from these years — everything except the great royal bloodline magic and the imperial seal on her forehead, things she could never reveal to anyone.
“So… you’re running away now?”
Isxila’s eyes filled with heartache. She fought the urge to pull the person before her into an embrace, constantly reminding herself that her beloved hated people who lacked boundaries and needed no pointless pity.
“Running away?” Ye Lalar let out a self-mocking laugh. “I suppose so…”
She was too proud — unable to let go of past glory or face failure head-on. If one had to put it that way, yes, she was running away.
But at least she had succeeded in escaping, hadn’t she? Though it meant falling from the rebel army’s revered leader — adored by thousands as a divine incarnation — to this pitiful state of depending on others.
“Look at me now — this is how I am.”
“And you… you’ve always been the beloved princess…”
Ye Lalar propped herself on the sofa with one hand while staring at the other.
—Even after two years, these hands remained so fair and slender that they felt foreign to her.
She let out a wry sigh and continued.
“Since I’ve benefited from your kindness, it’s only right that I repay you.”
Her tone carried a hint of self-abandon, as if speaking of something unrelated to herself.
“Royalty and nobility never act without profit — I know you must want something.”
“My knowledge, my wealth, my abilities…”
“Heh, of course, none of that belongs to me anymore.”
“Now, whatever you ask for…”
“I’m not that kind of person!!!”
Before she could finish, Isxila interrupted with an indignant, resentful cry.
The next second, the princess — who had been sitting obediently beside her — suddenly pounced, pinning Ye Lalar against the sofa cushions.
“I’m not like them! Those filthy, ugly nobles — or the royals from other countries!!!”
Isxila’s heart ached so much she could barely breathe.
She couldn’t imagine how the once-confident, radiant person — who seemed to hold all the world’s favor — had ended up like this.
In that moment, her hatred for the imperial family reached its peak.
She had no idea what those people had done to her beloved in places she couldn’t see.
“They only value your worth, your talent. But me — I’m not like that…”
Isxila would never forget that night — moonlight like water, as the youth stepped slowly from the cockpit, bathed in its gentle glow.
That was her savior, her guiding faith, the light she was willing to chase for a lifetime.
“I… What I’ve always wanted… is just you, you idiot!!!”
In that moment, she seemed to revert to the willful, adorable little golden retriever of old.
Because her heart overflowed with emotion, unwilling to be met with indifference — clumsily wanting to monopolize her beloved’s attention.
“…”
The room fell silent, filled only with the princess’s stifled sobs.
Pinned beneath her on the sofa, Ye Lalar remained quiet for a long while before finally looking up at Isxila — head bowed, tears streaming as she cried.
“The one I liked… wasn’t the you of now.”
Isxila choked out through sobs. “Change back, okay, idiot? If you stay… like this forever… then what have all my efforts these years been for?”
Such direct, overwhelming emotion — if Ye Lalar still hadn’t realized something, it wouldn’t just be clumsiness anymore.
—So all those years, Isxila’s willful behavior had stemmed from liking her?
This princess certainly had a unique way of expressing love.
Because she liked her, she domineered and demanded the other act according to her wishes.
Because she liked her, she wanted to make the other hers alone — demanding they become her attendant.
Once separated, she immediately woke up and worked silently in the background for years, just to show it to that person.
Those actions that once annoyed her… now seemed rather endearing.
“…”
“Heh.”
Ye Lalar let out a soft sigh, melodic as a nightingale’s song.
“You can.”
Isxila, still sobbing, froze.
Then, she snapped her teary eyes wide open, staring in disbelief at the person beneath her.
The enchanting Imperial Daughter like the night itself turned her head, meeting her gaze directly, lips curving into a gentle smile.
“I said you can — if the little golden retriever wants to pursue me~”
Shock, confusion, then irrepressible ecstasy.
Just as Isxila was about to lose control and hug her tightly, Ye Lalar extended a slender forefinger and gently pressed it against her forehead.
“But~” Ye Lalar drew out the word teasingly, watching Isxila’s instantly tense expression before letting out a bell-like laugh. “I’ve only given Her Highness permission to pursue me — I haven’t accepted yet~”
She paused briefly, channeling a thread of magic to her forehead.
The emblem known as the “Radiant Sun Imperial Seal” emerged, radiating the night-purple magical glow unique to Ye Lalar.
“For certain reasons, I cannot do anything that harms the empire. For example, as Imperial Daughter, even my freedom to choose a partner is severely limited.”
Ye Lalar lightly touched the mark on her forehead. “If Student Isxila can’t prove her worth, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t accept your pursuit~”
“Of course, if you just want to be a little golden retriever — something like a pet — I wouldn’t mind that~” she added playfully.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Ye Lalar spoke again. “By the way, Sister Navila is a rival too.”
“And here’s a little secret — we’re only one step away from the final one~ She’s even gained the imperial seal’s approval. She can attend imperial royal banquets with me and be intimate with me there~”
“My escape this time was largely thanks to her help — the one acknowledged by the seal as qualified to be my partner, the Imperial Daughter’s consort.”
The successive blows caught Isxila off guard. She had never imagined so many obstacles in her path.
Lips pressed tightly, recalling the early years when she had idolized Navila and imitated her constantly, Isxila realized — from now on, they would be true rivals.
And for the current her, Navila was an almost unbeatable opponent.
But…
She would never give up!
After striving for so many years, fighting for so long — how could she back down now?
“Hehe~” Watching Isxila clench her fists to cheer herself on, Ye Lalar couldn’t help but smile.
But… she had more important matters now.
“Such spirit — I won’t discourage our little golden retriever.” Stroking Isxila’s cheek, Ye Lalar said softly, “Still, as thanks for your encouragement earlier, here’s a little reward~”
The next moment, under Isxila’s surprised gaze, Ye Lalar suddenly leaned in, pulling her into a tight embrace as they both fell onto the soft sofa.
“W-Wah!!!”
Isxila’s face turned bright red instantly. She instinctively struggled, only to hear a weary whisper carrying the scent of night-blooming cereus:
“Don’t move… Let me sleep a while…”
As soon as the words left her lips, steady breathing reached Isxila’s ears.
Isxila looked up in disbelief and found Ye Lalar already deep in sleep.
Long lashes trembled lightly against the natural night-purple eyeshadow formed by her immense magical power — like butterflies fluttering in the dark.
—She was exhausted.
For two years, she had lived in self-blame — unwilling to face the past, her comrades, or even her true self.
Perhaps not even she had expected to find solace in the arms of this once-unremarkable little golden retriever.
“Ye…” Isxila started to call her name, intending to wake her for washing up before sleeping together, but the rich night-blooming cereus scent in her breath stopped her.
Realizing that waking her might mean never having this chance again, Isxila decided to ignore the minor discomfort of skipping a wash.
“Mm~” Blushing deeply, she buried her head further into Ye Lalar’s perfectly sized chest, intoxicated by that unique scent — night-blooming cereus mixed with a faint milky fragrance. Her eyes brimmed with happiness and contentment.
S-She wasn’t taking advantage! She definitely wasn’t copping a feel — this was allowed!
Yes, exactly!
Having convinced herself, Isxila reached out to wrap her arms around Ye Lalar’s slender, soft waist, adjusted to a more comfortable position, and closed her eyes in utter satisfaction.