“HualÃ~ It seems the Queen came looking for you last night, but you weren’t here.”
“Oh, I went out with Jeilinfa last night~”
The warm morning sunlight spilled down.
Hualà slowly woke up on her bed in the maid’s dormitory, still groggy from sleep.
She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and climbed down.
Her loose-fitting nightdress slipped off one shoulder as she raised her arm, revealing her smooth, pink-white skin as soft as lamb fat jade.
The skirt was too long and dragged down, completely covering her bare feet as they touched the floor.
Only when she walked did the hem sway slightly, revealing her healthy pink toes peeking out.
Hualà didn’t even need to open her eyes.
She walked toward the bathroom by muscle memory alone, completing the daily wash-up routine etched into her bones.
But Hualà kept feeling like something was wrong, as if she’d forgotten something important.
Her eyes remained tightly closed, and her cute brows scrunched together.
The memories of yesterday rewound in her mind like a fast-forwarded movie, each scene flickering by as she searched for the source of that uneasy feeling.
She remembered that after retrieving the Saint Sword last night and thrashing those Demon Race grunts, she lost control for a moment and accidentally alerted the Guard Battalion inside the Royal City—even Lilith showed up.
Although, thinking about it, it really was just her beating up a bunch of people by herself…
But Lilith still played favorites and threw the whole group, including the tailcoat Incubus and Demon Leader, into the Demon King Castle Aisaridu prison, using the charge of ‘deliberate harm against a Demon Race official’ as the reason.
Hmph, even if she was a servant maid, she was a maid to the Blood Queen!
Hualà still had her credentials, okay!
Tailcoat Incubus captain, Demon Leader?
Two outsourcing guys causing a mess.
And they wanted to challenge your Sister HualÃ?
What would they even use—don’t make Sister Hualà laugh.
Do you even know what ‘stumbling into heaven’ means~?
“No, no! That’s not what I forgot!”
Hualà shook her little head forcefully.
But even after she finished washing up and changed into a new maid uniform, she still couldn’t remember what important thing she had forgotten.
It wasn’t until she returned to the room and noticed the letter lying quietly on the desk that her mind exploded and her eyes widened.
“Ah! Crap! Wasn’t I supposed to have already escaped the Demon King Castle? Why am I still in the dormitory?!”
Hualà stomped her foot in panic.
Last night had been such a good opportunity.
She could have escaped with Ailia—how did she forget something so important after just seven chapters?!
“What do I do! What do I do!”
Maybe it’s true that heaven never blocks the road for the foolish, or perhaps God couldn’t stand seeing Hualà so lost that he forcibly opened a whole wall for her?
As Hualà panicked like an ant on a hot pan, someone knocked on the door from outside.
A voice she didn’t expect came from beyond.
“HualÃ, are you inside?”
It was Lilith, coming to inform Hualà about the fate of the Demon Race grunts and also to say goodbye before leaving.
“Lilith! Why are you here?!”
Hualà cried out in surprise when she saw Lilith at the door.
Today, Lilith was clad once more in fiery red armor, her sword at her waist polished to a shine.
She looked every bit the part of someone ready to set off.
She got straight to the point.
The incident began with the emptying of the national treasury after the Demon King Castle was rebuilt.
To ease the financial strain and fill the Royal Treasury, the Blood Queen Sidella Eve Cecilia enacted a series of measures at court.
Among them was strengthening Official Trade with the Human side.
The task of transporting important supplies to the Human Royal Family’s capital naturally fell onto the shoulders of the Dragon Princess Lilith.
Therefore, she had come this morning to bid Hualà farewell, and to ask if Hualà needed her to bring back anything.
Hualà blinked, unable to think of anything she needed, so she asked tentatively:
“Like what?”
“For example, there’s a new flavored drink developed from plant-based white powder in the Human market. It’s said to make you feel like you’re floating on air. It’s already replaced premium red wine as a must-have for Noble hospitality.”
Lilith recalled the information she’d heard.
“It’s been driven up to sky-high prices. I don’t even know what it tastes like.”
Hual۪̉s mouth twitched.
Indeed, that was so Human.
“Let’s skip that. It doesn’t sound like something good. It might even be addictive.”
Hualà refused without hesitation.
“Eh, really?”
Lilith nodded as if she half-understood, thinking Hualà must have already encountered it while among the Humans, and so seemed so knowledgeable.
She also dropped the idea of trying it, thinking she might have found a replacement for Spring Wine.
“As for when I’ll return to the Demon King Castle, at most a week round-trip.”
“A week? That fast?!”
Hualà was surprised, even thinking Lilith was bluffing.
After all, the distance from the Demon King Castle to the Human Royal Family’s capital was no short journey.
Even at the fastest Merchant Convoy pace with Mixed-Blood Horned Horses, the trip would take at least over a month without rest.
Round-trip, it’d be nearly three months—how could it be done in a week?
“Because we’re using a Dragon Carriage for this transport~”
“What Dragon Carriage—don’t tell me BMW or Audi…wait!”
Hualà suddenly realized, “Did you say Windborne Dragon Carriage?”
“Mm-hmm~ We depart this afternoon, so have you decided what to bring?”
“Yes!”
Hualà nodded seriously, her face solemn.
“I’ve decided. Lilith, take me with you—before Sidella finds out!”
“You want to elope with me?”
***
The so-called Windborne Dragon Carriage refers to the fastest mode of cargo transport, pulled through the sky by a group of Flying Dragons.
Simply put: air freight.
Though the ‘Flying Dragons’ used for pulling cargo are nothing like true dragons—instead, they look more like giant lizards with wings—this doesn’t lessen their status in the business world.
It’s the transport every merchant dreams of owning.
Not only does it avoid treacherous and winding trade routes, eliminating half the meaningless detours, it also removes the greatest hazard of overland Merchant Convoy travel: monster rampages.
The speed of cargo delivery speaks for itself!
If Hualà could hitch a ride on this cargo Dragon Carriage, she really could reach the Human Royal Family’s capital within four days!
But to ride the Dragon Carriage, Hualà first needed to get a Leave Note from Sidella!
“Here, the Leave Note is already written for you. Whether you can get Her Majesty’s signature is up to you, HualÃ.”
Jeilinfa handed the white-paper Leave Note to HualÃ.
“Thank you, Jeilinfa. I’ll do my best!”
Clutching the Leave Note, Hualà immediately rushed toward Sidella’s bedchamber.
Though time was tight, with a whole afternoon ahead, if she persisted, she could definitely wear Sidella down and get her to sign it!