Are you starting to be gentle?

Letia began to calculate quietly in her mind.

A plan started to form, and she gave a faint, mocking smile, looking at Lily with open disdain.

“Lily, are you jealous?”

“Jealous? Why would I be jealous of you?”

“When I tried to hug Mira just now, you stopped me,” Letia said, tracing idle circles in the air. “You may deny it, but deep down, haven’t you already given in to me?”

“Stop talking nonsense!” Lily protested, flustered. “Jealous? As if! I was just worried you’d tease Mira too much — you’re always up to mischief!”

“Oh? Mischief, am I?”

“Of course! You’re always bullying people!”

“That’s revenge,” Letia said firmly. “You trampled the great pride of the dragons. I must repay that a thousandfold — you’ll understand what it means to face humiliation and shame before a dragon’s pride!”

“Pride, pride — you talk about it every day. How much is your pride even worth?”

“Hah? The pride of the dragon clan cannot be measured in gold!”

“So, basically worthless, then?”

“You—!”

Letia’s temper flared, her composure slipping.
Lily noticed and secretly felt triumphant — it seemed Letia had finally lost her patience.

Truthfully, Lily herself was close to breaking down, but as long as Letia lost control first, that was still a victory.

To her, this wasn’t surrender — it was strategy.
Letia was just a tool, a rival to overcome.

Lily stood tall, deliberately putting on a confident air.

Seeing this, Letia suddenly steadied herself again.

Stay calm, she told herself. If I lose control, she wins. I can’t let this get to me.

If she reacted without thinking, her position in their strange relationship might crumble entirely.

Lily’s challenge was obvious now — and Letia had to win this battle of willpower.

“Letia,” Lily said softly, “are you really not tempted?”

Lily’s playful tone nearly caught Letia off guard, but she forced herself to focus on something else — a mental trick.

She thought of her mother’s face.

That certainly ruined the mood, but it worked — her emotions cooled quickly.

“Heh, your tricks won’t work on me.”

“H-How could that be…”

“Do you really think the great dragon clan can be swayed by a human girl’s charms?” Letia said with open mockery. “Although… perhaps I’m wearing too much.”

“W-What are you planning? Don’t do anything strange!”

Ignoring her, Letia straightened her clothes slightly, the gesture more symbolic than real.
Lily turned red, unable to meet her gaze.

Letia leaned closer and lifted Lily’s chin.

“Look at me,” she said quietly. “You’ll learn what it means to yield to instinct.”

“Who acts like that? You’re so overdramatic!”

Letia blinked, briefly embarrassed, then cleared her throat.
“Enough talk. Admit it — you can’t win against me.”

“As if! Keep dreaming!”

Lily frowned, realizing she needed to hold her ground more firmly.
If Letia was showing confidence, she couldn’t appear weak.

So, Lily stood tall again, her cheeks burning but her eyes defiant.

The two locked eyes, both flushed, both refusing to admit defeat.

“Heh, embarrassed already?” Letia teased. “You said you wouldn’t be nervous, yet look at you — you’re blushing.”

“You’re no better! So much for your proud dragon dignity — you’re just as impulsive as anyone!”

“You— fine then! Let’s see whose will is stronger!”

“Go ahead. I won’t lose.”

What followed was an intense standoff — a battle not of strength, but of patience and pride.

After a long struggle, Lily collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
Letia was breathing heavily as well — being the one pressing forward took more effort than she had expected.

It might have looked romantic from the outside, but to them it was a tiring contest of egos.

Letia noticed Lily’s sideways glance and met it with a glare.

Lily just gave a small huff and looked away, still proud.

“Lily, I didn’t think you’d be so stubborn.”

“Looks like you’re the one out of energy. Should I make you some soup?”

Letia frowned, then slowly reached out her hand.
Lily shut her eyes tightly, expecting another challenge — but instead, Letia just patted her head gently.

“H-Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Trying to act nice now?”

“Nothing,” Letia said lightly. “I just wanted to see your embarrassed face again.”

“I’m not embarrassed! I can’t stand you!”

“Good. Stay that way. If you gave in too easily, my revenge wouldn’t be worth it. Your resistance makes this far more interesting.”

“You—! Fine then, let’s see what you can do!”

Lily turned away, pretending to ignore her.
Still, her thoughts were restless; sleep wouldn’t come easily.

Letia sat quietly, staring at her hand.

Without realizing it, she had reached out to comfort Lily.
Why did she do that?

This was supposed to be revenge, not affection.

Letia didn’t understand it, and she didn’t want to.
She closed her eyes, ready to sleep.

The bed shifted slightly beside her.

Lily moved restlessly, whispering something too soft to catch.

Letia smiled faintly.

“Guess my words had some effect after all.”

“Y-You’re still awake?”

“I could say the same to you. If you’re restless, at least make it look natural — pretend you’re getting some water or something.”

“Don’t say weird things!”

Flustered, Lily pulled the blanket up and forced herself to stay still.

The two lay back to back, neither speaking again, until they both drifted off into uneasy sleep.