Letitia is so nice to me!

Lily had been in Grintei for several days.

Aside from Mira’s chaotic visit a few days ago, life between her and Letia had been peaceful.

No imperial pursuers had appeared, and none of Letia’s dragon relatives had shown up either.

Letia was still mischievous and teasing as always.

She often poked fun at Lily or got a little too close, but she never crossed the line.

Letia wanted to make Lily yield first, but Lily held her ground.

Then Lily tried to turn the tables, testing Letia’s patience instead—and Letia managed to endure as well.

The two of them kept testing each other, pretending to be annoyed, yet whenever their daughter was around, they smiled and acted like the perfect couple.

Amy was growing fast.

Now she looked about three years old in human terms.

Her learning ability was incredible—she remembered every word from the picture books Lily read to her.

Before long, she didn’t even need Lily to read anymore.

Amy would pull simple books from the shelf and read them on her own, asking questions only when she didn’t understand a word.

Her mind was maturing too.

She could faintly sense that her two mothers didn’t always get along.

Amy decided she needed to help them get closer—but she had no idea how.

Maybe… if they kissed like Aunt Mira said, would that make them love each other more?

Would a kiss really make things better?

Amy pressed her little cheeks in frustration.

She didn’t understand what kissing was supposed to do at all.

That morning, Lily sat on the carpet in the bedroom, playing with Amy and a rattle drum.

Mother and daughter sat facing each other.

Amy’s bright eyes followed the toy in Lily’s hand as Lily shook it playfully, the clear rhythm echoing in the room.

“Is it fun, Amy?” Lily asked.

“It’s fun! I want to try too!”

Lily handed the drum to Amy, who imitated her mother and made it spin and jingle.

Watching her daughter’s happy smile, Lily felt her heart melt.

“It’s so peaceful…” she murmured.

Her gaze drifted to the blue sky outside the window.

The sunlight was warm, the air calm. A few birds flew past hurriedly, as if escaping some unseen predator.

“Mommy Lily! The rattle’s glowing!” Amy suddenly cried.

“What? Glowing?”

Lily looked down—and sure enough, the drum was glowing with a strange purple light, faint symbols swirling at its center.

Her face went pale.

She thought it was some cursed artifact!

Panicking, Lily tossed the drum aside and shielded Amy with her body.

If it exploded, at least her daughter would be safe!

“What’s going on?”

Letia rushed in and immediately noticed the glowing toy on the floor.

“Letia! Take that cursed thing away!” Lily shouted.

“That’s no curse,” Letia said grimly. “It’s a tracking spell… most likely cast by my mother. Oh no—Lily, we have to run!”

“Ding-dong!”

The sound of the doorbell froze Letia in place.

Her scales practically stood on end.

That aura outside—it could only be her mother, furious and ready to strike.

Letia’s mind raced. Her mother had said there would be a grand wedding in twenty days.

Not only had Letia refused to cooperate—she’d even run away with her bride-to-be!

Of course her mother would be livid. Invitations had already gone out across the dragon clans. How humiliating must that be for her?

“Ding-dong! Ding-dong!”

The repeated chime sounded like a death knell.

Letia held her head in despair.

“She’s here! My mother’s come to kill me! Lily, quick—out the window!”

“Bang!”

The door burst open.

Standing in the doorway was Karina, her presence fierce and commanding.

She wore an elegant black robe that radiated nobility and power.

But her face was dark with fury.

As she stepped closer, Letia retreated until her back hit the wall.

Karina’s lips curved into a cold smile—but her eyes held no warmth.

“I’m sorry, Mother!” Letia blurted out before the storm could hit.

“The cave was too damp and cold, so I thought I’d bring Lily and Amy to the city for a bit! I meant no disrespect—I just forgot to tell you!”

“Oh? You’ve gotten quite good at making excuses,” Karina said flatly.

“It’s the truth! I swear it!”

Just then, clouds drifted across the sun, dimming the light in the room.

Letia felt a bead of cold sweat roll down her neck.

“Even the heavens can’t watch this nonsense,” Karina muttered.

“It’s just a coincidence! A natural phenomenon!”

“Letia, have you forgotten your dragon pride? Right is right, wrong is wrong. Stop hiding behind weak excuses. Do you think I can’t see through you?”

Letia fell silent, then lowered her head.

“…I just didn’t want to attend the wedding,” she admitted softly.

Karina raised her hand sharply.

Letia flinched, expecting a strike—but instead, her mother simply patted her head.

Letia opened her eyes, blushing.

“Mother, I’m not a child anymore…”

“You’ll always be my daughter,” Karina said gently. “I know you dislike attention, but I only want to give your partner the honor she deserves.”

In truth, Karina just wanted to see her daughter happy—but she couldn’t say it outright.

Letia understood that much and quietly bowed her head.

“Grandma Karina!”

“My sweet granddaughter!”

Karina lifted Amy into her arms and spun her in the air.

Amy laughed brightly, her little voice echoing through the house.

“Did you miss Grandma?”

“I did! Higher, Grandma, higher!”

“Haha, higher it is!”

They played together until Karina finally caught her breath.

Then she handed Amy back to Letia and turned toward Lily, taking her hand kindly.

“Lily, you’ve lost weight since I last saw you.”

“Eh? I… have?” Lily blinked in confusion.

“Don’t tell me Letia’s been mistreating you.”

“N-no! Letia’s been very kind to me!”

Lily couldn’t possibly tell Karina the truth—not if she wanted her family to stay intact.

Besides, how could she explain that Letia’s idea of affection was constant teasing and flustering her with overwhelming energy?

From an outsider’s view, it might even look like they were just… being romantic.

Like when Mira barged in before—Lily had been on the verge of tears, but Mira had just called it “a lover’s quarrel.”

It was so embarrassing.

Still, Lily decided to play along, smiling sweetly in front of Karina.

She and Letia would have to face each other fairly—without relying on Karina’s authority.

Otherwise, Letia would never let her live it down.

She could already imagine the smug tone: “If not for my mother’s protection, you’d have surrendered long ago.”

No—this time, Lily resolved to stand her ground.

She would win over Letia with her own strength—and her own charm.