On a wasteland of ash-gray scorched earth, the blistering heat gradually bled away. As far as the eye could see, it was the aftermath of catastrophe—land split and charred, everything reduced to ruin.
Talulah stood at the center of it all. Even with her sword sheathed, the fury in her chest refused to settle.
"Arrogant…."
A wedding? "Sister"? That dangerous, inexplicable lunatic actually dared to set her sights on the blood kin she cherished most?
She had appeared out of nowhere, delivered a long string of ridiculous nonsense, ignored Talulah's will entirely, and behaved as though she'd come for no other purpose than to issue a notice—as if Talulah's opinion didn't even qualify as something worth hearing.
The memory of that beautiful face, wearing a frivolous smile—so confident, so dismissive—made Talulah's expression sink further as she clenched her fist.
That condescending attitude was revolting.
"Talulah! What happened?!"
FrostNova—who hadn't yet run far—spotted the disturbance immediately and sprinted back without hesitation.
"Was that an enemy? We just entered Victoria and we're already running into someone hostile to us?"
"…No." Talulah's voice was tight. "It's personal."
That woman hadn't come for Reunion—at least, not in any meaningful way. Or rather… she simply didn't care about this militant Infected organization at all.
Maybe at the start, the one called Eblana had held some thoughts about Talulah and Reunion. But the moment she heard Chen Mo's name, her focus snapped wholly and obsessively onto Talulah's younger brother.
Tch.
A stranger who hadn't even met him in person, already running her mouth about marrying him. Just thinking about it made Talulah sick.
FrostNova, however, stared at Talulah with frank confusion.
"Personal…?"
You'd been circling Ursus for ages—what "personal business" could possibly be waiting for you in Victoria?
The ice rabbit narrowed her eyes at Talulah's clearly foul mood, then—recalling past patterns—tested the waters with a doubtful remark.
"Someone tried to steal your brother again, didn't they?"
…Why did this rabbit assume every time Talulah got angry it had to do with her brother? Was she really that obvious?
Talulah's face stiffened. She didn't bother explaining. She brushed soot from her clothing, then strode toward the direction the main column had gone.
"My business is mine. Stop asking. The priority is catching up to Patriot and the others."
"Hah. Like I'd compete with anyone for Chen Mo." FrostNova walked alongside her, arms folded, snorting in irritation. "I don't know why you're so on guard with me."
"And if you keep acting like this—being a creepy, obsessive freak—then in the end you'll only get one privilege."
She glanced sideways, voice cool and merciless.
"At Chen Mo's wedding, you'll hold his hand and walk him down the aisle, in front of everyone, and hand him over to the woman who marries him."
"Then they'll have a whole litter of little red dragon brats. You'll stay home babysitting, and they'll go off and enjoy their couple's life."
"The more you obsess and panic now, the more you'll—"
Boom!
"Enough!"
Talulah's foot cratered the ground with a single stomp, leaving a deep, terrifying pit.
FrostNova didn't flinch. If anything, she laughed.
"Oh? Struck a nerve?"
She clicked her tongue.
"If you ask me, as his sister you should stop meddling in your brother's love life. That way, at least you might still have a chance to visit Chen Mo's home later."
"Because what woman would want her husband's sister hanging around with that kind of possessiveness over her own brother?"
If she can't accept it, she doesn't deserve to marry him.
Talulah wanted to shout it—wanted to spit it out with absolute certainty.
But the image of Eblana, vile and smug, flashed through her mind, and she swallowed the words back down.
Still, FrostNova's needling only sharpened Talulah's urgency.
She had to find Eblana and crush that delusion before it grew teeth.
With that thought, Talulah abruptly accelerated—so fast she vanished in a blink—leaving only dust and heat behind.
FrostNova watched her go, bored enough to pout.
"I've poked her that hard and she still won't just say it out loud."
But Talulah's refusal to speak was proof enough: that earthshaking battle truly had been personal business. If so, FrostNova couldn't be bothered to keep nagging.
Still… truth be told, she was curious.
Who in Victoria was so hungry for Talulah's little brother?
"Who could it be…?"
On a bright, emerald mountain peak somewhere far away—
Gazing at the distant Reunion column stretched like a long dragon across the land, Eblana's frivolous smile deepened.
"And yet," she murmured softly, "all of it becomes… heh… unbearably dull in the shadow of that indistinct male Draco."
"Resilient. Powerful. Brilliant." Her tone carried genuine relish. "How interesting—my future sister's 'mutual-aid society.'"
She turned her head slightly, as if speaking to the wind.
"What do you think, my dear little sister?"
Tap. Tap.
Crisp footsteps answered. Warm white hair lifted and flowed in the gentle breeze.
"Sister… is that male Draco truly so important?" the white Draco asked.
She looked at Eblana's back. Even without seeing her face, she could tell her sister was delighted.
And that was wrong—deeply wrong.
She had never seen Eblana so happy before, as if the crown above Victoria's throne were already within reach.
"You understand his importance, Lafshini—my sister."
Eblana kept her eyes on Talulah's now-tiny silhouette in the distance, then turned with a smile to face Lafshini.
"The continuation of a species—even the weakest, most ignorant beasts will follow instinct and expend everything to pass on their blood."
"Let alone us."
"And his value goes far beyond that."
Eblana rested a hand lightly on Lafshini's shoulder, feeling the younger Draco's body stiffen beneath her touch.
"The last pure-blood male Draco on this land… With him, Victoria can truly—and permanently—return to the Draco's embrace."
"He is my one and only. My hope. My partner. My beloved."
"And the most precious treasure the red dragons of every age have bestowed upon us."
"Nothing in this world surpasses the meaning of his existence, Lafshini."
She leaned closer, voice velvety and absolute.
"Carve that into your soul."
Lafshini pressed her lips together, then nodded faintly.
…This was the first time she had ever seen Eblana smile at her—truly, from the heart.
"I understand, Sister." Lafshini hesitated, then asked carefully, "Then what do we do now? Will you go and find that male Draco?"
"No, my dear sister."
Eblana's smile turned breathtaking. She lifted a hand and gently tidied Lafshini's slightly mussed hair, her manner almost tender.
"It's you who will bring my future partner back to my side."
"…Me?"
Lafshini's eyes widened. She repeated it in disbelief, voice cracking.
"B-But I'm not—right now I'm—"
"What did I just tell you, Lafshini?"
Eblana's tone sharpened—not loud, but final.
Lafshini swallowed hard, the words stuck like a splinter in her throat.
Nothing matters more than that male Draco.
She lowered her head in surrender.
"Yes, Sister."
A counterfeit shadow like her leaving this place truly wouldn't matter much.
Unlike Lafshini's tangled emotions, Eblana's delight only grew.
"I look forward to you bringing me the most precious treasure on this land, Lafshini."
"I trust you will accomplish it."
....
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