Evil Dragon, Without a Princess, I Had to Transform Myself!-Chapter 30 : Your Hands Are So Soft

Several days later, at the Pascal mansion.
Reception hall.
"Although I don't know how many times I've said this already, I still thank you for saving my daughter,"
The Duchess Pascal stood up, stepped forward and gripped Loranhir's hand, the thick, firm pressure almost making Loranhir cry out.
It really was quite painful.
"...I only did some minor work," Loranhir struggled to keep her expression neutral, trying not to show her pain. "The Duchess should thank the princess instead."
"I will certainly thank the princess. But without the great Hero's help, I fear I would have only been able to watch helplessly as my daughter was killed by the holy knights hired by the church," Duchess Pascal said solemnly. "I've heard about it—facing the crusade team alone, almost offending the Chief Adjudicator's son."
"...?" Loranhir was taken aback, her voice hesitant. "Ad-Adjudicator?"
"This I only just learned, the holy knight named Allen Wahl is the son of the Layang Empire's Chief Adjudicator. He just graduated from the monastery and is out gaining experience, also one of the empire's most promising holy knights."
The Duchess said.
"However, although the holy knights of the Layang Empire are all headstrong, when facing the righteous and glorious great Hero, they certainly wouldn't quibble over such matters..."
Loranhir was no longer listening. She remembered the holy knight's parting words.
—"The next time we meet, I will completely purify your soul with holy light!"
Loranhir's lips twitched.
The Adjudicator's son?! So that holy knight was even a second-generation official?
This was really a disaster.
Heaven knows when a team of legendary-level Judgment Knights would come looking for her.
Loranhir could already imagine it, a group of high-ranking holy knights shouting something like "Holy light, purify my enemies!" and with a "Dang," several Holy Slashes would smash her head.
Her heart was weary.
This was so troublesome.
The Duchess didn't notice Loranhir's discomfort and continued speaking.
"In these few days since Evelyn's return, I've been thinking a lot," she paced a few steps in the room. "What should I give you as a reward? Three thousand gold galleons? Five thousand gold galleons? Or perhaps a luxurious estate, a hotel?"
If not for the holy knight incident, Loranhir might have politely declined the Duchess's kindness, after all, she truly hadn't done anything.
But now Loranhir just wanted to take the reward.
Then, quickly run!
"But I think a hero would find such rewards superficial, and perhaps for you, it might even be an insult?" The Duchess shook her head. "Yes, an insult. How could a hero care about external things like money?"
Loranhir really wanted to show her almost empty money pouch to the Duchess, and add a poor line like "Duchess, hungry, food," begging her for money.
But after such devastating praise, she really couldn't bring herself to say it.
The Duchess took a gift box from the waiting butler's hands and presented it to Loranhir.
"A Pascal family heirloom, said to completely conceal the wearer's aura. It's said even legendary dragon lords cannot detect it. Originally intended as part of Evelyn's dowry, but without you all, Evelyn would have had no chance to use it."
Loranhir reluctantly accepted it. Inside was a crystal-clear, exquisite blue sapphire necklace.
Although it was better than no reward, what would she do with this thing?
Some light, nimble footsteps came down the ornately carved spiral staircase. Loranhir looked over. Outside the window, the proud sun was blazing, shining golden light into the room.
Under the scattered dust, a girl's rising and falling skirt and feet floated past the railings, light and slender, like a painting.
○
Patunasankus stepped on the wooden stairs, slowly coming down.
Her mood was quite complex.
Perhaps she shouldn't have impulsively agreed to accompany Evelyn a few days ago.
The evil dragon thought.
In the days before they returned Evelyn to the Duchess's mansion, the newly curse-freed Evelyn had still been very weak, often falling into deep sleep. In her continuous nightmares, she had begged Patunasankus for companionship, hoping the dandelion could take away her fear and anxiety.
The evil dragon didn't mind such small matters; she was always indifferent.
At first it was indeed a small matter, requiring only that Patunasankus sit by the bedside staring at the ceiling, waiting for Evelyn to have nightmares, then hold her hand.
This wasn't much; after all, they had already saved her, and complaining would have seemed affected.
Besides, if it were Latifa, she would have done the same.
In the following days, Evelyn's spirits improved considerably. Occasionally she would be awake for quite a while, chattering to Patunasankus.
Well, it was a bit troublesome.
But Patunasankus didn't really mind.
She was actually quite willing to listen to Evelyn reminisce about her past experiences with Latifa, including some of Latifa's childhood embarrassments, like wetting the bed and deliberately framing Evelyn.
Evelyn would always chatter non-stop, and the evil dragon only needed to imitate Latifa's habits, simply nodding, smiling, and agreeing with a few words. People who had been holding things in would always pour out everything at once.
Until Evelyn fully recovered her spirits, became energetic, and tried, like when they were young, to pull her best friend Latifa to sleep together, to share girl talk at night.
Hearing her plan, Patunasankus's first reaction was to refuse, but before she could speak, she had already been forcibly dragged into Evelyn's bedroom by her.
Loranhir, seeing this, didn't have any special reaction. After all, they were best friends who hadn't met for a long time; such intimate relations seemed normal. Perhaps Evelyn and Latifa had always interacted this way.
Patunasankus had initially thought the same.
But...
Soon.
Soon, she began to feel something was off.
"Latifa, your hands are so soft."
"..."
"Latifa, your skin is so white."
"..."
"Latifa, you're even more beautiful than before."
"..."
"Latifa, do you have someone you like?"
"..."
Patunasankus didn't understand why Evelyn was so enthusiastic toward her.
She just felt very uncomfortable and confused.
Vaguely, she also felt something was very wrong, but the evil dragon couldn't quite describe what the feeling was, like something had undergone a strange transformation over time.
After repeatedly being forced into close contact with Evelyn, Patunasankus was certain of one thing.
A very clear point.
—It was time to run.