Soon after, Azure Flame came in from outside, carrying a fruit favored by Golden Swallows—and by herself—and placed it in front of Soren Lann.
"Hm? What does that mean?" Soren asked.
Azure Flame pecked at the fruit, then nudged it toward him.
She meant: From now on, just feed me these.
"Wow!" Soren reached for the little red fruit, laughing. "I didn't expect you to learn gratitude!"
Saying that, he popped the red fruit into his mouth and ate it. "Mmm! Delicious! Thank you!"
After that, he pulled out a few even fatter worms. "Eat up!"
Azure Flame hung her head.
Bird life is rough...
......
Wildlands.
Lily Bai returned to the Demon Emperor's Palace, but Sean Shaw still hadn't come back.
She headed straight for his bedchamber.
Pearl "Peacock" spotted her from afar, snorted coldly, and stalked away with icy resentment.
Lily entered without a hitch.
She immediately noticed the Luminous Golden Chalice Bloom sitting in a plump celadon vase on the desk.
She walked over and inhaled its scent, a sweet smile blooming at her lips.
On a whim, she sat down in his seat. Bored, she picked up a brush and searched for paper to practice drawing Talismans.
Some of the Talismans her mother had taught her still needed practice.
Inside the cabinet beneath the desk, stacks of paper were neatly arranged.
She grabbed a stack at random, but noticed that the top sheet had a half-finished portrait on it.
Looking closely... it was clearly her.
Every stroke was vivid and lifelike.
Lily Bai couldn't stop grinning, giggling to herself.
Just then, Sean Shaw walked in.
The moment he saw the drawing on the desk, his expression changed. With a sweep of his sleeve, he snatched the paper into his hand and stiffly demanded, "What are you doing!"
"I just wanted to practice drawing Talismans," Lily said.
"Don't you need Talisman paper for that? Will regular paper work?"
"It's just for practice! No need to be so strict," Lily replied. "That one just now—was it your drawing?"
Sean didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "What were you just doing?"
"I went to White Cloud Manor and brought back the Moonlit Flood-Dragon Cub." She patted her Life-pouch. "Don't change the subject—was that drawing yours or not?"
"Just doodling, nothing special."
"I think it's really well done!" Lily got up to let him sit. "Why not finish it and give it to me?"
Sean glanced at the drawing in his hand. He didn't refuse—he sat down, picked up the brush, and continued.
Every stroke was precise.
"You don't even need to look at me?" Lily asked. "I'm sitting right here!"
He replied, "No need."
Lily stared at him, unblinking.
His brows were sharp and handsome, his gaze focused, lips slightly upturned, and his face was flawless.
A man whose beauty defied any artist's brush—yet his heart was full of her.
Once, for her sake, he'd set his sights on becoming Crown Prince.
And for her again, he rebelled against Dragon Abyss and became the Demon Emperor he is now.
He'd risked his life to protect her, and even saved her with his reverse scale...
Suddenly, Lily Bai reached out and touched his forehead.
Sean looked up at her, puzzled—only to be caught off guard as she leaned over the desk and kissed him.
His lips were softer than she'd imagined, cool at first, then quickly burning hot—almost scorching.
But he didn't respond for a long moment.
Lily pulled away and looked at him, finding his ears bright red and his whole self frozen in shock.
"More than a hundred years have passed—I thought you'd changed, but you haven't at all." Lily shook her head. "Still blushing at the drop of a hat! Just look at you—"