Chapter 27: The Gilded Boudoir and a Glimpse in the Mirror

Warm sunlight streamed through the golden stained-glass windows, scattering in fragmented patterns across a propped-up harp.

Pink sheer curtains swayed gently with the breeze, carrying in a few petals from outside, softly brushing against the harp’s strings.

From a censer, tendrils of fragrant incense curled upwards, intertwining with the curtains and permeating the entire luxurious boudoir.

This was an exceptionally spacious room, its decor opulent in the extreme. Gilded and magnificent, it boasted white jade flooring, priceless carpets, and tables and chairs crafted from golden silkwood.

Every detail spoke of unparalleled extravagance.

‘Where am I? Why am I here?’

Gasla stared at the unfamiliar room, utterly perplexed. They remembered falling asleep on the dining table at Mulee Hua’s house after dinner, utterly exhausted.

Upon awakening, this was the scene that greeted them.

They seemed to be lying on an unknown bed, soft and warm, with a faint aroma diffusing through the air. It felt incredibly comfortable.

Attempting to sit up, they found their body completely unresponsive.

No, it wasn’t that they couldn’t move; rather, they couldn’t control their movements.

Gasla watched as ‘their own’ hand lifted. It was a human hand, a slender and delicate arm, even fairer and more fragile than Mulee Hua’s in Gasla’s memory.

They observed ‘themselves’ throwing off the covers and rising from the bed, watching ‘their own’ actions as a mere bystander.

This was an incredibly peculiar sensation. Though seeing through their own eyes, they were powerless to control their body’s movements.

‘Had I become human again after being a cat? Or was this merely a dream?’

Gasla felt no emotional fluctuations, as if the feelings deep within their soul had been erased.

Watching ‘their own’ movements, they simply observed, feeling neither surprise nor shock. Though questions arose, there was no astonishment. It was as if this state was utterly natural, completely expected.

This feeling left them somewhat bewildered.

With a soft creak, the door was gently pushed open.

Gasla followed ‘their own’ gaze.

Through the doorway stepped a girl, approximately seventeen or eighteen years old, carrying a tray. Her silver hair shimmered with a faint blue hue, and her eyes were as deep blue as the ocean.

She wore a beautiful white maid’s headpiece and a flowing, dark blue maid’s gown that almost swept the floor, complemented by a lovely white lace-like apron.

“Your Highness,” the maid bowed respectfully to ‘Gasla’. “Shall I help you change?”

“Mm.”

Gasla heard the sound of ‘their own’ voice. The tone was indifferent, yet as clear and crisp as the call of a valley sparrow.

Watching ‘themselves’ walk forward, they approached a gilded full-length mirror, approximately two meters tall.

The mirror reflected a small human girl. From the perspective ‘Gasla’ saw, ‘they’ appeared to be a petite loli, about 1.4 meters tall, clad in a pink silk nightgown, looking exceedingly delicate and adorable.

Her snow-white hair cascaded naturally down her back; despite just rising from bed, there wasn’t a hint of disarray.

Her blood-crystal eyes held a faint, flowing light, and her exquisitely sculpted face made her seem like an angel stepped forth from a sacred painting.

Gasla thought this was the most beautiful human they had ever seen.

“……”

The girl stared intently at her reflection in the mirror, the indifference in her eyes gradually sharpening into the keen edge of a drawn sword.

Gasla followed ‘their own’ gaze and saw blood-red eyes in the mirror staring back at ‘them’.

The girl’s cherry lips parted slightly as she uttered a single question: “Who… are you?”

She wasn’t staring at the reflection of ‘her own’ figure in the mirror, but at something deeper.

Yet, through the mirror, Gasla could definitely see her.

In the deepest recesses veiled by the crimson pupils, they saw strands of golden, flickering light.

As their gazes intersected through the mirror in the void, Gasla understood: the girl was not looking at herself, but directly at Gasla.

Through the mirror, Gasla and the unknown girl silently gazed at each other.

“No dialogue possible, then…” The unknown girl’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Gasla saw veins bulging on the girl’s face around her eyes. The flowing light within her pupils ignited in an instant, like a wine-red lantern, illuminating the depths of her eyes.

Gasla read hostility in the girl’s gaze. The moment the girl narrowed her eyes, they had already prepared a counter.

The Dragon’s Might, amplified by the Golden Eyes, was a secret art targeting the soul, channeled directly through the pupils during a clash of gazes.

Similar words echoed simultaneously from Gasla’s consciousness and the girl’s lips.

“Dragon’s Might!”

“Sage Dragon’s Spiritual Pressure!”

Boom—

An invisible impact seemed to explode in the void.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the mirror in front of the girl.

Gasla felt as if their consciousness had been heavily punched. Amidst a wave of intense dizziness, Gasla lost sight of the girl.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” The maid, sensing the girl’s abnormality, asked respectfully.

“Something strange… just happened,” the girl turned around, her brow slightly unfurrowing. “Through the mirror, I seemed to see someone else’s shadow in my own eyes.”

“Your Highness, your eyes!” The maid’s expression turned anxious as she looked at her mistress.

“Hmm?” The white-haired girl raised a hand and lightly wiped her cheek. A drop of warm, crimson liquid fell onto her hand.

“It’s nothing. Just a slight backlash from using my bloodline.”

“Shall I inform Glynn-sama?”

“No,” the white-haired girl shook her head. “I feel that Glynn seems to be hiding many things from us.”

“Understood, Your Highness.” Leilia stepped forward and used a towel to gently wipe the bloodstain from the girl’s eye.

“Your Highness, the ministers have been waiting in the grand hall for quite some time.”

“……”

The girl pondered for a moment, a hint of displeasure in her eyes. “What they await is merely the Sage King of the Dragon Race.”

“But you are the Sage King of the Dragon Race now, Your Highness Fotei Geng.”

“Leilia!” The white-haired girl’s displeasure subtly shifted towards anger. “I… do not like you calling me by that name.”

“I apologize, Your Highness. I have angered you,” Leilia said with an apologetic expression.

“I never wanted to be their so-called Sage King for those lizard monsters! They call me Sage King to my face, but secretly, every single one of them wants to make me their captive,” the white-haired girl thought for a moment, then spat out a few words fiercely: “How disgusting…”

“Your Highness… please mind your words…”

“…Forget it.” The girl turned away, no longer arguing with the maid. “Help me change.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Lost in silent thought, while the maid helped the girl change, the girl unconsciously touched her chest, where she could feel her heart beating.

Listening to her own heartbeat was the only way she could feel alive, still living in this world as a human. Even if this body wasn’t truly her own…

But today…

“Leilia… just now, I felt as if some of my power was drained away.”