Princess Dan walked out of the bath grogily, her arms wrapped around Yasenia's arm as she dragged her wobbly legs forward. She didn't understand why her body felt as if it had been squeezed out of its energy.
Seeing her dreamy face and wobbly legs, Luan Feixue's heart seized up with some jealousy. She had not bothered keeping tabs on what happened in the bath, but Princess Dan's body language told a thousand stories, none of which Luan Feixue would like to come true.
Looking at Yasenia, she saw her Master smile faintly yet relaxedly. She didn't explain anything, didn't clarify, and didn't even bother hinting at it. She just looked at her with her usual half-smiling, calm face.
She knew deep in her heart that nothing could ever happen. But even when her head understood, her heart kept beating strangely. "Princess Dan, I hope you had a comfortable time. May I ask when the physicians are arriving? It has been over 40 minutes, and still no one has approached this area."
Princess Dan, utterly relaxed and feeling as if she were walking on clouds, answered good-naturedly. "Ah… you are Ainesay's friend. I forgot about you. Don't worry, they should be here. It's just that no one is allowed to enter my sleeping quarters without my exclusive permission."
Princess Dan ignored Luan Feixue and looked up at Yasenia with dreamy eyes. "Ainesay, should we go? Someone as pretty as you probably has a voice that sounds as beautiful as heavenly bells. I really want to hear you."
Yasenia glanced down and smiled at her. It was a smile without meaning, but Princess Dan's legs almost buckled as her heart raced. If she wasn't holding onto Yasenia's arm for dear life, she might've fallen to her knees to worship her out of instinct. "Haaa… Your smile is so beautiful… so perfect… I really want you to never smile at anyone other than me."
Feixue's expression stiffened. The level of obsession in Princess Dan's eyes was incomparable to before. It was as if the Princess wanted nothing else but to imprison Yasenia and prohibit her from seeing the light of day again.
The feeling was dark, murky, and sticky, full of all the bad parts that came with love.
A flash of confusion flashed in Feixue's eyes. 'Why have I never become… like her?'
Feixue had been close to Yasenia. She had bathed with her, hugged her to sleep, and even received kisses on the cheek with true tenderness from her Master. 'Shouldn't I be in worse shape than Princess Dan by now?'
Knowing that Yasenia wouldn't explain anything to her, Feixue tried to clear her mind and go for the plan she had prepared during this bath time.
Once they stepped outside, the maids couldn't help but do a double-take. The usual arrogant, domineering, and cold Princess Dan was hugging the tall dragon woman's arms like a delicate maiden in full bloom.
Her dreamy expression, soft giggles as she talked with Yasenia all by herself, and big, innocent-looking smiles were things that Princess Dan had not shown even in Young Master Dan's presence.
Looking at Yasenia's empyrean looks, the maids swallowed slightly. They wanted to blame their Princess, but they just couldn't. Even the old maids who were the princess's closest people didn't speak up.
'This dragon woman's beauty is too… exceptional. Since she is a mortal, if Princess Dan wants her, why stop her?'
It was certainly strange in their traditional society for a woman to like another woman, regardless of beauty. But they just couldn't bring themselves to talk when they saw Yasenia flash a smile at Princess Dan.
That single smile shut everyone up, even the most stubborn among the old maids chosen by the Emperor.
"Princess Dan, please enter the room. The Imperial Physicians have arrived already."
Princess Dan looked over and nodded, asking just in case. "They are female, right? No male can touch Ainesay. Even the female ones will need to use gloves."
Her words were meant to be spoken calmly, as usual, but the sheer amount of possessiveness carried in them startled the poor maid in waiting. "P-Princess Dan, since you asked for the best, we fetched three male and one female Imperial Physicians… They are the top talents in our country regarding healing arts."
Princess Dan frowned deeply, a dark, uncomfortable feeling blooming in her heart. Still, looking up at Yasenia's confused, innocent eyes, she swallowed what she wanted to say. 'Well… whatever. It's for Ainesay's good. So I can hold back a little…' A dark thought flashed in her mind. 'I can just kill them after they heal Ainesay. That way, she will remain pure and untouched.'
Seeing the three women entering, the medics rose to salute in respect. They didn't know that their fates had become grim because of the Princess's increasingly deep obsession.
"Welcome, Princess Dan. We are here to serve."
"Sit and check her. Make sure to find the source of her ailment and eradicate it. I want her voice to return as fast as possible."
The four Imperial Doctors looked up and then glanced at the person they would be trying to heal. They heard of her ailment, and they were given a heads-up on her appearance. And yet, once they looked, they froze.
It was inevitable.
Princess Dan's heart surged with malice, almost reaching out to gouge out their eyes. However, she held back and guided Yasenia to the bed with a stiff expression.
Once Yasenia sat down, she glanced at the four doctors and smiled, nodding at them. The female doctor was the one to break from Yasenia's spell first, the other three following right after.
"T-This. Ahem." The female doctor cleared her throat, her eyes inevitably going down a few times to assess the two weapons of mass destruction. "Could you please clarify when your affliction started, and how it started, and also if you've ever been able to make any sound?"
While she asked these questions to Yasenia, their eyes were on Luan Feixue, who stood at the side. "Ainesay has been mute since I got to know her. I never asked previously in depth, fearing that it might cause… traumatic memories to surface." She spoke, her tone full of pity. "I found her emaciated in a slave house at the edge of the empire. Back then, she was… well, I won't go into much detail."
Princess Dan stiffened a bit, her eyes widening at the surprising backstory of her new love. Everyone in the room glanced at Yasenia's slight smile and soft eyes, feeling their hearts squeeze. The doctors sighed, their hearts full of pity for the peerless beauty. 'This level of beauty… Of course. It's more like a curse than a blessing.'
Princess Dan, meanwhile, was thinking of ways to know who these slave traders were to send a full army and annihilate everything they held dear in front of their very eyes. The dark aura in her eyes became increasingly profound, making her black orbs lusterless.
"Hm…" One of the male doctors spoke up. "Perhaps, her condition is not physical but mental. As a mortal Dragon Human, her lifespan is long, so we can't really assess with precision how long she was in that condition. To protect herself, she might've made a voluntary mental block. I've seen this in similar victims before."
The female doctor and the other two agreed. The female doctor approached and smiled, reaching to pat Yasenia's head as if she were a child. "Even then, we need to do a check-up on you, right? Don't worry. We'll do our best to cure you."
Yasenia smiled, her wagging tail behind rustling the sheets. This didn't escape the sharp eyes of the people present, making them increasingly fond of her.
Inside Yasenia's head, though, she was doing cold calculations. 'I wonder if Little Feixue will understand the value of the top four physicians and use them accordingly?'
Ao Xianlan chuckled at the side. "Little Yasenia's acting is great. If I didn't know beforehand, I would've believed her current outwardly expressed emotions and expressions."
Lady First reminded Yasenia softly. "Little Yasenia, your acting is good, but remember to accelerate or decelerate your heart. You already know that Unification Realm beings and above can hear heartbeats easily with their senses if they want to."
Yasenia recalled and chided herself. 'Such a silly mistake.'
For the next hour, the doctors asked questions, which Luan Feixue answered vaguely. Nobody scolded her, though, as they knew that their current case was a delicate one.
"Alright, Ainesay, open your mouth and stick out your tongue."
Yasenia did so, and her long, wet, and seductive tongue dropped down far below her chin as she opened her mouth widely. Everyone glanced at the agile and long tongue, their hearts skipping a few beats as not-too-healthy thoughts flashed in their minds.
Even knowing the poor woman's backstory, they couldn't keep their lust in check when they saw such a stirring view. An open mouth, half-lidded eyes, an extremely long and wet tongue, and soft and plump, glistening open lips made the blood of everyone present rush through their veins.
The male doctors looked away, picking a few heart-calming pills and swallowing them, while the female doctor gulped as thoughts about licking and bringing that long tongue into her own mouth flashed in her mind. 'W-What am I thinking about?'
She quickly ate a heart-calming pill herself, taking in deep breaths to calm her rising lust. "Sorry, Ainesay, that was inappropriate."
Yasenia, with her mouth open, showed a confused, adorable look. That single gesture almost made their heart-calming pill effects dissipate. 'Heavens, what were you thinking when creating this being?'
The female doctor finally became calm enough to look inside Yasenia's mouth. She saw quite a few sharp teeth beyond the usual human jaw. Yasenia had three sets of fangs and seven pairs of molars with sharp protrusions. 'Hmm, interesting. This is probably a carnivorous set of teeth. She can probably crush bones with the back molars rather easily.'
Ignoring the oddity, she looked deeper inside, and her eyes widened slightly. "You three, come look."
The three males took turns to look inside Yasenia's mouth, and they noticed with their spiritual sense and eyes that there was a total lack of vocal cords. It was as if someone had cut them off.
Of course, this change was something Yasenia changed on purpose to act her part. With the perfect control of her body, such a feat was more than simple.
They discussed together after that, taking Yasenia's pulse, and asking Princess Dan if they could take a few drops of blood. Princess Dan, still fantasizing about who knows what after seeing Yasenia's tongue, nodded in a daze.
However, a loud clatter snapped her out of her thoughts while a large and soft body threw itself into her arms. Princess Dan hugged Yasenia's trembling body, and her face became furious. "What did you four do to scare her like this!?"
The doctors were surprised, but they quickly calmed down. "Sorry, Princess Dan. It seems that Ainesay won't allow us to take blood. When we tried, she became terrified and escaped into your arms."
"Then don't!" Princess Dan shouted with anger. "If you can't cure a simple mortal Beast Human without checking her blood, what are your titles for!? The next time you scare her, I'll cut off your useless heads!"
The four Imperial Physicians quickly kneeled and asked for forgiveness. After that, they made a few other body checks, leaving with the data to think of a cure.
Luan Feixue observed everything, her eyes taking it in and trying to understand the pieces that Yasenia was setting up for her grand political game that would bring down a dynasty.
Meanwhile, Lady First nodded. "Alright, Yasenia. From now on, try to avoid attracting more people with your beauty. Try to make Princess Dan seem unreasonable in her ways."
Yasenia nodded, looking slightly troubled. While her plans worked whether she succeeded or not, she knew that it would be a challenge to try to hide her charm from here onward. 'I've charmed those that needed to be charmed. Now I'll need to put into practice what I spoke with Master about in the bath.'