"Sama! Tvinir!"

"I think we’ve already established that we are the only ones here. Please stop shouting," Princess Aenyra spoke, her hands covering her ears to block off the loud sound.

Playing deaf, Sheana went at it again. "Sama! Where are you?!"

"Hush-hush, will you keep it down. You’re going to ruin my eardrums."

"How can I be quiet when I don’t know where my sister is. You might be indifferent to the world, but some of us have feelings and beastfolk we care about," Sheana took her time to scold Aenyra.

Princess Aenyra rolled her eyes at her theatrics and walked away. With the strange disappearance of their comrades, she had limited braincells to waste on Sheana’s mischief.

Sheana stares affectionately at Aenyra’s back. Her face lighting up brighter than the sun. She smiled so hard that all her teeth were visible.

"What a temper you have, my dragoness," she said, a smile at the corner of her mouth.

She folded her hands and closed her eyes in prayer almost immediately. "Oh, heavens. Please ensure my sister is safe..." she paused, opened one eye. "And while you are at it, please keep her and everyone else far away from here. I need some alone time with my ice beauty," she added, finishing her prayer.

To her, Aenyra was a rare find. Beautiful, bold, and with a commanding icy presence that ensnares hearts wherever she goes.

The only reason Aenyra remained unclaimed wasn’t for the lack of suitors. it’s just that none were brave enough to pursue her or approach her family for her hand.

With her achievement as a nine-horned dragon at eighteen years of age, she was considered a prodigy among her peers and said to reach her brother’s level in a matter of years.

Aenyra was astounding in many ways. Being the first youngest female beast in the beast court, her career and wealth were at its peak. A role model for upcoming female beasts. Hence, many cowered and didn’t dare profess their affections for her.

But Sheana Vaelthorne wasn’t one to shy away from her feelings. She was determined to take advantage of every opportunity presented during the mission to get closer to her cold beauty and warn her way into Aenyra’s heart.

"Wait up," she called, racing to catch up to Aenyra, who had covered quite a feet while she was busy daydreaming. "I said wait up. Can’t you hear me?"

She kept calling, but Aenyra didn’t respond or slow down. It could even be said that she increased her speed a bit, but not in a way that was too obvious.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Sheana asked as she finally managed to reach her. She grabbed Aenyra’s hand and held on like her life depended on it as she gasped dearly for air.

Aenyra tried to pull away. Her efforts failed to yield any results as Sheana was stuck on her like superglue.

She held her waist with both hands and coldly glared at Sheana. "Will you remove your germ infected sweaty hands from my hand?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Aenyra’s bitter words and cold gaze made Sheana forget how to breathe. She gazed blankly at the gorgeous face that seemed to become even more beautiful when angry.

"My powers are suppressed, so running took a lot of effort from me. If you had waited like I asked you to then, I wouldn’t have been forced to run, and I wouldn’t have sweated so. You are to blame. You can’t blame me," she said, one by one, clearly expressing her grievance.

In the end, she pulled her face into a pout and appeared every bit offended.

Aenyra’s cold gaze softened a little bit. She pressed her lips in a thin line and patted Sheana’s head robotically, twice before looking away like the moment hadn’t happened.

"It’s not like I didn’t want to wait for you. I simply didn’t hear you call out," she said, lying through her teeth without a shred of guilt on her face.

Sheana smiled. She knew that Aenyra was lying and thar alone warmed her heart more than anything could. The cold queen is lying... for her. It felt like a milestone in her book.

However, she wasn’t one to settle for an inch when a mile was within reach. She dropped her smile and put on her best sad face.

"Without my beast, how am I supposed to survive our here. This is the first time I have been si far away from home, I’m scared," she spoke, a tear rolling down her face.

Aenyra was forced to look at her. Seeing the annoying seductress in tears, even she couldn’t remain stone-hearted. So she said awkwardly, "You h...have me here. What’s there to be afraid of?"

Again, she patted Sheana’s head but removed her hand as quickly as she put it on Sheana. She stood awkwardly next to the crying seductress without knowing whether it would be rude to just shake off Sheana’s hand and leave or if the polite thing would be to stay and have Sheana keep holding her hand.

Sheana, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. Her dream girl had patted her head four time, was standing right next to her and allowing her to hold on for support.

"...And my sister is also missing. I don’t know where she went or if she’s safe. I’m just so worried about her..."

Aenyra froze still. Comforting people wasn’t her greatest strengths, infact, she had zero skills in that department. Seeing the waterworks on Sheana’s face flowing endlessly, she couldn’t help but wish that she had ended up stuck there with someone else. Anyone who wasn’t emotional or needed her shoulder to lean on.

Unlike other warm and fuzzy beasts, dragons are raised in isolation, so most grow up emotionally starved and naturally cold. They never cried growing up because weakness was frowned upon and never learnt how to treat a person who cries.

She found herself in a difficult spot. "How does your sister comfort you when you are sad?" She asked.

Princess Sheana’s enchanted heart nearly exploded. She thought of all the things she wanted to do with her cold beauty, her desires growing wild. Yet, she remained calm on the surface and said softly, "She hugs me."

Against her nature, Aenyra pulled Sheana into a hug. Like her pats, her hug was also a bit robotic, with her hands remaining in the air, not touching Sheana.

But she underestimated the seductress in her embrace as Sheana seized the chance to wrap her hands tightly around Aenyra’s waist and lay her head on Aenyra’s chest.

The moment stretched, breathless. Aenyra felt her entire body freeze up at the intimate contact with another. She bit her lip and remained still, worried that pushing Sheana away would make the annoying phoenix cry out even more.

Sheana breathed into her neck. The featherlight hot breath tickled Aenyra’s skin. The dragon scale patterns on her neck glowed lightly.

"I think that’s enough."

"No, not yet," Sheana pulled her even closer, burying her face in Aenyra’s neck and breathing in her sweet scent.

Aenyra tensed, blinking uncontrollably. Unsure why she was getting unsettled by Sheana’s closeness.

"What a lovely scene. I am moved," they heard.

Aenyra and Sheana pulled apart and glanced ahead of them where suddenly, a house had appeared. It was a small wooden hut, and by the door stood a serpentfolk dressed in a green robe with her hands clasped at her back.

She had a kind smile and looked humble. However, Aenyra and Sheana found it strange she appeared out of nowhere and became alert.

"Love is truly beautiful. My lord has prepared a hut for you two love birds," she said and pointed at the hut. "Shall your love prove true. You’ll be reunited with your other comrades. If not..." she raised her head, her face darkening. "You’ll never leave this place, and no one shall come to your rescue," she added.