Chapter 387
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 387
Chapter Title: What an Unusual Sister
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"Aynsha, I prepared these especially for you, you know? They're pastries made by an ultra-ultra-ultra top-class patissier who's all the rage in Moscow these days..."
"No need. Tata's cream puffs are tastier."
"Aw, come on, just try one. They're seriously delicious."
"No thanks."
The princess of the Seven Dragon Society was a descendant of dragons.
She was a being born from an egg, generation after generation.
This meant that true siblings, in the literal sense, could never exist among princesses.
A princess laid only one egg in her lifetime.
Even if she became pregnant again later, what was born would merely be a human with slightly thicker blood—no more than that. They could never be the same race as a princess who inherited the pure dragon essence.
Even Tata, the sister of a previous White Dragon Princess, was respected only as a close aide, without any special privileges, for that very reason.
Much less could princesses from different clans call each other sisters.
Even if two princesses took the same man as their consort and laid eggs, their differing pure dragon essences made even formal half-sibling status impossible.
Not to mention that a Seven Dragon Society princess, with her intense possessiveness, would never share a consort in the first place.
Their inherited pure dragon blood rejected any impurities.
[...So, in short, princess sisters can never share blood—they're total strangers?]
"Basically, yeah."
[Then what's with 'those two'?]
A white-haired girl with an expressionless face, and a silver-haired girl grinning ear-to-ear while clinging to her with a plate of pastries in hand.
Yuna Kyung stared at Aynsha and Ekaterina, looking utterly perplexed.
No matter how you looked at it, those two seemed like identical twins or at least sisters born in the same year.
Rimon made a slightly odd face at her question.
"Those two are a bit of a special case between the Silver Dragon Princess and the White Dragon Princess."
[What's so special about them?]
"They might share blood from a distant ancestor."
[But you just said princesses can never share blood?]
"That applies between princesses."
[Huh?]
"It's written in the Seven Dragon Society's scriptures, but it's a tale passed down only among the Silver Dragon Clan..."
A story so obscure even within the Seven Dragon Society that few knew it.
Rimon, who had fought them since the Bronze Age, scratched his cheek and shared one legend he knew.
"Legend has it that those two originally shared a distant ancestor."
[They share an ancestor? Even so, they'd still both be princesses...?]
Yuna Kyung started to object thoughtlessly but suddenly shut her mouth.
She blinked several times, then asked with an incredulous expression she couldn't hide.
[Wait, no way?]
"Yeah. The founder of the White Dragon Clan, the Great White Dragon Sage Monarch, and the founder of the Silver Dragon Clan, the Wise Silver Dragon Holy Monarch, were supposedly sisters."
[For real?!]
"Beats me."
[...Huh?]
"I don't know. I told you, it's an unverified tale."
Rimon said flatly.
The seven dragons had fled ancient calamities and slumbered even before the Golden Age began, awakening only toward the end of the Silver Age.
No matter how long he'd lived since the Bronze Age, even he couldn't know the full genealogy of the seven dragons.
Especially since he'd become the Sword Emperor's disciple long after the Great White Dragon Sage Monarch's death.
Plus, rumors about the seven dragons had always been rampant, making it hard to believe every one.
Still, he remembered this particular rumor for one reason.
"Anyway, whether because of that or just coincidence, every few generations, Silver Dragon Princesses and White Dragon Princesses are born who look eerily alike."
[You're phrasing this like it's just hearsay too?]
"It is just hearsay."
[Why?]
"I never got to see the faces of most past White Dragon Princesses even if I wanted to."
Rimon shrugged.
The Seven Dragon Society already operated in hiding as a criminal organization.
Among them, the White Dragon Clan princesses fled at the slightest prophetic sign of his approach, making it hard even for him to catch them.
So, the first time he'd seen princesses who looked so alike was at the last Seven Dragon Assembly.
Yuna Kyung scratched her head as she watched Rimon speak so matter-of-factly.
[So, to sum up: not real sisters, but maybe distant relatives?]
"At least the Silver Dragon Princess seems to think that if there's any blood tie, they're sisters."
[And the white one thinks the opposite—no sisters for her?]
"Would you want a sister like that?"]
Rimon pointed out, and Yuna Kyung averted her eyes.
She glanced at Ekaterina, who was pretending to offer pastries while eagerly waiting for a chance to latch onto Aynsha, and muttered unconsciously.
[...I get where the white sister's coming from.]
No thanks, even if you paid me.
As Yuna Kyung nodded in unwitting agreement,
Ekaterina, who had failed several times to pinch Aynsha's soft cheek, narrowed her eyes.
"Aynsha, you've gotten awfully cheeky, huh? Back in the day, you wouldn't have dreamed of refusing a gift from your big sis."
"I'm not the same as before. I'm New Aynsha. Treat me like the old me, and you'll regret it."
"New Aynsha or Super Ultimate Aynsha, doesn't matter."
"Think that, and come at me then."
As if saying she was welcome to try violence anytime.
Aynsha drew on her psychokinesis.
Ekaterina smirked slyly at the sight, and just as her hand began to blur,
"Enough."
The delicate jade hand about to strip Aynsha's veil froze.
The flowing sleeve, swung to swat away Ekaterina's hand, settled back down.
Rimon, still seated, had halted what would have been a supersonic clash by tapping the hilt of his sword and continued.
"If you don't want to crash this perfectly fine plane, cool it. Or I'll make you cool it."
"Not my fault. Blame Ekaterina for trying to show off her power."
Aynsha's response was immediate.
She scurried to Rimon, hid behind him, and pinned the blame on Ekaterina.
Yuna Kyung lost her composure at the tattletale-kid behavior,
while Ekaterina looked intrigued.
"Hmmm. So that's what my little sis is banking on to act so bold toward me. The Sword Duke's been indulging her tantrums quite a bit, huh?"
"The one's throwing tantrums isn't the fool princess—it's you, the mad princess."
"I've never thrown a tantrum at you."
"You don't need to. You're already bouncing around like a dog that got a bone."
"Ah, yeah, guilty."
Treated like a dog, no less.
Yet Ekaterina giggled delightedly, furrowing Rimon's brow.
"You were at least somewhat decent at the last Seven Dragon Assembly. What's with the freakout today?"
"I was holding back max back then. Pushing family ties at a work event feels kinda embarrassing, you know?"
"Not family. Don't treat me like family."
"Aw, Aynsha. No need to be so shy just 'cause you scored such an over-the-top big sis."
You'd think she was hopeless.
Aynsha's face remained blank, but her eyes screamed rejection.
Yet Ekaterina only grew more delighted the more she saw it, making Rimon click his tongue.
'Typical Silver Dragon Princess...'
This was why the Silver Dragon Clan was such a pain.
Even the Black Dragon Clan could at least hold a conversation.
With Silver Dragon Clan—especially their princess—proper dialogue never even formed.
That's why Rimon asked outright.
"Mad princess, what the hell are you thinking?"
"Thinking about what?"
"Inviting us and personally coming to greet us—what's the point?"
"No real reason?"
"...No ulterior motive at all?"
"Nope. Just wanted to see my little sis ASAP."
"So you invaded another princess's territory without prior notice for that?"
"What's the big deal? If Li Chingwei complains, we fight or I apologize—done."
"..."
Rimon rubbed his temple unconsciously at Ekaterina's silver eyes brimming with sincerity.
Any other princess, he'd call bullshit.
But given who she was, even he couldn't gauge the truth.
Shuuung.
"Ah, finally here."
[Huh?]
Thankfully, the dilemma ended quickly.
Before Rimon could dwell further, their VTOL had landed.
[How is it so fast? It's been less than 30 minutes since takeoff.]
As Yuna Kyung marveled at the insane speed, Ekaterina jumped up.
She hit the button, flinging open the VTOL's hatch,
and Yuna Kyung was left speechless.
Pubang! Pubububang!
Bam, parara, bamparara!
"Salute for the Great Khan!"
"Urah!"
Fireworks and smoke painting the sky.
A military band playing a grand, orchestral march.
Cavalry on noble steeds, aligned in perfect rows, saluting in unison.
The airport wasn't just filled—it was packed to bursting with crowds. Yuna Kyung's jaw stayed dropped.
[What... is this...?]
She'd received a welcome in Brazil too, so she'd expected something.
But the Ruskan Kingdom's welcome blew her expectations away.
Endless parade formations.
Tank units firing salutes.
Fighter squadrons flying in formation, trailing smoke.
Especially the hundreds of thousands in the crowd waving flags in sync to depict a massive silver dragon and white dragon—even Rimon was floored.
"...Quite the extravagant welcome."
"Psh, what? My little sis coming to our country— this is just standard."
As if it were nothing.
Ekaterina waved it off lightly and led them to the vehicles.
A flower-decked carriage the size of a building, roofless to show off the seats.
At this point, was it a welcome or a national founding parade?
"Aynsha, come on up! I saved you a seat right here!"
"..."
Aynsha stared blankly at Ekaterina, who had climbed aboard first and was patting the seat beside her with a beaming smile.
Then she walked toward the back.
"Huh? Why the back? That's for your entourage."
Clunk, thud.
"Sword Duke? Why're you getting in there too?"
"Get moving."
"Wait, hold on! I put real effort into this carriage, y'know? Picked and decorated every flower by hand—don't just ignore it!"
"Depart now. Or I'm heading back."
"Everyone, move out!"
It happened in an instant.
At Ekaterina's command, the convoy of dozens of vehicles rolled forward.
Watching it, Yuna Kyung muttered in disbelief.
[What an unusual sister, for real.]
"She's something else, huh. Even you, who's one of a kind in eccentricity, saying that."
[Yeah... wait, what? What do you mean by that? What's wrong with my personality?!]
Yuna Kyung bristled at Rimon's words.
Even she didn't want to be compared to Ekaterina.
Among the already quirky Seven Dragon Society princesses, Ekaterina's personality made the others seem normal by contrast.
"Hey, Aynsha. Mind if I ride with you guys? This alone feels too boring."
...Despite hundreds of thousands watching the welcome.
Ignoring all eyes, leaning out of the carriage upside down to chat— that alone showed it.
"Absolutely not."
"Aw, come on. How about later I..."
As Ekaterina chatted through the open window toward Aynsha,
Taang!
"Die, you evil dictator!"
A deafening gunshot rang out.
A shrill shout echoed.
Ekaterina's head snapped back vertically, a bullet lodged in her temple.