Chapter 7 — The Crown Prince's Xa Te

The crown prince of the dragon clan needs a lowly fat snake like me? This is even more unbelievable than forcing me to incubate eggs. My scales clearly felt his chest vibrate and his breathing compressed. He is shaking. Not anger, but a kind of… weakness I don't understand. This scares me even more than his wrath. I was stiff in that embrace, not daring to move. Little Kim Long also seemed to feel his father's feelings, his crying gradually became smaller, turning into angry sobs. It tilted its head, looked at me, then looked at my father who was hugging me tightly, his amber eyes filled with bewilderment. The Dragon Clan Crown Prince hugged for a long time. It's been so long that my body has been squeezed to the point of numbness. Finally, he slowly let go, but still placed his hands on my scales, bowed his head slightly, his golden eyes looked straight at me. There was no longer the usual majesty and aloofness in it, only a deep fatigue and... reliance? "Sorry," he said hoarsely, "I scared you." I instinctively shook my head, my tongue tightened, unable to speak. He raised his hand and gently wiped away the tear on little Kim Long's cheek, the movement was clumsy but unusually gentle. "It just broke the shell and saw you," he said softly, as if explaining to me, but as if muttering to himself, "it identified it as you." "That is its instinct, also... its choice." He paused for a moment, his eyes fell on my face again, carrying a seriousness that was almost stubborn. "So, A Vien, accept it, okay?” “And also… accept me.” The last three words were as light as a sigh, but heavy as they hit my heart. I looked into the depths of those golden eyes, where complex emotions swirled, I couldn't see through them. But I seem to understand a little. He needs me, not because I can incubate eggs. But because his child needs me. But at the same time, he needs that child. So, he chose to join me and include that "necessity". Is this a reluctance, or a...compromise? My heart is in extreme turmoil. But when I saw his rare weakness, looking into the innocent and dependent eyes of little Kim Long, the softest place in my heart was suddenly touched. I slowly bowed my head, using my cold muzzle to gently touch little Kim Long's cheek that still had tears in it. It immediately stopped crying, happily rubbed its head and let out a satisfied purr. The Dragon Clan Crown Prince's hand placed on my scales, gently squeezing. He closed his eyes, for a long time, quietly exhaled. It was as if a thousand pounds of burden had been lifted. From that day on, the atmosphere in the glass palace quietly changed. The Dragon Clan Crown Prince no longer just arrives on time every day. He stayed longer and longer. Sometimes he holds little Kim Long and sits next to me to handle business matters. Jade slips and medallions were piled on the soft rattan carpet, the little Golden Dragon in his heart was restless, wanting to crawl to me. He would laugh helplessly, sometimes allowing it to crawl on people and play for a while. Sometimes, he brought some strange items. A sparkling rock, a singing clam, even a small ball woven of halo. He said it was for little Kim Long to play with. But usually, little Kim Long plays a few games and then gives up, but I, looking at those sparkling things, have a hard time taking my eyes off. He noticed my gaze, would curl his lips slightly, and say nothing. The next day, similar items appeared in the palace again. He touches my scales more often. No longer the initial checking movements, but gentler, slower, carrying a kind of... comfort? Sometimes, he even leaned against my curled up body to take a nap. Her silver hair hangs down, her breathing is steady, her long eyelashes cast a shadow over her eyes. Leaving all his defenses behind, he was so quiet that he didn't look like the noble crown prince of the dragon clan. I looked at his tilted sleeping face and looked

little Kim Long crawled all over my body, biting my scales to sharpen his teeth, a very strange feeling arose in my heart. Warm, but uneasy. It's like stolen time. We know this is a lie. It is a fragile balance built on the misconception of the little Kim Long. As long as the truth is exposed, or little Golden Dragon no longer needs me, everything will fall apart. But I was immersed. Bask in the warmth of being needed. Immersed in the gentleness that flashed from him, even though it probably didn't belong to me. I even shamelessly hope that days like that can last a little longer. Little Kim Long grows up every day. The scales become brighter and brighter, and small horns also begin to sprout. It learns more words and flies more steadily. But it still calls me "A lady" and still likes to cling to me. The Dragon Clan Crown Prince looked at him, his eyes even more complicated. One day, he brought an ancient bronze mirror. The mirror frame is engraved with an intricate dragon pattern. He held the little Golden Dragon and stood in front of the mirror. "Look," he pointed at the little Golden Dragon's silhouette in the mirror, "who is this?" It looked curiously at the little Golden Dragon in the mirror, excitedly cried out, raising its claws to touch. The dragon prince pointed at his reflection in the mirror: "So who is this?" Tieu Long shouted clearly: "Father!" The Dragon Clan Crown Prince was silent for a moment. Then, his finger slowly pointed towards me in the mirror. The snake was fat and gray. “So… what about here?” His voice was very light, carrying a bit of tension that was hard to detect. Little Kim Long looked at me in the mirror, then turned to look at me for real, without hesitation, calling out intimately: "Auntie!" The Dragon Clan Crown Prince closed his eyes. When opened, inside was a piece of deep darkness. He waved his hand and put the mirror away. That day, he seemed to lose focus. At night, he did not leave the palace. The moon shines through the roof of the lapis lazuli palace, covering a piece of silver light. Little Kim Long was sleeping soundly next to me. He sat not far away, looking at us. "A Vien." He suddenly called me softly. I raised my head. Under the moonlight, his profile was a bit vague, his expression difficult to read. "If..." He paused, seemingly considering the words, "if one day, he knew the truth and was no longer close to you..." My heart spasmed strongly. He finally said his deepest fear. "...Will you be sad?" After he asked, he looked intently at me. I bowed my head and used my muzzle to gently rub the sleeping little Kim Long. Cold scales touched its warm little body.