"Single dog, single dog, single all the day..."

Princess leaned on the cushion, with half-read comics spread out in front of her. She looked up at the falling snowflakes outside the floor-to-ceiling window, which transformed from a gentle flurry to a heavy snow. She hummed a song that Aya couldn't understand.

"Aya, why do these people always turn every holiday into Valentine's Day?"

In the princess's bedroom, located in the side tower of the palace, the only sound was the occasional crackling of burning firewood - well, the room was heated by a boiler, so it was actually very quiet.

Then, Tiran broke the silence.

However, Aya, who was sitting on the adjacent single sofa, being accompanied by Tiran to read comics, didn't want to answer her owner's question.

"Aya, Aya, should we go out later and bully some single dogs in the streets?"

Tiran was still enthusiastic, putting down the book and getting up to stand in front of Aya with a condescending look.

"...Isn't it great to be snuggled up in a warm room like spring, reading comics in the middle of winter?" Aya tilted her head and closed the book, speaking seriously.

"And also, go out and bully single dogs? So, my dear owner, are you willing to be my girlfriend?" Aya looked down at her little dress and stared at Tiran with a hint of resentment.

"Of course, it's you who should be my girlfriend~ Don't you think that this young lady dressing up as a man would definitely attract a group of fangirls?" Tiran put her hands in her pockets and struck a pose.

Aya had no high expectations for her young miss from the beginning, or rather, she herself who had held any fantasies about her was quite foolish.

"Well, it does seem suitable, especially..."

Following Aya's gaze, Tiran lowered her head slightly, a subtle smile appearing on her lips.

Aya immediately felt a familiar sense of danger, as if she was being preyed upon by some dangerous predator.

—But did you really think I, Aya, would just sit and wait for it?

Since being captured by her princess, Aya had already experienced countless painful episodes and had accumulated quite a bit of experience. At such times, there was only one thing she needed to do, which was to say nothing and run away!

Thunk!

The whole room trembled for a moment after a short pause.

—Although in the end, she couldn't escape, at least it proved that she could struggle a bit.

This was the compromise Aya made, weighing between resisting being beaten and giving up with no dignity.

Aya trembled under the wall at a distance of less than two meters from the door, with her entire dragon body huddled against the wall. The princess supported herself against the side wall, blocking the escape route, and looked down at Aya.

This... is it a "wall slam"? Wait, isn't the positions reversed!

"Cause any more trouble and I'll make your belly big."

With one free hand, Princess lifted Aya's chin and said this in a domineering CEO-like tone. She nodded in satisfaction, feeling quite good. She had always wanted to try this. Although it was embarrassing, it was actually quite enjoyable.

Meanwhile, Aya, with her whole dragon form stunned, instinctively held her lower abdomen and shook her head vigorously. Her cheeks instantly turned a shade of red.

Half a second later, she realized, Oh, wait a minute, shouldn't I be the scared one here?! Shouldn't it be the other way around?! What's even scarier is that Aya discovered that for a moment, she had actually experienced an emotion similar to shyness?

No, no, no, absolutely impossible! It must be an illusion!

The best way to prove oneself is to rise up and resist now, even if the consequences are being beaten up.

But before he could take action, there was a loud thud from the nearby door.

And then it slowly opened.

"Ahem... um, sorry to interrupt?"

His Majesty the King poked his head in, holding his head where he had just bumped into the door, and weakly said.

Your Majesty, you have no dignity!

Although I really want to complain, Aya seems to have no standing to say so in her current state.

"... Father, please don't misunderstand..."

Tiran wanted to explain, but upon careful consideration, there didn't seem to be a reasonable explanation. Damn it, why does Dad always barge in at times like this!

"Ahem! It's okay! Young people are naturally passionate... it's just that... for the sake of continuing the royal bloodline, please consider suitable male companions of your age."

In the complicated gazes of Tiran and Aya, Granzon calmly backed out, then closed the door.

Compared to the last time he opened the door and got hit by a lightning strike and fainted, he did much better this time. Truly worthy of me!

His Majesty the King leaned against the door, clenched his fist, waved, and contentedly left.

However, halfway down the stairs, His Majesty suddenly realized something was wrong.

He seemed to have forgotten that his original purpose in coming to find his daughter was to remind her about tonight's banquet.

"Little Tiran!"

However, when His Majesty hurriedly returned to the Princess's room, there was no one there except for the open French windows and the curtain swaying in the cold wind outside.

...

"Wow... what's going on, Dad? You don't want me to go out and play?"

Behind a tree in the bustling city center of the capital, Princess Aya peeped her head out and watched the passing patrols.

Ordinary people might not be able to tell the difference between them and the ordinary guards, but Tiran, who had done quite a bit of research on martial arts, could easily distinguish the difference in their movements between these elite imperial soldiers and the regular guards.

The sudden increase in these imperial soldiers on the streets was definitely the old man's doing.

"It's all because you insisted on running out."

Aya, who was still wearing her maid outfit, felt tired, but being forcefully brought out was really disheartening.

She had originally thought that she was quite proficient in cross-dressing, but she still felt embarrassed when she came to the lively streets.

—After all, it was winter, and the sky was still snowing. A girl wearing only a black dress and a thin chiffon coat, accompanied by a maid, would certainly attract attention!

Speaking of which, those soldiers were also a bit foolish. Isn't it easy to get clues by asking passersby?

"Aya, are we attracting too much attention?"

"Even the slow-witted Miss Tiran has finally noticed, huh?"

"Has little Aya been misbehaving lately?"

Tiran showed a friendly smile that made Aya's heart jump.

"I'm sorry, it was my mistake. It was just a slip of the tongue. Please forgive me, Master... I don't want to be pressed down on the snow-covered ground and played with in public. I'm also not interested in any peculiar plays."

Aya earnestly bowed and apologized, making Tiran feel a little embarrassed.

"Anyway... we seem to be attracting too much attention, so let's change our disguise for now."

Tiran pointed to the huge building across the street with brightly lit lights and people coming in and out.

...

Although I don't know who invented large-scale shopping centers in this world, it is indeed a good thing. At least the crowded flow of people and complex terrain make it difficult for soldiers to search.

"But there are just too many people."

Finally escaping from the main aisle and reaching the second floor along the stairs, Tiran breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the pink-themed billboards and lights hanging from the side ceiling, "Sacred Day or something..."

Today is December 24th, and I don't know if it's a coincidence, but it's around the same time as Christmas. This world actually has similar religious holidays.

However, the origin of the holiday is different from Christmas. It is the day when the first saint of the Temple Church rests.

- Of course, nowadays, apart from the believers, people don't really care about the original meaning of this holiday. For ordinary people, the meaning of Sacred Day is a shopping festival and... Valentine's Day?

Countless couples have been seen along the way, and even the FFF group probably can't outmatch them.

"I can't stand all these flash grenades thrown all over the street... Aya, I need comfort!"

"Yes, Miss, would you like a head pat or a fur stroking?"

Aya tried to get into character - well, Mimi's character.

"Can you give me a pat on the head, please?"

"...Absolutely impossible to even consider!"

Failed to get into character. If Mimi said something like that, she might be even more excited than Tiran. But it's better not to transform oneself into that.

"Tch... Boring," Tiran clicked her tongue, but the corners of her mouth slightly curved up, "Aya, today I'm wearing black lace~"

Aya was stunned for a moment, and then realized what this heartless master was saying. Her face immediately turned a bit red.

"Of course not!"

"Then... Could it be white? Or the classic blue and white stripes?" Tiran pressed on.

"...No, it's not." Aya's gaze drifted, and she subconsciously took a step back.

Fortunately, someone stopped Princess Aya. The saleswoman from the clothing store she was in walked over with a somewhat stiff smile, "Please refrain from making sexually suggestive remarks, thank you."

Saved!

Aya breathed a sigh of relief. It was then that she noticed the various looks from the surrounding customers.

Most of them were surprised, but what's with those few individuals shining with excitement in their eyes?

"Really, girls should date girls." Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from beside her. It sounded childish but also carried a somewhat discordant sense of decadence.

"Little Mo?"

Both of them... A person and a dragon turned their heads in astonishment.

Standing next to a row of clothes racks was a loli with two long pigtails swaying, holding a guide card.