“Whew, Miss Tiran suddenly started running so fast, I almost couldn’t keep up.”

Antikias and Ruko came through the door and waved at the princess, who was leaning against the back of the sofa and panting hard.

Almost couldn’t keep up?

Tiran glanced at the couple. Give me a break—they weren’t even sweating. Compared to them, she was the one who looked like she’d run herself breathless.

Of course, she wasn’t in this state because she’d been running.

“The Angel is here too!”

“I have a name, you know, you rude—wait, Dragon?”

At that, the little Angel suddenly remembered that, so far, Antikias had only ever called her ‘Miss Angel.’

“My apologies, my apologies. Then, O herald of light, spokesperson for the gods, six-winged holy spirit who wields sacred fire and lightning, please allow a humble soul like me to hear your honored name.”

“Ohoho! You know how to talk… Ahem, ahem! The sacred name of Saffra is beyond the understanding of mortals. In terms a mortal can understand, my name is Fiona—Ow, ow! Why’d you hit me?”

“No time for your chuuni act.”

Tiran expressionlessly lowered her fist.

“Don’t be so hard on her, Miss Tiran.”

Antikias shrugged, then glanced around. “Though I don’t see our fellow Dragon anywhere.”

“He… probably went out to play?” As she said this, Tiran unconsciously glanced at the small door behind the villa’s kitchen that led to the pantry.

Beyond that door was a cramped space, normally used to store kitchen utensils that weren’t needed for the moment or ingredients they’d bought. Since there wasn’t much room inside, the door was easy to overlook.

To keep Aya from being discovered, Tiran had acted in a panic and stuffed Aya—and a certain Miss Doris, who’d sprung a surprise attack—inside, all bundled together.

The pantry was pitch-black. The only light Aya had to see by came through the slats in the door.

In the cramped space, Doris was squeezed right into the back, while Aya blocked her from pushing out and struggled to shut the door.

“It’s an emergency, so I’m sorry… Eek?!”

Aya had meant to turn around and apologize to the girl, but before they could even turn their head, they felt her press tightly against their back. In the enclosed space, they could hear both their heartbeats loud and clear.

Was this girl actually enjoying herself?!

“Anyway…”

Trying hard to push aside any distracting thoughts and ignore Doris rubbing against their back like a little pet, Aya leaned toward the slatted door—the only place they could get a glimpse of what was outside.

So it really was those two hopeless parents.

A lot of years had passed, but they were still Aya’s parents. Their faces had long been etched into their blood. And with a Dragon’s lifespan and Magic, it was only natural that their appearance hadn’t changed much in a century. It would’ve been strange if Aya hadn’t recognized them.

They’d abandoned Aya and spent all this time traveling the world for fun. They really were the worst parents imaginable…

Aya clicked their tongue. Even so, hearing those long-buried voices from their memories made them want to rush out and see their parents right away.

“Then you’d better hold back. This young lady isn’t ready to face them as Aya’s future bride.”

Tiran’s voice came through the Dragon Rider Contract mark in Aya’s mind.

“I’m only thinking about it… If I actually had to talk to that bastard of a dad, I’d probably end up fighting him…”

Aya answered glumly.

They weren’t lying. They’d been abandoned. Their dad claimed he was going traveling, but waking up to find the cave they lived in empty, with nothing but a note left behind, had made Aya feel abandoned in a way they never wanted to experience again.

And what kind of normal parent dumps an underage Dragon hatchling in a monster territory crawling with siege-class beasts? Aya had nearly died several times before escaping that hellhole! Compared to the monster territory, the adventures they’d had later in the human world had been child’s play.

“They’re not here? That’s all right, that’s all right. We can wait a little longer. It’s not every day you get the chance to meet one of your own, so we can’t let it slip by.”

The worst-case scenario had come true!

Tiran sighed without letting it show. Even Aya couldn’t hide in the pantry cupboard forever. Staying in there wasn’t going to solve anything.

“In that case… Aya, PLAN B!”

“Can I say no?” Aya sounded reluctant.

“Are you planning to stay in there until they leave on their own?”

“Ugh… F-fine.”

Meanwhile, in the living room, Tiran suddenly stood up.

“In that case, I should make sure to give the two of you proper hospitality.”

As she spoke, Tiran clapped her hands.

Ding-a-ling.

A clear copper bell rang, and a girl in a black-and-white maid’s dress walked gracefully out of the kitchen, carrying a silver tray. The teacups and silver teapot were neatly arranged on it, clearly prepared in advance.

The girl’s Dragon features were impossible to hide: tiny scales at the corners of her eyes, golden slit pupils, two horns still partly visible on her forehead, and a long tail that couldn’t be concealed beneath her skirt.

Aya: True Dragon Maid Mode!

Really, it was just an incomplete version of their human transformation. Something similar had happened when Aya was completely exhausted after doing everything they could to defeat Hermes in the City of Magitech. But that time it had been involuntary; this time, Aya had deliberately taken this form.

Dragons had the innate ability to transform into different races, so they could recognize their own kind in any form.

For example, Aya’s parents could probably recognize them at a glance whether Aya was in Dragon form or human form.

But for Dragons, being half-transformed was like the way people couldn’t easily see their own backs: a purely physiological blind spot. In fact, even Aya had been startled the first time they took this form to indulge Tiran’s interests and saw themselves.

“Who the hell is that?”

That was probably what they’d thought.

A physiological blind spot from being half-transformed, plus a gender swap, makeup, and a maid’s uniform to hide behind. Whether they could pull it off all depended on this entrance.

“Who are you?!”

Aya’s unmistakable features let Antikias and Ruko recognize them as a Dragon at a glance. And the half-transformed Dragonkin appearance did indeed draw the couple’s full attention to Aya.

“Good day, Your Highnesses. I’m Aya, Her Highness Tiran’s personal maid.”

At a time like this, Aya was grateful for the devilish demands Mimi had made of them before. Their maid training was flawless, as if it had been etched into their DNA. From brewing and pouring the tea to controlling its temperature and arranging the desserts, there wasn’t a single thing to criticize.

The point of PLAN B was to make the couple think that the Dragon at Tiran’s side was some other Dragon with absolutely nothing to do with their son.

So far, it seemed to be working well enough. At least, the two of them were only surprised by Aya’s appearance and hadn’t questioned their identity.

But the little Angel noticed that something was off.

“I’m pretty sure there weren’t any extra ingredients or sweets in the villa’s kitchen…”

If there had been, she would’ve sneaked in and eaten them all last night. Wait, why did those sweets look so familiar?

Hey! Aren’t those the ones I bought at the festival yesterday?!