I Became a Cute Little Dragon Princess and Now She’s Obsessed with Me Chapter 86

"Here already?"

"Yeah, here."

Under the brilliant starry river, at the northern gate of the Imperial Capital, the guards coming on for the night shift had already arrived.

The incoming guard entered the guardhouse by the city gate and, without saying a word, began rummaging through the drawers.

Unfortunately, no matter how he searched, he couldn’t find what he was looking for.

“Huh? Where’s my wine?”

After searching for a while, he turned his gaze to the one he was relieving. “Lyan, was it you, you little punk, who drank my wine?”

“I would’ve liked to drink it, but you’re such a stingy bastard. You throw a tantrum if I so much as take a couple sips. How would I dare?”

“Then where’s the wine!?”

“It got confiscated.”

“Damn it! Who’s got the guts to confiscate my wine?”

“Shh, keep your voice down, Will. We got a new captain today, and she took it.”

“Bastard!”

The guard named Will didn’t seem to care about Lyan’s warning. Instead, his voice got even louder. “We’ve gone so long without a captain, and now one suddenly shows up? What, new officials always have to throw their weight around, huh? Let me take a look!”

“I’m right here.”

Just as Will finished speaking, a woman’s voice came from outside the guardhouse.

It was Gladys.

Today, she wore the Empire’s Four-leaf Clover light armor. Her jet-black hair draped over the armor, and her stunning face, paired with those sharp sapphire eyes, gave off the presence of a domineering Valkyrie.

“I set the rules. Guards must follow guard rules. Starting today, no drinking.”

Faced with this sudden new female captain, Will froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected that in this long-neglected northern sector with no commanding officer, a beautiful woman would appear—and be their new captain?

Slightly disgruntled, Will quickly recovered. He wasn’t one to get scared. He simply straightened his back.

“What’s with all these damn rules? Being new makes you all that, huh?”

“Hey, hey, Will, rein in that bad temper of yours.”

Lyan quickly tried to defuse the situation. “Her name’s Gladys. She was assigned here by Lady Vanessa. We need to follow her orders.”

Hearing that she was sent by Vanessa, Will flinched ever so slightly—clearly intimidated.

Before he could say anything, Gladys spoke up bluntly.

“You don’t need to care about Vanessa. If you’re unhappy with my orders, you can try to make me change my mind.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I just want you to follow orders.”

Gladys raised her brow slightly. Her gorgeous face carried a smile—a mocking one.

That was the last straw for Will. Already hot-tempered, he’d been willing to let it go when he heard she was from Vanessa. But this woman was clearly looking down on him.

“Are you looking for a fight?”

Will rolled his shoulders. “Let’s be clear—if we are going to spar, I won’t hold back just because you’re a woman.”

“Will…”

Lyan tried again to intervene, but Gladys abruptly stopped him. She looked down on Will and said, “A military unit must first learn to obey. It seems you need more training before you can become a qualified soldier.”

“Cut the crap!” Will growled in frustration. “Are we fighting or not!?”

“Anytime. Right here.”

As soon as she said that, Gladys curled a finger toward him, still wearing that look of disdain.

That was the last push. Will was furious.

“Damn it, you asked for this! Don’t blame me later!”

A woman was still a woman—Will never believed a woman could command him, let alone one who talked to him like that.

He strode forward in large steps, raising his burly arm, fingers clenched tight.

His massive fist, brimming with powerful force, tore through the air as it flew straight toward Gladys’s face without holding back in the slightest.

Gladys, on the other hand, stood still, not moving at all. No matter how wild Will’s movements were, she didn’t seem to take them seriously.

“Bastard, who the hell are you looking down on!”

With a shout, Will’s fist was now just five centimeters from Gladys’s cheek.

Whoosh!

A black blur flashed by.

Gladys’s arm moved suddenly—so fast the naked eye couldn’t catch it.

The principle of “speed breaks all defenses” held true no matter the place.

In the blink of an eye, Will felt a sharp pain in his wrist. The fist that had been hurling forward was abruptly knocked off course.

At the same time, it felt like something had kicked his shin. A wave of aching pain surged through his joints.

She attacked? When!?

He hadn’t seen a thing. His body lost balance, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

Even now, he had no idea what had just hit him.

If it really had been the woman before him who struck—that could only mean their strength wasn’t even on the same level!

Eyes wide, he stared at Gladys in disbelief.

“Want to try again?” Gladys asked coldly, her gaze a little frosty.

“I…”

For a moment, Will had no idea how to respond.

Because the woman in front of him—her strength was completely beyond his comprehension! Just like Vanessa, she was a terrifying monster!

“Will, I told you, don’t make a fool of yourself.”

Off to the side, Lyan shook his head with a bitter smile. He lifted his sleeve, revealing a bruise on his wrist.

“See this? A bunch of us guards got taught a lesson by Captain Gladys today. Heh, better behave from now on.”

“Y-yeah… got it.”

Gladys hadn’t even used her full strength. She merely glanced at the two and said, “From now on, you follow my rules.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Having earned the guards’ submission through sheer strength, Gladys returned to the guardhouse. She leaned against the wall, her sapphire eyes scanning the scene inside the city.

Will climbed to his feet, wincing as he rubbed his wrist where he’d been struck. He whispered to Lyan, “Who the hell is this Captain Gladys? She’s terrifying. I’ve never even heard of her before, but she’s on par with Vanessa.”

“I think she’s even scarier than Vanessa. There are a lot of strong people in this world that we don’t know about.”

Lyan shook his head, speaking in a very low voice. “Best not to mess with her. Women like that… their hearts are the cruelest. Most men wouldn’t dare marry one. Don’t be fooled by that pretty face—bet you anything she’s not married.”

Though they were speaking quietly, their words didn’t escape Gladys’s ears.

But she didn’t care about their gossip. At that moment, all her attention was on a little girl trotting over with a large bag of kraft paper in her arms.

“Erika?”

Her face softened, a gentle tone replacing her previous icy demeanor. Toward the girl in front of her, Gladys showed a tender expression.

Erika ran to the guardhouse door, grinning as she raised the paper bag filled with large meat buns. Steam still rose from them—they were clearly fresh out of the steamer.

“Heehee, Gladys, it’s dinner!”

The sudden appearance of the little girl stunned the two guards inside.

They had just been talking about how no one would marry Gladys—now a little girl showed up? The two of them were utterly confused.

“Her daughter?”

“No way… probably her younger sister…”

Just as they were speculating further—Gladys didn’t shy away at all. She simply scooped Erika up in her arms and gently stroked the girl's hair, then walked over to the two of them and introduced her.

“Her name is Erika. She’s my darling.”

“……”

The two stared at each other, speechless.

It was Erika who broke the awkward silence. From Gladys’s embrace, she generously pulled out two big meat buns.

“There’s plenty of dinner! You uncles can have some too!”

“Ah… thank you.”

“Oh my god, these meat buns are delicious!”

“Idiot, you should be thanking the little angel who brought us dinner, not just raving about the food.”

“Right, right… May the gods bless you, Captain Gladys, and the little angel in your arms.”

“Hahaha… you sure changed your tune fast.”

Before long, everyone had warmed up to the new captain—and the little angel she held in her arms.

The guards quickly became friendly with her, and the atmosphere grew more harmonious.