Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The True Dragon had perished many years ago.

Now, the Four Seas were ruled by the Merfolk.

But not long ago, General Yunyuan, who had submitted to the Merfolk clan, actually grew dragon scales.

My imperial father immediately threw Yunyuan into the water dungeon.

I had transmigrated into the body of the stunningly beautiful villainess, the Merfolk Princess.

The System ordered me to go to the water dungeon and tear out the dragon scale over his heart.

I was currently swimming toward the dungeon at a leisurely crawl.

The System urged me on inside my head.

“Move it already! The jellyfish next to you is paddling faster than you!

“Why are you crying just because I said a couple words? Holy crap, pearls!

“Your sadness has impressive granularity. Hurry up and catch them in your skirt. Once you finish the mission and revive back in the real world, you can open a jewelry store.”

Holding an armful of pearls, I huffed and puffed and finally paddled my way to the water dungeon.

Yunyuan was bound in the center of the dungeon.

The fabric on his body hung in tatters, seeped through with thin traces of blood.

When he saw me arrive, he opened his eyes.

A vicious, icy glint flashed between his brows.

I was so frightened my hands went slack, and the pearls scattered all over the floor.

The System got mad again.

“I don’t even want to talk about you. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were here to deliver his dowry.

“Forget it, forget it. Hurry up and move the plot along. Tear out the Heart-Protecting Scale from his chest. You can do that much, right?”

I sniffled, forced my tears back, clenched my fists, and said, “I can!”

The System sighed.

“Go on, then.

“And remember to say a few threatening lines.”

I clutched my sleeves tightly and walked up to the male lead.

In a trembling voice, I read the lines the System had written for me.

“You… you bastard. You think you’re worthy of having… dragon scales? Yuanyuan.”

The System huffed angrily.

“It’s Yunyuan!”

“Yuanyuan.”

The System said it once, and I repeated it once.

“Yunyuan!”

“Yuanyuan.”

…

After we repeated this a dozen times, the System gave up.

“Fine, Yuanyuan it is. That’s pretty insulting too.”

The look Yunyuan gave me was savage and wary.

“What trick is the princess playing now? If you want to kill me or carve me up, then get on with it.”

I bit my lip to hold back my tears and reached for his chest with shaking hands.

“I’m going to take your Heart-Protecting Scale. Is that okay?”

The instant my hand touched him, Yunyuan’s chest shuddered. Then his expression turned cold and sharp again, and through gritted teeth, he said, “That depends on whether the princess has the ability.”

The wounds on his body were too horrifying. Just looking at them, I knew they must hurt.

I didn’t dare look closely.

With my eyes shut, I reached out and felt around his chest.

Found it!

My palm brushed against a protrusion.

It had to be the Heart-Protecting Scale!

I felt a little excited. I was finally going to complete the mission!

I gave it a hard tug.

Yunyuan let out a muffled groan.

Startled, I opened my eyes.

A few loose strands of Yunyuan’s hair fell over his forehead. His face was flushed, and his body was gradually heating up.

My eyes reddened. He looked like he was in so much pain.

I had hurt him. I was going to tear off his scale. How much must that hurt?

My tears fell uncontrollably.

As I cried, I rubbed the spot for him, hoping he would feel a little better.

A pained expression slowly appeared on Yunyuan’s cold face.

He clenched his teeth hard, his gaze locked on me as if he wanted to tear me apart.

Did I hurt him again? He wouldn’t die, would he?

Guilt had me sobbing until my face was wet with tears.

“Boohoo, I’m a bad person.”

The System ran out of patience.

“You’re a freaking idiot!

“How many times have I told you? The Merfolk Princess is a villain. Why do you think people call her the villain?”

The System seemed to realize it had been a bit harsh and softened its tone.

“Stop crying. Be bold about it, okay? Rip it off with all your strength.

“This brat is the male lead. Even if the two of us tried to off him, he’d be fine.”

I blinked, wiped my tears, and bit my lip.

The System was right. If I still couldn’t finish the mission, not only I, but the System would also be dragged down with me.

Steeling my heart, I leaned close to Yunyuan’s ear and issued my challenge in a trembling voice.

“Yuanyuan, I’m going to use more strength this time.”

The Heart-Protecting Scale on his chest grew harder and harder beneath my fingertips, but no matter how much strength I used, I couldn’t pull it off.

I tried yanking it with the pads of my fingers and scraping it with my nails, but nothing worked.

Yunyuan’s breathing grew more and more ragged, but because he was bound by the Spirit-Binding Rope, he couldn’t fight back.

His body went rigid and straight, and the heat of his chest rose higher and higher.

He seemed to have reached his limit.

Yunyuan suddenly burst out with a hoarse roar.

Dragon energy surged from his entire body, so intimidating that I jolted backward in fright, my fish tail popping out in alarm.

The System finally praised me.

“Beautifully done! This brat screamed so miserably, it must have hurt like hell!

“Let me check the panel. Whoa! The male lead’s rage value is shooting up like crazy.

“Hiss… Why is his excitement value soaring too?”

The System fell silent for a moment, then said in sudden realization, “It must be that anger has ignited his fighting spirit.

“Men, you know? They’re all like this. The more you frustrate them, the stronger they get.”

I nodded and asked in a small voice, “Then should I… rub him some more?”

All of a sudden, I remembered the main mission and grew a little lost.

“But I still haven’t pulled off the Heart-Protecting Scale.”