Chapter 9: I swear I will never eat a single bite of your food!

With her left hand, Charis tugged open her collar.Her right hand reached into her chest, fishing out the necklace and parchment.She handed them to Aisha, who stood before her.
“Hehe, as expected, you kept these treasures safe.Thanks for holding onto them, Charis.”
Aisha patted Charis’s head.Charis felt a pang of frustration—her hard-earned loot was being taken back for the first time.
“No… no need to thank me.”
“Hm~ The necklace’s still warm. Smells nice too, like sweet milk.Ophelia, wanna take a whiff?”
Aisha grinned, holding the necklace up for Ophelia to see.
“I’m not sniffing it. Hand her over.”Ophelia stared at Charis, her expression brimming with eager mischief.
“Fine, fine. Go on, Charis. Get along with Ophelia.”
Aisha patted Charis’s back.Charis glanced up at Ophelia, asking cautiously,
“What do you want me to do?”
“What else? Find a place to train you, of course.”
Ophelia reached forward, and the ice chain reformed around Charis’s neck in an instant.
The chain tugged at her neck.Charis pursed her lips, forced to follow along.
Turning left from the living room, a white corridor stretched ahead, ending in several adjacent rooms.A kitchen and storage room flanked the hallway.
“The leftmost room up ahead is empty.That’s where you’ll eat, sleep, and train.Behave yourself—if you chew up anything that needs replacing, I’ll pluck your dragon scales to pay for it!”
Ophelia pointed at the leftmost door.Charis heard her threat but didn’t take it to heart.
“I’m not a rat.”
“When I talk, you shut up. No backtalk.”
Ophelia moved quickly.Charis yanked the ice chain taut, dodging to the side.
“Don’t try pinching my face!”
“You’ve even trained your dodging skills?”
Ophelia narrowed her eyes.This little dragon, Charis, was quick to react—especially wary around her compared to the others.
“What, I’m supposed to stand still and let you pinch me? I’m not stupid!”
“Tch… you don’t get a choice!”
Ophelia yanked the ice chain hard.Charis, lacking strength and with a light, delicate frame, stumbled and crashed into Ophelia’s chest again.
“Ah! You! Why does this keep happening!”Ophelia grabbed Charis’s chin.Charis’s blue eyes glared back defiantly.
“It’s your fault, not mine.”Charis’s logic was sound, leaving Ophelia at a loss for a retort.But then she reconsidered.
‘I was the first to want to tame you, yet you’re the most stubborn with me.You stole our clothes, showed no remorse, and now you’ve taken advantage of me multiple times today!’
Ophelia felt she’d changed.A grand sword saintess, worrying over a pet-turned-enemy? Unacceptable!Pets obey their masters—no room for negotiation!
“I’m done wasting words with you! Get in!”
“Ugh!”
Charis was dragged by Ophelia until they reached the door.Only then could she take in the room.
A bare white bed frame took up much of the space.A study desk and chair sat by the window.The birchwood floor was spotless, and the white walls were blank.
“From now on, you stay in here! Don’t touch anything randomly.”
Ophelia locked the other end of the ice chain to the bedpost.With some unknown curse, the chain’s end morphed, melding perfectly into a carved groove in the bedpost.
“You’re imprisoning me here—it’s unfair!”Charis protested.She didn’t want to be a caged bird—no, a caged dragon!
“You should be a demon prisoner in a cell.Be grateful I took you in as a pet!”Ophelia tossed out the remark and left to fetch something.
“Damn it…!”
Charis tried breaking the ice chain, but it wouldn’t melt or budge.Biting it was out of the question—it froze her teeth painfully.
“Give it up, Charis.We’ll reclaim your freedom tonight.For now, endure it, or you won’t even manage dinner with sore teeth.”
Talos advised, knowing Charis’s stubborn streak—especially against Ophelia—had been fully ignited.
“Ugh! That sword saintess is the worst!Always bullying me, now locking me up.I won’t live like a prisoner!”
Charis’s longing for freedom burned stronger.Talos, understanding, offered comfort.
“Relax, freedom and dignity will come.For now, handle the sword saintess carefully.Don’t reveal your ambitions.”
“Wanting freedom and dignity counts as ambition?”
“For you, right now, it does.”
“Ugh.”
Charis glanced at the ice chain on her neck.Physical restraints aside, the Contract Potion bound her mentally.Her ambitions did need to stay modest.
Tap, tap.
Ophelia returned, holding a book she was engrossed in.The title seemed to include words like “pet,” “psychology,” and “guide.”
‘Seriously? She’s trying to tame me with a book? Ridiculous!’
Charis, viewing herself as a fully sentient being, scoffed at Ophelia’s approach.Her tail flicked unhappily.
“Oh… I get it now!”
Ophelia snapped the book shut, placed it on the desk, and turned to Charis with confident eyes.
“What’re you staring at? Never seen a dragon?”
Charis sat on the bed’s edge, looking out the window to avoid Ophelia’s gaze.
But a hand suddenly landed on her head, rubbing it!
“Ugh! What are you doing!”Charis leapt onto the bed, crouching in the corner, glaring warily at Ophelia.
“Hm? Shouldn’t that make you feel calm or relaxed?”Ophelia frowned.
“No way! That book’s for taming cats and dogs—I’m not like them!”Charis emphasized her uniqueness. She wasn’t some pet!
“That’s odd. This book’s a well-reviewed guide for taming beastfolk.”
Ophelia stroked her chin, squinting as if struck by a new idea.
“I told you, that book won’t tame me.I won’t submit to you!”
“Oh? Is that so? Come here, Charis, I’ve got something nice for you.”
Ophelia beckoned with her right hand, her left fist clenched, hiding something.
“I don’t need it.”
“Really? Take a sniff.”
Ophelia loosened her left hand slightly.A rich, meaty aroma instantly wafted out.
A dragon’s sense of smell was sharp.Charis’s eyes froze, her appetite stirred by the scent.She hadn’t eaten meat in ages!
Born without milk to drink, life as a dragon was tough enough.Missing out on meat and gnawing on grass would be utterly tragic.
Instinct drove Charis’s breathing to quicken, her mouth watering.She forced herself to suppress the urge.
“Ugh… I can’t smell anything!”Charis turned away, but her neck trembled stiffly—she was fighting a fierce mental battle.
“Too bad. Freshly smoked beef strips—I’ll just eat them myself.”
Ophelia chomped down right in front of Charis.Charis urged herself to close her eyes, but a tiny gap refused to shut!
‘Get it together, Charis! You’d rather starve or die out there than eat anything from Ophelia!’
Charis swore to herself, but Ophelia caught her swallowing hard and smirked smugly.
“Charis, how about a deal?”
“What… deal?”
“Shake my hand, and I’ll give you the beef strips. Pretty fair, right?”
“I… I won’t fall to your tricks!”
“Hm???”