Chapter 12: Sharlis’s Breeding Guide

Evening came, and dim yellow light peeked through the window, silently watching Charis by the sill.
Click.
The door suddenly opened.Charis jolted upright, rubbing her eyes and turning to see Ophelia walk in.
“Just woke up?I’m here to unchain you for dinner.No trouble or funny business.”
Ophelia pointed at Charis’s nose, her expression serious and responsible.
“Got it.”
Charis, still haunted by the earlier force-feeding, avoided Ophelia’s gaze to dodge more teasing.
“Not bad, you’re getting obedient.Here’s a head pat as a reward.”
Ophelia chuckled, placing her hand on Charis’s head.Charis, annoyed by the rubbing, shot her a glare and twisted her head away.
“No more touching!”
“Still got some fire, huh?No worries, I know how to handle you.”
Ophelia placed her hand on Charis’s neck, gently twisting to release the ice chain.
Her neck free, Charis leapt off the bed, heading for the door.
“Where are you going?”Ophelia turned, surprised Charis ignored her.
“To eat. Didn’t you say dinner?”Charis glanced back, puzzled.
“…Fine.”Ophelia strode ahead, deciding as the master she needed to keep an eye on Charis.She slowed her pace deliberately, matching Charis’s steps.
At the dining table, plates of delicious food piled into a small mountain.Aisha was already seated behind the “food mountain,” looking over as she heard them.
“Ophelia, you brought Charis out?I thought you two had a rough afternoon—sounded like a big fight.”
“It’s fine, Aisha.I’ve found a way to tame her.Is Luline back tonight?”
“Nah, she said she’s not staying tonight. Why?”
“No reason. Just borrowing her chair for now.”
Ophelia’s hands rested on Charis’s shoulders.Charis felt a twinge of unease.
“Letting a pet eat at the table doesn’t seem like Xaska Kingdom tradition.”Aisha munched on a chicken leg, eyeing Charis.
“So I’ve got an idea.Come on, Charis, sit here.”
“What are you doing! I don’t want to!”
“No choice.”
Ophelia forcibly placed Charis in Luline’s chair, quickly casting an ice-infused magical curse.
An ice chain bound Charis’s upper body to the chair.Realizing her predicament, Charis’s eyes widened, staring at the feast before her, drool already flooding her mouth.
‘A dinnertime execution?! What’s Ophelia planning!’
Charis’s heart raced with shock and suspicion.But then Ophelia sat beside her, tearing a wing off a roasted chicken.
The wing’s crispy, golden skin glistened, its savory spices and meaty aroma hitting Charis’s nose.She couldn’t stop drooling.
“Didn’t you say I could eat dinner?Why are you teasing me?”Charis grumbled, trying to clamp her mouth shut to hold back the drool.
“True, but you only get to eat after passing my training.”Ophelia dangled the chicken wing in front of Charis, her eyes following it instinctively.
“What do you want me to do?Just give it to me.”Charis shook her head, forcing herself to focus on Ophelia’s red eyes to avoid the wing’s allure.
“Simple.Call me Master sincerely—or a term you find more endearing—and I’ll make an exception to let you eat with us.”
Ophelia grinned, her condition sounding easy enough.
‘Seriously? You really want to treat me like a pet!I’m at least…’
Gurgle, gurgle.
An untimely rumble came from her stomach.Charis glanced at her thin belly—she was starving.
“Hehe… hungry, huh?Just say ‘Master’—what a deal.”
Ophelia raised a brow.Charis stayed silent, as if mentally preparing herself.
“Ophelia, why bother?A hint from me, and Charis would call you ‘sister’ without issue.”Aisha suggested, believing the fastest way to tame Charis was more Contract Potion mind control.
“I know, but I want to do it this way.”
Ophelia stood firm, patiently watching the hesitant Charis.
‘It’s just a big dinner!Why do I have to be tied up and call her Master?So humiliating!’
Charis took a deep breath, the weight of swallowing her pride heavy on her shoulders.She needed to brace for a long mental battle.
“M… M… Master.”Charis stammered, sounding like someone was choking her.
“Say it again, smoother.Why do you look like it’s killing you?”Ophelia frowned, noting Charis’s scrunched brows and tilted-back neck, keeping her distance.
“M… Master.”
“More fluid! Call me Master!”
“Ugh… Master.”
Charis’s voice was barely audible, almost just to herself.
“Mosquito-level volume to fool me? Louder!”
“Ugh… ah… Master!”
Charis finally crossed that hurdle, her voice not loud but enough for Ophelia to hear.
“Hmph, that was tough for you, huh?Eat!”
Ophelia released the ice chain binding Charis.
The moment her hands were free, a chicken wing was stuffed into Charis’s mouth.
The roasted chicken’s flavor flooded her mouth, warm and soothing her throat and stomach.Charis felt a surprising pang of emotion.
Crunch, crunch.
Charis grabbed the wing, holding it with both hands and nibbling like a squirrel.
“Wow~ That eating style!Alright, Charis is all yours, Ophelia.I’ll grab another wing and leg—the rest is for you two.”
Aisha broke off the other leg and wing, heading to her room for something important, too busy to linger at the table.
“Alright, Aisha, go handle your stuff.”
“Oh, right.”Aisha paused at her door, giving a meaningful smile.
“What’s up?”Ophelia looked over, confused.
“Make sure to bathe Charis.Wild pets might carry fleas or bugs.Clean every inch of her thoroughly.”
Aisha left the reminder and shut her door with a bang.
“Bathe her… a bath?”Ophelia froze, glancing at Charis, who was engrossed in her chicken wing, her face smudged with oil.
‘Me, bathing a young dragon alone?A dragon’s body… should be similar to a human’s, right?’
Ophelia’s heart raced.Her gaze lowered, noticing Charis’s meaty tail swishing in the chair’s gap, probably from eating joyfully.
“Want more?”
“Yes!”
Charis answered without thinking, her blue eyes sparkling, fully a captive to the food.
“Then finish the whole chicken.Eat more gracefully.”
“Okay!”
Charis didn’t hold back, grabbing the roasted chicken and digging in.Ophelia observed her body’s outline, pondering what tools to use.
‘Bathing a pet—probably need to tie her up to keep her still, right?A brush for her tail, maybe.But is her anatomy like a human girl’s down there?’