Chapter 15: Who has bad intentions?

“You’re coming to me at night… with bad intentions!”

Charis took a stand first, sitting up and clutching her tail, the ice chain trembling slightly on her neck.

“Hmph, bad intentions?
I was planning to let you sleep tonight, but it’s not safe.
If you pull any stunts, I need to keep watch.”

Ophelia sat on the bed’s edge, her white hair draped over her shoulders, glowing faintly in the moonlight, her red eyes resolute and responsible.

“What’s not safe?
You’re training me in the middle of the night?”
Charis frowned, warily eyeing Ophelia’s pillow and bedsheet.

“Who has time to mess with you at night?
I’m tired too. Get up.”

Ophelia swatted Charis’s backside.
Charis yelped, leaping off the bed, one hand clutching her tail, the other rubbing her rear.

“You hit me!”

“I hit you, so what?
I’m laying a sheet so you don’t dirty the mattress.”

Ophelia spread a light blue sheet and placed the pillow at the headboard, then lay down on the bed.

“You’re taking my bed too?”
Charis assumed she’d be sleeping on the floor, pouting with dissatisfaction.

“There’s plenty of space. Sleep here.”
Ophelia patted the spot beside her, turning to look at Charis with a smile.

“What? You’re sleeping with me?”
Charis’s mind buzzed.
What was the sword saintess Ophelia planning at midnight—a sneak attack?

“As a young dragon, you’re under my care.
It’s my duty to supervise your life and keep you within my sight.”

Ophelia stated her intentions plainly.
It wasn’t that she doubted her curse’s strength—she just felt safer watching Charis herself.
No matter how cute and weak, a dragon was still a demon.

“You’re not afraid I’ll attack you at night?”
Charis didn’t want to share a bed, especially with the sword saintess who captured her—it was too humiliating.

“Afraid you’ll attack me… pfft, haha!
That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard.
You think you can pull that off?”

Ophelia laughed, understanding that if Charis had any harmful intentions, she wouldn’t say them aloud.
This “sneak attack” talk was just a bid to protect her territory.

Before coming to Charis’s room, Ophelia, fresh from her bath, had borrowed a book from Aisha called Dragon Observation Journal.
It taught her that dragons have a strong territorial instinct, valuing any space that feels safe.
Combined with Pet Psychology Studies, she learned that taming a pet requires patience, a sense of safety, comfort, and gradual steps like petting, feeding, and training.

Ophelia’s conclusion from both books was clear: to tame Charis, she needed to instill a psychological cue, like “being with me is safe, well-fed, and offers limited freedom.”

Her decision to sleep here was to familiarize Charis with her presence, easing future training and even earning her favor.

Staring at Ophelia, who’d claimed her bed and proposed sleeping together, Charis debated sleeping on the floor.

“If you don’t leave, I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”
Charis pointed at the ground, refusing to budge toward the bed.

“Fine, the floor’s dirty.
Tomorrow, I’ll give you another bath—especially scrubbing that tail hard.”
Ophelia had a counter ready, her face calm as she threatened.

“You’re threatening me! That’s unfair!
I don’t want to sleep with you.”

“Come on, get in bed and behave, or I’ll drag you up here and rub your tail raw—you know how that feels.”

Ophelia kept smiling, even beckoning Charis with a finger.

“…Damn it.”

Charis had no choice but to comply, climbing into bed to sleep with the girl she despised most.

“Hurry up.
We’ve got things to do tomorrow—no time to waste on you.”
Ophelia patted the pillow, urging her.

“Got it! Stop rushing me.”
Charis sat, clutching her tail, and slowly lay down, hugging the bed’s edge tightly to sleep on her side.

“Using your tail as a body pillow?
Scoot closer—you’ll fall off.”
Ophelia grabbed the base of Charis’s tail, yanking her over like pulling a radish.

“Ugh! You’re touching my tail again!”
Charis couldn’t turn her body, only twisting her head to glare resentfully at Ophelia.

“Just a touch, so what?
Face me.”
Ophelia let go, flipping Charis to face her.
They stared at each other.

Moonlight glinted in Charis’s blue eyes as she silently locked onto Ophelia’s red ones, a defiant stance.

“What’s glaring gonna do?
Close your eyes, or I’ll yank your tail.”

Ophelia tapped Charis’s nose.
Charis huffed heavily, signaling “I’ll remember this,” before reluctantly closing her eyes.

‘So stubborn, but that’s what makes it fun.’

Ophelia decided to keep this distance for now, closing the gap gradually until Charis was tamed into her ideal image.

As dusk deepened, Charis, full of resentment, finally fell into a deep sleep.

Her days of wandering without a home, fearing beast attacks or sudden battles, were over.

…

Chirping birds landed on the windowsill, faint light rising from the city skyline.
Charis’s instincts woke her, a habit from sleeping in treetops.
She sat up, scanning her surroundings.

The same sparse room from last night, with minimal standard furniture… and Ophelia, sleeping beside her.

“Ugh… she really watched me all night.”

Charis frowned, observing Ophelia, who seemed fast asleep, completely unguarded.

‘Hmph! You touched my face, played with my tail, and spanked me yesterday.
Now I’ll get my revenge!’

Charis reached out to pinch her back but stopped halfway, retracting her arm.

She was scared.
Imagining Ophelia’s eyes snapping open, the terrifying chase scene replaying, was too much.

“Sigh, better find something to eat.”

Charis rubbed her stomach—she was hungry again.
Growing fast, her appetite and digestion were massive.

A dragon’s perks included great physical ability and a sharp sense of smell.

“Sniff, sniff.”

Charis followed the air’s scents, leaving the bed and opening the door to the kitchen down the hall.

The kitchen was spotless, with unused dishes and utensils gleaming like new.
Last night’s meal was takeout.

The clock above pointed to 8:30.
Charis clutched her stomach, glancing back—Aisha wasn’t up, and no one was making breakfast.

“Do they just skip breakfast?
No way, is there a fridge or freezer?”

Charis sniffed again, spotting a small cabinet beside the counter.
Opening it, she found bright red tomatoes, a few eggs, and a bundle of dry noodles.

“Looks like a single portion.
They really don’t eat breakfast.
Guess I’ll help myself.”

Charis’s mouth watered.
Tomato egg noodles weren’t rare—she could sneak a bit without issue.

Getting to work, Charis busied herself in the kitchen.
Her newly learned “Starfire” curse came in handy, lighting the stove.

Meanwhile, in the morning light, Luline stood at the dormitory entrance, noticing faint white smoke from their kitchen’s vent.

“That direction… someone’s cooking?”

Luline knew her roommates skipped breakfast and were hopeless at cooking.
They’d never touch the kitchen!