Chapter 43: Why are you sleeping in my sister’s bed!

Charis felt caught in a misunderstanding.

She and Ophelia were barely acquaintances—how could they be called close?
That bold hand-holding on the street was just her urging Ophelia to hurry back.

“I think you’ve misunderstood.
The reason for the hand-holding was…”
Charis started, but Penny’s pink eyes locked onto her, recounting the scene in detail.

“No mistake.
My sister never helps others carry things or lets strangers touch her hand, even close friends rarely do.
But you easily did what others couldn’t.”

Penny seemed to know her sister’s habits well, leaving Ophelia red-faced, rushing to explain.

“Penny, it’s not like that—I was just helping Charis that day.”

“No need to explain, Sister—I get it.
But I’ve got my eye on her!
She’s clearly special to you.”

Penny acted like she had it all figured out, then turned to Charis’s blue eyes.

“If you want my sister, you haven’t passed my test yet.
The Rodley family won’t just hand over our eldest so easily.”

Penny spread her arms, blocking Ophelia, ready to challenge Charis.

“Uh… what?”
Charis was speechless—Penny’s imagination was wild, confirming her sister complex.

“Penny, Charis is your savior.
Don’t be rude.”
Lady Rodley, done watching the drama, smiled and intervened.

“What?! She… she saved me?”
Penny’s face froze in disbelief, staring at Charis’s calm expression as the atmosphere turned awkward.

‘Penny’s so… lively, with a sister complex, treating me like some suitor?
I’m really not!’

Charis wanted to laugh but held back, offering a subtle, squinting smile.

“You… really saved me?”
Penny, still frail, blushed slightly—healthy, she’d probably be scarlet from embarrassment.

“Yup, I saved you, carried you back, and even passed out once because of it.”
Charis spoke plainly, locking eyes with Penny, daring her to look away first.

“You stare at me like that and saved me…”
Penny averted her gaze, frowning in deep thought, then gasped.
“Wait… you want it all, even me—ow!”

Penny’s words were cut off as Ophelia grabbed her face, asserting her elder sister authority.

“Penny, stop talking—go rest now!”

“Ugh, Sister, but what if she—”

Penny touched Ophelia’s hand, pleading for release, but Ophelia turned to their mother.

“Mom, take her to rest.
I’ll make her calming potions.”

“Come, Penny—you’ve had enough excitement tonight.”

Lady Rodley smiled, leading Penny upstairs as Ophelia let go.

Rubbing her face, Penny glanced back at Charis from the stairs, as if saying, “I’m watching you.”

Charis kept smiling, bowing politely.

“Miss Penny, sweet dreams.”

“Ugh.”

Penny turned away, her cheeks deepening pink, likely more embarrassed.

Bang.

The door shut quickly, and the banquet’s atmosphere returned to normal.
Lord Rodley sat, gesturing for Charis to join.

“Sorry for the scene, Miss Charis.
Penny’s just clingy with her sister.”

“Miss Penny’s very lively.”
Charis picked up her fork, glancing at Ophelia.

“Why’re you looking at me?”
Ophelia caught Charis’s teasing gaze.

“Just jealous—you’ve got such a clingy sister, almost causing a weird misunderstanding.”
Charis grinned, unbothered by the drama—her savior status gave her leeway!

“You’re enjoying this, huh?
Getting a kick out of tonight?”
Ophelia squinted.

“Nope, just a humble guest, eating away.”
Charis brushed it off, diving back into her food, seemingly careless about her reputation.

‘She’s probably thrilled inside, watching the show.
Fine, I’ve got family goodbyes tonight—I’ll let her off.’

Ophelia sighed silently, too busy with farewells to argue over Penny’s misunderstanding.

The banquet ended smoothly, and Charis, belly full, returned to the room without Ophelia pestering her.

“Phew… finally heading back tomorrow.”

Charis lay on the bed, staring at the chandelier.

Her recent haul was huge—besides the banquet’s minor drama, she scored a dragon flame fruit as a bonus.

“Starfire.”

Charis chanted, raising her right hand, a faint flame sparking on her fingertip—her only mastered low-tier curse, now effortless.

With time before sleep, she consulted Talos about curses.

“Demon King, how do I use that dragon-specific Dragon Flame curse you mentioned?”

“You?
Not ready yet.
Master low-tier curses like Starfire first to build a foundation for advanced ones.”

“Fine, but we’re demons, right?
Any other curses I can learn?
Starfire’s something even Ophelia knows—I need unique trump cards.”

“Charis, your biggest edge is learning the heroes’ curses and lifestyles.
Until you find their real weaknesses, avoid demon curses to stay unsuspected.”

Talos’s refusal made sense—Charis recalled her ability to manifest and block attacks, making demon curses less urgent.

“Alright, but about controlling the Calamity’s power—I didn’t notice when I triggered it.
Any switch-like state to warn me?
I can’t handle another burnout like yesterday.”

“You want the Calamity’s power as a controllable curse?”

Talos nailed her need, and Charis nodded.

“Yup, I need more control—yesterday’s overexertion can’t happen again.”

“I’ll work on integrating it.
Until then, treat it as your top trump card.”

“No problem!”

Charis agreed easily, trusting Talos with her custom curse.

Just then, a figure appeared at the door.
Charis, too lazy to check, assumed it was Ophelia.

“Come in~”

“Huh? Why’re you sleeping in my sister’s bed!”

The voice wasn’t Ophelia’s.
Charis sat up, seeing Penny clutching a pillow at the doorway, her intentions unclear.