Chapter 45: Didn’t she misunderstand what I meant?

Night fell swiftly, leaving only steady breathing in the room.

“Sister… hehe.”

Penny lay beside Ophelia, mumbling dreamily in deep sleep.
Ophelia, however, was wide awake, restless.

Charis is in the next room—will she sneak off?
Maybe I should check on her, in case she’s feeling lonely or something?

Unable to sleep, Ophelia’s mind fixated on Charis.
Finally, she sat up.

Glancing at the sleeping Penny, ensuring her movements didn’t wake her, Ophelia tiptoed to the next room, careful not to make a sound.

Cool moonlight bathed the corridor.
Ophelia gently pushed open the door, a beam of reflected moonlight illuminating a small bed where a silver-haired dragon girl slept soundly.

Good, she’s still here.

Ophelia exhaled in relief, stepping inside to observe, standing over the bed.

Charis curled up on her side, tail tucked in front, like a little white dog guarding someone in sleep.

‘This girl, not covering herself?
The blanket’s on the floor—no wonder she’s curled up.’

Ophelia bent to pick up the blanket, gently draping it over Charis.
She crouched by the bed, tapping Charis’s small dragon horns.

The horns were tiny, unremarkable, and slightly hard.

“Mm…”
Charis let out a soft sound, her tail twitching the blanket.
Ophelia quickly pulled her hand back, resting her chin on the bed to watch Charis’s face.

‘Sleeping so peacefully—you’re pretty well-behaved.’

Ophelia smiled unknowingly, unaware of a figure quietly approaching behind, holding a pillow.

“Sister… what’re you doing here in the middle of the night?”

Penny?!

Ophelia’s heart jumped, and she spun around to see Penny rubbing sleepy eyes at the door.

“I-I was just passing by for the bathroom.”

“But it feels like you came to check on Charis.”

Penny yawned, fully awake, squinting at Ophelia.

“No, nothing like that—let’s go back.”

Ophelia hurried out, closing the door, her guilty demeanor fully noticed by Penny.

“Sister, is it true what Charis said—you’re keeping her?”
Penny pouted, unhappy—her idealistic sister, fallen to keeping another woman!

“Don’t talk nonsense—what keeping?
I never heard that.”
Ophelia frowned, finding Penny’s phrasing crude.

“She said you brought her home, fed her, clothed her, even slept holding her—ugh, if that’s not keeping, what is?”

Penny’s misunderstanding was massive, and though Ophelia’s actions matched, “keeping” was the wrong term!

“That’s not keeping!
It’s just one-sided claims!”

“It’s not?
Don’t dodge, Sister!
I can’t believe you’re so fond of Charis—you ignored me sleeping beside you!
You can’t deny your special look for her.”

Penny spilled her thoughts, her frail body needing a moment to catch her breath.

“Penny, stop—you need rest.”
Ophelia, troubled, patted Penny’s back gently.

“No, I’ll finish!
Sister, just admit your close relationship with Miss Charis.
What is it?
Why all this tugging and pulling with her?”

Penny’s final question showed her stance—she’d drop it if Ophelia gave a clear answer.

“…Sigh, she’s my… pet.”
Ophelia had no choice but to reveal their original dynamic.

“Huh… pet?”
Penny’s eyes trembled, her face reddening, pink eyes wide with shock.
“Pet?!
Sister, you see Charis as a pet?!”

“Quiet, Penny—that’s the answer you wanted.”
Ophelia was honest, with nothing more to explain.

“Pet… Charis is your pet?
Isn’t that… worse than keeping her?”
Penny clutched her head, fingers in her hair, her eyes swirling with wild imaginings.

“Penny, what’re you thinking?”
Ophelia worried—could Penny not handle this?

“Oh, Sister, do you… treat Charis specially?”
Penny swallowed nervously, fists clenched at her chest, eagerly awaiting Ophelia’s reply.

Specially?

Ophelia thought she meant care details, so she nodded, reflecting.

“A bit.
When we met, she was unruly, always touching me.
I got fed up and chained her with an ice chain.”

“Ugh! So intense from the start!”

Penny’s voice shook, hand over her mouth, her gaze at Ophelia almost too clear.

“No choice—she kept squirming to escape.
She’s better at home, cooks well, but I still watch her on the streets.”
Ophelia shared, thinking Penny was curious.

“Chained her on the street too?”
Penny’s eyes grew stranger, her face red, breathing quick.

“You okay?
You look off.”
Ophelia stopped, alarmed by Penny’s excited expression.

“I’m fine!
Keep going, Sister!
I want the full story!”
Penny’s eagerness was a first for Ophelia.

“Finish this, then bed—no more questions about her.”

“Yes, yes, yes!
Tell me, Sister!”

“Sigh, later at home, she had to bathe to stay clean but resisted my touch.
I had to scrub her with a brush, sometimes holding her to keep her from causing trouble.”

Ophelia said plenty, but Penny’s shocked face left her speechless.

“Ugh… okay, okay, I get how you treat Charis.
I’m going to bed—no more meddling!”

Penny scurried back to her room, neck and ears red.

‘Did she misunderstand me?’

Ophelia found Penny’s dramatic reaction odd.

Meanwhile, Penny dove under her covers, her mind a mess.

‘No wonder Charis called herself a victim!
Forced love by Sister every day, with chains?!
Such an abnormal relationship!’

Penny’s head spun—she hadn’t imagined her sister’s twisted side.
Poor Miss Charis, so pitiful!

“Miss Charis, my savior—you’re the true hero.”