Chapter 83

Question.

You’ve gone and tamed—completely at your own discretion—one of the top hundred most dangerous beings on the continent (probably), and worked him to the bone…

Then one day, the taming just…came undone.

What future awaits you?

1. You dared to make me your slave? Then die. (shhk.)

2. Now you try living as my slave. (dragged away)

3. I’ll spare your life. Just never show your face to me again. (cut off)

“……”

My imagination was running wild.

While I simulated worst-case scenarios in my head, trying to predict the future, Lycian had already closed the distance between us.

I ducked my head and squeezed my eyes shut. I was too afraid to look at his face.

What if he was staring down at me with cold contempt?

What if every scrap of kindness he’d shown me had only been because of the Husbandry skill?

‘No—wait. Calm down. It’s not that simple…!’

There’s no way emotional connection can be fabricated by a skill alone.

So the feelings we shared—

‘They weren’t fake. Not a chance.’

I forced the spiraling thoughts away, peeled back a thin layer of fear.

My reason returned—just a little. My heart was still pounding.

Pressing my lips tight, I clasped my hands over my solar plexus and slowly raised my head.

I cracked my eyes open, just a sliver, to sneak a look at Lycian—

“…!”

He was glaring at me with a look fierce enough to devour me whole…!

‘Hiiik.’

The moment our eyes met, Lycian flashed a bright, easy smile—but just a second ago, that expression had definitely been terrifying!

What was that? A ploy?

Was he planning to lull me into lowering my guard before taking his revenge properly?

Panicked, I shuffled backward. Lycian stepped forward the exact same amount.

And then, in a voice so sweet and gentle it could melt you, he coaxed,

“I’m sorry, Muriel. Were you very scared? I tried to hold back… but if I didn’t deal with that bastard now, he’d only cause more trouble later.”

‘Th-that’s vicious!’

The way he ground out that bastard was downright threatening.

But the moment my shoulders hunched, his brows drooped into a pitiful angle.

I could practically see a pair of ears drooping over his head, a tail swishing weakly behind him.

‘Aren’t you supposed to be a dragon…?’

Not a full-blooded one, sure, but still—

A dragon’s descendant pretending to be a fox—who does that?!

He was the descendant of a Lord-class dragon who rivaled the gods themselves—the Golden Dragon of Time.

A member of the imperial family of the Grastea Empire.

They wore human forms, but strictly speaking, they were closer to dragons—beings with lifespans far beyond any human.

Superior physical abilities. Overwhelming magic. The power to manipulate time.

Apparently the extent of that power varied from individual to individual, but still—there was no question they weren’t human.

And this absurdly dangerous being had been trailing after me, calling me “Master~🖤,” of all things.

The shock. The horror.

“Muriel….”

Lycian called my name, sounding forlorn. A trap?

I felt like I had to say something, but my body just trembled. No voice came out.

Truthfully, I had no idea what I should say.

…Should I start by apologizing?

‘Right! Beg for your life!’

From what I’d seen, Lycian was merciless to the wicked, but fairly lenient—relatively speaking—to ordinary people.

Relatively.

Still, I’d lived a decent enough life. Maybe he’d spare me at least once?

“Mur—”

The moment he opened his mouth again, I threw myself flat onto the floor.

And blurted out a frantic apology.

“I’m really sorry! N-no, I mean—my apologies!”

“……”

“I didn’t tame you on purpose…! I was trying to treat you—no, treat Your Highness—and it just happened….”

After speaking casually to him all this time, switching to honorifics felt painfully awkward.

But this was probably right. He was a Grand Duke of the Empire, after all.

Still crouched on the floor, I strained to catch his reaction.

Only a long, heavy silence answered me.

‘…I’m dead.’

Was my explanation that terrible? But I’d only told the truth…!

Fidgeting, I opened my mouth to add something else—

“Ha….”

A low, weighted sigh drifted down from above.

The next instant, Lycian’s hands gripped my shoulders—and my vision flipped.

“…!”

In the blink of an eye, I found myself cradled in his arms.

In a full princess carry.

My entire field of vision was filled with his face. The backlight cast it in shadow, though his expression was dark even without it.

“Muriel, I told you I was fine with it… that I actually liked it.”

“Th—”

He had. Clearly.

‘That sense of control you had over me… I really liked it.’

But that was when he’d been under the Husbandry skill!

How was I supposed to take that at face value when he might not have been in his right mind?

“Do you want me to say it again? The feeling of completely submitting to you, Muriel—I like it.”

…The Husbandry skill really is gone, right?

The system cut in to confirm.

So…that meant everything he has just said was said when he was completely in his right mind.

Without the unconditional goodwill or devotion the skill had imposed.

“And Muriel, don’t use honorifics with me.”

It sounded half like a firm warning, half like a desperate plea.

I just opened and closed my mouth, at a loss.

“It feels like you’ve suddenly moved far away. Do you know how much patience it took me to close that distance…?”

He looked genuinely hurt.

Seeing that pitiful expression, something pricked painfully in my chest.

‘We have gotten much closer lately.’

If I suddenly started acting distant and afraid, of course it would sting.

Still, too many things bothered me. I hesitated, then asked,

“You’re… royalty. Is it really okay for me to speak casually?”

“I told you not to use honorifics.”

“And you really mean it? That you like being tamed by me? I—I honestly don’t get it….”

“Muriel. Why do you keep using honorifics?”

Lycian arched one brow, irritation flickering across his face.

His hand shot out, wrapping around the back of my neck. Tilting his head, he lightly bit my lower lip.

A sharp sting shot through me. My eyes flew wide.

“Why do I like being tamed? Because once you’re my master, you’re my master forever.”

“……”

No, I really don’t understand how your mind works…

“And don’t be so startled over something like this. I still have much more to confess to you.”

More…?

There’s more than this?

I swallowed dryly, nerves tightening—

“Excuse me? You two? Maybe step out of your little world for a second? This is getting inter—I mean, serious.”

Dante scolded us in an annoyed tone.

He was definitely about to say interesting, wasn’t he?

Birds of a feather, I thought. Just like Lycian.

Anyway, at Dante’s prompting, we stepped out of our little bubble and surveyed the situation.

“…Mm.”

In short—it was chaos.

“Gaaah—! Hrk, huff, my, my—! What do I—what do I do?! It hurts! Aaagh!”

Kabil was rolling on the floor in agony, while Maleia had fainted from blood loss.

The knights had roughly reattached her severed wrist and managed some basic first aid, but she would never use magic again.

‘The wrist wasn’t reattached properly. The aftereffects will be severe. Forget magic—she’ll struggle just to hold a spoon.’

And as for Kabil—

“……”

Congratulations on becoming a eunuch, Kabil Tierney.

That was when—

Still screaming, Kabil pointed at me and shrieked,

“Mu—Muriel! You save me! Now! I’m your brother! You saved that bastard Raul too, didn’t you?! Get over here and heal me! Murieeel!!”

“…?”

Had he lost his mind from blood loss?

No, he’d always been shameless, but still—

‘Unbelievable.’

For a moment, I was too dumbfounded to respond.

A hollow laugh slipped out of me, and I answered in a cool, mocking tone—

“Why would I?”