CH 7

Warning: Some more abuse in the beginning. Read with caution.

Lathyrus really hated Chris.

If it wasn’t for Chris in the first place…

She didn’t need to run away into the woods, being threatened by the red dragon there, or find out that the Lisianthus whom she had given her affection for was actually a dragon.

‘Why did I get hit by Madame Margot?’

It was all because of Chris that she was dragged and locked in a warehouse like a hunted beast.

But instead of apologizing for the slightest bit, he was arguing for one reason that he had opened the door to her. Had it not been for Madame Margot’s permission, he would have been severely punished for coming here.

Chris didn’t even feel guilty about what he had done, let alone take responsibility. Still, she hated the people who took her away from the orphanage, but at times, she felt grateful. Without them, she might have had a worse life.

But Lathyrus suddenly thought of this.

‘Is there a worse life than this?’

If there was one thing Lathyrus did wrong, it was that she stayed close to Lisianthus without his permission. She couldn’t get close to anyone without Chris’ permission. She was in a worse position than a yard dog that roamed freely in the village.

Suddenly, Lathyrus felt pathetic for running to the village to save these people.

She felt fear and tried to run away because he was a dragon, but Lisianthus had not done any harm to the villagers or herself until now. Rather, it was the people she was trying to save that was harming her now.

Her heart was filled with resentment. No matter how hard she tried to stop it, the resentment spread through Lathyrus’s heart like a flame on oil.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…”

“If you know how to say thank you, next time…”

“I want you to die.”

The resentment that filled her heart finally came out of her mouth.

“…What?”

Chris asked with a puzzled expression. He had a confused expression on whether or not he had heard it wrong.

Lathyrus couldn’t contain the resentment once it had erupted. Hate multiplied more than fear.

“I want you to die.”

It was then that Chris’s expression hardened while fully understanding what Lathyrus was saying. The expression on his face that had been filled with pretentiousness until just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.

After a brief silence, Chris’ face contorted scornfully.

“Are you crazy?”

Chris strode towards Lathyrus. He couldn’t control his anger, so he’ll try to beat her again. But knowingly, Lathyrus didn’t hide her feelings anymore.

“I hate you, and I hate your mother.”

“Hey!”

“The villagers who stand by and sympathize with me are also terrible!”

“You’re just a beggar who doesn’t even know anything!”

Chris raised his fist. As soon as Lathyrus clenched her teeth, a dull sound was heard. When Lathyrus, who was said to be the same age, was punched in the face by a boy and fell to the floor, Chris immediately kicked.

Lathyrus opened her eyes and stared at Chris as he trampled on her. She protected herself by bending her body to a half-moon and covering her head. The way he wields violence, the way he steps on the weak as he pleases his feelings resembled Madame Margot, so it was horrifying.

“Hey, you say it again.”

“Ugh…”

“Recite it just like you said it before.”

As Lathyrus, exhausted from the violence, gasped for breath, Chris grabbed her by the neck and forced her to stand up.

‘I know I can’t, but…’

Lathyrus, supported by evil, clenched her teeth and shouted.

“Die, Chris!”

“This is it to the end!”

“I hope a dragon appears and burns the whole town!”

It was time for Chris, who had no patience, to raise his hand. A strong gust of wind blew through the open door. It was not the weather, but a sudden strong wind blew, and Chris, who was about to hit Lathyrus, stopped.

‘This wind…’

It was as if he had met the dragon for the first time. It was like the wind blowing through their big wings.

‘No way…’

When Lathyrus turned her head to the doorway in doubt, a large black man was already standing with the moon obscured.

“You, you, you, who are you?!”

Chris, who followed to the door, saw someone and took a vigilant stance. It was dark and he didn’t seem to recognize who he was, but Lathyrus knew.

~pls read only at pinkmuffintl~

“… Lisianthus.”

As Lathyrus unconsciously called his name, Lisianthus took a step into the warehouse. The ceiling of the narrow, low warehouse seemed to touch his head at any moment, but the person in charge walked over to the two without paying any attention.

“Oh, step back…Ahh!”

Chris, who had been warning Lisianthus, shouted and raised his voice. Even though she hadn’t seen him for only a few days, he felt unfamiliar, as if she had not seen him in a very long time.

‘Lisianthus is a dragon…’

Although it was clearly something to be wary of, it was always Lisianthus who saved Lathyrus when she was in danger. Even though she hasn’t known him for a long time, it’s already the third time this has happened.

The first was when she was running away because she was afraid of being hit by Chris, the second was when she was threatened by a red female dragon, and the third was right now.

Whether Lisianthus did it because he wanted it or he did it reluctantly, he was the only one who reached out to Lathyrus a hand of salvation.

Lathyrus looked at Lisianthus with a nervous expression, who was standing still while holding Chris’ neck as if lifting a light object.

“You were that little male back then.”

Lisianthus, who had been silent for quite a while, finally spoke.

“Hey, this, let go, uh, hey!”

Chris’s face turned red and he struggled, but he was choked and unable to speak properly. Lathyrus realized that Chris was in a similar situation to what she was in when she was captured by the female dragon.

The only difference was that at the time, Lathyrus was helped by Lisianthius, but now there was no one to help Chris. Even if Madame Margot comes running, she will not be able to defeat the dragon.

“I said it then. A gentleman doesn’t beat a lady.”

Lisianthus’s hand was an ordinary human hand that had not been transformed into a dragon. There were no veins on the back of his hand. But Lathyrus knew that he could smash and break Chris as if he were just knocking and popping little things.

Lathyrus turned to Chris.

She hated Chris, who did not even know that it was his fault, even though he used violence and oppression against the relatively weak who could not escape.

Even though she tried to deny it, now, she had no choice but to admit it. In this family, she was just a pretty decent slave.

She hoped Chris goes through the same pain as she did. She wanted him to suffer from unbearable violence, and she wanted him to be grieved by being an orphan.

“Break his arm, please.”

Those words came very impulsively. Lisianthus, who was strangling Chris’ neck, looked down at Lathyrus with his slightly widened eyes.

“…”

After speaking, Lathyrus was a little nervous. Will that man really listen to her? What if he just thought she was cheeky… But Lathyrus spoke out more boldly because of that tension and worry.

“Break that kid’s arm.”

A small laugh erupted from Lisianthus’s mouth as she repeated herself.

It was when she was worried that the smile had a negative meaning.

“Ahhhh!”

Chris rolled on the floor. Lisianthus’ actions were so quick and precise that it took Lathyrus a bit to judge the situation.

So, Lisianthus really granted Lathyrus’s request. He snapped Chris’ arm, broke it until it made a sound, and threw him to the floor. Chris screamed loudly, but Lathyrus had no sympathy for him.

“Are you satisfied now?”

He came closer and lowered his head. Lisianthius’ long black hair tickled Lathyrus’s forehead as she lifted her head.

“A little.”

“Then you won’t call me anxiously anymore, will you?”

At first glance, it sounded like a friendly voice, but it was actually full of annoyance. So it was difficult to understand.

If it was so annoying, why did he come?

As a dragon, could he hear things that happen from afar? Even so, he should have just ignored it…

“Then why did you come?”

Lathyrus turned and grabbed Lisianthus, who was about to leave. He didn’t answer and she thought he could just ignore her, but Lisianthius turned to Lathyrus.

With his index finger, he pointed to his ear and answered the question.

“Because it was noisy.”

“…”

“I didn’t want to, but you and I are connected. Thanks to you, I can’t help but hear you calling me.”

As he held out the back of his hand, a blue butterfly pattern appeared. Lathyrus looked down at the back of her hand. The butterfly pattern, which was invisible at first, was consciously searched for and then appeared again with a twinkle.

“You can hear me even if I call from my heart? Why?”

In fact, she seemed to understand why.

She still remembered the conversation she heard when the red female dragon, Akert, threatened her life.

“I… am Lisianthus’s companion?”

When Lathyrus asked a question, Lisianthus’s expression, which was still full of annoyance, went cold for a moment. Seeing that cold expression on his face, she thought he was really going to go away like this.

“Don’t go!”

Lathyrus couldn’t let him go like that.

“If you go now, I will continue to call you by name. It’ll be so loud that you want to die. I’ll keep calling you over and over again!”

Lisianthius approached Lathyrus again, in the same way, that her parents would treat her.

Maybe she was over-stimulating.

Dry saliva was swallowed by fear, but Lathyrus did not avert Lisianthus’s eyes. He then lowered himself to her eye level and asked with an expressionless face and a low-pitched voice.

“I think I’ve done all the favors I can give to a good kid.”

“…”

“What do you want from me?”

That was then.

“Why is the door here open?!”

Margot’s voice was heard as she saw the open door of the warehouse.

“Who’s in there…?”

Madame Margot, who was grimacing while approaching the warehouse, saw Chris in the corner, fainted.

“Chris…? Chris!”

Madame Margot then began running toward the building. If Lathyrus loses Lisianthus at this rate, she may really be beaten to death by Madame Margot. No, Chris might break her arm.

Lisianthus only stared at Lathyrus when the other person appeared. Lathyrus, who was facing the golden eyes of the man, grabbed his hand.

“Burn this town and take me away.”

Lisianthus looked down at the hand held by Lathyrus with a look of confusion and bewilderment. Lathyrus tightened the hand holding Lisianthus. Madame Margot was coming closer and closer.

“Lisianthus?”

Lisianthus, who had not responded as if he had been thinking for a moment, smiled softly. When Lathyrus was even more nervous because she couldn’t understand the meaning of that smile, he playfully waved his hand up and down. Then the blue patterns on the backs of each other’s hands lit up more clearly.

“Sure.”

This was when Madame Margot had just run inside the warehouse, Lisianthus’s eyes seemed to shake, and he instantly took the form of a dragon.

As he grew, the warehouse collapsed, but Lathyrus right under the dragon couldn’t get over the boards. Margot and Chris were nowhere to be seen. However, she could clearly hear the screams of someone from somewhere echoing through the village.

The body of a giant dragon that she had seen properly for the first time in several years was overwhelming enough to take her breath away. But now, this dragon was not the one who could harm her, but the only one who could save her.

Lathyrus got on the dragon’s feet without fear. At the same time, the dragon flapped its wings and flew towards the village, blowing fire.

Some fled, some screamed, and some lost their gaze to the dragon. The dragon flew high in the sky, creating a strong wind, leaving the village.

Sitting on the dragon’s paws and dangling from its ankles wrapped in hard scales, Lathyrus looked down at the town engulfed in flames. She was afraid of what was going to happen in the future, but at least she wouldn’t be living like a slave there.

From then on, life will be made of her own choices.