“M-Master...”

A trace of fear showed in Nefu’s eyes. Of course she knew what kind of exercise Ophelia meant.

“Don’t say no to me, okay~ After all... this is your punishment.”

Barefoot, Ophelia hopped down from the bed and walked to the bedroom door. Then she grabbed Nefu, who was hesitating at the entrance and too scared to come in.

After that, she glanced at Blackfang, who also wanted to follow them inside. The corner of her lips curled into a victorious smile.

Bang!

Only after slamming the door shut did Ophelia turn back, lean close to Nefu, and let out a soft laugh.

“When a pet makes a mistake, the owner has to pay the price, you know. If little Nefu doesn’t like exercise, then next time, make sure to keep your little dog under control, okay~”

Nefu wanted to say something else, but Ophelia’s hand was already resting on her shoulder.

Feeling that gentle touch from her shoulder, Nefu’s body trembled slightly on its own.

Noticing her reaction, Ophelia withdrew her hand and said in a somewhat hurt tone,

“No way~ no way~ Little Nefu, are you still that afraid of me even now~?”

The girl’s eyes were smiling, as if she was very much looking forward to how Nefu would answer.

Nefu wasn’t human, but she knew perfectly well this was another trap Ophelia had dug for her. No matter how she answered, the ending would be the same.

She really wanted to shout that she hated her. But Nefu had a feeling that if she actually dared to say it, she definitely wouldn’t be getting out of bed tomorrow.

She opened her mouth, ready to tell Ophelia she wasn’t afraid of her. But before she could speak, the world suddenly spun.

The next moment, she was already in Ophelia’s arms.

“M-Master, what are you doing?”

Her pretty face flushed bright red. Even though she didn’t want to sit in her lap, Nefu didn’t dare move around carelessly either, afraid of angering the person behind her.

“Don’t be scared, cutie~”

Reaching out, Ophelia pinched Nefu’s soft, delicate cheek and smiled.

“Since you don’t want to exercise, how about keeping me company while I read?”

“Read?”

Nefu froze. She couldn’t read at all, so why would Ophelia suddenly want to read with her?

This had to be some new game she’d prepared. She absolutely couldn’t let her guard down!

Based on what Nefu knew about Ophelia, she immediately came to what she thought was a reasonable conclusion.

Yet things didn’t seem as bad as she had imagined. Ophelia really did carry her to the desk, sit down, and continue reading the unfinished book lying there.

Nefu leaned closer. It seemed to be an ancient magic book, filled with many strangely shaped characters she couldn’t understand.

If only she could read them. Then she’d have one more hidden card to use against Ophelia.

Maybe I should ask her to teach me someday? Nefu thought out of nowhere. She was truly sick of this life, pretending to be a weak little maid and swallowing humiliation under Ophelia.

The life she longed for was freedom. It was the blood of adventurers! Not this timid, cowering existence!

Nefu was busy imagining the grand ambitions in her head. Before long, her eyelids started fighting each other.

Ophelia was only holding her on her lap. She didn’t do anything stimulating. Nefu just sat there with nothing to do, and before long, the surging drowsiness swallowed her whole.

But just as her body started swaying and she was about to lose her balance, a sudden cool breath slipped in through her collar, making her whole body shiver.

She turned her head and saw Ophelia smiling at her.

“Stay awake, cutie. Don’t fall asleep, okay? There’s something important coming up.”

Something important?

A trace of confusion rose in Nefu’s heart. But in the next instant, she let out a muffled moan, because Ophelia suddenly lowered her head and gently bit the snowy back of her neck.

For a magical beast like Nefu, that place was an extremely important sensitive spot. To her, it was the most vulnerable part of her body.

And because of that, her reaction was so intense the moment Ophelia bit down.

Realizing this might be one of Nefu’s sensitive spots, a hint of amusement appeared in Ophelia’s eyes. Not only did she not let go, she even slipped out her little tongue and ran wild over the patch of skin between her lips.

“Mm... n-no, don’t touch there...”

Her sensitive spot had been stirred, and even her voice was trembling.

Ophelia, however, looked completely unconcerned. Hearing Nefu’s voice only made her increase the pressure a little more.

Feeling that oppressive sensation gradually grow heavier, Nefu shut her beautiful eyes tight and pursed her lips, as if bracing herself for something terrifying.

What she didn’t expect was that Ophelia showed no sign of stopping. Instead, she bit down even harder.

That was a vital spot on her back. Nefu was like a puffed-up cat that couldn’t move. This utter lack of security was driving her nearly insane.

She felt she couldn’t let this continue. She had to do something. But Ophelia seemed to sense what she was thinking. She wrapped her arms around Nefu and applied a gentle bit of force, directly pinning her arms so she couldn’t move in the slightest.

Seeing Nefu twist and struggle harder and harder, Ophelia finally released her mouth.

With a wet little pop, the silver thread snapped. On the snowy back of Nefu’s neck, there was now a neat ring of cute little bite marks.

“Well, little Nefu? Do you like it? I specially prepared this brand for you.”

Dipping a finger into the saliva that hadn’t dried yet, Ophelia gently traced her own name beside the bite marks.

“Mm...”

Nefu didn’t answer. She only let out a dissatisfied little whimper.

“But little Nefu, your reaction just now was pretty cute. Like a somewhat stressed little kitten. Do you think I should give you some desensitization training~?”

“M-Master, you— wah!”

Ophelia placed the book face-down on the desk. She didn’t want to keep reading that magic book anymore. The delicious treat in front of her was far harder to resist.

This time, Ophelia didn’t bite the same place as before. Instead, she moved to a small patch of skin near Nefu’s fragrant shoulder.

As her teeth gently pressed into the fair, tender skin, the stirring of her cute little tongue added a little more redness to it.

When she finally let go, there was another mark that belonged to Ophelia alone. And today, she planned to stamp that mark all over the little kitten’s body.

But just as Ophelia was about to carry out her grand plan, her expression suddenly changed. She shot to her feet and placed Nefu on the bed.

At the same time, her eyes narrowed slightly, filled with icy frost.

Nefu, however, showed no confusion at this reaction. After smoothing out the wrinkled hem of her clothes that Ophelia had messed up, she turned to look at Ophelia.

She could feel it. A powerful presence was rushing this way at an astonishing speed.

Without question, it was coming for Ophelia.