Chapter 123:  Interlude – Dorothy’s Story (4)

Amazingly, Sien’s claim of “taking it easy because it was the first time” turned out to be true.

From the next day onward, a much more ruthless barrage began.

He didn’t even consider calling Dorothy by her name. During their second encounter, Sien declared to her:

“From now on, your title is ‘Little Mutt.’ I’ll call you that for the entire week, so get used to it.”

“What?”

Dorothy raised her eyebrows at the overly insulting name and protested indignantly.

“What kind of trashy name is that?! I am Dorothea, the direct heir of the great Gwendolyn family—”

Slap!

The price of childish defiance was a fiery slap.

With more than twice the strength of the first hit, Dorothy’s body crumpled to the ground.

As she lay there, dazed and overwhelmed by the pain, Sien looked down at her with a cold gaze.

“You still don’t get it, do you? Where do you think you are, raising your voice to your superior? And using informal speech, no less.”

“……”

Dorothy looked up at Sien with eyes mixed with fear and indignation.

Her lips trembled as if to speak, but she couldn’t form any words.

Seeing her reaction, Sien chuckled, lowered himself, and whispered into her ear.

“What’s wrong? Don’t like being called ‘Little Mutt’? Do you want to kill me?

“Sorry, but the next week will be a test of how much you can endure and adapt to the world’s absurdities.

If you can’t even handle this level of insult, then that’s your limit. In that case, I’ll judge you to be hopeless and personally take your head off.”

“…….”

“Do you have any objections?”

“N-no…”

Dorothy’s voice shrank to a whisper, unable to even consider resisting, as fear had already seeped into her very bones.

Satisfied, Sien nodded and stood up.

“Good. Then do your best for the next week.”

He grinned—a smile so wicked it seemed demonic.

The abuse Dorothy endured over the next three days was indescribable.

Having grown up in the rigid hierarchical culture of the Demon Realm, Sien knew all too well how to infuriate someone endlessly.

He set impossibly high standards and unleashed relentless verbal abuse whenever she fell short.

If she tried to rest even slightly, he would immediately assign trivial tasks to raise her blood pressure.

When she made mistakes out of ignorance, he’d berate her with,

“What are you standing around for without asking? Is your mouth just for decoration?”

And if she did ask questions, he’d snap, “Figure it out yourself. Do you even have a brain?”

If she showed the faintest hint of cheerfulness, he’d sneer, “What are you smiling about? Did you actually accomplish something?”

And if she seemed downcast, he’d throw his spoon and bark, “You’re ruining my appetite.”

Any sign of defiance would immediately be met with harsh punishment, ensuring she wouldn’t even dare to think about resisting again.

Of course, Sien’s colleagues, who had a more conventional sense of morality, were deeply disturbed by his actions.

Even Exia, who openly disliked him, and Mana, who secretly harbored feelings for him, avoided him entirely during those three days.

But no one could intervene. Sien had made it clear that any interference in his training methods would be considered a breach of their agreement.

Thus, the other five had no choice but to stand by helplessly and witness what could only be described as child abuse.

On the night of the third day, Dorothy lay collapsed in the depths of the cave, her face visibly gaunt.

“……”

The only time she could escape Sien’s torment was when he was asleep.

It was the sole moment of reprieve from the endless scolding and violence.

But even during this precious golden time, Dorothy’s spirits were anything but high. In fact, they were at their lowest.

“Sniff…..”

She began to cry softly in the corner.

As a dragon, Dorothy’s intelligence matured early, making it easy to forget that she was still just a young hatchling—equivalent to a human child less than ten years old.

At an age when she should have been basking in parental love and growing steadily, she had instead lost her parents and been entrusted to a cruel stepfather.

Tears of sorrow flowed uncontrollably.

“Sniff… sob… that bastard…”

Her chest burned with pent-up frustration.

The unresolved anger inside her festered like smoke, choking her spirit.

In her heart, she wanted to take advantage of the moment he was asleep and sink her teeth into his head, crushing it completely.

Then, as she trampled his corpse, she’d mockingly declare, “This is the price for your sins.”

If she were just a little stronger, if she had just a bit more courage, she might have actually done it—just like a true chromatic dragon who never thinks about the consequences.

But what if the assassination failed? What if Sien found out?

The fallout would be unimaginable, far beyond anything she had faced until now.

So far, her punishments had been limited to slaps or being forced to bow down, but after that, it would never stop at just that.

She didn’t want that. The thought alone sent chills down her spine.

She absolutely did not want to move on to what that man called “the next step.”

She would be free in just four days if she stayed quiet, so she refused to do anything that would make those four days even more hellish.

In the end, the best Dorothy could do was suppress her frustration in secret, alone in a corner each night, where no one could hear her.

Quietly. Alone. Isolated.

But tonight, she couldn’t be alone.

“Um…excuse me…”

“!?!”

A sudden voice from behind startled Dorothy so much that she jumped up like a frightened cat.

The next moment, the hatchling lost her balance and crashed onto the ground, rolling a few times before the back of her head smacked into the rough cave floor.

Seeing the dragon gasping in pain, the uninvited guest rushed over in panic.

“Oh no, are you okay?! Let me heal you right away!”

Esther placed her hand on the dragon’s head and cast a spell: Cure Light Wounds.

The small scratches healed and disappeared instantly.

“Ugh…ow, that really hurt…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you…” Esther apologized repeatedly, bowing her head.

Meanwhile, Exia, who had followed her, kept glancing nervously over her shoulder and whispered a warning.

“Shh, keep it down! We don’t know when Sien might wake up.”

“…!”

At the mention of Sien’s name, Dorothy let out a low gasp. Her scales bristled, and her heart burned with anxiety.

Seeing the hatchling so tense, Esther quickly waved her hands in reassurance.

“Oh, it’s fine! Don’t worry! We’re here in secret. Sien is sound asleep right now.”

“R-really…?”

Dorothy asked hesitantly, now using honorifics even for others, as though it had become a habit.

Esther looked at her sympathetically for a moment before speaking.

“And it’s just the three of us here, so you don’t need to use formalities. We’re not so high and mighty as to demand that.”

“Still, I—”

“It’s fine, really. If there’s any trouble, I’ll protect you. What do you think?”

“……”

Dorothy kept glancing nervously toward where Sien was sleeping.

Finally, she hesitated and looked up at Esther with unsure eyes.

“R-really?”

“Of course.”

Esther smiled—a serene and kind smile that could only be described as saintly.

Her calming demeanor made Dorothy finally let her guard down and adjust her posture.

“B-but why are you here so late at night? You scared me, showing up without a word.”

“Well, you see, we have a little gift for you.”

“A gift?”

“Yes.”

Esther glanced at Exia, who reluctantly pulled out something hidden in her coat—a large pound cake they had secretly obtained earlier from villagers at the foot of the mountain.

“This is…”

“A modest tribute for Lady Dorothea,” Esther said with a smile.

“Sien’s strict control over your meals has been a bit…excessive lately, hasn’t it?

You seemed so drained recently, so we took the liberty of bringing this for you. Please, eat it and regain your strength.”

“!”

Dorothy’s eyes sparkled, and she stood up straight.

Her mouth watered reflexively, but her wariness quickly returned.

“C-can I really eat this? It’s not a trap, is it?”

“Oh, come on, why would we trick you with something like this? It’s perfectly safe.”

“B-but you’re on that man’s side…you’re his allies, aren’t you?”

“Allies?! Please don’t lump us in with that scum!” Exia retorted sharply.

Her tone left no room for argument.

“I mean, seriously! Sien’s behavior is ridiculous. How could he treat a helpless child this harshly?

Just when I think he couldn’t disappoint me more, he breaks his own record. What is wrong with him?”

“Calm down, Exia,” Esther said with a strained smile, trying to soothe her.

Then she turned to Dorothy.

“I can understand how you feel about Sien. I know you can’t possibly have any positive feelings toward him. But please remember—he’s not truly a bad person.”

“He’s a bad person! A piece of garbage!”

Exia interrupted again, leaving Esther rubbing her temples in frustration.

“Ugh, bringing her was a mistake,” Esther muttered under her breath.

“Anyway, what I mean is that Sien doesn’t act this way out of malice. He has his own reasons.

His goal is to keep you from becoming arrogant or reckless, so you don’t end up hunted down by humans.”

“That doesn’t mean I agree with his methods, of course,” she added with a small cough.

After looking around carefully, Esther leaned closer to Dorothy and whispered,

“This is a secret, but we have a special trick to soothe Sien’s temper. Would you like to hear it?”

“Trick? To soothe his temper?”

Dorothy frowned, chewing on the cake she had already started eating.

“Why should I care about making that jerk happy? What’s in it for me?”

“It’s a bit like the North Wind and the Sun,” Esther explained.

“If you approach him gently, you might melt his cold heart. Who knows? If it works, you could spend the next four days in peace without being bullied.”

“…”

It was an appealing offer.

All Dorothy wanted was to escape this hell as soon as possible.

If swallowing a bit of her pride could make her life easier, she would do it without hesitation—her pride had been eroded to nothing long ago.

After some thought, Dorothy stuffed the rest of the cake into her mouth and said,

“Fine. What’s the trick? I’ll decide after hearing it.”

“Good attitude!” Esther said, smiling as she leaned closer to explain.

The explanation took about three minutes.

Three minutes later, Esther and Exia were struggling to calm a furious Dorothy, who was shouting,

“There’s no way I’m doing that!”