Chapter 124:  Interlude – Dorothy’s Story (5)

The next day, during lunch break.

“D-Do we really have to do this…? Can’t we just cancel it?”

“No way! You’re already here, and you want to back out now? What a waste!

Come on, gather your courage! Just close your eyes and get it over with this one time! Then the remaining four days will be so much easier!”

“……”

Dorothy was trembling in her human form. Her face flushed crimson with embarrassment.

It was her first time wearing such clothing in her entire life.

A “maid outfit,” as Esther called it.

A uniform worn by maids who serve important people in the human world, symbolizing servitude by its very existence.

Perhaps it was the symbolic nature of the attire, or perhaps it was because she had never worn clothes in her life before this, but Dorothy felt an overwhelming and inexplicable sense of shame in that moment.

It felt as though her scales had fallen away, leaving her bare skin completely exposed.

Only a dragon could truly understand this sensation…

Regardless, it was mortifying.

“I-I can’t do this! I just want to take it off and go back to normal!”

“Oh, no, you don’t!”

Esther grabbed Dorothy’s shoulders, wearing a mock stern expression.

“You have no idea how adorable—no, I mean, how great you look in this!

After coming this far, there’s no way I’m letting you run away. It would be a waste of the outfit!

Now, go quickly and do what we rehearsed!”

“Ugh… Ughhh…”

Under the forceful encouragement of Esther’s fervent determination, Dorothy finally gave in, lowering her head in resignation.

She clutched the hem of her skirt tightly with one hand and began to walk forward.

A little while later…

“S-Sien…”

“Hmm?”

Sien, who had been relaxing after finishing his meal, turned to see Dorothy approaching hesitantly.

She still held her skirt tightly in one hand, while the other carried a plate with clumsily sliced pieces of apple.

“T-This… I-I prepared this for you as dessert… I-I hope you’ll enjoy it…”

Dorothy stammered, her voice trembling.

This was the very “secret weapon” that Esther had taught her for winning Sien’s favor.

Sien appreciated when others went to the trouble of preparing handmade food for him—not elaborate main courses, but simple desserts like cookies or snacks.

The younger and less skillful the individual, the more effective it was.

No one really knew why this worked. Some speculated that it reminded him of gifts from a cherished younger sibling or niece from his past.

Others insisted it was more paternal, though such claims were often dismissed as overly speculative.

Regardless, the party had long known this was an effective strategy to placate or appeal to Sien.

Normally, the youngest-looking member, Exia, handled this role, but occasionally, they enlisted the help of others, such as a village elder’s daughter or street orphans.

It was a well-used repertoire over the past three years—so much so that Sien had become adept at spotting it instantly.

He raised an incredulous eyebrow, looking more bemused than surprised at Dorothy’s actions.

“Hah… This again? Who is it this time? Lier? Esther?”

“W-What?!”

Hearing Esther’s name, Dorothy froze in shock, her reaction causing Sien to chuckle faintly.

“Esther, huh? Figures. That shameless nun always comes up with these ridiculous ideas.”

“T-That’s not…”

“Don’t worry about it. She probably knew I’d catch on anyway.”

Sien wasn’t a fool.

After the same setup repeated itself a few times, he could easily tell that this was a ploy to tug at his soft side.

Yet, despite knowing this, he let it slide every time.

Why? Because it was a signal of sorts.

A plea from his party members: “Please don’t be too hard on this person (or this group). Be kind to them.”

It was their way of expressing themselves.

It might be meddlesome, but he didn’t dislike it. In fact, it was a warmth he had never felt during his time as a demon.

And that was the essence of a “secret weapon.” It was effective because, even when you saw through it, you couldn’t resist.

Sure enough, Sien’s voice softened noticeably as he spoke.

“Alright, let’s see. You said it’s apples? Bring them over.”

“Y-Yes, sir…”

Dorothy cautiously approached, holding out the plate.

At this moment, the atmosphere seemed peaceful. Sien was relatively relaxed, and his tone even carried a hint of kindness.

Though it was just a small change, it was enough to consider it a meaningful success.

Dorothy herself began to feel like the embarrassment had been worth it.

However, the next moment…

“…?”

Sien picked up a piece of apple from the plate, then suddenly frowned deeply. His sharp gaze scanned every inch of the apple’s surface.

A brief silence followed before his voice turned icy.

“Hey, puppy.”

“Y-Yes?!”

“What is this? Did you really cut this?”

“Huh?”

“You said you cut it yourself when you handed me the plate. Is that true? Did you really do this?”

Thump.

Dorothy felt as if her heart had stopped.

Her chest hollowed out, leaving an icy chill spreading through her entire body.

Sien’s piercing gaze swept over her before he spoke again, slowly and deliberately.

“I’ll give you one last chance to correct yourself. Did you cut this, or did Esther do it for you?

Don’t tell me you were too lazy to even cut an apple yourself in such an important moment.”

“T-That’s not…!”

No. Absolutely not.

Dorothy could confidently deny that she was lazy.

There was no way she would avoid cutting the apple herself just because it was troublesome.

But the truth was that Esther had cut the apple, and Dorothy presented it as her own work.

Not because she didn’t want to do it herself, but because she lacked the skill.

She had tried several times, but her clumsy hands only succeeded in nicking her fingers or crushing the apple completely.

In the end, Esther took over, telling Dorothy to pass it off as her own work. She never imagined Sien would figure it out.

Far away, watching from a distance, Esther gasped internally.

‘How did he notice?! I even made the cuts deliberately uneven to look amateurish!’

She bit her lip nervously, realizing the gravity of the situation. Sien despised being deceived more than anything else.

In reality, Sien greatly disliked being lied to, even though he himself lied as easily as breathing.

No matter how trivial the lie, he detested it.

Once, he had been so enraged at a merchant for overcharging him that he nearly killed the man, and it took the entire group to stop him.

This incident showed just how deep his hatred for lies ran.

Now, the liar in question was someone he constantly berated and scorned—hardly an ideal situation.

“No! If you act this way, all the effort I put into that last-ditch move will backfire!”

There was only one way to handle this situation: put on the most pitiful expression possible and deny everything.

Whatever it was, the clue found in the peeled apple wasn’t likely decisive.

Maybe, just maybe, she could bluff her way through.

Esther sent her decidedly un-saintlike thoughts telepathically to Dorothy, hoping her sincerity would get through.

However.

“Ugh…”

Dorothy, in a panic, rolled her eyes nervously and then hung her head.

Slowly, in a barely audible voice, she confessed,

“I’m sorry… The truth is, the nun peeled it for me. It wasn’t me…”

‘No!’

Esther screamed internally. It was the moment her last shred of hope crumbled.

Hearing this, Sien scowled darkly.

“So, you’re admitting you lied to me?”

“Y-yes… I’m sorry…”

Dorothy replied timidly, looking utterly defeated, as though she’d been trained too thoroughly to even attempt an excuse.

She seemed resigned, bracing herself for the slap that was surely coming.

“……”

Sien stared at her for a long moment. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, he said:

“Good job.”

“Huh?”

Both Dorothy and Esther stared at him, wide-eyed.

Did they mishear him? Good job? What part of this warranted praise?

Ignoring their confused gazes, Sien folded his arms and continued calmly,

“Lying was bad—that deserves punishment. But quickly admitting the truth without any excuses? That’s commendable.

Even if you know it’s the right thing to do, it’s not easy to actually follow through.

The first part might not, but the second part certainly deserves recognition.”

With that, Sien picked up a slice of the apple.

“Esther, in her clumsy attempt to peel it herself and make it look like your work, failed to fool me.

She’s left-handed, so she peels from the upper left to the lower right.

Right-handed people like you peel from the upper right to the lower left. It’s a small detail, not obvious at first glance, but the slope of the surface tells the story.”

‘Ah…!’

Esther gasped quietly from the corner.

She hadn’t expected him to notice such a small detail or deduce so much from it.

Observational skills like his were truly unmatched in the group.

“If you had clumsily tried to lie further, I would’ve been gravely disappointed in you—enough to possibly take your head within a week.

But you didn’t. You admitted it and bowed your head. Lying is wrong, but the attitude you showed afterward is exemplary.

You deserve praise for that. You did well.”

Sien finished speaking and stretched his hand toward the tense Dorothy.

Fearing the slap she anticipated, Dorothy flinched with a startled gasp.

But Sien didn’t hit her.

Instead, he placed his hand on her head and gently patted it.

Softly. Kindly.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you for this. I’ll overlook the offense of trying to deceive me, given your later display of conscience.”

“….!”

Dorothy looked up at Sien with wide, astonished eyes. Her voice trembled as she asked,

“You’ll really forgive me…?”

“Of course,” Sien replied without hesitation. “You’ve shown a praiseworthy side of yourself today.”

“…!”

At that moment, Dorothy felt her heart swell with happiness—not just relief from escaping a crisis but a deep, profound gratitude that touched her very soul.

It was like the satisfaction a priest might feel wiping sweat from their brow after a day of service or the elation a young man might feel after saving a child from a runaway carriage.

A pure, overwhelming joy that came from listening to her conscience and being acknowledged for it.

“Ah…”

Dorothy gazed at Sien with a dreamy, dazed expression.

For some reason, the man who had seemed so hateful only moments ago looked entirely different to her now.

She was grateful for his recognition. She was happy he praised her.

She was glad he was looking at her.

His hand, stroking her hair, felt warm and soft, not unpleasant in the least. If only she could stay like this, leaning into his arms—

“…!!”

Her train of thought was abruptly derailed as she yelped, her face turning red as an apple.

What had she just been thinking? That she wanted to hug him? This cruel tyrant, the man who had hurt her parents?

What is wrong with me?!

“I—I said get your hand off me!” Dorothy shoved his hand aside in a panic, her face flushed red and her breathing quickened.

And then—

Smack!

She didn’t even have time to finish her sentence before Sien’s hand flew back to deliver a sharp slap to her cheek.

The familiar sound of a strike echoed through the cave, as it had countless times over the past few days.

Dorothy stared at him in disbelief, her hand pressed to her stinging cheek.

“W-why…?”

“Don’t get cocky, you little wretch,” Sien growled coldly, his usual icy demeanor back.

He glared down at her, his voice laced with venom.

“Who said you could lay a hand on me? And speaking to me so informally—did a little praise make you forget your place?!”

“…….”

Dorothy froze, unsure how to react, her confusion and humiliation etched into her face.

Watching this unfold, Esther finally lost her patience and stepped forward.

“Huh? How long have you been—”

“Sien, I’m sorry, but are you completely insane?”

Her words carried nothing but sincerity.