Chapter 15.2

Who in their right mind would trust someone who barged in and casually demanded their heart?

Still keeping her distance, Edith cautiously asked, “Master Agni, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what exactly do you mean by ‘fragment’?”

“It’s one of my scales. An object imbued with a dragon’s power. You humans call such things ‘divine artifacts.’”

“A divine artifact?”

Edith’s eyes widened as the unexpected revelation sank in. She repeated the words, almost as if she needed to hear them again to believe it.

“You’re saying I’ve been carrying a divine artifact inside my heart?”

“Yup. And you’ve had it for quite a while now.”

Was this similar to Lucion’s situation? No. She must’ve had it for much longer—long enough for the fragment to fuse with her heart entirely.

Agni reached down, plucking a single scale from his body. He held it out to her.

The scale was about the size of a fingernail and shimmered with a soft crimson glow, resembling a beautifully crafted glass sculpture.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Of course it is. That’s why plenty of greedy humans have tried to get their hands on it.”

His fist clenched around the scale as his lips curled in disdain. Stupid humans.

“This kind of power isn’t something mere humans can handle. You’ve felt it, haven’t you? Like you’re burning up? Like your body’s on fire sometimes?”

“Yes. I-I have.”

Edith nodded vigorously, startled by how accurately he described her symptoms.

“Then you’d better learn to control that power soon. Unless you’re fine with dying, that is.”

Agni smirked, tapping Edith’s round cheeks.

“Be careful not to let the power consume you, little miss.”

“But how? You would know, right, Master Agni? You’re the mighty dragon!”

“Of course I know how. But seriously, you’re so soft.”

Poke.

Squiiish.

Poke, poke.

Agni’s playful poking quickly turned into outright squishing as his fingers squeezed her cheeks, kneading them like dough.

Edith just let him enjoy himself, allowing him to play with her cheeks like a toy.

So what if he was squishing her cheeks? Agni was her lifeline right now.

“Master Agni, won’t you please teach me? I’m truly desperate,” she pleaded, grabbing his wrist.

Just then, the door swung open.

“Edith, I brought you something to—”

“L-Lucion!”

Splat. The ice cream Lucion was holding slipped from his hand, splattering onto the floor.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

‘Oh no. This looks so bad.’

Cold sweat trickled down the back of Edith’s neck.

Agni’s large hand was still gripping her small face, while Edith’s red-rimmed eyes stared up at him. Her hand was clinging to his wrist.

To any outsider, it looked like she was being mistreated.

“Hello, young lord,” Agni greeted calmly.

But Lucion’s shocked expression quickly twisted into a terrifying mix of rage and contempt.

“How dare you put your hands on her! Let go of her this instant!”

In a flash, Lucion was at Edith’s side, prying Agni’s hand off her face with more force than necessary.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but Lucion, please listen to me—”

But Lucion wasn’t listening. His eyes zeroed in on the faint red marks left on her cheeks.

His jaw clenched so hard it was a wonder he didn’t crack a tooth.

“You d*mn filthy pervert.”

Agni raised a brow at the insult.

“My lord, could you please stop throwing the word ‘pervert’ around every time you open your mouth? Or is that the only insult you know?”

“Shut up and go hang yourself, you pedophile.”

“Wow. That’s harsh. Do you really have to compare me to the kind of scum I loathe the most?”

“That you loathe? Don’t make me laugh, You’re just as disgusting as those bastards.”

Humoring him at first, Agni’s expression darkened as Lucion continued hurling venomous words.

Meanwhile, Edith was screaming internally.

He may seem laid-back, but he’s a dragon! A dragon!

“Lucion, stop it. You’re misunderstanding! Master Agni didn’t do anything! I swear!”

She desperately held onto Lucion’s arm, trying to hold him back, but that only made him turn his frustration on her.

“Didn’t do anything? Look at you! How many times have I told you to be careful around these weirdos?!”

“I was being careful!”

How was I supposed to avoid a dragon when he was using magic? Edith swallowed back the remark.

If Lucion found out that Agni had even used magic to restrain her, he would lose it for sure.

“Huh? I’m not a weirdo, though,” Agni chimed in, overhearing their bickering.

Lucion scoffed. “Classic response from a criminal.”

“I came here to be her teacher, you know.”

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

Agni’s declaration froze both of them in place. His lips stretched into a wide grin, clearly enjoying how much he was getting under Lucion’s skin.

“Young lord, I’m your cute little wife’s new teacher.”