Chapter 35: Only I Won’t Abandon You
Adele loved porcelain, jade, anything smooth and pristine. In a way, everyone harbored a touch of the dragon, a desire to hoard beautiful treasures. But broken things held no appeal.
Celeste, once dazzlingly beautiful, now resembled a shattered vase, a cracked gem, her radiance dimmed by the scars that marred her skin.
Adele disliked this. Not necessarily out of some overflowing well of compassion. She simply preferred her possessions to be… intact. A broken dog, after all, wasn’t much use.
This wasn’t to say she was heartless. Celeste simply hadn’t fully proven her worth, her devotion.
It was still too soon for Adele to feel genuine sympathy, let alone affection, for someone who had tried to hurt her, even if that person had since paid the price.
However, Celeste’s actions had undeniably softened Adele’s heart.
She’s so foolish… To surrender her power, her freedom, to a powerless Sequence Five like Adele… it was a gesture that touched a chord within her, sparking a genuine concern for the other girl, a warmth that wasn’t just an act.
“Does it hurt? Just bear with it a little longer…” she said, her voice soft and soothing. “The nurse said this potion works quickly, and it won’t leave any scars.”
She dabbed a cotton swab, soaked in a strange-smelling potion, onto Celeste’s wounds, her touch gentle, her movements precise. She was grateful that the nurse hadn’t revealed the ingredients or the process involved in creating this arcane concoction.
Sometimes, ignorance was bliss. It was like enjoying a delicious dish, only to be completely repulsed once you discovered what it was actually made of.
Adele had decided that she would never inquire about the ingredients of any potion she had to consume in the future. As long as it worked, she would simply swallow it and be done with it.
Celeste, however, vaguely remembered that the key ingredient in this potion was the saliva of some kind of fire ant that feasted on decaying flesh. Which explained the burning, stinging sensation that accompanied its application, and why, despite its effectiveness in treating scars, it wasn’t a popular choice, leaving the infirmary with a surplus of the stuff.
But Celeste endured the pain, finding a strange… pleasure in it?
She wasn’t a masochist, not really. But if it was for Adele… perhaps she could learn to enjoy a little pain.
Everyone needed something to live for. And in her darkest hour, when she had been at her most vulnerable, it had been Adele who had reached out to her, offering comfort, forgiveness… even friendship?
“I… I’ll… I’ll be strong, Adele… Master,” she whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of pain and… something else. Something that sounded suspiciously like… joy?
Adele nodded, her expression becoming distant, her gaze cool and detached as she focused on her task. For a moment, she had forgotten to maintain her facade, to project the image of the sweet, innocent Adele.
But even if Celeste eventually realized that she was being manipulated, that her devotion was being exploited… would it even matter? By then, she would be so deeply entrenched, so utterly devoted, that nothing else would matter except… being near Adele.
Celeste, blinded by her adoration, saw only Adele’s attentiveness, her focus, her… care.
Adele, realizing that she had slipped, quickly donned her mask, her expression softening, her voice regaining its warmth as she continued her ministrations.
Time seemed to stand still as she meticulously treated Celeste’s wounds, her touch lingering, her gaze gentle.
By the time she was finished, Celeste’s legs, her knees, her wrists, her neck… they were all covered in the pungent-smelling potion, its scent clinging to her skin, a constant reminder of Adele’s touch.
Celeste felt a pang of guilt. She was… making her Master endure her… stench.
And Adele was the one who was sick, the one who should be resting. Yet, here she was, tending to Celeste’s wounds, her own discomfort forgotten.
Overwhelmed by these thoughts, Celeste tried to sit up.
“Celeste? What are you doing? I told you to rest.”
Adele’s voice was soft, but there was an underlying firmness to it, a subtle shift in their dynamic that spoke of… ownership?
She was starting to understand the true extent of her power, the absolute control she now wielded over Celeste’s mind and body.
Celeste, unable to resist the command, her heart fluttering at the subtle change in Adele’s tone, lay back down, her gaze fixed on Adele’s face, her body trembling with a mixture of anticipation and… something else. Something she couldn’t quite name.
Adele, her gaze softening, reached out, her fingers tracing the last remaining scar on Celeste’s face, the one on her cheek, the mark of Hermione’s punishment.
The icy blue magic didn’t harm Adele’s fingers. But as it pulsed beneath her touch, Celeste winced, a flicker of pain crossing her face.
“Hermione really went overboard, didn’t she?” Adele murmured, her thoughts drifting to… unpleasant possibilities. “Maybe I should…”
“No! Please, Master… don’t confront Hermione!” Celeste blurted out, her voice thick with panic. “If it means… if it means you have to… to beg her… I’d rather live with this scar forever.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she added, her voice softening. “It’ll fade in a few days. A week, at most.”
Adele’s gaze hardened, her eyes turning icy, silencing Celeste’s pleas.
But then… her expression softened, a flicker of her former warmth returning to her eyes.
She couldn’t change too quickly, too drastically. Celeste needed time to adjust, to accept her new reality.
“But you promised… to obey me,” she said, her voice soft yet firm. “To be my dog.”
“Do you really… accept me as your Master?”
She trailed her fingers down Celeste’s cheek, her touch lingering on the sensitive skin of her neck, then slowly moving lower, towards the mark on her abdomen…
Celeste trembled, her eyes welling up with tears. The magic crest, responding to Adele’s touch, her words, flared to life, sending waves of pain through her body. She felt a bone-chilling cold, followed by a searing heat, as if she were being consumed by flames.
But the worst part… was the emptiness, the feeling of… abandonment.
A familiar’s world revolved around their master. If their master abandoned them…
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry!” she cried, her voice breaking.
“You’ll always be my Master, Adele,” she said, her voice regaining its strength, her words a desperate plea. “I’ll… I’ll know my place…”
“I’m… I’m just a dog at your feet, Adele!” she sobbed. “I’ll lick your shoes, clean the dirt from beneath your fingernails… anything! Just… please… don’t abandon me…”
The magic crest, amplifying her emotions, her desperation, forced the words from her lips, a torrent of devotion and self-abasement.
Adele, watching Celeste crumble before her, her once-proud demeanor replaced by a pathetic desperation, felt a surge of… satisfaction? Power?
She couldn’t deny the thrill, the sense of… ownership.
Her pink eyes sparkled with a dangerous light, her lips curving into a predatory smile.
She reached out, her fingers gently stroking Celeste’s golden hair, her touch both a reward and a reminder of… who was in control.
And under Adele’s touch, Celeste’s fear subsided, replaced by a sense of… peace. A security she had never known before. It was as if, in that moment, she could escape the world, her worries, her pain… everything.
She was lost in Adele’s touch, her voice, her words weaving a spell of comfort, of belonging.
“As long as you’re obedient, Celeste…” Adele murmured, her voice a seductive whisper.
“I’ll never abandon you.”
“Others might mock you, belittle you, insult you…”
“But I won’t. Never.”
“So please, Celeste… don’t worry about what others think.”
“Your eyes… they should only see me. Your thoughts… they should only be of me. Of what I need, of what you can do for me.”
“There’s no room for anyone else… understand?”
Adele is a natural sadist lol