Chapter 36: Everything I Have… Belongs to You
It wasn’t a question that required an answer. The answer was already there, in the way Celeste’s throat tightened, in the way the word escaped her lips, a breathless gasp of… surrender.
“Yes… Master.”
“It… It would be my honor.”
“Don’t be silly,” Adele said, a playful smile touching her lips. “You’re a Sequence Two, and I’m… well, I’m just a Sequence Five. It’s almost… laughable.”
She lay down beside Celeste, the narrow bed barely big enough for the two of them. They were pressed close together, their bodies touching from shoulder to hip, their warmth a comforting contrast to the cool sheets.
Celeste’s heart pounded in her chest, a painful rhythm that reminded her… that she was alive. And happy.
Adele, realizing that she couldn’t dissuade Celeste from using the term “Master,” sighed.
“Just… call me Adele when we’re in public, okay?” she said, her voice softening. “Let’s… pretend we’re friends.”
“You can call me ‘Master’… when we’re alone.”
“…Yes, Master.”
Adele didn’t need to ask. She could have simply ordered Celeste to obey. The magic crest would have ensured her compliance, twisting her thoughts, her desires, until even the most abhorrent command became… desirable.
But Celeste knew… that her obedience wasn’t forced. It was a choice, a willing surrender.
And she knew… that Adele hadn’t intended to claim her as a familiar, to become her master. It had been Celeste’s decision, her desperate attempt to find solace, to anchor herself to something… someone… who wouldn’t abandon her.
Adele, unaware of Celeste’s true intentions, had trusted her, had shared her magic, her very essence, with her. It had been a reckless act, a display of trust that Celeste could have easily exploited.
Even now… Adele was playing along, humoring her, offering comfort to a broken soul.
Celeste knew… that deep down, Adele didn’t want to be her master. She craved equality, a connection built on mutual respect, not on dominance and submission. She would never treat Celeste like a… dog.
Her words, her commands, her demands for obedience… they were all an act, a way to indulge Celeste’s fantasies, to make the game feel… real.
After all, hadn’t she said, “Let’s pretend we’re friends”?
Someone who truly desired power, who enjoyed wielding it over others… they wouldn’t say such a thing.
In Celeste’s eyes, Adele had become a saint, a beacon of light in a world shrouded in darkness. And she… she was Adele’s first convert, her chosen disciple.
The more she thought about it, the more her love for Adele intensified, a burning flame that consumed her doubts, her fears, her insecurities.
To be Adele’s dog… It’s a dream come true…
The magic crest pulsed with a wicked pink light, a testament to her devotion, her surrender.
………………
Celeste gazed at Adele, her eyes filled with adoration, their faces inches apart. Adele, meeting her gaze, reached out, her arm wrapping around Celeste’s waist, pulling her closer.
“The bed is a little small,” she murmured, her voice soft and apologetic. “We might fall off… Is it okay if I… hold you?”
Even though she was now Celeste’s master, bound to her by a magic crest that ensured her absolute obedience, Adele continued to play the role of the damsel in distress, the delicate flower in need of protection.
It was a wise strategy. After all, villains who revealed their true colors too soon often met… untimely ends.
And Celeste… well, she was more than capable of turning the tables, of reclaiming her power.
Adele’s magic was weak, insignificant compared to Celeste’s. Her control over Celeste stemmed from Celeste’s own willingness to submit, her desire to be… controlled.
Normally, it was the master’s magic, their powerful essence, that slowly corrupted the familiar’s mind, twisting their thoughts, their desires, until they became nothing more than an extension of their master’s will. And if a familiar dared to disobey… well, the master could easily crush their magic circuits, turning them into a powerless cripple, or even… ending their life.
But in this case… it was Celeste’s own will, her own desires, that were driving this… transformation.
Self-inflicted brainwashing… it was the most potent kind.
As for Adele’s ability to damage Celeste’s magic circuits… well, it was like trying to demolish a bridge with a firecracker. She could use up every firecracker in the world, and it wouldn’t make a dent.
Other masters wielded magic like bombs, like landmines, like… nuclear weapons.
Adele… she had a firecracker.
The difference was… significant.
So, anyone who thought Adele would become arrogant, complacent, after becoming Celeste’s master… well, they were sorely mistaken.
Adele was well aware of her limitations.
Besides, Celeste… she was already so obedient, so… eager to please.
Her face, flushed with a delicate blush, was so adorable, so tempting… Adele couldn’t resist teasing her, testing the boundaries of her control.
Her hand, as if guided by an invisible force, drifted down to Celeste’s abdomen, her fingers tracing the outline of the magic crest through the thin fabric of her shirt.
A beautiful heart, encasing a burning flame, its heat controlled by Adele’s will.
Celeste’s breath hitched, her body trembling beneath Adele’s touch.
Celeste, the one who held all the power, the one who should be in control… she was now the vulnerable one, the one who had surrendered, who had given up her freedom, her will… everything.
“You’re a fire manipulator,” Adele murmured, her voice a seductive whisper. “Shouldn’t you be… Hermione’s natural enemy?”
In reality, there was no inherent conflict between ice and fire. It all depended on the strength of the manipulator, the intensity of their magic. Fire could melt ice, but ice could also extinguish flames.
But Adele wanted to… provoke a reaction.
And Celeste, her mind clouded by her newfound devotion, took the bait.
“…I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice thick with shame. “My bloodline is weak, my magic… unrefined. And my circuits…”
She couldn’t help but apologize.
“Well, that’s unfortunate,” Adele said, her voice laced with a playful mock-disappointment. She looked at Celeste, her gaze softening, her expression almost… fond.
“But it’s okay,” she added, her voice regaining its warmth. “Even if you’re useless, Celeste… I still like you~”
“After all, who else would care about a useless girl like you?”
Her words, though seemingly cruel, were delivered with a playful lilt, a teasing tone that made Celeste’s heart flutter with a strange mixture of shame and… gratitude?
“It’s… It’s true,” she murmured, her gaze dropping to the bedsheets.
“Only you care about me, Master,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I… I have no one else but you…”
And in that moment, the shame, the humiliation, was overshadowed by a wave of… relief? Belonging?
Adele, her useless, pathetic self… she cared. She had accepted Celeste, had offered her friendship, had chosen to… be with her.
To be Adele’s dog… It’s a dream come true…
Adele, watching Celeste’s eyes well up with tears, her gratitude so intense that it was almost… comical, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of… something.
These girls are so easy to manipulate…
Guilt? Maybe a little. But not much.
After all… Celeste had tried to hurt her, hadn’t she?
It was… atonement.
Adele closed her eyes, a wave of contentment washing over her. Even with Hermione, she had always felt a certain level of… anxiety. But now… she felt completely at ease.
Perhaps it was because… she liked dogs.
Dogs were loyal. They wouldn’t betray you, no matter how weak you were, no matter how easily they could overpower you.
Cats… well, they were a different story. She would need to be stronger, more confident, before she could even consider taming a cat.
As for wolves, foxes…
I’m so greedy…
Her thoughts drifted, her eyelids growing heavy. The nurse had excused her from class, and Celeste, as a Sequence Two, could skip class without any consequences.
So…
“Celeste… let’s take a nap,” she murmured, her voice soft and sleepy. “We can have lunch when we wake up. You’re rich, right? I want something… expensive~”
She snuggled closer to Celeste, her arms wrapping around her neck, her words a playful demand.
Celeste’s cheeks burned, her voice a stammering mess.
“Y-Yes… Master… I have… money. Please… spend it as you wish. Everything I have… belongs to you…”
So, she had gained not only a loyal dog, but a bottomless wallet as well.
A puppy-shaped piggy bank?
Adele smiled, her eyelids finally fluttering closed as she drifted off to sleep.
She was, in many ways, a terrible person.
But Celeste, gazing at her sleeping face, her heart beating in time with Adele’s gentle breaths… she didn’t care.
Every beat was a symphony of love.
