MTFBMP Chapter 39

“…”

 

“And why is this a wound from Adele?”

 

It was a scar from being pushed against a wall the day we first kissed in contract.

 

Not that the other animals’ cages were comfortable, but Adele’s was unusually bad. 

 

There were no walls for Adele to run to and fro as a flying beast. In fact, the space itself was a weapon.

 

And Adele knew it, so from that day forward, he never pushed me against a wall. 

 

No wonder Adele never let me sit on the floor. Every time I tried to lean or sit down somewhere, his giant wings were underneath me.

 

There was a blanket I had snuck in, but it was only for him, not me. Adele preferred to sit me on top of him or trap me.

 

“It’s just a scratch anyway, it’ll heal quickly.”

 

It was a minor scratch, nothing compared to Adele’s.

 

“You’ve been under the care of the master of this ship.”

 

I could feel Adele’s tongue darting to the wound again, then pausing.

 

“Though I’d hardly call it healing.”

 

It was appreciated, but it was more like overtreatment.

 

“It won’t happen again, and if Adele is good in the first place, I won’t get hurt.”

 

“If you say so yourself.”

 

Adele seemed to feel a little better now that I had answered.

 

“But how long are you going to hold me?”

 

I asked, taking advantage of the moment.

 

“Just a little longer… as long as I’ve been deprived of you.”

 

“…Is it because I came late today that you didn’t have the strength?”

 

“Hmph.”

 

Adele snorted, as if he were a beast. What I said was the right answer.

 

“Sorry I’m late, but I had no choice.”

 

The ship’s party was set for tomorrow.

It was supposed to be a light-hearted, low-key celebration, but there was still quite a bit to prepare.

 

Not being able to help in the kitchen was not something I wanted to do on a day like this. I asked Dion to help me move around the ship and help me with chores. 

 

Besides, the day would be hectic, so I was discussing with Dion the information we should have exchanged beforehand.

 

“The most effective thing to tame a beast is a time commitment. Perhaps you should learn this from me, Master?”

 

Adele’s voice sounded a little husky as he said it, and that stirred my guilt.

 

It was a cheeky thing to say to a Master, but I decided to ignore it.

 

“When are we leaving this ship?”

 

Being a flying creature, being in the middle of the ocean probably doesn’t seem like much of a constraint to him. 

 

I’d intended to pet him with that in mind, too, but it was a surprise that Adele brought it up first.

 

“Do you ever want to leave this ship?”

 

“If I can. As soon as possible.”

 

Why would he be so desperate to escape? It’s understandable that he’s uncomfortable in prison. 

 

But Adele had never shown it.

 

At the same time, I wondered.

 

“Then why didn’t you just leave prison?”

 

After all, if he had wanted to, he could have flown out anytime.

 

The thought of lugging around huge wings seemed like a burden. If the wounds prevented him from flying, the wings were just a cumbersome burden.

 

“That way, it would be easier for my Master to find me.”

 

“Is that the only reason?”

 

“Not just that, but everything.”

 

Adele had been so quick to grumble at my late arrival, it was… odd to see him moving only at my command and enduring such impatient waiting.

 

“Can you hide your wings?”

 

Adele could now shift between animal and human form at will, but kept the wings in any of them.

 

“I can, but it’s probably best not to do it now.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because if you do, the power will gather inside and end up regurgitated.”

 

“Regurgitate?”

 

Maybe it was because I was thinking about overmedication earlier, but it sounded like something along those lines.

 

“If it backs up, it’s a surge, so we’d better get a little more treatment to stop that.”

 

As if that were an excuse, Adele hugged me a little tighter.

 

“You do remember about the rampage, don’t you, Master?”

 

Adele doubled down to make sure I didn’t pull away, and when he said it, it was hard for me to stop him from holding me.

 

“If it’s showing any signs of a rampage, we’ll have to copulate…”

 

“Squeeze me harder, Adele. You said it needed to be treated.”

 

When I interrupted, Adele’s nose twitched with a smirk. There was still time to relax.

 

“So when does my master intend to leave this ship?”

 

Adele asked again, as if this was the one question that deserved an answer. Evidently, he didn’t like this ship at all.

 

“It shouldn’t be too long.”

 

Dion felt bad for him. But traveling with Adele to the Empire was not an option for me.

 

‘If it was the original Adelaine, I’m sure he would have wanted to go to the Empire.’

 

There was a sense that I was doing a disservice to both men.

 

‘I can’t keep Adele as my pet forever.’

 

If I ever found a way to be completely safe, I would have to let Adele go. In that sense, the agreement had an end.

 

“Let’s heal Adele’s wound, and then we can think about it.”

 

In order to fly from where they were to land, they would need to replenish their energy as well as repair the wings.

 

“I can still fly as it is.”

 

“No, you can’t. You have to be perfectly healed.”

 

Adele nuzzled his nose against my shoulder in frustration again. I laughed a little and patted him gently on the back of the head.

 

If Adele had been playing a trick on me, I would have felt like I’d been punched in the face with this conversation. It was like a shot in the heart.

 

“You underestimate me.”

 

It was one of the things I’d been thinking lately. 

 

Adele had a way of being needlessly stubborn, and while I didn’t hate it, and more often than not wanted to give in to it, I couldn’t back down on this one.

 

“No, you can’t. It’s not like you’re flying alone, and I have to ride.”

 

Heck, I’m even lending him my underwear to help him, which is useless unless it’s a perfect fit.

 

“Hmm. Well, why don’t you get on my back first?”

 

With that, Adele pushes himself off me before I could push him off.

 

“Adele?”

 

Adele, who had been behind me, walked forward and sat down on one knee with his back exposed. He gestured for me to climb on his back.

 

“Hop on.”

 

I chuckled.

 

“There’s no point in climbing on when you’re human.”

 

Besides, Adele’s broad back was covered in giant wings. 

 

It wasn’t a back to climb on, and I felt a little embarrassed, like I was trying to seduce a dragonfly by asking it to come over and play with me.

 

“You mean not in human form.”

 

With that, he turned back into his animal form without a second thought.

 

‘So casual.’

 

It was something the original Adelaine would never have done. Unless it was necessary, Adelaine didn’t want to reveal the beast form.

 

‘Because it’s Adele in front of me.’

 

Before I knew it, I was comparing Adele to Adelaine.

 

The flying beast eventually sat down on its back for me to climb on. It was so big, it felt like a giant yellow door in sight.

 

I scooted up so I could get a better look at its back. 

 

Flat on its back, standing on its own two feet, it looked slightly larger than a standing horse.

 

With Adele’s powers, it could have grown even larger. 

 

Perhaps it was the tiny size of the prison, but I wondered if he was being considerate of me.

 

“It shouldn’t be too hard to climb in.”

 

With that, I patted Adele’s back. The muscles of his back, bulging beneath my palm, quivered finely.

 

“Do you want me to get a saddle or bridle or something?”

“I won’t stop you if you want to.”

 

It was a joke, but Adele was serious. I shrugged unnecessarily. I felt like a pervert, putting a leash on Adele when he wasn’t even a real animal.

 

“Will that make us leave any faster?”

 

“No.”

 

No matter how much he tried to persuade me, my answer was always no.