Chapter 55: In a Small Room

The invisible barrier had already quietly unfolded, isolating the room from the outside world.

“Meown?!”

Phyllis felt the world spin around her.

By the time she realized what was happening, Carola had already pinned her down.

The last thing Phyllis could see was Carola’s long white hair cascading down like a waterfall, the tips brushing against her cheeks, bringing a ticklish sensation.

Carola loomed over Phyllis, her blood-red eyes—still bright even in the dimly lit room—staring at her without blinking.

Whether it was just her imagination or not, Phyllis could detect a hint of scrutiny and… displeasure? in Carola’s gaze.

“Was it… fun?”

Phyllis unconsciously repeated Carola’s question, her blue eyes filled with confusion.

“Splashing around in the bath with everyone else? It was… pretty fun, meow…”

Phyllis thought that was what Carola was asking about.

“Besides splashing around in the bath, there’s also…”

Carola’s voice dropped lower as she leaned in closer, her breath brushing against Phyllis’s reddened ear.

“I mean, how did it feel being stared at by all those cat people when you came out? Was it fun? My Phyllis?”

Carola stressed that last title very lightly.

Phyllis finally realized what Carola was referring to.

“That… I didn’t want to be stared at, meow!”

Phyllis tried to defend herself, her cheeks growing even redder from embarrassment.

“I don’t know why it turned out that way…”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Carola reached out a finger, gently stroking the ends of Phyllis’s hair, then traced down the smooth contour of her cheek, pausing at her collarbone and lightly drawing circles.

“It seems my little kitten accidentally—or unintentionally—turns into a little menace that steals everyone’s soul~”

“I’m not a menace!”

Phyllis couldn’t help but retort, feeling a bit of defiance at Carola’s possessive tone as if something of hers was being coveted.

“Besides, High Priestess Aiona said this is my talent, and I should make good use of it… mmph!”

Before Phyllis could finish her words, she felt a slight sting and a familiar tingling numbness at her neck.

Feeding time had arrived.

Phyllis could tell that this time Carola’s bloodsucking felt different from usual—it carried a hint of punishment, a bit heavier than normal but still perfectly controlled, not enough to actually hurt her.

Squelch, squelch~

As the blood continued to flow out, Phyllis felt darkness creeping into her vision, and her body seemed to grow a little lighter.

‘Come to think of it, if I begged Carola to suck away some of my excess fat, wouldn’t that mean I wouldn’t have to worry about dieting anymore? I could eat to my heart’s content!’

Due to anemia, Phyllis’s mind began to wander into wild thoughts.

Fortunately, Carola carefully controlled the amount of blood she was taking.

Just as Phyllis’s face started to turn a bit pale, Carola stopped.

Following the principle of not wasting anything, Carola licked clean the tiny residual blood beads on Phyllis’s neck, then lifted her head.

Phyllis could see that the displeasure in Carola’s eyes had dissipated somewhat, replaced by an even more extreme emotion.

Carola looked down at Phyllis, whose eyes were a bit dazed, and lightly tapped the tip of her nose with a fingertip.

“Make good use of it? Use it on whom?” Carola snorted.

“Other than me, I won’t allow anyone else to look at you with that kind of expression. If I ever see it again…”

Carola didn’t finish, but the threat was unmistakable.

“You’re so… domineering…”

Phyllis muttered under her breath.

“My little kitten, what did you say?”

Carola narrowed her eyes.

“N-nothing, meow!”

Phyllis immediately backed down, nuzzling Carola’s wrist ingratiatingly with her cheek.

“Ahh~ I’m tired, I want to sleep now, meow…”

Carola stared at Phyllis for a few seconds before finally rolling over to lie beside her, still pulling her into an embrace.

Phyllis closed her eyes.

‘What is Carola doing?’

Not long after, Phyllis secretly opened one eye to peek at Carola.

And then she saw Carola still staring at her.

Naturally, Carola noticed Phyllis was faking sleep.

Phyllis smiled apologetically, then opened both eyes to meet Carola’s gaze.

One second passed. One minute passed…

Whether it was because she hadn’t fed in the past few days or not,

Phyllis felt that the yandere vibe in Carola’s eyes was so thick it was practically overflowing.

“…Carola.”

Phyllis called out softly.

“Call me Master.”

Carola’s arm tightened a little.

“Master… were you just jealous?”

Seeing that Carola seemed to be in a decent mood, Phyllis boldly asked.

“You know the answer, so why ask!”

Carola decided to give Phyllis a little lesson.

Got it!

Smack~

Carola lightly slapped Phyllis’s bottom.

“Hey!”

Phyllis’s entire body trembled at the hit—not from the pain, but from another sensation.

How… how could she hit there?

“Meown! H-how can you hit me there!”

Phyllis was both embarrassed and angry, trying to break free from Carola’s arms, but the arms held her like iron hoops.

“Punishment.”

Carola’s words were concise, a glint of pleasure flashing in her blood-red eyes.

“For a disobedient little kitten who knows the answer but asks anyway, this is the punishment.”

“I’m not disobedient!”

Phyllis squirmed in defiance.

Carola said nothing, simply looking at Phyllis.

“Ahh, don’t be mad anymore, meow~”

Eventually, Phyllis conceded first.

She curled deeper into Carola’s embrace, her forehead pressing against Carola’s collarbone.

“Yes, I was jealous.”

Carola admitted it.

“I don’t like it. I don’t like them looking at you, I don’t like them getting close to you, and I definitely don’t like… any possibility, however slight, that you might belong to someone else.”

As she spoke, Carola gently rubbed the spot she had just slapped, her movements tender.

“Because you’re my possession!”

“I’m not a ‘possession’…”

Phyllis mumbled in protest.

“From the moment we signed the master-servant contract, you were! Sometimes, I really want to hide you away, hide you in a place where only the moonlight and I know.”

Carola sighed.

“Th-that would be way too boring, meow~ Besides, right now, I only feel the safest when I’m by your side.”

Phyllis finished speaking and immediately buried her face in Carola’s neck, not wanting the other to see her burning red face.

“So… so stop being jealous for no reason, you idiot Master.”

Carola was stunned by Phyllis’s words.

An almost scorching sense of satisfaction filled her heart.

She tightened her arms, pressing the soft, warm little body deep into her embrace, as if she wanted to merge it into her very bones and blood.

“Remember what you said.”

Carola kissed the tip of Phyllis’s ear, her voice a bit hoarse.

“Okay! I’m going to sleep now.”

Phyllis felt her eyelids growing heavy.

“Sleep well.”

Carola listened to the gradually steady breathing in her arms, feeling the warmth of Phyllis’s body seeping through the fabric, driving away some of the night’s chill.

She silently watched the defenseless sleeping face of her adorable little one in her arms, then looked at the moonlight outside the window.

She remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, Carola let out a sigh-like whisper.

“I really… like you more and more each day~”