Taming the Protagonist

Chapter 41: Cold cell part two

Without sleep, one realizes how long the night truly is.

Both Anselm and Hitana had experienced such endless nights—Anselm through relentless training and study, Hitana through countless ambushes waiting for prey until dawn.

Now, in this cell, with its cold, dark, moldy, and foul air, Anselm, who brought a book, had no intention of sleeping, and the environment made it hard for Hitana to rest normally.

The two seemed at peace, one sitting by the bed, the other curled in the corner, waiting for the twelve-hour punishment to pass.

But Anselm knew well how complex Hitana’s emotions were now, calculating the time while reading and thinking.

He came to accept the same punishment as Hitana—this wasn’t false; it was indeed a rule he set for himself. But at the same time... the small training and punishment he prepared for this were, of course, also real.

After all, the two weren’t mutually exclusive.

“Hitana.” Anselm gently turned a page, “Do you remember the reward?”

The girl in the corner, hearing Anselm call her name, had her ears twitch under her tousled hair. At the mention of “reward,” after a brief blankness, she quickly recalled.

“...Reward? You mean punishment, don’t you?”

Hitana isn't very resistant now.

In terms of learning, she couldn’t deny Anselm had broadened her perspective and thinking.

Without him, she’d have died that night.

No! Without him, she wouldn’t have been attacked in the first place!

At this thought, the girl huffed, turning her head to stare at the wall.

“We’ll talk about that later.”

Anselm closed his book briefly, smiling gently at Hitana: “I just want to ask if you remember what reward I promised you.”

“How could I forget!”

Anselm’s punishments or rewards always hit Hitana’s weak spots.

She said irritably: “Let me return to the village, provide training supplies for free, seven days!”

Anselm studied the young wolf curled in the corner, her black velvet cloak making her look fuzzy, slightly annoyed but not hateful, her sulky expression almost cute.

The young Hydra coughed lightly, smiling as if wagging an invisible tail: “What if I said I’d give you this reward?”

“...”

Hitana turned her head, her slightly puffed cheeks facing Anselm, looking dumbfounded.

“You... what did you say?” After a long pause, she cried out in disbelief, “Are you serious?”

Anselm raised an eyebrow: “Do I often joke with you?”

“But... no, that’s not right. Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?”

Hitana stared at Anselm warily: “Are you plotting some scheme? Planning something while I’m gone?”

The handsome young noble couldn’t help but laugh: “When you’re here, what can you do about my plans, Miss Hitana?”

Teasing the proud, fierce female wolf until her face flushed always delighted Anselm.

He continued, smiling: “As for the reason, it’s what you did today.”

“What I did... today?”

Hitana, slow to process, pointed at herself: “You said I caused trouble, and you’re rewarding me?”

“I mean your response afterward.”

Anselm said leisurely: “You insisted on being strictly punished by law, and during this, not only did I not protect you, I actively accepted the same punishment as you.”

He crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hand, squinting with a smile: “The guards are witnesses.”

“By tomorrow morning, my reputation will rise another notch.”

“Dear Hitana...” The great deceiver Hydra tilted his head, “You gave me such a great opportunity; how could I not reward you?”

“You, you!”

Miss Young Wolf shot to her feet, chains rattling, shouting in fury: “And you said you came here for me!”

“I did come for you; that’s just a side effect.”

Anselm’s brows lifted slightly, his expression playful: “What’s wrong, Hitana, can’t accept that I’m not suffering just for you?”

Not fully grasping the meaning, Hitana answered without thinking: “Nonsense! I don’t want to be used by you! You said you wouldn’t lie to me!”

This time, Anselm paused briefly. He looked at Hitana’s angry face for two or three seconds, then showed a rare, pure smile of genuine happiness—though only for a moment.

“Of course.” The boy’s voice softened, “I won’t deceive you, Hitana, I promise.”

“...That’s more like it.”

The girl muttered, sitting back down.

She seemed only upset that Anselm might have lied, not dwelling on him using her to boost his reputation.

In Miss Young Wolf’s simple, straightforward view, Anselm going this far... wasn’t hypocritical.

—She was still nauseous from that damn slop! That guy eating it without flinching wasn’t human! That wasn’t just “suffering a bit.”

“So...” Hitana, resting her chin on her knees, sneakily glanced at Anselm, “I can go back anytime?”

“As soon as possible,” Anselm replied, “There are plans for you later.”

“Then I’ll leave tomorrow.”

The impulsive Hitana didn’t hesitate: “Make sure to prepare the supplies.”

Anselm nodded, his smile growing brighter, while Hitana vaguely sensed a hint of danger.

“Then next, we should talk about the ‘punishment.’”

“...” The girl’s joyful expression froze.

She glanced at Anselm, then at the sleeping man in the opposite cell, “H-Here?”

“You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“I...”

Hitana bit her lip, her voice softening weakly: “Tomorrow, a bit later is fine.”

“But I think now is perfect.” Anselm looked at her with a beaming smile, “What do you think I’ll do, Hitana?”

“You... you’re not allowed to do what you did last time, or the time before!”

Under his meaningful gaze, Hitana panicked: “Only you are fine, but I won’t let others see! Absolutely not!”

“If... if anyone else besides you is here! I’ll fight you to the death right now!”

The flushed young wolf howled, looking ready to go down with Anselm.

Anselm watched her nervous state, silently locking eyes with her.

“Miss Hitana,” he suddenly said, “Are you expecting me to do something very inappropriate to you?”

“What do you mean by expecting!”

Hitana was furious, bouncing in place: “You only ever do those things!”

“But I didn’t say I would do those things.” Anselm propped his chin, his lips curling, “Why does your mind go there first, Hitana?”

The scheming snake laughed gleefully: “Isn’t that... another kind of expectation?”

Miss Young Wolf trembled with anger, yet felt powerless recalling the previous two punishments.

Stripping herself bare, being rubbed by a strange whip; injected with drugs, unable to move, manipulated like a doll...

Expectation... expecting what! Impossible! That bastard Hydra was spouting nonsense again!

Sensing Hitana’s rage reaching critical, Anselm quickly cut off her thoughts: “Relax, it’s just something simple.”

He extended a hand toward Hitana.

“Come here,” Anselm said.

Hitana first warily checked the cane set aside, then scrutinized Anselm’s palm, fearing some strange trick.

After about four or five seconds, she cautiously approached.

“W-What?”

"Squat."

"…?"

Though Hitana was utterly confused, she complied.

"Put your chin," Anselm, looking down at Hitana with a sly smile, said, "on my palm."

"…"

The silent Miss Hitana was contemplating whether she should take this chance to strangle Anselm with the chains of her shackles.

Gritting her teeth, she spat out each word deliberately: "Do you think… I’ve never raised a dog?!"

"It’s just this one simple action," Anselm said, looking at Hitana with great astonishment. "Or does Hitana want me to do something special?"

Meeting those magnificent sea-blue eyes, Hitana thought of the possible "training" she might endure and immediately lost much of her defiance.

She squatted down, closed her eyes, and stiffly extended her neck, slowly, ever so slowly, placing her chin in Anselm’s palm.

The boy’s slender fingers and palm pressed against her chin, the warm, delicate sensation made all the more vivid by her closed eyes.

The slight rubbing of her chin, even her throat, made Hitana’s body want to resist yet feel somewhat weak.

From Anselm’s perspective, the wild and unrestrained beautiful wolf now had cheeks flushed with crimson, ears dyed blood-red.

Beneath her carefree, elegant short hair, her delicate and charming face appeared extraordinarily captivating.

Her long, slender eyelashes trembled faintly with nervousness, her hot breaths exhaled in shame and anger, her pink lips tightly bitten in unease… At this moment, Hitana was a truly enchanting, heart-stirring young girl.

"This punishment is not limited to this," Anselm said, feeling the softness in his palm, admiring Hitana’s rare vulnerability, and chuckling with satisfaction and delight.

"Starting today, for the next month, no matter when, no matter where, as long as you’re by my side, when I make this gesture, you must come over and place your chin in my palm."

"Understood, dear Hitana?"

Hitana’s eyes snapped open, her watery gaze filled with fury, her sharp canine teeth itching to bite Anselm’s hand: "Don’t push me too far!"

"Is it too much? Hitana, have you forgotten our original agreement?"

Anselm applied slight pressure, grasping Hitana’s chin but still maintaining a stroking motion: "You were supposed to make me act fewer than three times, and what did you do? Not only did you fail to achieve anything, but you also made me give you more detailed explanations and guidance… Hitana, ask yourself, is my punishment really too much?"

"…" Hitana, still clenching her teeth, glared fiercely at Anselm.

"…Fine, I’ll compromise."

Young Master Anselm said this feignedly, the corners of his mouth curling into a barely perceptible arc: "I promise not to do this when a third person is present. That should be acceptable, right?"

A long, long silence followed.

"…You promised me. Don’t lie."

The girl averted her gaze, her voice growing somewhat timid.

"Of course, I promise," Anselm chuckled lightly, withdrawing his hand.

Hitana let out a sigh of relief, then quickly retreated, hurrying back to the corner that gave her a faint sense of security.

Grrrr… That Hydra guy is just too dangerous.

Until I get stronger, I’d better avoid him!

With this thought, Hitana, determined to "absolutely not speak to that guy anymore," forced herself to sink into sleep.

Meanwhile, Anselm watched the girl with closed eyes, his smile growing ever more unrestrained.

Everything he had laid bare to Hitana since arriving here was true.

However… there were things Hitana neither asked about nor considered, clearly forgetting Teacher Anselm’s guidance.

—For instance, if this cell only provided such poor-quality food,Why… would they generously provide a large bucket of water?

***

This was the third time Hitana woke from her sleep.

She clenched her teeth tightly, trying not to let Anselm notice anything unusual, struggling to suppress the swelling sensation in her lower abdomen.

Damn it, damn it, I drank too much water to swallow that thing!

The girl, whose sense of time was growing hazy, didn’t know how many times she had forced herself to suppress this physiological urge and fall back asleep.

But clearly… After not, well… relieving herself all day, and after drinking that huge bucket of water, even Hitana’s formidable body was reaching its breaking point.

Just wait until the time is up, just wait until the time is up… Hitana hypnotized herself countless times, but all she got was an increasingly uncontrollable discomfort.

Hitana Lansmarlos faced the greatest crisis of her life—wetting herself in front of the person she hated most, in a shared cell with no privacy.

At that moment, the devil’s voice suddenly spoke:

"Hitana, have you been trembling? Are you cold?"

Startled, the girl nearly lost control, quickly clenching her thighs and shouting in panic: "Don’t talk to me!"

"…Hm?" Anselm, hearing this, put down his book, stood up with apparent surprise, and walked toward Hitana. "But you don’t look quite right… You shouldn’t be cold, so why are you trembling?"

"I-I’m not… not… Stay away!" Hitana’s voice carried a hint of a sob. "Get lost! Stay away from me!"

As Anselm slowly approached, his gaze fell on the tense muscles of her hips and thighs.

After a brief silence, he squinted and smiled: "You look like you’re struggling, don’t you?"

"I… am… not!"

The tension pushed Hitana’s control to the brink; she could faintly feel that warm, wet sensation, making her wish she could smash her head against the wall.

"I can offer you some help, Hitana."

Anselm kindly handed her a silk handkerchief, which was promptly slapped away.

"You… you get out of here!" the girl shouted, her face red. "That’s the greatest help you can give me!"

"That won’t do," Anselm said matter-of-factly. "I’m here to accept my punishment. How could I just leave the cell?"

Hitana fell silent for a while, then suddenly reached back.

"Give it to me!" she said, swallowing the sob in her voice.

"What?"

"The handkerchief from before, give it to me!"

The girl abruptly turned her head, her red-rimmed eyes glaring at Anselm, her expression like that of a child trying hard to seem fierce.

"Anyway, you’ve already seen everything, even pinched my tongue. You think I care about this? I’m not that weak! If you want to watch, go ahead, you perverts!"

"…I must clarify, I’m not interested—"

"Shut up!"

Anselm wisely refrained from teasing Hitana further, as even the slightest provocation might make her explode on the spot.

After handing her the handkerchief, Anselm returned to his bed, his gaze shifting to the prisoner in the opposite cell, who had been relentlessly taunting Hitana with crude remarks when awake.

The boy touched his cane, and the mysterious Gleipnir transformed into a black-bladed serpent, slithering toward the man.

Hitana’s worries about others witnessing her humiliating training were entirely unnecessary.

How could Anselm possibly allow anyone but himself… to glimpse this pleasure that belonged solely to him?

A near-lethal dose of sedative was injected into the prisoner through the whip’s blade, enough to keep him unconscious for three days and nights.

After finishing, Anselm smiled, retracted Gleipnir, and sat on the bed, waiting for Hitana’s next move.

Qianxun

Then… something even he hadn’t anticipated happened.

"H-Hydra! Come here!"

"…Hm?"

Hitana, crouching in the corner, her voice trembling: "Don’t ‘hm’ me, come here! I… I can’t…"

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, a weak, helpless whimper squeezed from her throat:

"I can’t… get… my pants… off."

With her hands bound by shackles, Hitana naturally couldn’t remove her tight leather pants, though she could easily break the chains.

The reason she didn’t… was, of course, her pride, sparked by Anselm’s "resolve."

[If even Hydra can earnestly accept his punishment and swallow that garbage, how can I break my shackles just because I can’t hold it in?]

But the real, fundamental reason was simple.

Hitana was far less resistant to Anselm than she had thought.

And this was something even Anselm hadn’t expected.

The young Hydra fell silent for a moment, then chuckled softly: "Alright, I’ll help you."

He walked behind Hitana, placing his palm on the girl’s back.

The young wolf flinched, shouting in panic: "Y-You, don’t touch me randomly, hurry up!"

"Panicking now isn’t a good choice, Hitana."

Anselm’s sadistic amusement grew as he teased with a playful smile.

"Eek!"

A short, sharp squeak escaped Hitana’s throat, her body trembling: "Hydra, I… I swear I won’t let you off, I swear!"

Anselm said nothing, his usual calm wavering as he felt a flame burning in his chest.

He exhaled slowly.

"Hydra!!!!"

With Hitana’s scream, Anselm finally suppressed the dark desires surging within him and assisted her.

The sound of a flowing spring rang out almost immediately.

"Hydra… sob… I… I’ll kill you… I swear I’ll kill…"

Compared to her usual ferocious, violent declarations, Hitana’s voice was now impossibly weak.

She bit her lip, whimpering, her body curling into a ball, evoking pity in anyone.

—Except Anselm Hydra.

Because at that moment, he extended his palm to Hitana’s cheek.

The wicked devil’s voice sounded behind the girl.

"Do you remember what I said, Hitana?"

"You… you…"

"Don’t be angry, Hitana, don’t be angry."

Anselm crouched down, chuckling softly by her ear: "You said it yourself, after I’ve already done this and that to you, how could you not handle something so small, right?"

"You…" Hitana, trembling all over, wiped her eyes fiercely, glaring at Anselm. "How long are you going to humiliate me?!"

Anselm fell silent, meeting her furious, dark red eyes.

He sighed deeply and said with utmost seriousness:

"I don’t know, Hitana."

"You should know me." The handsome blond boy was now full of confusion and doubt. "I could easily comfort you now, give you space, and win your favor. I’ve never punished you without reason, nor have I ever done this just to humiliate you, have I?"

He thought for a long time, then smiled with relief: "But this feels nice too. I think I’m starting to enjoy this strange sensation of losing control because of you."

"…Y-You, don’t say such weird things at a time like this, you pervert, lecher, scoundrel, go die, you lunatic, bastard! Aaaah!"

"I’m just being honest. Anselm Hydra is always true to his desires."

Anselm quickly returned to his usual self, smiling as he waved his hand: "So, have you forgotten what I said?"

"Hydra… one day, one day, I’ll make you—"

The wolf, screaming with a flushed face, could no longer muster threatening words.

Utterly unable to defy Anselm at this moment, she finally, with teary eyes and murderous rage, placed her chin in his palm.

In the cold, silent cell, the temperature rose a few degrees.