Taming the Protagonist Chapter 41 : Chapter 41

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 environnt made it hard for Hitana to rest normally.

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

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

He ca to accept the sa punishnt as Hitana—this wasn’t false; it was indeed a rule he set for himself. But at the sa ti... the small training and punishnt 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 rember the reward?”

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

“...Reward? You an punishnt, 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 rember what reward I promised you.”

“How could I forget!”

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

She said irritably: “Let 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 ?”

Hitana stared at Anselm warily: “Are you plotting so sche? Planning sothing while I’m gone?”

The handso 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 ?”

“I an 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 sa punishnt 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 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 ca here for !”

“I did co 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 aning, Hitana answered without thinking: “Nonsense! I don’t want to be used by you! You said you wouldn’t lie to !”

This ti, 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 mont.

“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 seed 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 anyti?”

“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 ‘punishnt.’”

“...” 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 ti, or the ti before!”

Under his aningful 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 to do sothing very inappropriate to you?”

“What do you an 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 punishnts.

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 sothing simple.”

He extended a hand toward Hitana.

“Co here,” Anselm said.

Hitana first warily checked the cane set aside, then scrutinized Anselm’s palm, fearing so 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 astonishnt. "Or does Hitana want to do sothing special?"

eting those magnificent sea-blue eyes, Hitana thought of the possible "training" she might endure and imdiately 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 sowhat 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 sha and anger, her pink lips tightly bitten in unease… At this mont, Hitana was a truly enchanting, heart-stirring young girl.

"This punishnt 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 co 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 too far!"

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

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

The girl averted her gaze, her voice growing sowhat 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.

anwhile, 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 ti 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 abdon.

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

The girl, whose sense of ti was growing hazy, didn’t know how many tis 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 ti is up, just wait until the ti is up… Hitana hypnotized herself countless tis, 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 mont, 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 !"

"…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 !"

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 so 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 !"

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

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

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

"What?"

"The handkerchief from before, give it to !"

The girl abruptly turned her head, her red-rimd 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 transford 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… sothing even he hadn’t anticipated happened.

"H-Hydra! Co here!"

"…Hm?"

Hitana, crouching in the corner, her voice trembling: "Don’t ‘hm’ , co 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 punishnt and swallow that garbage, how can I break my shackles just because I can’t hold it in?]

But the real, fundantal reason was simple.

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

And this was sothing even Anselm hadn’t expected.

The young Hydra fell silent for a mont, 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 randomly, hurry up!"

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

Anselm’s sadistic amusent 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 fla 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 imdiately.

"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 mont, he extended his palm to Hitana’s cheek.

The wicked devil’s voice sounded behind the girl.

"Do you rember 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 sothing so small, right?"

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

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

He sighed deeply and said with utmost seriousness:

"I don’t know, Hitana."

"You should know ." The handso 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 ti, 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 ti 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 mont, 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.