The Icy Grip of Jealousy
Sonya’s heart: ‘But… how long am I supposed to stay like this?’
I was currently sitting with my eyes closed and ears covered, just as Breeder had asked. As a proud member of the renowned Ice Clan, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse a request from a mere servant.
‘Still, Breeder is special to me…’
The academy had always been run by beastkin servants and staff, but they changed frequently. Their short lifespans made it inevitable. Because of that, dragons rarely bothered to remember them. After all, they would soon be replaced.
Breeder’s first impression hadn’t been much different from the others. Just another fleeting, short-lived species passing through academy life. The only notable thing was that he was human—more fragile than most beastkin. I’d assumed he would be replaced by another servant before the semester even ended.
So I’d thought of him as just another ordinary servant. He caught my eye more often than most, but I felt nothing special toward him. He was simply the annoying dorm supervisor who showed up at roll call, nothing more, nothing less. A human I met at the end of every day. A clumsy, inexperienced dorm supervisor. A bothersome servant who never let roll call slide.
At first he was an eyesore, but as time passed, that image began to change. Raylin’s involvement played a part, of course, but Breeder possessed a warmth and kindness I had never felt from other species. At first I thought he was just trying to curry favor—others had done the same. I assumed he was wearing a mask, pretending to be kind, but that wasn’t the case at all.
He was gentle and caring toward everyone, regardless of year. If anything, he was even kinder to the first-years. It was enough to make me feel a twinge of jealousy. His kindness was meant for all, yet strangely, it kept bothering me. I found myself wanting to talk to him for no reason.
At first I wondered if it was simply because he was handsome for a human. But the moment he gave me that meringue cookie, I felt it—something about Breeder that drew dragons in. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but one thing was certain: he was a good person. I had never seen the seniors praise anyone so highly.
After tasting that meringue cookie, I started wanting his attention too. Enough that I began speaking to him first during roll call. What began as simple curiosity gradually turned into affection. If I had to pinpoint it, the meringue cookie was the spark. It wasn’t a gift meant only for me, but it was enough to move my heart.
‘It was just a simple dessert, yet I still remember it. That sweet taste…’
After becoming completely captivated by that flavor, I made a vow. Before the seniors could steal a march on me, I would make Breeder’s warmth and kindness mine alone.
But then… ‘Th-that expression on his face just now… I’ve never seen him look so stern. He must be really angry because of Eros.’
—Squeeze…!
I recalled the look on Breeder’s face and tightened my hands over my ears. I was still sitting with my back turned, eyes closed, hands covering my ears. Earlier, Breeder had asked me to look the other way while he scolded Eros. That expression was still vivid in my mind. I had never seen him so worked up before. His eyes had been like a gray-furred wolf’s. The teacher who always wore a gentle expression had shown such a serious face for the first time—flushed cheeks and sharp, piercing eyes. He looked genuinely furious. And he had even used the word “scold.” Even if he was the dorm supervisor, he was saying it to a dragon.
‘It’s taking longer than I thought… Surely nothing bad happened?’
That thought only made me more anxious.
“……”
But I couldn’t see anything, and I couldn’t hear any sound. I was still facing away with my eyes closed and ears covered—completely naked, at that. Even though the watchtower was freezing cold, it meant nothing to me, an Ice Dragon. I simply waited for the scolding to end.
‘Whew, at least his health recovered quickly. That’s a relief. Still, Eros is really—’
“Oooogh—?!”
“……?!”
Just as I was starting to worry about Eros, her voice pierced through my hands. It was a rather bizarre scream. It was definitely Eros, yet it was a sound I had never heard before. We had shared a room for a hundred years, but I could swear I had never heard that voice from her.
‘Wh-what was that sound just now? She always talks strangely, but I’ve never heard anything like that…’
The unusual noise piqued my curiosity. Breeder had told me not to look back, but I couldn’t help worrying about Eros. Was he actually punishing her? No, there was no way. No matter how much trouble Eros caused, Breeder wasn’t the type to do something like that.
‘Then what on earth is it? Don’t tell me Eros is the one rebelling instead?’
With my sight and hearing blocked, my curiosity only grew. The more I couldn’t grasp the situation, the more it bothered me.
—Slide…
Without realizing it, my hands began to lower and my eyes cracked open. A quick peek should be fine. I would just check without getting caught. If I glanced for only a moment and turned away immediately, no one would know.
—Swish…!
In the end, I couldn’t overcome my curiosity and turned my head without a sound, eyes barely open.
“──?!?!?!”
But I shouldn’t have looked back. The sight that greeted me was far too shocking.
‘Wh-wh-wh-wh-what on earth are they doing…?!’
An unexpected scene filled my vision. Two naked figures were tangled together. Being naked wasn’t surprising—I had been that way the whole time—but the way they were joined was shocking. Eros lay defenseless beneath him, their lower bodies pressed tightly together. Breeder was gripping her horns like handles.
—Thrust…!
He was even straddling her, driving his hips straight down so that her lower body lifted off the ground. It was a bizarre position I had never witnessed in my life. Or rather, a bizarre act. Either way, the shock left my mind blank for a moment.
“I didn’t know a male’s thing could be this big… My insides are completely filled with Teacher’s… I-I’m so happy—♥”
Eros’s voice reached me at the same time. Her expression was slack, tongue lolling out. She murmured dreamily, as if half-asleep.
‘Sh-she looks that messed up, yet she’s happy…?’
Witnessing such a shocking scene, I froze solid. I had planned to sneak a peek and pretend I hadn’t seen anything, but my body refused to move. Turning my head should have been simple, yet my entire body had gone stiff. I was so flustered that I had completely locked up.
How could Teacher do something like that…? Was this what he meant by “scolding”? No, that couldn’t be it! This was clearly an intimate act between a man and a woman. My thoughts were finally starting to catch up. Even though I had no experience with men, I knew at least this much.
But why… why with Eros first…?!
After the initial shock came jealousy and a sense of betrayal.
‘I thought I was closer to Breeder than Eros was… Once today’s shift ended, I was going to ask him for a Dragon Pact so we could become even closer…’
My mind grew tangled in an instant. My heart slowly turned cold. It felt as though the two people I trusted had betrayed me. On top of that, Eros had already claimed both Breeder’s body and the Love Pact ahead of me.
‘That should be my place… I want to receive Breeder’s affection too. I want to be held by him with that same blissful expression Eros has.’
It was unfair. Infuriating. Disappointing. She must have used her charm on him earlier. There was no other explanation for this sudden turn of events. Or was it because of the Love Pact? Either way, I hadn’t planned on dragging Breeder into today’s shift… How did things end up like this?
A cold blizzard stirred inside my chest. Late regret crashed over me like a wave. Yet strangely, while I felt betrayed by Breeder, the jealousy burned far stronger. It was envy and resentment toward Eros. For some reason, I found myself blaming her for this outcome. Perhaps it was because, even after seeing this scene, I still liked Breeder so much. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be thinking that I wanted to be handled so messily by him too.
—Rustle…!
While I remained frozen in place, lost in thought, Breeder seemed to notice my presence and turned his head toward me. His expression looked somewhat resigned.
—Whoosh…!
I quickly turned away as well. A second later and our eyes would have met. That would have been unbearably awkward.
‘Wait…? Why should I pretend I didn’t see anything? Teacher is the one who lied to me. I should confront him about this right now—’
—Tap, tap…!
Just as I was about to turn around again, a warm touch landed on my shoulder. Even without looking, I knew it was Breeder’s hand. He must have realized I had noticed and was calling me. Fine. Since things had come to this, I would properly hash this out.
—Grind…!
A chill rose in my palm as my teeth ground together. Depending on how Breeder responded, I might not be able to control my freezing aura. Part of me wanted to freeze him solid and keep him by my side forever. Because right now, I wanted to claim him for myself—no matter what it took.