Chapter 163: Get on all fours for me, will you?

"So," I prompted, "About the trade? Who has the grain?"Fenric stayed silent by my side but Damer seemed to have a little bit of interest in what I was talking about.

I don’t know if he’s heard of trades before, but for a snake who can and can’t wander everywhere, I wonder...

"The grains are being grown by the mouseling tribe."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the mere thought of rats being involved made my skin crawl.

I shuddered, every hair on my body standing erect and my eyes narrowing in disdain.

"R-rats?" I asked.

I don’t think my prejudice and hate towards rats can ever subside. Mice and rats... They’re all alike.

"No, no," I rubbed my arm, feeling the goosebumps that rose on my skin. "Anything but rats."

The hatred was still there. And even if I have to be friendly to rats just so I can get rice then forget it. I’d rather become a bandit and show them hell.

But I guess they are rat people, looking like small humans— just like the rabbits—having mouse ears and probably a pointed nose with whiskers.

Argh, the whiskers.

I can only imagine what they look like. It gives me the creeps.

Their twitching noses, the scaly tails, the way they scurried... the thought of a whole tribe of them made me want to jump onto the nearest high rock and never come down.

Damar placed his hand on my shoulder and I glanced back at him. He didn’t say anything but something about how he looked at me made it seem like he was asking me how I was doing and I responded,

"I’m fine," I said, but I still couldn’t stop shivering.

Dani looked at my reaction, puzzled. Yes, anyone would be puzzled to know that a tiger was scared of a mouse. But I’m not scared, I just loathe them with passion.

"What direction do the rats live in?" I asked.

"You mean the mice?"

"Same thing," I growled, annoyed and he felt a little flustered, wondering if he had made a mistake.

"They live in the East," he said, pointing in the direction that dismayed me.

My face fell dark in horror. Wasn’t that the route we were planning to take?

I gnashed my teeth, seething, as my head popped back.

Why did it have to be in the same direction as our destination?

I began to bite my thumbnail.

Does this mean we need to change the route? I would give anything to avoid a place filled with rats.

"Arinya," Fenric called and I raised my head, nearly biting my nail off completely. "They’re just rats." He said. "Let’s stomp on them." He suggested, giving me that confident smile.

Yes, yes, we can just stomp on them. No big deal.

But as I looked at that smile on Fenric’s lips, I was suddenly reminded of something unpleasant, and my insides churned, not with the thought of the rats anymore, but with the feeling of jealousy.

I couldn’t get mad at him back then because I was caught up in his bright eyes and smile but now that it came back to me, I think it’s only right that I get mad.

Even if I’m proud of him for telling the bunny girl that he has a wife and she can be jealous, he didn’t do anything else, and even let her cling to him.

He let her touch his chest and smile at him.

That’s out of the question.

If I let him be, such a thing will definitely repeat itself.

"Fenric," I called.

"Yes?"

"I’m tired," I said. "Get on all fours for me, will you?"

He looked at me, taken aback for a second but then his lips tugged. Not in a happy smile but one that meant, ’Ah, this is interesting.’ and then he got on all fours in his human form.

I sat on his back and then looked at him.

"Do you know why I’m doing this?" I asked.

"Because you’re tired?" He asked and I frowned.

I turned to Damar.

"Damar, do you know why I’m doing this?"

"Because he let another female touch him," Damar said plainly, his eyes sharp as if passing on a final verdict.

Hearing this, Fenric stiffened. He must’ve already forgotten about it and made it seem like the past could be forgotten, but I hadn’t forgotten, and as long as he remains a female magnet, I can’t just let him be.

I don’t have problems with Damar. Though he is handsome and has the face of a bewitching god, he is a snake beastman that most females tend to avoid.

No one in their right mind would try to grope him, especially when he’s so loyal. He wouldn’t even allow them close by.

But Fenric is a people person. He’s a beast warrior tasked with protecting all beasts in need.

He has charisma, the level of a bewitcher, and a body built like a wall. He’s the exact definition of a pulling temptation.

"Fenric," I called. "Do you know what you did wrong?" I asked and he went silent, as if trying to think.

But I didn’t give him time to think. I grabbed his tail and pulled, squeezing hard, giving him a thrilling sensation, accompanied by discomfort.

"A-Arinya," he called and I held the tail to myself.

"What? Do you know now?" I asked but he didn’t answer.

I could feel him trembling underneath me. I could tell the contact was affecting him, but I wasn’t going to satisfy him.

This is his punishment.

"I... I let another female touch me." He said. "And I..." His voice was straining. "I laughed and talked to her."

"Yes, yes, and do you know why that’s wrong?"

"Yes," he answered and then raised his head, barely able to look me in the eye with his flushed face and hazy eyes. "Because I belong to only one female. I belong to you, Arinya,"

"Yes, that’s right."

I nodded.

"So from now on, you shouldn’t let other females talk to you, okay? Don’t even let them touch you." I ran my hand over his back, letting my touch linger on his skin, and then stopped at the back of his neck.

I leaned into his body and whispered in his trembling ears...

"Like you said, Fenric. I’m a very jealous wife. Don’t do things that will make your jealous wife upset."u