Chapter 5: Warm My Bed

Strange.

The moment Stacy pushed the door open, the small figure on the bed jolted.
Milly shot off the mattress like a startled snow ferret, her static-charged white hair standing on end, glowing with a faint blue light in the moonlight.
As she crashed into Stacy’s arms, the arcs of electricity leaping from the ends of her hair wove a fine net between them.

“Is this… a tantrum?”
Stacy raised an eyebrow, looking down at the girl clinging to her.

‘Did I fry her brain by accident? I really got carried away there.’

Thinking of the residual current still crackling within Milly’s body, Stacy considered absorbing it.
Perhaps she should try a gentler approach from now on.
As long as the girl obeyed, there would be no need for punishment.

Yes, she would be kinder.
Just as she began to reformulate her strategy for handling Milly, her fingers instinctively brushed the nape of the girl’s neck and were bitten by a sudden arc of electricity.

Her gaze shifted downward.
Milly’s small face was twisted into a triumphant, wicked grin.
The girl’s static-filled hair swept across Stacy’s fingertips as her slender arms tightened around Stacy’s waist with the force of constricting vines.
As Milly pressed closer, rubbing her body against Stacy’s, the sparks crackling from her hair intensified into a roaring storm of lightning.

“Die, you monster!”

Milly gritted her teeth, squeezing with all her might.
She could feel the current surging from her body into Stacy, and even though the feedback made her own face contort in pain, she refused to let go.
She was ready to take them both down.

Unfortunately, Stacy’s red eyes remained completely calm.
She was, in fact, almost amused.
This level of current wasn’t even enough to tickle her.
Milly’s futile rage was like a kitten hissing and spitting with its fur on end.

Stacy lifted the bristling girl by the scruff of her neck, a playful glint in her red eyes.
“Little Milly, who gave you this courage?”

Some people would tear the roof off if you didn’t beat them for a day.
This little one had the audacity to try it right after being electrocuted.
Who gave her such nerve?
Or was the previous lesson not painful enough?

Milly glared back defiantly, her two electrified little legs kicking wildly in the air.
Stacy was suddenly reminded of the crystal chandelier she had shattered in the throne room.
This feisty little creature was just like those fractured crystal pendants—stubborn and fragile.

‘So much for being gentle.’
‘You brought this on yourself, Little Milly. You have no one to blame but yourself.’

A cruel light flickered in Stacy’s eyes.
‘Oh, Little Milly, you truly are something else.’
She flipped Milly around, her hand rising and falling in a perfect arc.

Smack!

The crisp sound startled the night owls roosting outside the window.
Milly, clutching her burning backside, was tossed onto the edge of the bed.
Tears welled up once again, blurring her vision.

“Why… we were both electrocuted…”

When the arcs hit her, the pain had been unbearable.
So why was this pervert completely unharmed?
Could the physical difference between them really be that great?

She tried to push herself up, but the searing pain from below forced her to let go.

It hurt so much… she was losing feeling down there.
If another slap landed, she was sure her “white bread buns” would be lost forever.

Stacy’s figure loomed larger in her tear-filled eyes.
She was walking toward her.
Milly instinctively tried to flee, but the intense pain kept her rooted to the spot.

A hand loomed before her eyes.
Milly flinched, instinctively lowering her head and crossing her arms to protect herself.
Her trembling body waited for the blow to fall.
But after a long moment, no new pain came.

‘Is it going to happen again?’

But there was no crackling sound of electricity in the air.
‘No more shocks? Or is this just the calm before the storm?’
Milly cautiously raised her head.
Stacy’s hand was still poised above her.

“Ugh…”

She resigned herself to her fate.
She knew she wouldn’t be spared.

‘Since I’m going to get hit anyway, maybe if I’m proactive, it’ll be lighter.’
She uncrossed her arms, turned around, and bent over the edge of the bed, presenting her “white bread buns.”
‘Go ahead and hit me. I’ll bite my arm to keep from screaming.’

She closed her eyes, bit down on her arm, and waited for the slap.
Then, she felt a sharp, slightly cool sting.
Her body tensed instantly, and she bit down harder on her arm, but a whimper still escaped her lips.

Milly’s reaction made Stacy pause.
She hadn’t even started yet, just lightly tapped the girl’s backside a couple of times.
Wasn’t this a bit of an overreaction?

Then again, the previous session of electrocution had been quite intense, and the last punitive slap hadn’t been held back.
It was understandable that the little one was in this state.
Stacy tapped her a few more times before withdrawing her hand, satisfied.

‘Hopefully, after today, the little one will remember: don’t court death, and you won’t die.’

But the punishment wasn’t over just yet.
She couldn’t stop just because of a little reaction.

The crackling sound of electricity filled the air again, arcs of lightning dancing wildly in Stacy’s palm.
Hearing the sound, Milly grabbed a nearby blanket and buried her head under it.

‘If you can’t hear it, you won’t be afraid, is that it?’

‘What kind of sound would she make if it actually landed?’

Stacy’s hand shot down, only to stop millimeters from its target.
Even without contact, Milly’s body tensed, and muffled sobs escaped from under the blanket.

‘Hmm… her reaction is even stronger now. She’s even developed a conditioned reflex. Maybe that’s enough for today.’
Stacy withdrew her hand and gently touched Milly’s soft stomach.
She knew the difference between sustainability and draining the pond to catch the fish.
Any more, and the girl would surely break before she even learned to speak.

‘But this is all her fault. If she hadn’t tried to electrocute me, I would have let her rest tonight and started language lessons tomorrow. She has only herself to blame for this.’

“Be a good, obedient girl, and you won’t have to suffer at all. Do you understand now?”
Stacy pulled back the blanket and cupped Milly’s tear-streaked face.
The little one nodded vigorously, her head bobbing like a rattle-drum.
‘I hope she really remembers this time.’

With that, the punishment session for the day was over.
Stacy lifted Milly from the bed.
The girl was incredibly light, like a feather in her arms, and she had a pleasant, sweet scent.

Originally, Stacy had planned to just put Milly to bed and let her rest for the night.

But Milly smelled a little too good.
Stacy found herself reluctant to let go.
‘Alright then, punishment is cancelled, but I’ll have to collect my interest elsewhere.’

As the clock tower chimed midnight, Stacy snapped her fingers, extinguishing all sources of light.
The moment the bedroom plunged into darkness, Milly felt a cool sensation wrap around her waist.

“Just one request for tonight,” Stacy pointed to the large bed before them.
“Warm my bed.”