Volume 1 Chapter 142

Volume 1 + Chapter 142: A Dragon Must Be Honest

“Thank you… I-I’m full.”

Andai had lost count of how many times she had said that.

She set down her utensils and couldn’t help but let out a satisfied burp.

Earlier, her rational mind had reminded her countless times to put down her bowl, to use “I’m full” as an excuse to stop Eve’s ongoing “taming” process.

But every single attempt she made was blocked by Eve.

Eve seemed to see right through her thoughts, always urging her to eat more, always coming up with plausible-sounding excuses.

For instance, children need enough food to grow properly. How could she eat so little?

Or she’d point out that Andai hadn’t eaten as much as Leah, turning it into a contest to see who could eat more.

And if that didn’t work, Eve would sneakily add more food or serve her extra dishes in ways Andai could never anticipate—utterly unavoidable.

And then… Andai would end up genuinely full, even belching in the process.

Although she desperately tried to find excuses, to tell herself not to be seduced by what she saw, not to be fooled by the humans’ gentle methods, she even tried comforting herself by thinking it was just human food she was eating, and that she hadn’t truly been tamed or controlled…

But the fact was, the food was simply too delicious to resist.

The aromas of the dishes filled the air, and compared to the meat of the wild magical beasts she had hunted before, this food was far more flavorful, and the meat far more tender. Every bite was an unparalleled pleasure.

The coarse raw meat and the chaotic flavors of wild game could not compare to this carefully prepared food.

Moreover, this food not only tasted perfect but was nutritionally balanced, easy to digest, and caused no burden on the body.

It was practically divine—a meal that filled the stomach and nourished the body at the same time.

Andai thought of all the rough, meager meals she had eaten while surviving in the wild—they had been practically wasted!

It wasn’t as if she had never tried human food. After all, Andai knew how to use utensils, and at times she had even spent some silver to try meals at human restaurants.

But clearly, those meals had never sparked any real interest in her.

At least in Andai’s eyes, most human food was a disappointment.

Dry, hard bread with crusts nearly impossible to bite and crumbly interiors never tempted her appetite.

Greasy fried food made her frown—one bite and her mouth would be overwhelmed with oil, utterly tasteless.

And those strange fish heads, with eyes staring like a starry sky, made her uneasy, as if their gaze penetrated her very soul.

Even meat pan-fried or roasted half-raw, sprinkled with pungent black pepper, made her want to put down her utensils immediately.

The only thing she found even remotely palatable was roasted potatoes—crispy, aromatic, and universally satisfying, whether baked, boiled, or fried. They gave her a rare sense of contentment.

She liked them so much that Andai couldn’t help but wonder why humans didn’t place potatoes in churches, instead of offering utterly useless, ornate stone statues.

After all, if humans wanted to save people from suffering, it should be potatoes—not those so-called gods.

Potatoes were delicious and bountiful—far better than eternally lofty deities. Humans were really impractical…

“Here, have some dessert. I don’t know if you’ll like it. This is my homemade caramel egg pudding.”

Eve came out of the kitchen carrying an exquisitely presented dessert, her voice soft, filled with gentle anticipation, clearly confident in her creation.

“Pudding!”

Leah’s eyes lit up. Her tiny hand clutching a spoon trembled slightly.

She had waited so long for this dessert that she could barely contain herself.

Even before Eve placed the pudding on the table, she couldn’t resist taking a bite.

The moment it touched her tongue, the sweetness and silkiness of the pudding filled her mouth. The rich caramel mingled with the delicate egg aroma, lifting her as if she were floating on clouds. She nearly felt her jaw drop, lost in the tender sweetness dancing across her tongue.

“Thank you, Mama…”

Leah mumbled, her face radiating joy. The sense of satisfaction made her feel like the happiest child in the world.

But across from Leah, Andai’s thoughts were far from the dessert. Her mind was consumed by a bizarre question—why couldn’t potatoes enter a church?

Plus, having eaten so much, her head felt dizzy. She had no intention of refusing the dessert Eve offered, temporarily pushing her doubts aside.

It wasn’t until she took a few bites, feeling the sweet flavor spread in her mouth, the unusual texture pulling her back to reality, that she suddenly sensed something was off.

Oh no, oh no… she hadn’t even thought about refusing. Her hand had smoothly brought the pudding to her mouth.

Could it be… that she was actually being tamed by humans?

If she were tamed… she’d have to serve as a mount for humans, wouldn’t she? A mount… such a humiliating thing—what dragon could ever do that?

But… it was just so delicious… so, so good.

Andai’s heart felt like it was bleeding. She felt her very soul twisting, falling into corruption.

“Delicious?”

Eve’s voice broke through Andai’s pudding-filled trance.

Andai paused instinctively. She hesitated, thinking about what to say to express that she didn’t like it, that she hadn’t been tamed…

But in reality, the moment the word “tamed” popped into her mind repeatedly, she had already lost.

“N-no…”

Andai thought of many sharp, biting, dragon-like phrases she could say, but when it came to her lips, she couldn’t speak a single one.

Not even the simplest “not tasty” could escape her.

Because Mama had taught her that a dragon must be honest—lying was forbidden.

“Not bad… really quite good.”

After struggling for a long time, Andai finally admitted it silently. All thoughts of a fierce, prideful dragon… all vanished.

Her dragon life… ruined.

But the pudding was just too delicious…

“If you like it, that’s good. I was worried it might not suit a dragon’s taste. Also… Andai, you should know my identity, right?”

Eve shifted the topic, and the atmosphere instantly became heavier.

Even Leah, who had been devouring pudding voraciously, instinctively paused, staring intently at Andai.

“Y-yes… I know…”

Under these circumstances, Andai didn’t know whether she should say she knew or not.

But according to what Mama had taught her, a dragon must always be honest. There could be no mistake in that.