The villain's way of taming the protagonist

She whispered the words she had repeated countless times in the past four days, and walked on the last part of the way home.

Hitana's village is near this icy lake, and it can be seen through a forest. There are many paths leading to the village, and Hitana chose the longest one, walking very slowly and with difficulty.

How should she respond to why her parents came back?How can we keep them from being sad and disappointed?What would the people in the village think of her?

Sitana had lost enough, she didn't want the last remaining, everything she held so dear, to abandon him too.

Then she really... has nothing left.

Silently walking through the dense forest, the fresh fragrance in the forest brought back Sitana's memories, and melted a little of her indifferent expression that had not changed during this period of time.

She thought of the novelty and joy of her father teaching her to hunt in the woods; she thought of the warmth and tranquility of resting on her mother's lap in the sun; she thought of the freedom and joy of playing with her friends in the woods .Sitana thought of many, many things...the things she missed, cherished, and must never be lost.

Sitana closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let the vitality and drive that her family and friends were so familiar with resurface on her face.

She had never done this kind of thing before, and the wolf who always showed her emotions on her face learned to put on a mask without a teacher.

"Growing...heh."

The girl sneered, both ironic and lonely.

Afterwards, she patted herself on the face hard, strode out of the dense forest along the path, and as long as she turned around a towering tree, she could see her village——

Village... Village?

Sitana, who walked out of the woods, stared blankly into the distance.

There, there was no village she was familiar with.

But an incredible... small town?

With Xitana's eyesight, it is easy to see that the originally barren and simple, even dilapidated small village is now surrounded by a circle of rock fortresses, at least a small city wall with a height of five meters.And those dilapidated wooden houses that she knew should have been covered by the city wall have all turned into independent villas with extraordinary style.

The huge standing windmill seems to announce the new life of this village; the canal in the distance that cannot be reclaimed by the villagers proves that this ordinary place will flow with noble and extraordinary blood; extending from the entrance of the village, from The wide and smooth road that has never appeared in Sitana's impression shows that it is destined to have a flat, bright and unimpeded future.

This is her village?That barren village that she lived in was extremely ordinary and can be seen everywhere in the whole Northland?

In less than two months, what happened here?

Sitana's slightly relaxed mood tightened again, and she hesitated, even though the existence that represented the only thing she had left was right in front of her eyes.

Until the excited dog barking from a distance made the choice for her.

"Will, wait... Will, what are you doing so fast? Will—— Seele?!"

An ordinary-looking girl with slightly rough skin, but miraculously rosy and healthy, who has never been persecuted by a severe cold wave, and looks even less like a girl living in a dilapidated village, chasing an extremely excited fat girl. The dog ran over and covered his mouth with his hands when he saw Xitana standing still in the distance.

As for Sitana, she also stared blankly at the girl not far away.

Is she... Riyota?

Wasn't Ruiyota very thin and sick before I left?Where did those fancy clothes on her come from?

——Actually, after going through so much, Xitana already has the answer in her heart, but until now, she still doesn't want to admit it.

"Xie'er, it's really you!"

The girl wept with joy, and ran over as excitedly as her fat dog.In Xitana's impression, the thin girl who started panting as soon as she walked to the gate of the village didn't seem to exist at all.

"Wang! Wang Wang Wang!"

The dog named Will wagged his tail wildly and circled Sitana.Will is the hunting dog of Riyota's family. A good hunter is always inseparable from a good hunting dog. Sitana has a good relationship with Will and often feeds Riyota's father. The hound, which was not considered strong before, is now so fat that Sitana can hardly recognize it.

"Ciel!"

Ruiyota threw herself into Xitana's arms excitedly: "You are finally back! I miss you so much, I miss you so much!"

The village is not big, and there are only a few playmates who are the same age as Xitana. Most of them have left the village and tried to find a way out in the city. Only five of them stayed in the village.

Riyota is Sitana's best friend. They talk about everything and often sleep in the same bed. Riyota's father is also a good friend of Sitana's father. He taught her a lot of hunting skills. The second hunter mentor.

"Jota..."

Sitana gently hugged her friend's shoulders, the doubts and hesitation in her heart dissipated at this moment.

That's right, why is she so suspicious and hesitant?The village has changed, so what?Her friends, her family, the people she knows and cares about have not changed, this is the most—

"Hmm... Xier."

Ruiyota, who was in the girl's arms, sniffled: "Do you have a smell?"

The warm smile on Hitana's face froze.

"Ah, never mind! Just come back, I'll take you to my house to take a bath! Now you don't need to boil the water to use hot water. This is only used by nobles. It's called... I forgot what it is called, you Be sure to be good..."

Ruiyota's words paused, and then she laughed happily again: "Oh, what am I talking about, you must have experienced it a long time ago when you were with Lord Hydera in Scarlet Frost City! I really envy you! "

There was no jealousy or other ugly emotions in her words, but it was this sincere and true envy that made Sitana's heart throb violently.

"Xi'er, Xi'er, what kind of person is Lord Hydera? Those who came to the village said that he looks really good-looking!"

Ruiyota hugged Hitana's arm, raised her head and laughed and said, "So I thought, Xier is also very good-looking, maybe, hehe... Xier?"

The enthusiastic girl looked at her playmate's face, and finally sensed that something was wrong with her mood, and asked softly, "You, what's wrong with you?"

"……nothing."

After a brief silence, Sitana raised a smiley face: "I just thought of something suddenly, and I was in a daze."

Ruiyota breathed a sigh of relief, she patted her chest: "I'm scared to death, every time you show this expression, you are super angry!"

The corner of Xitana's mouth twitched slightly: "Maybe I'm pretending now, but I'm actually a little unhappy?"

Ruiyota was stunned for a moment, and then laughed out of joy:

"Hahahaha, Xi'er, you can tell jokes in just a few days! The Xi'er I know can't hide her feelings! And—"

She turned her head to look at the village, and said in that extremely envious tone: "Besides, what is there to be unhappy about working for Master Hydera? You see, the village has become so big and beautiful now that everyone eats it every day. If you are full, you don't have to go hungry!"

Riyota hugged Xitana vigorously: "It's all thanks to you, Xier!"

"What's wrong with being able to do things for Lord Hydera?"

"..."

What can... be unhappy?

It's just that, being treated like a clown and a doll at the mercy of others, what could be unhappy about it?

You said

Right, Sitana.

The grown wolf looked at the village where he gave birth to her, and at the familiar and unfamiliar friends.

She chuckled, lowered her eyes and hugged her friend.

"Yes, you're right, Jota."

"What else can I be unhappy about?"

*

Returning home with honor, Sitana didn't know the word.

It was only at that time, when Anser first proposed to let her go home, that Xitana was indeed full of hope and longing. She was looking forward to the village becoming better because of herself, and her family becoming happier because of herself.

She was looking forward to those relatives and friends, the elders who were surprised and admired by her, as if saying "Sitana is really amazing" in their eyes.

And when Hitana stepped into the village, she did feel such eyes.

Not just the eyes, but the cheers.

It was so loud and lively, even in the severe winter after the great cold wave, it still made people feel warm cheers.

Everything was granted as Hitana expected.

"Why did you come back? Well... come back if you want to come back, Hydera is not strict with me."

"Looks messy... What a mess! Isn't that what I wear when I go out!"

"It's just me? Marina is working for Hydera... huh? Why didn't I come back in a carriage... Can't I exercise! If I punch you, you'll have to lie on the ground, Carver!"

Sitana greeted the villagers cheerfully, her enthusiastic look was no different from Sitana in their eyes.

"Master Hydera can bear Sitana's personality." A young guy complained, "Are you really just helping him with work?"

Hitana glared at him, and the young man shrank his neck reflexively. It seemed that he had been beaten by Hitana since he was a child.

Surrounded by the crowd, Xitana walked to the center of the village. In fact, she could no longer recognize the road in the village. She could only identify whose house each house was based on the location in her impression. Xitana I even saw a sculpture of Hydera standing in the middle of the village, in the open space left for children to play.

The texture of the sculpture is smooth and delicate, and you can tell that someone takes care of it every day.

The wolf who fled from the devil who played with her life and emotions, ironically, stood by his side again.

Moreover, he raised his arms and cheered with joy and excitement:

"Everyone! I, Sitana, are back!"

"Oh oh oh--!"

Judging from the road view, streets, surrounding houses, and everyone's clothing and mental state, it doesn't look like the villagers are welcoming the returning wanderers, but it looks like someone is giving a speech in the center of the town.

A month can change a lot of things, it can make the wild beasts learn to wear masks, and naturally it can also turn the dilapidated and barren villages into a paradise that everyone envies.

The villagers surrounded Hitana and brought her to her home, while the girl stood in front of this restrained yet luxurious three-story villa, momentarily speechless.

"How about it, are you scared?" Riyota smiled and bumped into Hitana's shoulder, "We were more exaggerated than you at the time! A group of nobles who looked incredible rushed into your house, two words Not to mention curing Uncle Oran, and then building such a house on the same spot the next day...everyone was scared to death."

"Okay, okay, let Xitana go home alone, they are all scattered, don't hang around here anymore!"

Ruiyota protected Xitana behind her, and waved her hands fiercely around: "Let's wait for Uncle Oran and Aunt Yalana to come back, and don't disturb their family reunion!"

"Uncle Oran and Aunt Yalana should still be hunting in the snowy forest behind the village. Count the time and they will be back soon."

Ruiyota turned to look at Sitana: "Uncle Oran is amazing after recovering! In less than half a month, my father said that he is going to become the most powerful hunter in the village again... Oh no, finally Xi'er is the one who is amazing, hehe."

Xitana's best friend, the young girl, hugged her hard again: "I won't affect your reunion with your uncles and aunts, after all, Xier likes them the most."

She took a step back and waved to Hitana: "We will prepare a welcome party for you tonight, so look forward to it!"

Sitana nodded with a bright smile, watching her friends and villagers leave one by one.

Knowing that everyone had dispersed, she turned around and looked at her new home expressionlessly.

"...Should I be thankful that Hydera will show some sympathy for Marina's sake?"

The girl twitched the corners of her mouth, pushed open the unlocked door, and walked straight in.

The furnishings in the house were not exaggerated. Xitana knew her father's character very well. That simple and honest hunter could not appreciate any luxurious decorations, let alone accept them.

But there are no luxurious decorations, which does not mean that the layout of the house is not expensive.

As soon as she entered the room, Sitana felt the warmth rushing towards her face.

She soon saw the heat-generating lamp ball in Anser's mansion, but the one she saw was much cheaper than Anser's.

Most of the whole house is also engraved with what Anser said can be heated. An ordinary Orion family in a dilapidated village can use extraordinary means for heating that even wealthy businessmen in towns may not be able to use. It is somewhat extravagant.

Sitana walked up to the second floor without a word. There are three bedrooms here, which are probably the bedrooms of her parents, her, and Marina.

In the past, in the old wooden house, their family slept and rested in one room, and only divided two beds.

Sitana walked into one of the bedrooms, and she was sure it was her own room, because she saw many familiar things hanging in it—the trophies of the first hunting, bone skewers made from the tusks of ten kinds of prey , the first bow I made myself, a broken wooden toy I played with when I was a child...

When her hands were caressing these things, Xitana's face gradually burst into a real, heartfelt smile.

The girl lay down on the clean and tidy bed, and the bed exuded a faint fragrance, which smelled very good. It was a fragrance that her previous hardwood bed boards and old quilts would never emit.

But Sitana was thinking about that taste, not because she missed the hardships of the past, but because she remembered the inadvertent words of her friends.

[Why does your body smell? 】

It turns out that in just over a month, people can forget the smell they have smelled for more than ten years.

Xitana closed her eyes tiredly, she didn't want to think anymore, she didn't want to pretend anymore, she just wanted to take a long-lost rest in this small world where she could feel extremely safe.

But the habit of vigilance in the past few days prevented her from falling into a deep sleep in the first place, and she maintained a light sleep that was half-dream and half-awake. When she heard the movement from downstairs, the girl woke up immediately, and after two or three seconds Only then did he realize that this was his home.

Then, she began to panic, looking for the feeling when she entered the village just now. She pursed her lips, raised the corners of her mouth with her hands, and bent her eyes, trying to look happy.

"Ciel?"

The two calls with different tones made Hitana even more nervous. She first responded reflexively, then rubbed her cheeks vigorously, took a deep breath, and took a deep breath.

Until her parents, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, appeared in front of her door, Xitana was finally ready. She opened her arms and said with a bright smile:

"Mom and Dad, I'm back!"