Soro's furious gaze landed on Loki. He silently cursed his son for being a fool. He had a literal treasure in his arms, yet he insisted on treating a worthless pebble like a gem.
What an idiot!
Being put on the spot made Loki blush with embarrassment. He stammered, unsure of how to respond.
"Ophelia, you are a good female. Don't worry, I will absolutely never allow Loki to dissolve his mating bond with you. You are the only mate I recognize for him," Soro said, shooting Loki a glare.
Loki guiltily lowered his head.
Ophelia shook her head. "Clan Leader, I am truly serious about dissolving my bond with Loki this time. How about this? As long as you can make Loki sever the bond with me, I won't ask for any compensation for these fifty pounds of rice."
She figured that paying a little bit of rice to completely shake off this scumbag was well worth the price.
"Father, why don't we..."
Soro's sharp, gloomy gaze pinned Loki down, forcing the rest of his words back down his throat.
Soro thought to himself, "What a fool. Since Ophelia can bring out fifty pounds of rice now, she can surely bring out five hundred or even five thousand pounds in the future. I absolutely cannot let them dissolve their bond."
"Ophelia, do not mention this again. In Loki's and my heart, nothing is more important than you.
"Loki, you will stay here tonight and properly coax your mate. If you can't win her back, you can forget about the Clan Leader position."
Soro left with a look of utter disappointment.
With his father's warning fresh in his mind, Loki's attitude softened. His green eyes gazed gently at the small female before him. "It was my fault this time. I forgot to take you to the Wishing Pond. If you like it, I'll take you there tomorrow. We can bring Amy along. It will just be our family of three, no one else."
In the past, Ophelia would have softened and agreed the moment Loki said something like this. But now, looking at that falsely affectionate gaze that could seemingly romance a stray dog, she only felt nauseous. She wanted to throw up.
"Aren't you afraid Miche will get jealous? If she cries, she won't be easy to coax."
"It's all a misunderstanding. Miche is a relative from my mother's side. Those rumors in the tribe are fake. I only treat her as a sister. We have an exclusive mating bond, so it's impossible for me to mate with other females, and I never would."
Ophelia didn't comment on that, knowing it was the truth. If a male in an exclusive mating contract had relations with another female, his vital parts would literally rot away—a consequence no male could bear.
"Father already promised me that as long as you provide the fifty pounds of rice, he will persuade the tribe to elect me as the Clan Leader. Then you will be the Clan Leader's wife, and Amy will be a Snow Wolf Clan Princess. She'll be the most noble little female cub in the tribe from then on."
He knew she loved their daughter the most. Since he had put it this way, she would definitely agree. A smug expression crept onto his face at the thought.
"If you want the rice, trade for it with proper compensation. Or dissolve our bond. Otherwise, there's nothing to talk about! You can leave now," Ophelia retorted sharply, efficiently shooing him away.
Loki's suppressed anger finally exploded. He took a step forward, raising his hand high. "Ophelia, you'll hand over this rice whether you want to or not! Otherwise I..."
"Otherwise, what will you do?" a male and a female voice rang out simultaneously.
The two people in the room turned their gazes toward the male striding briskly through the door.
The male had long golden hair. His icy blue eyes swept over Loki's raised hand before settling on his panicked face.
"Laxus, what are you doing here?" Loki choked out.
"If I didn't come, how would I know what kind of life my sister is living in the Snow Wolf Clan? A mere Wolf Beast dares to raise a hand against a Princess of the Golden Dragon Clan!"
Loki felt guilty, his face fraught with panic. "You... you misunderstand. I was just acting out of anger. Ophelia, hurry up and explain for me! I've never laid a hand on you. I've always treated you well."
"Treated me well? Does treating me well mean taking my animal skins to give to your sweetheart? Or snatching the rice my brother gave me just to hand it over to her?"
In the past, she had been too concerned with her pride to tell her parents and brother about her grievances. But now, what did pride matter? Could pride vent her frustration or slap her enemies in the face?
Hearing his sister's words, Laxus gritted his teeth. His azure eyes, laced with frost, shot toward the now-trembling Loki. He completely dropped his restraint, unleashing the overwhelming, mountainous aura of a Dragon Beast directly onto Loki.
Facing the kingly dominance of a Dragon Beast, the mere Wolf Beast couldn't stop his legs from turning to jelly. Loki fell to his knees, his body prostrating on the ground in total submission. He tried to speak, but the Dragon Beast's oppressive presence made it impossible for him to even open his mouth.
After a long while, Laxus finally retracted his aura. "Get lost."
Regaining control of his body, Loki didn't dare linger. He stumbled and crawled his way out of the stone house.
"This is the male you chose! A powerless, cowardly beast! How could I have such a foolish sister!" Laxus's eyes were red with anger, though it was overshadowed by his profound heartache.
Ophelia stepped forward and tugged on her brother's arm. "I was blind. I should have listened to you back then. Brother, please forgive me just this once. I know I was wrong."
Laxus pulled his hand back and lifted his chin haughtily.
She pouted and acted coyly. "Brother, my good brother, my wonderful Laxus... You're the best. Just forgive your foolish sister this one time."
Laxus's hardened heart melted completely under the little female's repeated, sweet pleas. He raised his hand and lightly flicked her smooth, flawless forehead, his voice deep. "Stop trying to sweet-talk your way out of this.
"What exactly is going on between Loki and that little female named Miche? You just let them walk all over you? Where did all the fierce arrogance you had in the Dragon Clan go? Tossed to the dogs?"
She rubbed her nose. "Don't worry, Brother. They won't be jumping around for much longer. I'm preparing to dissolve my bond with Loki."
"Are you serious this time?" Laxus maintained a skeptical attitude toward his sister's words.
"I'm serious. Three months at most, and I will definitely dissolve the bond!"
Laxus patted his sister's head. "Alright. When the time comes, you will return to the Golden Dragon Clan. With Father, Mother, and me around, no one will be able to bully you."
Ophelia's nose prickled with unshed tears. She really was an idiot. In her previous life, she had alienated the very family who truly cared for her, all for a scumbag like Loki.
"Alright, here is a bag of rice. Keep it for yourself to eat. Don't go selling it again." Laxus untied a Beast Skin Bag from his waist and handed it to Ophelia. "If you need anything in the future, have Tyler go to the Golden Dragon Clan. I won't allow you to suffer any more grievances."
Although his tone was stern, his eyes were full of pity and doting affection.
The corners of Ophelia's eyes turned red, and crystalline tears slid down her cheeks. However, she didn't wallow in her sorrow for long. She turned around, went to the corner of the room, and dragged out a vine basket. Under the guise of moving the basket, she quietly transferred rice from her farm space into it.
Then, under Laxus's astonished gaze, she lifted the animal skin covering it, revealing the pristine white rice inside.
"Where... where did you get so much rice?" Laxus asked in shock, stepping closer and lowering his voice.