Reincarnated as the Weakest Shadow Queen in the Academy-Chapter 37: Summer’s ’Control’

Days blurred by. Ciel tried to stay awake every night, but the comforting whispers always lulled her into the dream, only to find no company beside her the next morning.

She ended up allowing herself to slack off. Mana was a biological phenomenon, and learning spells with a tired body would only lead to unhealthy, unconscious habits that dulled the incantation.

Well, if not for Summer’s insistence on letting her bleeding insides heal over time, Ciel might have really overexerted herself.

"Hm..."

The refreshing breeze outside whispered against her soft skin. Adorned in a simple blue pyjama, Ciel witnessed another sky painted by the early dawn, the fifteen one to be exact.

The clouds, tinted a scorching red, were a marvellous, beautiful sight.

Ciel wondered why she only realised that now.

"You forgot the uniform."

Then, her one and only benefactor spoke, and her heart fluttered.

She moved her gaze behind. Summer, leaning against the door frame of their home, waved with her uniform tugged in between her fingers.

Just a week after the Entrance Exam, Ciel received notice about her official enrollment.

Ciel would first gather in the hall for a speech, then have introductory classes with her new classmates.

Or, if Summer put it bluntly, the new ’comrades’ that will eat the same dirt, whether they liked it or not.

Killing shadebeasts was glorified, but never a triumph for life after all.

Ciel received the uniform, the fabric folding in her small arms.

She eyed Summer. The stern look remained unmoving, her scowl always in place, but never bulged as intensely as before. Like the night she pushed her down.

Skin tingled, and Ciel’s hand found the neck again, flaring with a certain need.

Then a smirk adorned her lips. She respected the dragon’s restraint not to hurt her, even revelled in it.

But a little tease wouldn’t hurt, right?

Deep inside, she would regret it. No, she wanted to regret it.

Her hands moved first, though.

"Ciel?"

A shuddering groan escaped Summer’s lips. Too late, as Ciel’s finger tugged on the thin straps of her pyjama.

With a wave, she exposed her shoulder, revealing milky skin tinged with the dawn’s orange glow.

A rustle came before her. The dragon’s step snapped and turned, her firm back now facing Ciel, just like when she slept alone.

Summer never came to her, and Ciel didn’t like it one bit.

’Consider this my revenge.’

Ciel was a little pent up, after all, with nothing specifically.

A few heartbeats, snuffed and drawn out, pulsed, and Ciel shedded herself of all the garments, leaving herself in only the panties.

She strapped on the bra that Summer offered her first. Her gaze flicked, realising the heat in Summer’s ears.

The smirk on her face only grew wider as Ciel began putting on the uniform.

There was only a dummy dragon nearby, so nothing to fear.

She then paused while holding up the uniform’s blouse.

A gulp touched her throat. A spellbind remained lingering at her wrist, a hollow silence to indicate its unspoken use.

Was Summer monitoring her now? Ciel peeked at her, hoping to find any sign, except a lull, dragged on from Summer.

Feeling disappointed, she raised her arms and wiggled into the buttoned white blouse; ripples of her careless deeds formed on its smooth fabric.

Straightening them, Ciel then fastened the black skirt and wrapped herself in the grey, linen jacket.

A few more buttons clicked, and a perfect image of a small, cute and bubbly student emerged.

"Miss Dragon!" Ciel’s hand waved like an excited child. "Time to be off! I want to explore the Academy City a little before we separate!"

In complete silence, Summer turned to Ciel with an expression so flat that it was almost eerie.

"Alright." Summer gave a small nod. Then, she scanned Ciel’s uniform with an examinitive, detached interest.

Ciel killed a disappointed sigh inside.

Summer’s poker face won out in the end.

The thought blurred out any interest in her mind, as she clenched onto the spellbind at her wrist.

Her imagination always won out against reality. The first time she greeted dawn was the first time she killed a mimic, and it was one of the worst experiences she ever had as a ’human’.

So Ciel didn’t like it when reality held her down. Held them down.

—---------

The silence dragged on as they ate breakfast, washed up, tidied themselves and set off.

With her hands bound to Ciel’s waist, Summer flew with two wings spread out, crashing through clouds after clouds.

The echoes drummed against Ciel’s ears. Strangely, they didn’t hurt or bleed as they should.

Awkwardness lingered between them, and Ciel’s attention was occupied by the changing scenery below.

Trees and rivers flashed by, as the forest gradually gave way to the wide road made of polished stones, stretching endlessly ahead.

The horizon revealed a city rising from a far, far distance. It drew closer at an astonishing speed, passing by the slow carriages that trailed along the same road.

Ciel frowned with a little regret.

Perhaps they should have walked instead. The journey would have been slower, and she got to be with Miss Dragon more.

A cold voice, however, tainted her innocent worry into something else entirely.

"Hang on tight."

Ciel shuddered at the hot breath on her skin. Her arms clutched tighter as the breeze slashed across her face, as their figures sped up and tore through the air with a force.

The scenery below was a complete blur. Ciel’s vision briefly caught the city before the dragon flew past it without batting an eye.

"Miss Dragon...?"

She could only afford a worried whisper before the dragon dove straight down into clusters of trees.

Whoosh. They landed onto the solid soil, leaves fluttering away at their sheer impact, surrounding them like a shower of nature.

Ciel and Summer’s eyes met for a second, with the small Queen’s figure still lifted in mid-air, trapped by two strong arms around her back.

It didn’t take a second.

And Summer’s lips pressed tight into Ciel’s neck, burrowing close with a hint of vengeance.

It tickled.

Ciel’s mind hazed as her tingly mind gave into the wet sensation on her neck.

Her legs thrashed against Summer’s hips as the kiss pressed deeper, then strength left them as the dragon’s grasp tightened.

But Summer wasn’t satisfied.

A breath hitched in Ciel as the dragon’s lips travelled along the neck, each kiss deeper and more heated than the last.

The tiny Queen’s arms stretched. In her daze, she managed to wrap them into Summer’s hair, pushing her with a feverish pull.

Trapped in both her mind and body, Ciel could only dissolve in the dragon’s maddening embrace.

She forgot to count. But by the time Summer’s lips reached her chin, a clarity sang inside her.

And faint, red marks decorated across her entire throat.

Summer pulled away. A shuddering gasp followed both of them, their heated breaths mingling, intimate and enchanted.

Their gazes met. They needed a moment of silence.

But as Ciel leaned in, Summer only hung her head, refusing.

"I’ve watched you." Summer muttered, her tone dripped with a hushed honesty. "Cherish yourself more. Don’t intrude in a matter beyond your power."

The principal’s stern look flickered, returning, even if only to make Summer feel fragile.

Her last bit of honesty was simple.

"Do not rely on me to keep you safe."

Ciel gulped.

Then she nodded, unable to refuse Summer’s sincerity.

A satisfied purr, loud and beast-like, echoed from the dragon’s nostril. And Summer’s lips, without another word, leaned in to taste more.

—--------

The heated exchange ended in a flash. After tidying Ciel’s clothes with <Dragon Language>, Summer carried them across the sky again.

Ciel’s shoulders slumped, her eyelids falling with an unconscious weight.

If only she could help it. The first time Ciel’s desires reached a release, and tiredness overtook her more than at the end of the Entrance exam.

"Ciel?" An apologetic voice came from above, as Summer’s arms at her waist twitched with uncertainty.

Ciel shook her head. Clarity sung in her mind as she murmured. "I’m alright, Miss Dragon..."

The soft response was all she could muster up, her neck still flaring from the dragon’s heated claim.

Summer wore a look. Then, her eyes focused ahead, slowing their speed down to allow Ciel some rest.

In a comforting silence, the stony main road stretched on till it reached a rising city that peeked through the horizon once more.

Streetlights, decorated with green Lumoni Fireflies, lined the main road, a constant reminder of Nightfall’s threat.

They soon arrived above the gate, their figures looming over the towering stone.

A soldier, clad in an iron helmet and armour, gave a brief nod before Summer flew by, an indication of Summer’s authority.

They then landed right before the gate. A sigh escaped Summer’s lips as travellers and students passed them by, casting curious glances in their direction.

Ciel, as her feet finally touched solid ground, felt a ripple of relief washing over her.

Even when Summer kissed her neck, after all, her body was lifted all the way through, the balance tipping till it became nauseating.

So when the disorienting levity had passed, she was glad at the steady earth that felt weighty beneath her feet, as weird as it sounded.

There remained one problem.

"Miss Dragon." Ciel nudged, her brows falling. "Um... please let go?"

The dragon’s arms remained locked onto her small figure. Under the principal’s stern gaze, Ciel looked more like a daughter with her rebellious streak restrained.