Corvin had no way to argue now—the evidence and the witness were right in front of everyone. When Corvin saw Coalball all tied up and gagged, he immediately shut up, looking guilty. Emma stared at Coalball, who seemed barely alive, and was both shocked and furious. She ignored both Corvin and Edric and rushed to untie Coalball first. Meanwhile, Lucien, knowing he'd taken advantage of Emma, spent all night battling his conscience and finally made up his mind to become her loyal suitor. Since he'd crossed the line, he had to take responsibility. When Emma came over to untie him, her gentle hands brushed against him, and his whole body went stiff as he squeezed his eyes shut. It was embarrassing. He was so badly hurt that he had to let a girl take care of him when he should have been helping her as her follower. He couldn't even look at her. But once he recovered, he swore he'd make it up to her. He'd only ever be loyal to her. As Emma was halfway through untying Coalball, she noticed his body had gone rigid, his eyes squeezed shut, and her heart skipped a beat. "Oh no, Edric, I think Coalball just died!" Dead? Who's dead? Coalball instantly opened his eyes and looked at Emma. Edric saw Coalball wake up and flicked him on the head. "You're fine. Why are you scaring Emma like that?" Coalball was speechless. He'd just been nervous and closed his eyes, that was all. "Don't hit him." Emma relaxed when she realized Coalball was alive. For a moment there, she really thought he was a goner. He was her lifesaver, after all. If anything really happened to Coalball, she'd have been devastated. Edric saw Emma's pale face and assumed Coalball's near-death act had frightened her. He comforted her gently. "Don't worry, Emma. I checked Coalball over with my mental power. He's got plenty of life in him. He'll be fine." Emma picked Coalball up and shot Edric a disapproving look. "He might be tough, but that doesn't mean Corvin gets to treat him like this. "Coalball may be a bird, but he's a living being. Since I decided to keep him, I have to take responsibility and take good care of him." "Corvin was wrong to tie him up and mess with him. I'm mad about that. But Edric, you messed up, too. "You saw Coalball tied up and gagged. Why didn't you help him right away?" Corvin was in the wrong, but Edric wasn't exactly innocent either. Emma treated them all the same. She wasn't a fan of playing favorites. "Emma, I'm sorry." Edric bowed his head, looking genuinely apologetic. Seeing this, Emma didn't have the heart to stay mad. She looked over at Corvin, who was hiding his face under the blanket, with just his butt sticking out."Awooo... awooo..." If I can't see them, they can't see me. Corvin's little tail trembled as he tried to burrow deeper. Emma grabbed him by the tail and hauled him out. "Corvin, you can't just hide. What you did to Coalball means you have to be punished." She took the rope that had been tied around Coalball and quickly bound Corvin's paws, then stuffed a cloth in his mouth. "Mmmph..." Corvin squirmed, looking pitifully at Emma with teary eyes. But Emma didn't soften. She had no idea how long she'd keep him tied up. He needed to learn a lesson. If she let it slide, Corvin might actually feel it was all right to mess around and hurt Coalball."Acting cute won't help. You mess up, so you are going to get punished." She looked away, ignoring Corvin's puppy-dog eyes. Edric was about to laugh at Corvin when Emma shot him a look that could kill. He immediately sat up straight, took out a black and purple rope from his storage band, and offered it to Emma with both hands. "Emma, I know I messed up. You should tie me up, too. "I promise I'll behave and won't resist." Emma glanced at the rope. It was the same color as Edric's tail. Was it made from his own shed skin? And could a snake really be tied up anyway? She knew exactly what he was trying to pull. She tossed the rope in his face. "Tie you up? That's just what you want."Dream on!" Ignoring Edric and Corvin, Emma scooped up Coalball and went to the dressing room to change. Seeing her walk off, Edric quickly tossed the snakeskin rope aside and flashed to the door, blocking her way. "Emma, if you're going to change, you should let me take Coalball."