The light, which shone so brightly that it could wrinkle my brow, began to fade gradually.
The sensation of floating in the sky was also slowly returning to normal.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself floating in a place I had never seen before, as if I had just popped out of thin air.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I stumbled and fell.
“Ugh..”
With one hand on the ground and the other covering my mouth, I retched.
“Looks like it’s your first time teleporting.”
Athena sat beside me, patting my back until I felt better.
“Huh..”
“Are you okay now?”
As my senses slowly returned, I grabbed Athena by the collar with my unsteady body.
“Athena…!!”
My beloved family.
Lily and Dania.
Athena didn’t even give me enough time to say goodbye to them.
I lifted her collar with resentment, but she felt surprisingly light, lifting her off the ground as well.
Yet, she seemed completely unfazed, speaking in a low, calm voice.
“..Hera.. what are you doing?”
“Shut up!! They were like family to me..! There was no need to bring me here so urgently!!”
Connections formed over half a year vanished in an instant, leaving an overwhelming sense of emptiness.
“Hera, I understand you’re angry.”
Her golden eyes shone brilliantly, and the air around us began to thrash violently.
“But still, I can’t allow such behavior.”
As she raised her finger, my body started to be pinned down to the ground with a thud-.
Thud-thud–
As I continued to hold out without kneeling, the ground around me began to crack.
“Ugh..”
Athena looked at me for a moment, sighed, and stretched out a hand toward me.
“Sigh… I don’t want to hurt you, Hera.”
Her hand glimmered briefly beforetaking the form of magic chains that wrapped around my entire body and began to tighten.
As I offered no significant resistance, the chains eventually forced my knees to the ground and bound my hands.
I just stared blankly at the ground.
Crushed by a deep sense of powerlessness, I wanted to do nothing.
Athena knelt down gently to match my eye level.
And, as if to comfort me, she gently patted my head.
“I’m letting you off this time, but next time, there will be a punishment.”
“My.. family… sniff Lily.. Dania..”
Ah, I shouldn’t cry again.
Tears began to flow uncontrollably, against my will.
‘How long has it been since we parted..?’
I already missed them deeply.
.
.
.
As the fog of sadness cleared, the surroundings started to come into focus.
What appeared before my eyes was a building of enormous size that I had never seen before.
At a glance, it was so big it could be mistaken for a castle.
“…Is this… a mansion?”
I stood there, dumbfounded by the grandeur of the building in front of me.
“Do you like it?”
I shot her a sharp glare as she spoke calmly, seemingly oblivious to my feelings.
I hated her. I hated her so much.
But no matter how much I hated her, nothing would change, so I buried this dark feeling deep within my heart.
“….It’s too big.”
Noticing my lack of reaction, Athena chuckled and took my hand to lead me inside.
Creeeak- As the enormous mansion’s front door opened,
“Welcome, master.”
A tall knight in medieval armor approached, bowing to Athena.
“Where’s Bordin?”
“He is waiting in the mansion.”
“Tell him to come to see me.”
“Understood.”
The knight bowed, glancing at me before stepping back.
Athena stared at him impassively, then turned to me with a smile.
“Hera, aren’t you hungry? Want to eat something first?”
“No… not really..”
“Hmm.. Is that so? Then let’s go inside first.”
Following Athena inside the front door, I immediately saw a well-kept garden.
Numerous decorations adorned the exterior, enhancing its beauty, and fountains placed here and there added a refreshing atmosphere.
However, as I stepped further into the mansion, I realized that the exterior was nothing compared to the interior.
A space so vast that I couldn’t even take it all in at once.
Countless rooms were lined up endlessly, and a staircase that seemed to glow led up like a path to heaven.
The luxurious interior was adorned in a way that wouldn’t seem out of place if royalty lived there.
As I stood there dumbfounded, taking in the unbelievable sight,
“Athena, is that you?”
A middle-aged woman with an elegant air approached, bowing her head.
“Roselin.”
“Oh my, who is this lovely girl?”
The woman named Roselin looked at me and smiled, bowing her head slightly.
Unused to such polite manners, I awkwardly returned her bow.
“Um.. hello..”
“Your voice is lovely too.”
As she giggled while looking at me, Athena placed her hand on my shoulder and introduced me.
“Hera, this is Roselin, the head maid of this mansion. If you have any questions about this place, ask her. And Roselin, this girl will be assisting me from now on.”
At Athena’s words, Roselin gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
“Oh.. my goodness.. Athena-sama, you’ve finally got a personal maid..!”
As Roselin’s eyes widened in disbelief, a strange sense of embarrassment washed over me.
“I’m.. not a maid..”
“Ahaha. Being a maid isn’t so bad.”
Roselin approached me with burning enthusiasm, grabbing my hand tightly.
The look in her eyes was filled with somewhat overwhelming eagerness.
“Eek..”
“When… when do I start training this girl??! With such a beautiful appearance, cute figure, and noble aura! Ah, with her, she would surely make a wonderful maid-”
“Roselin. She’s not a maid.”
Hearing Athena’s words, Roselin’s burning enthusiasm extinguished instantly.
Feeling a bit flustered, she cleared her throat several times before speaking again.
“I see, my apologies. Then what role will this girl have?”
“She’s a slave.”
“Excuse me?”
“She’ll be my slave, who will be staying by my side from now on.”
“A s-slave?!”
Roselin looked at me in disbelief, her expression one of shock.
I buried my flushed face, avoiding her gaze in embarrassment.
“Even if she’s a slave, she’s mine. So tell the other servants not to mistreat her.”
Roselin looked confused, trying to make sense of Athena’s words for a while, then decided to simply follow her instructions.
“…I will convey that she is someone precious to you.”
“And take her away to wash her up and change her into comfortable clothes.”
“Huh?”
“Understood. Let’s go, Miss.”
Roselin grabbed my hand and began to lead me somewhere.
“Wait? Huh..?!”
“Hehe… You don’t need to be shy, dear.”
I started to be dragged along like a sack.
“J-Just a moment!!”
‘She can’t be seriously going to wash me, can she…?’
.
.
.
“I heard you were looking for me, master.”
As Athena entered her office, the middle-aged man Bordin greeted her with a bow.
Without so much as a glance at him, Athena strode to her desk.
“It seems you’ve been pleased with the jewels you found recently.”
Ignoring his comment, Athena immediately issued her orders.
“There’s a girl named Lily and a woman named Dania over in Drax’s western area. Move them to the empire.”
Though the information was extremely limited, Bordin, who had been serving her for years, knew well what she wanted without needing to ask.
“Shall I settle them near Ainheart?”
“No. Not too close to Ainheart.”
Athena didn’t want Hera to run into them.
“And please inform the nearby guilds that they are people I care for.”
“Yes. Do you have any further orders?”
Athena gestured for him to leave as if she had nothing more to say, and Bordin bowed and quietly departed.
Once he was gone, she grimaced and propped her feet on the desk.
Suddenly, a golden aura of mana erupted around her.
She was not feeling well at all.
Although she had obtained the jewel she desired, it did not bring her the completeness she yearned for.
It was undoubtedly because of them.
The seemingly cute but really shady little girl Lily, and the unsettling woman Dania, who stirred strange emotions within her when looked at.
Hera treasured them as her most precious family and constantly thought only of them.
No matter how obedient she appeared, whenever they were involved, Hera had always prioritized them.
Athena disliked that immensely.
“Family… family, huh..”
Athena began to reflect on what had once been her family.
She didn’t want to recall those disgusting memories but wondered if she could find clues to Hera’s desires through her past connections.
But.
“Tsk. Just makes me feel worse.”
Indeed, it seemed that Hera’s true desires lay somewhere else.
It’s fine.
Time was on her side, after all.
Not some false ties like family, friends, or companions.
A solid contract between lord and servant.
Hera would never be able to escape from her.
And she, too, would never let Hera go.
What a perfect relationship it is.
Even if Hera paled in comparison to her right now, it didn’t matter.
One by one, she could teach her and leave her mark.
Then eventually, Hera would only wag her tail for her.
As Athena imagined a blushing, smiling Hera only focused on her, a dangerous desire began to blossom within her.
“Hehe.. I’m looking forward to the future.”
Like raindrops slowly soaking into a stone.
She would gradually, slowly, fill Hera’s heart with herself.
.
.
.
“What?!! I can wash myself!!!”
“Miss! Leave this to us!”
“N-No! It’s uncomfortable for me…!”
“Hoho… You’re quite shy, aren’t you, dear?”
“I-I really can wash myself…!!”
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