“Ah… Athena..?”
She emanated a brilliant and noble aura, in stark contrast to my own shabby self.
As she lit the fire in the room, a dazzling light tormented my eyes.
“Ugh..”
While I frowned and covered my eyes with my hands, she approached me, gazing down at me with an unsettling expression.
“….Did you cry?”
I could see my pathetic and worthless self reflected in her radiant golden eyes.
Not wanting to show Athena such a sight, I tried to look down, but her hand held my chin and lifted it up.
“Hera, why are you crying?”
“…..”
Her intense gaze demanding an answer terrified me, but my mouth refused to open.
I didn’t want to tell her.
That I cried because I’m such a fool. So pathetic.
I could only cause trouble for those around me, a useless human being.
In the end, unable to respond, I had no choice but to quietly close my eyes.
After a long silence, Athena stared at me for a while before finally releasing her grip on my chin.
“Sigh…”
Her deep sigh made my heart sink.
‘…Athena must be frustrated with me too.’
She treats me kindly now, but someday she will grow tired of this side of me.
What will happen then?
Will I be kicked out of this mansion?
Or will I really fall into a life worse than that of a slave?
Though I was frightened by the unknown future, I didn’t want to depend on her.
If even she looked at me with pity, I wouldn’t have the courage to stand up again.
Maybe it’s better to just—
“I can’t do this, Hera.”
“Ugh?!”
While I was lost in thought, Athena swiftly lifted my body.
She sat me on the bed, laying my stomach across her knee.
A position that seemed eerily familiar.
‘Huh…?’
It looked like how mothers discipline their children.
“Um… Athena..?”
“Well then. Should I keep hitting you until you answer?”
She smiled and raised her hand high.
Slap—
“Huh?!?”
A wave of searing pain surged through me.
I turned my head slightly and saw her palm resting on my rear.
Whack—
“Hah?!”
Before I could properly grasp the situation, the shock hit me again.
Tears welled in my eyes from the unanticipated pain.
“This is a punishment for ignoring your master’s question. I won’t stop until you answer properly.”
“Wait.. for a moment..!”
Slap—
“Hyaaack!”
With every slap, the intensity of the pain seemed to increase.
“Y-you’re too strong… just a little…!”
“Answer me, Hera. Why were you crying?”
“Ugh… that is…”
Slap—
“Wahh!!”
“From now on, I’ll just keep hitting you, so if you feel like answering, just say it.”
Thus, the once quiet room filled with sounds of flesh slapping and a woman’s cries.
*
“Ugh… please… stop…”
Slap—
“Aah.. it hurts… ugh…”
Slap—
“I-I’ll tell you..! I’ll tell you, just.. please.. stop..!”
At last, Athena stopped her hand at my words.
“Sniff… It hurts…”
My backside felt as though it had been burned, and the blanket against my face was soaked with my tears.
“Okay, then hurry up and tell me. Why were you crying?”
Her merciless hand, which was hitting me before, now gently caressed my rear.
“Sniff… I feel… foolish…”
“Foolish?”
“Because I only cause trouble for others… I can’t do anything by myself, and it makes me feel so foolish…”
“…..”
“I hate and resent myself for being like this… that’s why I cried…”
I said it out loud.
Exposing my vulnerabilities.
Like a little child throwing a tantrum.
I was terrified to see Athena’s face.
Would she scold me for crying over something so trivial?
Or would she look at me with pity like the other maids?
But contrary to my expectations, she gave me a completely different response.
She stopped rubbing my rear, quietly seated me on her lap, and then—
Peck—
Gave me a light kiss on the lips.
“….Oh?”
As I blinked in disbelief, Athena chuckled before pressing her lips against mine again.
“Hah… Mmm…”
Slurp—
Our lips mingled once more.
Now accustomed to her kisses, my body accepted her without any resistance.
After exploring my lips for a while, she finally withdrew, a slight flush appearing on her face.
As our gazes met for a moment—
Pfft— she chuckled.
“Hera, are you afraid of causing trouble for others?”
She said while smoothing my messy hair.
“…Yes…”
“Well, you do have a bit of a clumsy side.”
Thump-thump—
My heart began to race.
‘So even Athena…’
It seemed she thought of me as a hassle in her heart.
As her previously hidden feelings surfaced, tears threatened to well up in my eyes again.
I had to hold on.
If I cried here again, I would really look pathetic.
As I forced myself to hold back the tears, Athena wrapped her arms around me.
“Hey.”
“It’s okay, Hera.”
She continued to pat my back gently.
“You can cause as much trouble as you want. I told you before, here you can do whatever you want.”
“…..”
“I swear, no matter how much trouble you cause, even if others ignore you…”
She pulled me away from her embrace, making our eyes meet.
Looking into her bright golden eyes, which shone with clarity, I felt her intentional warmth.
“I’ll love you for a lifetime.”
“…..Oh?”
“You’re my slave, after all. A master must take responsibility, right?”
Like a person tending to a cute pet, one hand caressed my head while the other playfully tickled my chin.
‘For a lifetime… you’ll love me..?’
Even as she treated me like an animal, it didn’t feel bad at all.
No, on the contrary, it felt as though her love was slowly filling the empty void inside me.
“So don’t give your heart to anyone else, okay? I’ll give you all the love you need.”
“It’s better to rely on your loving master than to get hurt by depending on others.”
To lean on Athena. Is that alright?
I was afraid. Would she tire of me too?
Even if Athena hated me.
She was the only person here who treated me kindly.
I was terrified that if she turned her back on me, I would be truly alone.
– A useless person like me won’t be loved.
– She’ll surely soon grow bored of me.
– I will definitely be abandoned.
No matter how firmly I steeled my heart, imagination and reality are two different things.
I had steeled myself for her to turn away from me, but I couldn’t bear to hear it from her own lips.
Yet, contrary to my fantasies, she declared she would love me for a lifetime.
Wanting to confirm her sincerity one more time, I timidly grasped her clothing.
“Um… really..? Will you love me… for a lifetime?”
When I cautiously looked up, her expression seemed to be suppressing something.
“…..Right now, I could… No… No, that’s not it…”
She mumbled something inaudible and then quickly smiled at me.
“I swear on my name. I am solely on your side.”
As her certainty enveloped me, tears that I had held back began to flow once more.
“….Ugh…”
Her vow that she would never abandon me was like immense comfort to my dried-up heart.
A beam of light found in the pitch-black darkness.
As her warm energy wrapped around me, I slowly dug into her embrace, just like a chick running to its mother.
“That’s right.. good girl, our Hera..”
“T-thank you… for not hating me… for being alone…”
She gently stroked me while speaking with a concerned voice.
“…Even if I seem kind on the surface, a person can change at any time.”
– So don’t trust anyone but me.
Her last words pierced into my mind.
Right.
I didn’t want to be hurt by depending on anyone else any longer.
Just one person, even if it’s just one person, I needed someone who would solely be on my side.
Looking up at her, I softly opened my mouth.
“…Thank you…”
She smiled at my words and wiped away my tears.
“….But there’s one problem.”
In that brief moment, her expression seemed to turn cold.
“W-what’s the problem..?”
My body trembled for no reason, and I unconsciously snuggled deeper into her warmth to seek out human connection.
“Well, I’m fine with however you are, but there’s one thing that bothers me.”
The light that had just illuminated me seemed to flicker as if it could go out at any moment.
Fearing to lose the solace I had finally found, I hurriedly responded.
“W-what is it?? Please tell me… I-I will fix it…”
Finally, she gave me a warm smile again.
“I’ll cherish you as my slave for a lifetime and care for you with love.”
When I looked at her with an earnest expression, she quietly gazed back at me before continuing.
“But you don’t truly see me as your master, do you?”
“A one-sided relationship is bound to break quickly.”
My mind went blank for a moment.
Slave.
I had become her slave.
But it was a contract forged under duress. I hadn’t fully accepted this relationship as she said.
In fact, the resentment I held towards her outweighed my loyalty.
She had forcibly brought me here, separating me from those I loved.
Deep in my heart, a resentment toward her was always lurking.
“Hera, do you genuinely think of me as your master?”
At her question, I found myself speechless.
Master..?
Athena?
I didn’t know.
I was so grateful that Athena vowed to cherish me for a lifetime, but…
The resentment I felt towards her was too heavy to genuinely regard her as my master.
I hated her. This feeling likely wouldn’t disappear for a long time.
Yet, paradoxically, I hoped she wouldn’t leave my side.
My thoughts were in disarray.
I couldn’t understand what my feelings towards Athena were.
After some time without a response from me, Athena sighed and stood up from the bed.
“…Sigh… I suppose I need to think about this a bit.”
As she turned her back on me and started to walk away, my heart began to race.
This was the first time.
Athena had turned her back on me.
As she distanced herself from me, fear and anxiety began to well up in my body.
No, don’t leave me.
Please don’t abandon me.
I rushed out of bed and hugged her from behind tightly.
“Don’t… go…. please..”
She paused momentarily, then slowly turned her head to look at me.
Her expression was cold, yet for a brief instant, I thought I caught a glimpse of something.
‘It must have been a mistake…’
It was undoubtedly just my imagination.
Before she turned her head away, I felt like I saw the faintest smile gracing her lips.
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