episode_0024

“We’ll do it for you, miss.”

“Yeah..it’s really okay..! I’ll wear it..”

They reached out to me with faces dyed with desire. I waved my hand at them, expressing my intention to refuse.

When I stubbornly refused, they seemed to give up too. They started leaving the room one by one, handing me clothes.

“Haa.. Miss.. Then we’ll be out, so please call us whenever you need us.”

After all the maids Rosaline had called left, I collapsed on the large bed in the room like a deflated balloon.

“Ugh…I’m out of my mind….”

When I entered the bathroom with Rosalind’s guidance, several maids in maid outfits were waiting there.

When I told them I would wash myself, they said it was okay and took off my clothes, and inspected every nook and cranny of my body, exposing my bare skin.

“Ugh..”

When I recalled that memory, my face began to turn bright red.

Am I going to have to wash like this every time from now on?

‘But it was comfortable..’

I just lay still in the bathtub, and they washed me thoroughly from head to toe.

It wasn’t called a mansion for nothing. They used a variety of cleaning products that I’d never seen before.

As I sniffed my hair, which had become much softer, the cozy strawberry scent spread everywhere, stimulating my nose.

I lifted the clothes they handed me.

A one-piece dress made of black lace.

This dress, made of thin and light material, seemed to be designed to be comfortable to wear.

I took off the shabby clothes I was wearing and changed into the clothes the maids gave me.

It took a while to tie the laces on the back, but I was able to put it on without any problems after a few tries.

“Wow..”

When I looked into the mirror in the room, I saw a woman so beautiful that even the noble young lady who had been cared for her entire life would have been put to shame.

Maybe it was because I was wearing fancy clothes, but my appearance, which she had never seen before, felt quite unfamiliar.

Now that I think about it, the room I was assigned was also horrible.

Before the ice age. A room that was incomparably huge compared to the studio I used to live in.

Various shelves and decorations made the room look even more elegant, and the bed in the center was big enough to comfortably accommodate five adult men.

A room that is too much for a mere slave like me.

As I was enjoying the softness of the bed, I heard a knock on the door.

“Miss. This is Alina. May I come in?”

“Oh..yes! Come in..!”

As I gave permission, a girl with brown hair who looked about my age came in.

The maid who washed me most enthusiastically in the previous bathroom. The maid introduced herself as Alina.

“Excuse me. The master said he wanted to have dinner with the young lady, so I came to pick you up.”

“Ah..Athena?”

Alina opened her eyes wide at my words and looked puzzled.

I immediately realized what I had done wrong and rephrased my words.

“Ah..no..Athena is looking for me?”

“Uh..yes, I’m waiting at the restaurant.”

I was already hungry…

Athena waiting to eat with me.

As I still had a grudge against her, I wanted to avoid having meals with her alone.

Alina’s gaze, which was constantly looking at me, finally made me get out of bed.

So, guided by Alina, I walked down the seemingly endless corridors with her.

I was bored just walking, so I ended up chatting with her about this and that.

I was able to learn a little about her.

Alina was a commoner, and it is said that she traveled around the empire with her father, who was a merchant.

However, one day while she was wandering around, a monster suddenly appeared, and Alina, who was supposed to lose her life there, was saved by the appearance of Athena.

After receiving such an unpayable favor from Athena, she started working as a maid in this mansion to repay her even a little.

“Master, you are truly amazing! I have never seen anyone so strong. If I were a man, I would have fallen in love at first sight.”

Alina, who had some kind of fantasy about Athena, opened her eyes wide and began bragging about her incessantly when her story came up.

“Ah..yes..”

Alina. He’s not that kind of person.

Does this child know that I have forced her into slavery?

I guess I can say this because I didn’t know.

I wanted to expose her evil identity, but I didn’t want to break Alina’s deep favor, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

“I heard that Miss Hera is someone the master cherishes. How did you meet her?”

Her eyes, sparkling brightly as she asked me questions, were burdensome.

“..It just so happened..”

“I’m jealous! I wish I could get the attention of my master too..”

I felt a little annoyed that she was talking like she knew nothing.

But I don’t think she meant anything malicious by saying that.

I smiled at her and responded positively.

“Anyone would love someone as cute as Alina.”

“Oh..Oh my! Miss Hera..”

Alina stared blankly at my face for a moment, then smiled brightly again and said:

“Come to think of it, you are really beautiful, young lady! Your eyes are like pretty jewels, so I can’t stop looking at them.”

Alina suddenly starts complimenting me.

Unaccustomed to such words, I lowered my head and avoided eye contact.

“Ah..no..”

“Oh my..you’re so cute even when you’re shy!…Ah. We’ve arrived.”

When I raised my head at her words, a luxurious door appeared before my eyes.

“The master will be waiting inside. Then I’ll take my leave now.”

Alina finished speaking and nodded to me.

As I bowed my head to follow Alina, she smiled once and started walking back the way she came.

I took a deep breath and opened the large door with both hands.

The restaurant appeared through the gap in the door that was getting wider.

A pure white space made of white marble, looking sacred.

Inside, a large table that seemed to be made of silver was shining brightly in the center.

And she’s sitting at the end of it.

Perhaps because of the surrounding environment, Athena appeared even more noble.

“Are you here Hera? Come here and eat with me..”

Athena raised her head as she spoke, and looked at me for a moment with a blank expression.

He immediately kicked the chair back and started walking towards me with brisk strides.

“What..what is it..why are you coming..”

She came up to me and grabbed my face with one hand, slightly tilting it upward so that our eyes met.

“…You look much prettier wearing this, Hera.”

Then he put his face on my neck and started sniffing me.

“Huh?! What…what are you doing!”

When I pushed her away in surprise, she smiled with a slightly blushing face.

“Haa… It smells good too..”

I looked at her with cold eyes at the sound of a perverted old man saying that.

“..Don’t say weird things.”

“Hehehe.. Are you really hungry? Come and sit down quickly. It’ll be delicious.”

So I followed her and sat down at the table,

Foods that I had never seen before in my life were placed before my eyes.

I couldn’t help but salivate at the sight of such a variety of dishes that seemed like they would be served at a five-star hotel.

Let’s take a bite with trembling hands. The food melts in your mouth.

So I guess there’s a reason I like expensive food.

Before I knew it, I was unconsciously moving my hands and tasting the food.

Athena looked at me, resting her chin on her hand, and chuckled.

“How is it? Do you like the food?”

As I was eating absentmindedly at her words, for some reason I felt embarrassed.

Actually, the food was really delicious, but I didn’t want to take her words for granted, so I spoke in a low voice.

“..No? Not really.. The food that Dania made was much tastier.”

In fact, the food Dania prepared was the best of all.

Although the taste was limited because the ingredients weren’t as expensive as those in these foods, Dania’s food still gave me a sense of happiness and warmth in my heart.

There will probably never be a dish that can beat her cooking in my lifetime.

Let me speak with pride. Athena had a cold expression on her face.

“Huh.. Really? I guess our chef was a pretty useless guy.”

“…Huh?”

“Thank you Hera. Thanks to you, I was able to kick out one incompetent rice bowler.”

“Ah..no wait..”

An unknown chef who is in danger of losing his balls because of my lies.

My heart started pounding fast, thinking that someone so talented at making such delicious food might get hurt because of me.

“I’ll go to the kitchen for a bit. It won’t taste good, but please bear with it and eat it for a little while.”

As Athena stood up, I hurriedly grabbed her hand tightly, feeling that if I left it like this, an innocent person would really be cut down.

“Ah..no!! Oh..the food is so delicious.. Seriously.”

Then Athena looked down at me coldly.

“Didn’t you clearly say it wasn’t that good?”

“That..That’s..Uh..”

As I murmured my words, unable to speak, she pushed my hand away and began to walk away.

“It’s okay, Hera. Nothing will happen to you.”

As she got closer to the door, step by step, my heart started pounding harder.

I threw back my chair sharply, jumped up and shouted at her.

“I’m…sorry!! Actually, I lied…it’s really…delicious…”

Then Athena suddenly stopped walking.

He turned his head towards me.

She looks at me like a beast looking at its prey caught in a trap.

“…A slave lies to his master..”

Her threatening aura left me speechless and I could only swallow my saliva.

She looks at me and says with a faint smile on her face.

“Our Hera..”

“I guess I’ll have to get punished.”