Chapter 3: Ariella’s Intervention

My heart was heavy and stifled.

It felt like a mass of hot iron was pressing down on my heart.

Perhaps thanks to that heavy piece of iron.

My feet wouldn’t easily move.

‘What should I do.’

The number of potions I currently possessed was 298.

Not more, not less, just two more would have been enough to meet the target.

However.

“Get in quickly!”

“Ugh..!”

The knight standing behind me pushed my back with a poke.

My body stumbled when the knight, as big as a mountain, shoved me.

He was the knight who had come to get me on the Emperor’s order.

Every time I hesitated with anxiety, he would poke me like that, leading me to the front of this principal’s office.

‘Dmn it.’

In this world, there was no one on my side.

Even that knight mocks me, a s*ave.

It was humiliating.

But to prevent a greater tragedy, I had to endure.

‘Just one year.’

Then my wings would be fixed.

So, let’s just humor her until then.

“Haa…”

Letting out a deep sigh, I opened the door to the principal’s office like that.

[Swish.]

Unlike my old house, the door opened smoothly.

As I opened the door and stepped inside, the strong scent of coffee stimulated the tip of my nose.

‘I like coffee too.’

However, here, coffee was an expensive drink only nobles could afford.

That’s why instead of coffee, I used to drink tea brewed from flowers grown in the garden.

It seemed that was everyday life for commoners.

The smell wasn’t great, but the bitter taste was similar to coffee, so I favored it.

Recalling the smell of that lingering flower tea, I approached the Emperor sitting at a large desk.

Then, bowing my head, I spoke.

“…Master. I have arrived.”

“…”

But there was no reply.

My hands trembled slightly.

Understandably so, the Emperor and I were so different that even the scent in the room showed the disparity.

“…”

That meant I couldn’t lift my head until she replied.

[Clack clack clack.]

I heard the sound of her sharp heels tapping the floor.

[Tick-tock.]

The sound of the clock’s spring whenever it moved.

[Rustle.]

I also heard the sound of paper pages turning, as if she was checking something.

“…”

One minute felt like an eternity.

[Thump thump thump.]

My small heart was pounding like crazy.

My leg muscles, tensed with nervousness, twitched intermittently, and my breathing quickened.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Atmosphere sometimes possesses immense physical power.

It’s impossible to explain how something abstract can gain substance.

However, what I was seeing and feeling now.

That was proof and evidence that atmosphere had physical power.

I was currently being crushed to death by the heavy atmosphere in real time.

It was right then.

Just before the strength left my legs, the Emperor’s tightly closed lips opened.

“Was it difficult?”

It was perhaps a simple question.

Even more so because her voice was majestic and beautiful.

But that was from another person’s perspective.

For a servant who had committed a sin to hear, those words the Emperor spoke were truly difficult words.

‘No matter what I say, it will be a disaster.’

They called this a forced move in vulgar terms, didn’t they?

‘I have to choose the best move.’

The one where I would be scolded the least.

The best answer I could give right now.

Tapping the keyboard in my mind, I opened my mouth.

“Ah, no. It wasn’t difficult at all. Hehehe…”

A submissive voice flowed from my mouth.

“Hmm…”

At my words, the Emperor let out a hum.

It was an uneasy hum.

After showing that kind of reaction, the Emperor always tormented me.

[Thud!]

As if to confirm that this time was no different, the Emperor roughly placed something on the desk.

Bowing my head, I didn’t know what it was.

[Flutter.]

My golden hair, scattered by a wind that blew from somewhere, tickled my cheek.

“Then what is it that I am seeing?”

[Scrape.]

The chair was pushed back.

The Emperor rose from her seat.

Her voice carried a calm anger.

“Iris. Tell me. Am I mistaken?”

[Clip clop.]

She gradually began to approach me.

The sound of her heels echoed in my heart.

“Ah, no.”

I quickly argued.

“You’re saying no…”

Then the Emperor’s voice trailed off.

She, who had approached me by now, stopped in front of me and said softly.

“Then what I saw was correct. Isn’t that right, Iris?”

“Yes, yes! What Your Majesty saw is correct!”

I hastily affirmed her words.

A glimmer of hope that things might end like this peeked out in my mind.

It was at that moment.

[Grab!]

Her hand strongly grasped my cheek.

My plump cheek was crumpled by her touch.

“Ugh..!”

Startled by the sudden impact, I groaned.

Not caring about that, the Emperor forcibly lifted my head.

“Then you lied to me.”

Her bright red eyes gleamed eerily.

It was my mistake.

‘The Emperor hated lies the most..!’

Three years ago, when I was first sold to her.

Having caused an incident, I lied to the Emperor to cover it up.

But the trivial lie was easily caught.

And so, meaning it as s*ave education, I was made to wear a collar.

‘How humiliating it was..!’

It felt like my human dignity was being destroyed.

More than anything, it was only quite recently that the collar was removed.

I had lived wearing the collar for a full two years.

“It seemed you had come to your senses lately, but you’re becoming lazy again.”

“Uwu… I’m sowwy. Mashter…”

I spoke to the Emperor with a tearful face.

Wearing the collar again would not do.

My pride as a man would not allow it.

“I won’t do it again fwom now on. Pwease fowgive me just this once.”

Therefore, I apologized to her with all my earnestness.

Thanks to my tightly held cheek, my pronunciation was slurred.

[Mouth flapping.]

From her perspective, I must have looked like a low-grade goldfish.

But that was fine.

As long as I didn’t have to wear the collar again.

“…”

The Emperor stared at me intently.

Her face was flushed red with anger.

The moment I saw that, despair clouded my face.

Because I realized it wouldn’t end easily.

However.

“…Ha.”

The Emperor, who had been staring at me for a moment, sighed and released my hand.

Then, she brought her hand, spread wide open, before my eyes.

The Emperor spoke.

“Give me the potions I told you about yesterday.”

“…?”

Is she forgiving me?

Doubt filled my head.

But that was only for a moment.

Darkness fell upon my face, which had brightened at the renewed crisis.

“You didn’t even manage to do this?!”

The Emperor, noticing it uncannily, shouted at me.

My body flinched at the loud voice.

But now was not the time to be intimidated.

It was time to defend myself.

“I, I’m sorry, but I was attacked by a monster yesterday!”

“And you’re saying that now…”

“It’s true! I… I really worked hard! But… but an academy student suddenly appeared..!”

The Emperor’s red eyes gleamed, as if telling me to jabber on more.

Judging by her gaze, she wouldn’t forgive me even after hearing this.

‘It’s unfair.’

I clearly worked hard to make the potions.

But I was interrupted.

“They tied me up and stole the potions!”

Coincidentally, the number of missing potions was exactly two.

If those b*tch hadn’t taken the potions…

I would have been able to complete the task!

But then.

Without even knowing that.

“Your Majesty is too harsh! What… what did I do so wrong? Why are you always just angry at me! A s*ave too hic! A s*ave too has feelings!”

[Drip.]

I felt something flowing down my right cheek.

It must be tears.

Perhaps my emotions welled up as I pleaded my unfair feelings.

No.

Because I hadn’t slept properly, I couldn’t control my emotions.

I was exhausted.

“Hic… k!”

As I became fully agitated, my breath hitched.

My rough breathing echoed quietly in the room.

“…”

“Hic… k!”

The Emperor and I were making eye contact.

Because of that, I could see the Emperor’s expression.

She was looking down at me without any emotion.

“So, what are you saying?”

“…!”

“Are you saying I should consider a s*ave’s feelings?”

As soon as I heard her words, my body began to tremble like a shaking tree.

How much strength I put into my small fists clenched with anger, my pure white skin turned pitifully blue.

It was at that moment.

“Are you two having a lovers’ quarrel?”

“Ummph..!”

Light flickered before my eyes, and something soft hugged me.

I couldn’t see anything.

My vision instantly went dark, and I struggled.

“U, ugh..!”

“Hmm… Stay still, Iris. Your big sister is ticklish.”

‘This voice…!’

My struggling body suddenly went limp.

“Hehe… What a good child.”

Then, a refreshing voice was heard.

At the same time, the arms that were hugging me loosened their grip.

Having escaped from between the deep peaks, I quickly lifted my head.

“Hello?”

Would my hair look like that if the color were removed?

A beauty with long, cream-colored hair smiled brightly at me.

Her yellow eyes sparkled beautifully.

Her name was Professor Ariella.

She was the only person in this academy who took care of me.

No, maybe it’s more accurate to say she was an Elf.