Chapter 878: Whip and Carrot (1)

Geum Nari’s appearance, strangely motivated by the words that Geum Dallae was being held beyond the door.

She didn’t ask questions like ‘how on earth did you capture her in less than a day?’. It seems she thought it would be perfectly possible if it were me.

As for her, well, since she had experienced my summoning twice already, she must have been thinking that using a similar method would probably work.

Thinking about when I rescued Nari from the Geumhyang family’s mansion, she might also be thinking that it would be sufficiently possible even without that specific ability.

“Nari, you remember what you said last night, right? You said you don’t particularly intend to return to Geumhyang, but you also don’t want a life of being chased and running away from your sisters forever.”

“…That is correct.”

“I’ll grant your wish. So from now on, it’s time for your sisters… no, those bitches to avoid you.”

“……”

-Kkwaaak.

Seen from the side, Nari’s fist was clenched tightly. It seems, perhaps because she suffered a lot, that various kinds of pent-up anger had accumulated.

Judging by the circumstances, it’s highly possible she received more abuse from Geum Jangmi than Geum Dallae, but even though Geum Dallae abetted and helped from the side, there was no way a good image of her would remain for Eunbyul.

Anyway, both women were people Nari resented to the point of wanting to tear them apart and kill them. Even if there was a difference in the intensity of that resentment, it was at least right to give her the authority to wield a whip against both of them.

“If you still can’t believe it, shall I show you directly?”

“…No, I believe it. Just like how you rescued me when I was confined in the Geumhyang family’s mansion, I suppose it would be easily possible for Master to kidnap Geum Dallae without a sound or trace.”

“Yes, you know well.”

“…How can I get revenge on that woman? That woman who colluded with my sister, tormented and exploited me for several years, what should I do….”

“You don’t need to do anything. In the first place, this is a gift made for you. You just need to enjoy it to your heart’s content.”

As a bonus, after adding just a bit of advice that it would be good to add a little acting when trying to gauge Geum Dallae’s inner thoughts later, Nari’s expression brightened with a smile.

“I see… Master’s gift for me…”

“To be precise, it’s a gift that ‘I’ prepared for ‘Lady Nari’.”

“……”

“In front of Geum Dallae, I intend to maintain this posture for a while, Lady Nari. Aren’t you curious about Geum Dallae’s expression when she thinks Lady Nari has completely taken over Geumhyang?

The despairing expression when the person who would come to save her is completely gone, and the regretful appearance when the things she committed against Lady Nari until now come back as karma – all of that will be good amusement for Lady Nari, won’t it.”

“…Yes, that’s right, Sungchul-ssi.”

“It seems you’ve finally become willing to act seriously.”

It’s an appearance of starting to accept the Master act, which she had been reluctant and unwilling to do until now, somewhat. It must mean her desire to get revenge on Geum Dallae is that strong.

“Since I don’t know well how to imitate someone else, I’ll do it in the style of the time when I was ‘Geum Nari’. By any chance, is there a rule like it’s not allowed to speak informally to Sungchul-ssi when acting?”

“Rather, it’s good. That way, Geum Dallae will realize that Lady Nari is certainly above me and despair.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“That woman will be waiting outside the door, so you may enter anytime. …Ah, still, it would be good if you changed your clothes.”

No matter how I look at it, while wearing the maid uniform, even if you act as my Master, a sense of intimidation won’t be felt at all.

Anyway, since it’s inside Belle’s dungeon, there were no particular restrictions even for making and wearing clothes. Therefore, after asking Belle to make a black dress similar to Nari’s usual image, I had her take off the maid uniform and change into it.

Although she would disappear the moment she came out of the dungeon and change into her underwear, it didn’t matter much anyway since the time Nari faces the two women will only be inside the dungeon.

After having her change clothes, finally, I handed one red whip into Nari’s right hand. So that she could vent her accumulated resentment to her heart’s content until now.

“It seems you may enter now. You’ve become quite lady-like.”

“…Thank you, Sungchul-ssi.”

-Kkiiik.

Slowly opening the door, Geum Nari entered Geum Dallae’s confinement room. And the first thing that caught her eye was the appearance of a woman tied to a restraint device.

Her appearance, hanging pitifully from the restraint device with a few strands of wires attached to her body, was extremely miserable in many ways.

“G-Guard! Y-You’ve returned…”

“……”

“……Huh?”

At first, she raised her head with a happy expression thinking I had returned, but upon realizing I hadn’t come alone, Geum Dallae immediately let out a bewildered voice.

It didn’t take a long time for that bewildered expression to change into a despairing one.

“It’s been a while, Dallae Unnie. You look good tied up so pitifully.”

“…Nari?”

-Chwaaak!

“Mmph, hngh?!”

“Call me ‘Geum Nari-nim’. We aren’t on such intimate terms that we converse with familiar titles, are we?”

“Th-that, Geum Nari…nim…?”

After being hit once by the whip strike swung from Nari’s hand, Geum Dallae turned her gaze towards me with a confused expression.

Her appearance was looking at me with a look demanding an explanation, as if wanting to know how on earth this happened.

In front of her like that, I replied calmly, along with a reaction that would cause No. 2 the most despair.

“G-Guard…? Wh-what is this….”

“The basic training has already been finished, Lady Nari. So you may enjoy it to your heart’s content until your anger is resolved.”

“……”

It didn’t take a long time for Geum Dallae’s expression to contort even more.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

-Chwaaak!

“Hngh…!!”

-Chwaaak!!

“Hngh, Aaaak!!”

After confirming that it was truly Geum Dallae tied to the restraint device, Nari’s revenge had absolutely no hesitation.

Her appearance was continuing the ‘revenge’ from until now, swinging the whip in her hand countless times at her own sister before her eyes.

It was truly a reaction full of determination to release all the resentment accumulated over several years.

“……”

-Chwaaak!

“Hngh, Aaaaak!!”

Although it was a little disappointing that she was only swinging the whip after all the trouble I went through preparing various things, for now, I let her do as she thought.

Because for now, I didn’t want to interfere with resolving the old feelings accumulated in Nari’s heart.

‘Looking at the form of holding and swinging it, it doesn’t seem like she handled it so skillfully.’

While holding a weapon like the kind the Queen of the Night would use in her hand, looking at the way she actually swings it, it didn’t seem like she handled it that skillfully. No matter how I look at it, it’s probably because there’s almost no opportunity to swing such a weapon in reality.

Actually, objectively speaking, there weren’t many people as unfitting for the position of ‘Queen’ as Nari. Whether it’s because the image of her as a maid was so imprinted, her appearance exercising violence on another person like that was really strange in various ways.

Conversely speaking, it also meant that the guilt of the Geumhyang sisters, who made even Nari like that insistently wield violence without hesitation, was deep in various ways.

“Hngh, mmph…. Kkgh…”

“Haa, haa, haa…”

Separately from Geum Dallae groaning with pain, Nari was gasping for short breaths, holding the whip in one hand as if greatly excited.

As she swung the whip to her heart’s content filled with vengeful feelings, she seemed a little tired. As for Geum Dallae, she just seemed to be struggling because she was hit so much.

The red lines engraved on her body represented the traces of that pain. How mercilessly she had swung it, because the wires connected to her body had also become tangled by the whip and fallen to the floor before she knew it.

“Has your anger been resolved a little, Lady Nari?”

“…It’s not enough.”

“……”

“Still… still far from enough…!!”

-Chwaaak!!

“Hngh, Haaaaak!!”

Well, it’s obvious. If the pent-up feelings spanning several years could be resolved by merely swinging the whip for about 10 minutes, how convenient would that be for everyone.

Even if the feelings she has towards Geum Dallae, who isn’t the main culprit, are this much, it reached the point where I felt a curious anticipation about what kind of reaction she would show towards Geum Jangmi.

-Chwak! Chwak!

“Agh! I, I was wrong… Hngh! I did wrong…!!”

-Chwaaak!! Chwaaaak!!

“I, until now to Geum Nari-nim… Agh! The things I, I committed… Kkgh, Haaak!! I, I apologize for all of them…”

-Chwaaaaaak!!

“Hngh, Aaaaaak!!”

Geum Nari was just leaving it to emotion and kept swinging the whip to her heart’s content, as if she didn’t even want to hear excuses or anything like that.

Something about this gaze makes it seem like she might gradually be returning to her previous ‘Attention-seeking Geum Nari’ days.

“Just a moment, Lady Nari.”

“Haa, haa, haa…. Why?”

“It seems like it would be good to let her rest a little. Because you won’t be able to tame that woman by just exercising violence too strongly.”

“……”

“You don’t intend to resolve the resentment you’ve suffered until now by merely swinging the whip all day long in this place, do you? You must use her for a long time to come, just as much as Lady Nari was exploited until now.”

“…Yes. That’s right, Sungchul-ssi.”

Hearing my words, Nari quietly stopped the whipping. Actually, she might want to vent her resentment a little more in her heart, but since I said this, she had no choice but to stop.

Anyway, the current me and Nari are just taking the form of a mistress and her attendant; the actual relationship was still that I am her Master. Nari was not foolish enough to not understand me speaking indirectly like this.

“Hngh, hh…. Hhhhh….”

“It hurt a lot, didn’t it? I’ll give you treatment first.”

“Th-thank you… Guard…”

“For now, stay quiet in front of the Lady. Because she is someone who can take off your neck anytime if things go wrong, even a little bit.”

“Yes, yes… I will keep it in mind…”

Intentionally inducing a bit excessive violence towards Nari, then comforting her by whispering in her ear while treating it.

It was No. 2, gradually being trained with whip and carrot without realizing it.