"...and that’s when I walked away, because he was being so an. Hey, are you listening to ?" Inquired Prysm, poking my shoulder.
"Hm? Sorry, did you say sothing?" I responded dryly, with a bored sigh.
"Hey! That’s not very nice!" She huffed indignantly.
"Yeah? Then I guess I’m not very nice."
It’s probably been about a year since I was brought here, at the very least. I lost track ages ago, I only know that it’s been about a year because this brat happened to ntion that she turned eight a while back.
I vaguely recall that she said she was seven around the ti she first began showing up. Her showing up all the ti like this is still pretty annoying, but no matter what I say, she doesn’t stop coming, so now I just tune her out whenever she shows up.
"You’re nicer to than my big brothers and sisters," She responded with a shrug.
"Yeah, well, they’re probably a hell of a lot nicer to you than they are to ," I replied sardonically, before letting my curiosity get the better of , "Tell ...why do you keep showing up here, anyway? What could you possibly have to gain by playing nice with ?"
"I just-...I don’t like how an father and my older siblings are to so people. I had this teacher two years ago...she said that you don’t deserve people to be nice to you if you’re not nice to them, and that if you’re an to people, you deserve people being an to you," She answered somberly.
Huh...that’s surprising human for a tutor whom I’m assuming was a Noble. I can’t believe this arrogant family let soone like that teach one of their children...
"What happened to this tutor of yours?" I inquired in response.
"Huh? I don’t know...she just stopped coming one day. I was pretty sad...and after I told father what a good teacher she is and how much I liked her too, I don’t like most of my other tutors," She sighed with a pout.
Yeah, wow, that’s real tragic and stuff. Hm, but I wonder...
"Did you ntion what she said to you to your father? The whole ’be nice to everyone’ stuff?" I asked her.
"Hm? Yeah, I did, he was hitting that lady who always heals you and I told him he shouldn’t be an to her, because that’s what my tutor taught ."
"And she stopped showing up right after that?" I inquired as I got an idea of what most likely happened.
"Uh...yeah, I think that was when," She replied, after pausing to recall the sequence of events.
This is probably gonna be pretty cruel on my part...I have no reason to do this other than spite. But I can’t resist the temptation. Or rather...I have intention of trying to resist...
"I agree with what your tutor said, that’s exactly how people should be. But your father, he thinks the complete opposite way. He probably wasn’t happy that you were being taught values that conflicted with his own values...I can almost guarantee that he’s the reason your tutor stopped showing up. At best, he simply fired her. At worst...he tortured and killed her, or maybe made her a slave, who knows?" I shrugged, as I let my spite and resentnt take over .
All the negative emotions that have built up inside since that day the Knights attacked, they’ve been boiling inside relentlessly, but with no outlet to blow off the steam, I’ve had no choice but to bottle it all up inside.
This was just a small drop of that hatred and resentnt, barely even a fraction of those swirling emotions...and here I am, taking it out on a child. Well, whatever, I doubt she really cares, I certainly don’t.
She doesn’t understand how this world works, her childish innocent sympathy towards will probably disappear when she’s older and realizes what it really ans to be a part of Noble society.
Hm? She’s been awfully quiet, usually she huffs and pouts with indignation whenever I’m rude to her. What’s-...huh?
As I glanced at her, my eyes widened in surprise, as tears silently ran down her face, a look of denial and disbelief on her face.
"I-it’s...it’s my fault? Father did sothing bad to her because of ?" She whispered as a choked sob escaped her lips.
"Uh, hey, I was just-...," I began, before trailing off in bewildernt.
Wait...did I just feel bad about what I did?
"I...I need to find out if she’s okay!" She declared with a look of determination, wiping away her tears as she stood up, before turning to face , "Thank you for telling ...I don’t think I would have ever realized it on my own."
Huh? I thought she was gonna be pissed, I never thought she’d thank . I’m not sure how to feel about this...
"I was just stating my opinion, I honestly couldn’t care less about any of this," I shrugged indifferently.
"Still...thanks. So...can you tell your na now?" She asked .
Hm? Oh, right, she’s often asked for my na, but I’ve always ignored her. I doubt anyone in this mansion actually knows what my na is, they’ve never bothered to ask.
Which makes sense, they don’t see as a human, they only see as sothing beneath them, so why would they bother learning what my na is?
"It’s Larrk," I replied after a brief pause, deciding to tell her on a whim.
Her knowing doesn’t really change anything...and besides, if the Duke or one of his children who torture happen to ntion my na, then I’ll know that she told them, which’ll confirm that I can’t trust her, so it’s worth the risk.
She may be a kid, but I still haven’t ruled out the possibility that she’s a mole. And no, that’s not a pun about how she crawls through a tunnel to co here.
"Larrk, huh? Larrk...like the bird?" She mused thoughtfully.
"Uh, sure, I guess? It’s spelled with two Rs though," I shrugged in response.
"Okay...Larrk with two Rs. I finally know your na!" She grinned smugly.
"Maybe I shouldn’t have told you, after all," I sighed wistfully, before adding, "I don’t suppose you’re gonna stop showing up here any ti soon?"
"Nuh-uh. At first, I ca because father and others were treating you so badly and I thought you need soone to be nice to you. Otherwise, you might have beco different like the others they treat badly."
Hm? Oh, I guess she ans when the other slaves broke under the torture they were put through and beca subservient.
"But now...I really like talking to you. You listen to talk more than anyone else does, even though you can be kinda rude sotis," She added wryly.
"Yeah, well, if it wasn’t for this collar, I’d probably be straight up evil towards you. In case you forgot, I lost my family because of your father," I reminded her dryly.
"I know...but I don’t want to be like-...," She began to respond, before trailing off as so footsteps echoed out from outside the basent door, getting closer and closer.
"You better get out of here, or you’re gonna be seen," I remarked, but I didn’t need to say anything, she’d already bolted towards the hole in the wall, dragging the block back into place as she slipped into it.
The door then opened, and a young woman walked in with an irritated look on her face, along with the slave woman from the Light Continent. One of Duralles’ older daughters, Bishena Duralles and lately one of my most frequent torturers.
"Tch, this place is as disgusting as always. Go on, chain him up!" She barked at the slave, shoving her towards .
"Well, well, well, if it isn’t Miss Bitchena, always a pleasure to see you," I greeted her with a smile, as the slave woman placed the shackles around my wrists to keep in place.
"H-how dare you call that again!" She stuttered in rage, her face turning red with anger as she stord over and punched in the stomach.
I grimaced and gritted my teeth tightly to keep myself from gasping in pain, before she took out a plyer from her pocket.
"You must be quite lonely, to keep visiting so often. I gotta say, I’m flattered. What, you’re not popular with the guys despite your winning personality...Bitchie Girl?" I inquired tauntingly.
"Bi-...!? Y-you insolent bastard...! I was only going to tear out your fingernails, but I think I’ll rip out that filthy tongue of yours as well!" She snapped viciously.
"U-um, my Lady, that would kill him, and-...," Began the slave woman nervously.
"Shut up! Just heal him before he dies, and do not interrupt again!" She exclaid furiously, before grabbing my right hand and clasping the plyer around the fingernail of my index finger.
As she ripped it off with a violent twist, her sour expression morphing into a delighted smile as a slight chuckle escaped her lips, while I bit down on my lower lip to keep from crying out in pain.
Th-that...really fucking hurts, damn it! I...I need to bear it, don’t cry out...don’t you fucking cry out, damn it, don’t give her the satisfaction she’s looking for!
My body stiffened as she then ripped off the nail on my middle finger, so of the skin around my hangnail area tearing off in the process, as I felt a cold sweat breaking out, my fingers throbbing agonizingly.
"How original...ripping out fingernails, huh? Heh, what a joke...guess you’ve got zero creativity...on top of that bitch of a na you’ve got," I laughed as I t her gaze defiantly.
"Let’s see how long you can keep up that facade! I know this hurts, so go on, scream for !" She responded with a snarl, as she tore off the nail on my ring finger, before pressing and twisting the tip of the plyers onto the spot where the nail had been.
"Don’t flatter yourself, I...I can do this all day," I smirked condescendingly.
Yeah, kinda hypocritical after I called her out on her lack of originality. But to be fair...I’ve always wanted to say that...
_____________________________________________
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this Chapter! Don’t forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comnt, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!
Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.
Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming Chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:
sdiscord.gg/sRbx9VbTVP
User Comments
0 comments from readers