35

"Ah… Athena..?"

Unlike my pitiful self, she exuded a radiant and noble aura.

When she turned on the light in the room, the blinding brightness stung my eyes.

"Ugh.."

As I frowned and shielded my eyes with my hand, she approached me with a cold expression and looked down at me.

"….Have you been crying?"

I could see my reflection in her dazzling golden eyes.

My pathetic and miserable self.

I didn't want Athena to see me like this, so I tried to lower my head, but her hand grabbed my chin and lifted it.

"Why are you crying, Hera?"

"Hera."

Her piercing gaze demanded an answer, but my mouth refused to open.

I didn't want to tell her.

Because I felt too foolish. Too pathetic.

Because I cried for being a useless human who could only cause trouble for those around me.

In the end, unable to answer, I quietly closed my eyes.

In the silence that followed, Athena stared at me for a long while before finally releasing my chin.

"Sigh…"

Her deep sigh made my heart sink.

'…Athena must be frustrated with someone like me too.'

She treats me kindly now, but one day she'll grow tired of seeing me like this. What will happen then?

Will I be kicked out of this mansion?

Or will I truly fall to a life lower than that of a slave?

The uncertain future scared me, but I didn't want to rely on her.

If even she started looking at me with pity, I knew I would never be able to stand back up again.

I would rather just—

"This won't do, Hera."

"Huh?!"

While I was lost in thought, Athena suddenly lifted my body with ease.

She sat down on the bed with me draped over her knees, placing my stomach across her lap.

A position I had seen somewhere before.

'Huh..?'

It was a scene reminiscent of a mother disciplining her child.

"Uh… Athena..?"

"Alright. I'll keep going until you answer, okay?"

She smiled brightly and raised her hand high.

Slap!

"Ahh?!"

A searing pain shot through my lower body.

When I glanced back, I saw her hand resting on my buttocks.

Smack!

"Aah!"

Before I could fully grasp the situation, another shock followed.

The unexpected pain brought tears to my eyes.

"This is your punishment for ignoring your master's question. I won't stop until you answer properly."

"W-wait…"

Smack!

"Agh!"

Each time her hand struck, the pain seemed to intensify.

"You're hitting too hard… Please, just a little more gently..!"

"Answer me, Hera. Why were you crying?"

"Ugh… That's…"

Slap!

"Ahh!"

"…I'll keep hitting you until you feel like answering."

The once quiet room soon filled with the sounds of flesh meeting flesh and the sobs of a woman.

"Sob… please… stop…"

Smack!

"It hurts… Please, stop…"

Smack!

"I'll talk..! I'll talk, so please… stop..!"

Only after hearing my words did Athena finally halt her hand.

"Sob… It hurts so much…"

My butt felt as if it had been scorched by fire.

The blanket that touched my face was drenched with my tears.

"Alright then, tell me quickly. Why were you crying?"

The hands that had mercilessly struck me earlier were now gently stroking my backside.

"Hic… Because… I felt so stupid…"

"Stupid?"

"All I do is cause trouble for others… I can't do anything on my own… I felt like such an idiot…"

"Because I hate and resent myself so much… I cried."

I had said it.

Revealed my weakness.

Like a child throwing a tantrum.

I was afraid to look at Athena's face.

Would she scold me for crying over such trivial concerns?

Or would she look at me with pity, like the other maids?

But contrary to my expectations.

She gave me a completely different response.

Her hand stopped stroking my backside,

and she quietly sat me on her lap.

Smooch—

She pressed a soft kiss against my lips.

"…Huh?"

As I blinked in confusion, Athena chuckled softly and pressed her lips against mine once more.

"Hmm… Mmm…"

Smooch, smack.

Our lips mingled again.

By now, I had grown used to her kisses, and my body accepted her without much resistance.

Athena kissed me deeply for a while, and with a final smooch, she pulled away.

When I looked at her face, I saw a faint blush had risen on her cheeks.

For a moment, an odd tension lingered between us, and then—

Pfft— Athena laughed.

"Hera, are you scared of being a burden to others?"

She spoke as she tidied my disheveled hair.

"….."

"Well… You do have a clumsy side, that's for sure."

Thump-thump—

My heart started pounding loudly.

'So, Athena thinks I'm a nuisance too…'

It seemed she had found me bothersome all along.

When the truth of her feelings was revealed, I felt tears welling up in my eyes once more.

No.

Hold it in.

If I cry again now, I'll really look pathetic.

As I struggled to hold back my tears, Athena suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Ah."

"It's okay, Hera."

She patted my back gently as she spoke.

"Being a burden? You can be as much of one as you want. I told you before, right? Here, you're free to do as you please."

"I'll swear it. No matter how much trouble you cause, no matter if others look down on you."

Athena pulled me away from her embrace so that our eyes met.

Looking into her face,

her sharp golden eyes were shining with a bright light as they stared right at me.

"I, at least, will love you for the rest of my life."

"…Huh?"

"You're my slave, after all. Isn't it the master's responsibility to take care of you?"

As if handling a cute pet,

she stroked my head with one hand while using the other to caress my chin.

'Love me for the rest of her life…?'

Why didn't it feel bad to be treated like an animal?

No, rather, I felt as if her love was filling the emptiness inside me bit by bit.

"So, you don't need to give your affection to anyone else. I'll give you all the love you need."

"Instead of relying on others and getting hurt like this, lean on your master, who cherishes you."

Lean on Athena? Is that really okay?

I was scared. Scared that she, too, would grow tired of me.

No matter how much I hated her,

she was the only one here who showed me any kindness.

If she abandoned me, I'd truly be left all alone, and that terrified me.

-Someone as useless as me doesn't deserve to be loved.

-She'll get tired of me soon enough too.

-She's bound to abandon me.

No matter how much I steeled myself, imagination and reality were different things.

I had braced myself, thinking countless times that she would eventually push me away, but when it came to hearing it from her directly, I wasn't sure I could handle it.

But, contrary to my fears, she said she would love me forever.

Wanting to confirm her sincerity one more time, I nervously grabbed the hem of her clothes with trembling hands.

"Um… Really..? You'll love me… forever..?"

When I looked up at her cautiously, her face showed a mix of emotions as if she was suppressing something.

"..Right now, I could just devour you… No, no…"

She muttered something inaudibly under her breath, then smiled at me brightly and replied.

"I swear it on my name. I'm always on your side."

Hearing her assurance, the tears I had been holding back started flowing again.

"Hic…"

Her words, promising never to abandon me,

were an immense comfort to my withered heart.

A ray of light found in the pitch-black darkness.

As her warmth embraced me, I burrowed into her arms like a baby bird seeking its mother.

"That's it… Good girl, my Hera…"

"Everyone… hic… hates me… I'm always… all alone… sob…"

She stroked me gently, her voice filled with concern.

"…Even if someone seems kind on the outside, they can always change suddenly because they're human."

So, don't trust anyone but me.

Her final words stuck in my mind.

Right.

I didn't want to be hurt anymore by relying on others.

It didn't matter if there was just one person, as long as they were on my side.

I looked up at her and slowly opened my mouth.

"..Thank you.."

She heard my words of gratitude, gave me a soft smile, and wiped away my tears.

"….But there's one problem."

For a brief moment. A very brief moment. Her expression seemed to turn cold.

"Pro..problem..?"

As my body trembled for no reason, I instinctively burrowed deeper into her embrace, seeking the warmth of another person.

"Yeah. I don't mind whatever you do, but there's one thing that bothers me."

The ray of light that had reached me flickered, as if it could go out at any moment.

I didn't want to lose the solace I had barely found, so I hurriedly answered her.

"Wha..what is it? Tell me..I'll fix it.."

Only then did she give me a warm smile once again.

"I will cherish you forever as my slave, and I will care for you with love."

When I looked at her with a desperate expression, she gazed at me calmly and continued speaking.

"But you don't truly see me as your master, do you?"

"A relationship that only flows one way is bound to break quickly, you know.."

My mind went blank.

Slave.

I had become her slave.

But it was a contract made under force. Just as she said, I had not genuinely accepted this relationship.

In fact, my feelings of resistance toward her were stronger than any loyalty.

She had taken away the ones I loved and dragged me to this place against my will.

Deep inside, I always harbored hatred for her.

"Hera. Do you truly see me as your master?"

I couldn't answer her question.

Master..?

Athena?

I didn't know.

I was so grateful to Athena for saying she would cherish me forever.

But to truly consider her my master, my resentment toward her was too great.

I hated her. This feeling probably wouldn't go away for a very long time.

But at the same time, paradoxically.

I didn't want her to leave my side.

My mind was in turmoil.

I couldn't understand what I felt toward Athena.

As I stayed silent for a while, unable to answer. Athena sighed softly and rose from the bed.

"..Hah..Okay. I guess I need to think about this too."

As she turned her back on me and started to walk away, my heart began to race.

It was the first time.

This was, without a doubt, the first time Athena had ever turned her back on me.

As she moved farther and farther away from me, the fear and anxiety started to rise in my body again.

No.

Don't leave me.

I leaped out of bed and ran toward her.

Thud-

I hugged her tightly from behind, not wanting her to move any farther away.

"Do…don't go….Please.."

She stopped in her tracks for a moment at my words, then slowly turned her head toward me.

Her expression was cold, but for a very brief moment.

I thought I saw something.

'It must've been my imagination..'

It must have been a mistake on my part.

Before she turned her head, there had been a small smile on her face.