Chapter 7: Slave

The fiery red butterfly, like a flame, ignited before me. As I reached out to touch it, it turned into a face dripping with blood and tears. Yet this face smiled, a relieved, genuine smile, smiling at me. Suddenly, it felt like someone had tightened their grip around my throat, and I could hardly breathe. My vision blurred, and slowly, everything faded into gray.

Stubbornly, I reached out, trying to grasp something, but… my eyes wouldn't open. I couldn't see. Finally, I exerted all my strength and forced my eyes open.

"You're finally awake? How do you feel? Does it hurt?" It was him, the cold-blooded young master, whose ice-cold demeanor was the same. At this moment, I was tightly holding his hand.

"..." I shook my head, releasing his hand, trying to get up, but a sharp pain hit my back, causing me to frown.

"Don't move. The wound has just begun to heal. You have to lie down quietly for these few days. You're not allowed to go anywhere until the wound is fully healed." He withdrew his hand and brought a cup of water to my lips. I drank all the water in one go.

"I really want to ask you why you saved that little vampire, but I know you won't tell me. Well, since I've decided to keep you, no matter what you did wrong, it's my responsibility. But I don't want this to happen again. Maybe the next time, I won't save you." With those words, he left my room.

"Hmph!" I scoffed. Save me? Isn't that a bit too ridiculous? If I wanted to, I could fly miles away right now. But… I wanted to find Saphroth's location, and with her still here, I couldn't leave. I gently turned to the side to make myself more comfortable to sleep.

After lying in bed for over ten days, I could finally get up. I went to the window and looked outside, at the bright sunshine that made everything feel warm. But I was longing for the night to come, so I could meet her.

As I expected, the night finally arrived. I changed into a black dress, purposely wearing it like I did a century ago, and went downstairs for dinner. Although no one in the hall had changed, the way they looked at me was no longer as simple as before.

"Come, sit here!" The young master still had his icy smile. Perhaps here, I was the only one who wasn't afraid of him, of his smile, of his anger, because in my heart, he didn't exist.

"Little girl, is your body all healed?" Old Niu, upon seeing me, was overjoyed and greeted me warmly.

I nodded expressionlessly, and he didn't mind, smiling happily, "That's good. At that time, I really thought you might die. Thankfully, you haven't killed your parents' Saphroth yet, so you didn't die."

"Alright, let's eat!" The young master commanded, and Old Niu had to close his mouth. The young master glanced at me, dressed in black, and frowned. "What's with this little girl dressed like this? She looks strange."

I glared at him, and he sneered, turning away without saying anything more.

As the meal went on, someone couldn't help but ask, "Young master, what exactly is she? A mute? She could've died, but you locked up the female servant for her. Isn't that a bit too much?"

"Oh? So you think I was wrong?" the young master asked.

"No!" the person said through gritted teeth.

"Hmph! Whether you think I'm right or wrong, it doesn't matter. But today, I'll tell you something. You'd better treat this little girl well, or maybe you won't even know how you died." The young master said, then looked down, his voice softening. "Isn't that right?"

"..." I coldly glanced at him but didn't say anything, continuing to eat.

"She's just a little mute, what's the big deal?"

"Yeah, how could she do anything to us? Hahaha."

The mockery at the table grew louder.

"Hmph!" The young master sneered and looked around the table, "Do you really think she's mute?"

"What? Young master? Isn't the little girl mute? Why isn't she speaking?" Old Niu, ever blunt, asked first.

"That's for her to answer. Maybe she thinks we're not worthy to talk to her, hahaha!" The young master laughed and suddenly stood up. "I'll go check on the female servant. Maybe she knows something."

"Wait!" Just as everyone was confused, I put down my knife and fork, stood up, and spoke in a quiet but commanding tone.

"You!" Everyone stared at me in shock. They could say nothing else but that one word.

"You finally spoke. That's great, isn't it?" He turned around and looked at me, smiling. In his smile, there was too much of something strange that even I couldn't understand.

"Take me to see her!" I spoke in a commanding tone.

"Why? Do you know her? That's a bit strange, isn't it? She was nothing before meeting my father, just a pile of inconspicuous sand, and ever since her rebirth, she's been by my side. Unless you met her before she became sand, but with your age, how could you have known her?" He was asking me, but also thinking aloud.

"I don't know her." My face remained unchanged.

"Oh? Really? Then why do you want to see her?"

"I want to ask her why she killed one of her own kind, and it was a child." I made up a reason, but it was plausible enough.

"Oh." But he saw through me instantly, and there was no trace of doubt in his eyes.

"When did you realize I'm not mute?"

"From the moment you called the female servant 'fire'."

"Oh, looks like I exposed myself."

"Actually, from the very beginning, I thought you were unusual."

"Oh?"

"Most girls don't have your kind of eyes."

"Is that so?"

"Your eyes are rare even among immortal vampires."

"You mean I'm a ghost?"

"No, you're not."

"Oh."

He then took me, and we exchanged a few words along the way, our tone calm, as if discussing the weather. Finally, we arrived at the door of the dungeon.

"This is…" I already knew where it was, as just a few days ago, I had freed all the vampires inside.

"The dungeon. There were many vampires locked up here, but they all escaped the night you were injured."

"Oh."

He opened the dungeon door, and we descended slowly. I realized that the person locked up in the cage where the little ghost had been was her. "Why is she locked up here?"

"Because she made a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"Mm, she hurt you."

"That's not her fault."

"But she did hurt you, that's a fact."

"Hmph! Isn't she the most important person to you?" I scoffed. Usually, the female servant appeared to be his treasure, but now she was locked up here. I had decided that even if this was some form of compensation for the past, I would take her away. She couldn't stay here, under his control, because she would never have a good ending.

"No, you are more important than her." He turned to me and smiled faintly.

"Hmph! Really?" I sneered, reached out, and opened the cage. It wasn't locked, but she stayed obediently inside. It seemed that taking her away wouldn't be so easy.

"You don't believe me?"

"Whether I believe you or not doesn't matter to me." I walked into the cage and looked at her, curled up in the corner. "Why are you staying here?"

"Master's orders. The servant obeys." Her eyes were empty, with only him in them. I didn't know what they had done to her, but now he was her everything, just like Saphroth had been to me before. I had taken him away, and now she was locked up because of me.

Perhaps I shouldn't have come here.

As this thought crossed my mind, I shook my head mockingly.

"Alright, you can come out now. Remember, treat her as you would treat me. Don't hurt her, and protect her well!" This was his command to her.

"Yes, Master." She obediently replied, without any sign of unhappiness.

"Alright, you can go rest now." He ordered, and she left. I stood in the cage, only slightly curling my lips. It seemed like everything had returned to a certain point in the past. But I would never let the tragic past repeat itself. At least now, I understood one thing: whatever I wanted, I would not let go, especially the one who mattered most to me.