First Meeting (6)
Yuki's mansion was perfectly silent.
Even though Kara's desperate screams and Mili's heartbroken wails still drifted in from outside, the inner courtyard—sealed behind thick slabs of premium stone and rich leather paneling—felt like an entirely different world.
I let out a deep sigh as I walked into the courtyard alongside Yuki.
“...Milady. Did you really have to phrase it that way?”
“What? I didn’t say anything untrue.”
The arrogant little smile she had worn in front of the villagers still lingered faintly at the corner of her lips. At the same time, the way she idly twirled the riding crop between her fingers made her look every bit the perfect villainess.
That audacity—not only to lean into the villagers’ misunderstanding but to actually enjoy it. She really did have the makings of a witch.
“A ‘heated time’? Don’t you think that’s exactly the kind of wording that invites misunderstanding? Especially when Kara’s brain has already cast me as the tragic protagonist of some melodrama.”
“So what if they misunderstand? Thanks to that, those annoying flies won’t be swarming around you anymore.”
Yuki leaned her body slightly toward me. Her violet eyes sparkled with mischief.
“That… concentrated eel extract, was it? Coming with me to my mansion had to be far better than drinking that stuff. Don’t you think, Master?”
She had hit the nail on the head. Just imagining myself drinking that black, hellish liquid from earlier made my stomach twist.
The moment we stepped through the mansion’s main gate, I was greeted by maids bowing politely—and then by a woman who appeared to be the head maid. She looked me over with worried eyes, a first-aid kit already clutched in her hands.
“Sir Ian, are you truly all right? We heard Lady Yuki was actually going to… strike you…”
It seemed the talk of a “heated time” and torture that Yuki had thrown out in front of the mansion had already spread throughout the entire estate.
Yuki brushed off the head maid’s concern and led me straight to her office.
“Florin, we won’t be needing the first-aid kit. Instead, prepare the most energizing meal you can. Focus on meat.”
“...You’re not actually torturing him, are you, Lady Yuki?”
“Of course I am. If I feed him and build up his strength, I can torment him for much longer, can’t I?”
Yuki casually spat out that horrifying line and pushed me inside. As soon as the door closed, she dragged me to the private bathroom attached to her office and shoved an armful of washing supplies into my hands.
“Here, Ian. That eel juice Kara brought is making your whole body smell fishy. Go wash up right now.”
“Washing up in someone else’s house…”
“It’s my house. And you’re my personal punching bag. If the punching bag isn’t clean, the owner who has to hit it feels unpleasant.”
She laughed playfully and gave my shoulder a shove.
When I emerged from the shower, the first thing I saw was a beautifully arranged, top-grade steak and fresh salad placed on the office desk.
“Sit. The torture begins.”
“...You call this torture?”
“Yes. It’s the cruel punishment of having to eat every bite of the meal my chef prepared instead of that rotten-smelling eel extract the village kids keep bringing you.”
Yuki sat across from me and elegantly lifted her knife.
“Eat first. You were up until dawn dealing with me yesterday and you look exhausted. The villagers were right—you really do look like a sheet of paper. It’s unpleasant to look at.”
Yuki spoke in a deliberately indifferent tone as she set a knife and fork in front of me. Then, pretending to read through some documents, she began stealing glances at me as I put the meat in my mouth.
For some reason, she seemed to be enjoying this.
“Why aren’t you eating? Afraid I poisoned it?”
“No. I’m simply moved because it looks a hundred—no, a thousand times more delicious than Kara’s eel extract.”
The moment I cut a piece of meat and placed it in my mouth, the corners of Yuki’s lips curved up ever so slightly.
“Ian. There’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Why are you hiding it? That overwhelming talent of yours.”
I chewed the meat and answered indifferently.
“Because it’s a hassle.”
“A hassle?”
“I hate losing, but I hate winning even more. Winning always comes with cleanup. Challengers appear, jealousy arises, envy follows. And if the target is a man, it gets even worse.”
I took a sip of soup and continued.
“Living quietly as a weakling like this, reading books in my spare time—that is the optimal path to my happiness. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut, milady.”
Yuki remained silent for a long time after hearing my words.
“That’s so like you. You despise anything troublesome and you’re obsessed with efficiency. But what can we do? The rumor has already spread. The village kids will try to rescue you, and I’ll try to hide you away even more tightly.”
Yuki gently swirled her wine glass and added,
“Is this scenario included in that optimization path you mentioned?”
“...That was outside my calculations. The effect was much stronger than I expected.”
“Hmm… is that so?”
She let out a vague little hum, personally cut another piece of meat, placed it on my plate, and asked,
“How did it feel earlier, watching the village kids make such a fuss about protecting you?”
“It was exhausting. I just want to live quietly.”
“Liar. Don’t you secretly enjoy it when that flower shop girl worries about you?”
Yuki’s knife scraped lightly against the plate, producing a sharp sound.
“Seeing those girls dote on you so much doesn’t feel very good. Especially that flower shop girl’s face when you mentioned the ‘heated time.’ It looked like her whole world was about to collapse.”
Yuki’s eyes narrowed. I turned my gaze away and answered.
“Thanks to you, I’ve now become the tragic boy in the village who suffers sadistic torture from a noble lady every night. My chances of marriage are completely gone.”
“You were planning to get married? To whom? That eel-juice monster?”
Yuki leaned forward until her face was right in front of my nose. A faint lavender scent filled the office.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility. I have no intention of sending my personal punching bag anywhere else.”
Just as Yuki’s flushed face drew even closer, a massive shout erupted from beyond the mansion’s main gate, carrying all the way to us.
“Freedom for Ian—! Let us deliver the eel extract—!”
It was Kara’s booming voice. Yuki and I turned toward the window at the same time, as if we had planned it.
The maids had quietly warned that they would douse her with cold water if she didn’t quiet down, but Kara proudly puffed out her chest and declared, “My body has been tempered by the heat of the forge! Cold water is actually welcome!”
“...Those two really don’t get tired, do they?”
I sighed and put the piece of meat Yuki had given me into my mouth.
Yuki glared out the window in irritation, then flashed an annoying smile and snatched the fork from my hand.
“Those kids… this won’t do. I’ll feed you myself. So everyone outside can see.”
“Ah, milady. Please…”
Ignoring my protest, Yuki pushed a large piece of meat toward my mouth. From far beyond the window came the sound of people screaming at the sight.
“I’ll eat it myself. Just give me the fork…”
But Yuki was relentless. In the end, I chewed the meat she personally fed me while looking down at the guard outside.
In that moment, my eyes met Mili’s as she watched from beyond the gate. Tears welled up in her eyes, and a wail mixed with sobs burst out.
“Oh my god…! Ian is chewing meat soaked in tears right now! She’s fattening him up with meat so she can hit him even harder later! He’s being completely raised like livestock!”
At her cry, Kara grew even more frenzied and shook the eel extract.
“Ian—! Don’t fall for the gaslighting! I can feel your soul dying from all the way over here! I’m not moving from this spot until you come back!”
I stopped chewing, quietly closed the window, and thought:
Just please leave me alone already.
My expression must have looked like that of someone who had given up.
“Ian, why is your face like that? Does the meat not taste good?”
“No, the meat is delicious… I’m just getting a headache in advance from the storm that’s going to follow.”
After the meal, Yuki led me to the training ground behind the mansion. It was an area completely hidden from the outside, surrounded by high walls.
“Now, the second torture. Take the sword.”
Yuki handed me a real blade with a sharpened edge. Its weight was completely different from a practice iron sword.
“Today is practical training. I want to check whether I’ve perfectly mastered the techniques you taught me.”
Whoosh—!
Yuki’s sword sliced through the air, aiming straight for my throat.
She had definitely gotten faster. It was no longer the clumsy swing from a month ago.
I twisted my body to let the blade flow past, then grabbed her wrist and broke her balance.
Instead of falling, Yuki used my shoulder as a pivot, spun, and created distance again.
“Hehe, as expected. Those village kids really need to see these movements.”
“If they saw, my life would truly be over, milady.”
“Don’t worry. No outsiders can ever enter here.”
Yuki swept back her sweat-dampened silver hair and stared at me with a strange look in her eyes.
“Hey, Ian. The village kids said it, didn’t they? That we spent a heated time together.”
“That was something you said, milady.”
“That’s true. But those words just won’t leave my head.”
She set her sword down and took a step closer. The heat of the training ground mixed with her body temperature, creating a strange tension.
“That torture you mentioned… should we try doing it for real? I could make you beg for your life with your own mouth.”
Her fingers brushed against the shirt buttons I had loosened slightly while training.
“I’d rather not. Milady, I have my own preferences. I like a full-figured, mature lady more than a cheeky brat.”
“...Huh?”
At my completely unexpected confession of taste, she froze in a daze.