Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Savior (4)
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Approximately nine days of confinement and beatings.
Lee Ha-young ultimately couldn't endure that hellish ordeal and ended up submitting to the Savior.
She swore to recite the 'Prayer'—an act that deceived her Master.
"..."
Ha-young was aware of this fact while nestled in the Savior's arms.
The prayer's content, pledging to follow the Savior, was no different from a vow to betray her Master.
Especially the passages offering her body and soul to her Father, declaring him her one and only love, and vowing to abandon everything for him—they were all blatant deceptions against her Master.
Reciting this prayer every morning and evening would be a clear act of betrayal.
'But I have no choice.'
The first excuse that came to mind.
She mulled it over, clenching her fists tightly.
She had reached her absolute limit with that solitary hellhole; any longer in there, and her mind would shatter.
So for now, she figured the best plan was to pretend to submit to the Savior, play along moderately, and wait for her Master to come rescue her.
Her Master had said to hold out for just one month, so if she endured exactly that long like this, she could return to the arms of her one true love.
"There, we're here."
At that moment, the Father's holy voice tickled Ha-young's ear.
Clinging tightly to him in his embrace, she lifted her head to gaze at the Savior's face.
He looked down at her with gentle benevolence.
'...It warms my heart.'
It felt like slipping back into her childhood.
Her one true Master was undoubtedly 'Master,' but the warmth from this Father wasn't so bad either.
So she decided to fully embrace the emotions she felt right now.
No more rejecting the Father; for exactly one month, she would accept his love completely.
"Come on now—I'll set you down, so pick out some clothes."
The place they had arrived at with Father was a dressing room.
As he gently lowered her, Ha-young wobbled, struggling to support her body.
Her muscles had weakened from the prolonged confinement.
"Move slowly now. You'll regain your strength soon enough."
As Father advised, Ha-young began taking shaky steps forward.
Just as he said, she quickly recovered her strength.
Ha-young started striding through the dressing room lined with countless garments.
"...Hmm..."
However, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of clothes, she had no idea what to choose.
Turning back to Father with a teary expression, he burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! Yeah, everyone reacts like that at first. Want me to pick for you?"
"...Yes."
"Alright then... How about this one?"
A pure white dress dangling from Father's hand.
It wasn't exactly to her taste, but it was decent enough.
Ha-young nodded with a bright smile.
"Alright. Change into that, and wear these shoes."
Sneakers in Father's hand.
Ha-young tilted her head, glancing at him quizzically.
Normally, heels would match an outfit like this—why sneakers?
Father read her expression and smiled back.
"Heels would make it hard to move around, right? Wear something comfortable for now."
Ha-young smiled sweetly at his thoughtful consideration.
Soon, she donned the white dress and sneakers Father had chosen, and he praised her while stroking her hair.
Each pat of his hand sent a ticklish flutter in her chest.
"Now, let's go get some food."
"Food...? But I ate while bathing earlier..."
"Ah—that was just nutrients to help you recover. You haven't had a proper meal once."
"...Yes."
Ha-young swallowed hard and nodded.
The thought of delicious food made her mouth water, and her long-empty stomach growled loudly.
Father grinned at her, then snapped his fingers with a sharp crack.
-Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The moment Father snapped, servants hurried over.
They bowed their heads, awaiting his command.
He ordered them to bring a chair, and soon the mechanical mobility chair from before arrived before him.
"Mm. Much more comfortable sitting, isn't it? Let's go."
Father pressed a button, and with a low whirr, the chair began to move.
Ha-young hurried to keep pace beside him, matching the chair's speed.
Before long, they arrived at the dining hall.
"Sit there."
The spot Father's hand indicated.
Right beside the head seat.
Ha-young demurely took the indicated place.
Father maneuvered his chair around to the head seat.
"Listen up. These are all good for your body—eat as much as you want."
"...Th-thank you. I'll dig in."
A feast so lavish her eyes bulged.
Ha-young picked up her utensils and began sampling the dishes one by one.
After days of hard bread and bland soup, the gourmet spread prepared by top chefs was indescribably exquisite.
Munch munch munch...Slurp...
The pasta before her, the soup beside it, the steak in back, the kimchi here, japchae, chicken, beef soup, caviar, sashimi, sushi.
Everything was perfection.
If rated, every dish earned a solid ten out of ten.
Chew... chew... chew...
But she'd shoveled it down too fast, and soon her throat clogged up, leaving her choking.
Ha-young patted her chest, searching for water, but the pitcher sat at the table's far end.
-Snap!
At that moment, Father snapped again, drawing everyone's attention.
He barked at a waiting servant.
"What are you doing? Get her some water."
"S-sorry! Right away!"
Under Father's stern command, the servant rushed over with the pitcher, feet pattering frantically.
He poured water into the glass before her.
But rattled by the earlier scolding, his hands shook violently.
Any second now, he'd mess up—
-Splash!
...Sure enough, her unease proved right; the servant blundered.
His trembling hand knocked over the glass, spilling water all over her dress.
The servant's terrified face darted between her and the Savior.
"Tch. Useless fool."
Father's scornful tone.
The servant froze, staring at him.
Father roughly sliced his steak with a knife, his voice heavy and grim.
"What kind of training did you get? Daring to disrespect the lady who will become my daughter, and not even apologizing."
"...! S-sorry! Forgive me!"
The servant prostrated himself, forehead to the floor.
Ha-young felt flustered by the sudden drama.
This wasn't her slave, and spilling a bit of water didn't warrant such groveling.
"If you've done wrong, you must be punished. Lee Ha-young—stomp on that fool's head."
But Father thought differently.
He wanted the offender thoroughly punished.
With no choice, Ha-young carried out his order.
-Squish...
Grinding her foot into a stranger's head—a mad act.
Suddenly, memories flooded back of abusing that pathetic Seong-min.
The illicit thrill of degrading and trampling her once-precious boyfriend surged through her.
Her foot pressed down harder.
-Squish... squiiiish...
The servant's pathetic groans and shivers.
A faint smile crept across Lee Ha-young's face.
His wretched form overlapped with that pathetic Seong-min's, his agonized face flickering before her eyes.
"That's enough."
But Father's cold voice shattered the illusion in an instant.
Ha-young hastily lifted her foot and glanced at him nervously.
He calmly sliced his steak as if nothing had happened.
"I-I'll clean it up right away!"
With the punishment over, the servant scrambled up to tidy the mess.
Father eyed him with contempt, then abruptly hurled his napkin at him—wiping his mouth as he did.
"...?"
The napkin landing at his feet.
The servant looked up at Father.
Father spoke.
"Hmph. You dimwit. You've ruined my appetite."
"...Sorry."
"...Tch. How does a useless idiot like you even work in this mansion? Huh?"
"I-I'll do better!"
"No need. You're demoted."
"...! B-but—!"
"You disrespected the candidate to become my daughter. And you couldn't even serve properly."
"Please! Just one more chance! Then—!"
"No. It's decided. You're demoted."
"Master! Mercy!"
"You dare defy me?"
"...No, sir."
"Then get out. Assign him to field duty and move him to Block C barracks."
"...Yes. Understood."
The servant slunk away, dazed and defeated.
Ha-young etched the scene into her memory.
Keywords like 'demotion,' 'Block C,' and 'field squad' clicked—this place ran like a rigid hierarchy.
"Well, shall we move on? A light walk to aid digestion?"
Father's call snapped her from her thoughts.
She nodded with a smile.
"Yes, Father. I want to see more of the place."
"Good. Follow me."
With a whirr, Father's chair glided forward.
Ha-young hurried to match his pace beside him.
Father toured the vast mansion's key facilities, explaining each one in detail.
"This is where we train the servants. Mostly for those maintaining the interior."
Beyond the transparent glass wall, dozens of men and women sat at desks, intently listening to a lecture.
Yet something felt off about them.
A few seemed to notice her and Father, but they ignored it and kept listening—that nagged at her.
So Ha-young subtly voiced her curiosity.
"...But they're so rude. Father's here, and no one even comes out."
Father chuckled at her observation.
Smiling, he explained.
"Heh, sharp eyes. But they're not being rude. It looks like ordinary glass from here, but they can't see out."
...Got it.
One-way visibility meant perfect for surveillance.
Ha-young sensed this mansion was no ordinary place and nodded again.
"Now—let's move on."
Afterward, Father introduced various facilities: library, pool, gym, dining hall, shooting range, soccer field, screen golf, baseball field, training hall, and more. He covered every amenity in the estate.
"And this is the last one. The Pleasure House."
The final stop: this 'Pleasure House.'
True to its name—literally a place for indulgence—the entrance oozed an extraordinary aura.
-...♬...♪...♭...♩...
A dim, cave-like open entrance.
Sultry jazz leaked from within.
Red lights illuminating the entry evoked decadent vibes.
"Heh, your face is priceless."
Father's words startled Ha-young; she quickly schooled her expression.
He waved it off in a low rumble.
"No need to hide it. I'm not scolding you. Quite the opposite—I'm glad you seem to like it."
That she liked this place.
Did I just laugh or something?
Well, her heart had raced a bit.
...Truth be told, she was thrilled.
"Hmm. Truth is, I need someone to manage this place. I've had you in mind..."
"...M-me? The Pleasure House?"
"Yes. You're not officially my daughter yet, but once you fully become mine, I plan to give it to you."
"..."
"Heh. So, want a tour?"
"...Yes."
"Good. Today, I'll show you my core business. Follow me."
Father's chair slid smoothly inside.
Ha-young took a deep breath and followed.