Chapter 245
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: His Owner Is Me
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“……So this flower is your gift?”
“Yes. I tried to infuse it with a bit of creativity, humble as it is.”
Maya fell silent as she gazed at the white flower Rimon abruptly held out.
From the stem to the leaves and petals.
It wasn’t just the exquisite craftsmanship, unbelievable for something carved from stone—like a real flower turned to petrified perfection.
Cold without warmth.
Fragile as if it might crumble.
And yet, all the more noble for it.
The flower embodied a flawless beauty that seemed plucked straight from imagination, leaving her speechless for a moment.
‘This… made by someone who’s only learned sculpting for a single day?’
Maya barely suppressed a gasp of admiration that nearly escaped, letting out a light scoff instead.
“You think a single flower will buy me off?”
“Buy you off? No, this is purely a gift. If anything, I just hoped my owner might look kindly on this slave.”
“Hmph. You’ve got a silver tongue.”
“Clowns and slaves live or die by their words, after all.”
She glared at Rimon, who spoke with shameless impudence, as if his face were plated in iron.
After a moment, Maya finally extended her hand.
She carefully picked up the petrified flower he offered reverently with both hands, ensuring their fingers didn’t touch, and slowly turned it around. Her eyebrows twitched.
Only now, at a closer distance, did she sense the subtle incongruity she hadn’t noticed before.
‘……A scent?’
Amid the blooming flowers in the garden, one fragrance stood out vividly.
Faint as if absent, yet sweeter than any real bloom. She scoffed inwardly.
‘What a ridiculous trick.’
Whether he’d sprayed perfume on it.
Or rigged some other device.
Maya sneered at the deception of carving a stone flower and scenting it like the real thing.
But even knowing it was fake, the aroma was so intoxicating that she drew it closer still…
“I’m glad you seem to like my gift.”
Maya froze, her hand clutching the stone flower.
She met Rimon’s gaze—his face curved in a sly smile—and spoke coldly.
“I never said I liked it.”
“Yet you didn’t refuse it.”
“A slave’s possessions belong to his owner. Taking back what’s mine is only natural.”
“Hm, fair point.”
He nodded once, as if conceding an obvious truth.
Then, as if struck by a brilliant idea, Rimon’s expression turned meaningfully sly.
“Then how about modeling for me next time?”
“……What did you say?”
“Carving only natural objects has stifled my inspiration. Might as well try sculpting a person.”
No two people were identical, making humans the ultimate material for creation.
And naturally, a beauty as a model would yield an even finer piece—so he requested her cooperation to enhance the value of his ‘property.’
Maya glared at the brazen Rimon and said coldly,
“To dare spout such nonsense to me—you must not value your life.”
Shhh.
It wasn’t mere words born of fleeting anger.
Her sharply arched brows.
Her darkly sunken eyes.
And above all, the flowerbed wilting before their eyes.
They proved her intent: correct your slip of the tongue and beg forgiveness now, or else.
Rimon’s response to her threat was simple.
“Thank you for your permission.”
“What nonsense is this?”
“You just said if I was willing to stake my life, I could sculpt you—didn’t you?”
“……What kind of drug did you take to twist my words that way?”
Too absurd even for anger, she stared at him briefly.
Then, shooing him away like a stray dog, Maya gestured dismissively.
“No—don’t answer. Just leave. I’ve no patience for your drivel.”
“Shall I bring your meal, then? Your complexion looks especially poor today. You should have breakfast.”
“No need.”
“Come on, eat something. Food is the best medicine. Skipping meals like this isn’t good for you.”
Maya flinched for an instant, then shot back in a deeper, sinking voice.
“……I said leave.”
“Well, if it’s an order.”
Shrugging as if regretful, Rimon bowed politely and exited the flower garden.
Only then did Maya shake her head with a sigh, murmuring softly.
“What an odd man.”
She had observed Rimon closely all this time.
Yet the more she watched, the deeper the enigma of Rimon grew.
Take his sculpting, for instance.
Seven Dragon Society elites were versatile, mastering fields swiftly—it wasn’t unusual.
Her own Green Dragon Clan excelled in medicine beyond ordinary comparison.
But by even their standards, Rimon’s learning speed was absurd.
There were other oddities too.
Spending the entire night in this garden without collapsing or showing fatigue.
His growing audacity.
And…
‘Daring to nag me.’
Simple advice anyone could give: eat your meals properly.
Yet not even her Green Dragon clansmen, close aides like Barbara and Arvela, or the elders dared such nagging.
Only one exception.
‘Was that dream last night because of him too?’
Maya mused inwardly.
Their clan, gender, age, personality—nothing matched.
Yet Rimon strangely evoked her.
Enough that mere nagging about meals made her flinch unconsciously.
Lost in thought about why he could treat her so casually, she eventually sneered.
“Recklessness born of ignorance.”
Rimon surely knew nothing of the Seven Dragon Society.
Only a suicidal madman would act this way knowing who the Green Dragon Princess was.
That curiosity stirred her.
Would he still act this way after learning everything about her?
The answer was obvious.
He’d cower in fear, groveling for forgiveness for his past insolence.
Imagining that brazen fool bowing politely was amusing enough…
‘Odd.’
……to irritate her.
Just picturing Rimon looking at her in fear like everyone else.
Why did it suddenly sour her mood? Frowning, Maya couldn’t fathom it.
Was it petty to reveal herself just to cow a mere slave?
Or…?
[Princess, are you free for a moment?]
“What is it?”
[The test subjects you wanted have arrived, so I’m letting you know.]
Perhaps worried she’d been disturbed, Arvela hastily added,
[I can handle the experiments if you’d prefer not to come personally…]
“I’ll be there soon. Prepare everything.”
[Yes, Princess.]
Maya cut her off with a voice brooking no argument.
She entered the passage behind the jade throne, toward the secret chamber she’d emerged from, and pressed a cleverly hidden button on the wall.
Whirr.
A secret door slid open in the passage, revealing an elevator.
Riding it to the lab, she was greeted by Arvela and the Green Dragon Clan researchers.
“Is the experiment ready?”
“Sorry, Princess. There are so many new subjects that we’re still preparing.”
Maya turned at Arvela’s reply.
She glanced past the isolation chamber in one corner of the lab, at the dozens of restrained test subjects, then spoke.
“Why so many at once?”
“Handed over from the police station. They were caught at a notorious gang’s deal site—no loose ends to worry about, so they demanded a high price.”
“Pay whatever they want. They’ll provide better subjects next time.”
“Leave it to me.”
Arvela replied confidently.
She might blunder before Maya, but as Quetzalcoatl’s head researcher, procuring subjects was child’s play.
“By the way, Princess, what’s that flower?”
“What flower?”
“The one you’re holding.”
Maya furrowed her brow.
Only now did she realize she’d carried the stone flower from Rimon all this way.
“Come to think of it, that slave Rimon took a ton of sculpting materials yesterday, saying it was your order… Don’t tell me that flower is his work?”
“It is.”
“He’s got some handiwork, I’ll give him that, but gifting something like this to you after just a few days of sculpting? He doesn’t know his place.”
Arvela scoffed derisively.
Though she hadn’t seen it closely, to Maya—princess of the Seven Dragon Society, accustomed to the finest—such amateur work was trash.
But that certainty blinded her to Maya’s increasingly arched brows.
“Just give the order, Princess. I’ll dispose of that trash and discipline him so he never tries this again…”
“Arvela, his owner is me.”
“Pardon?”
Arvela blinked at the cryptic words.
Maya fixed her with somber eyes and spoke lowly.
“I alone have the right to judge his work—and the authority to discipline him.”
“Of course, but…”
“Then don’t interfere. Understood?”
Daring to touch what was hers would not be forgiven.
Not her usual sneer or barbed tone, but a calm explanation.
That made the quiet warning all the more chilling.
And her gaze all the more feral.
Arvela swallowed dryly, bowing her head unconsciously.
“……I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good.”
Only then did Maya avert her eyes from Arvela, fiddling with the stone flower as she continued coldly.
“And don’t worry about this flower. I’m just keeping it for the scent.”
“The… scent?”
“Is there a problem?”
“N-No, of course not.”
There were problems aplenty.
A stone flower having any scent at all was bizarre, let alone real.
Even with her Green Dragon Clan’s keen nose, Arvela detected nothing.
She simply couldn’t voice it to Maya.
Sensing the subtle unease in Arvela’s gaze, Maya snapped,
“Then hurry and finish preparing the experiment. How long do you plan to keep me waiting?”
“Right away, Princess.”
Maya watched Arvela scramble with sharp eyes for a moment.
She toyed with the stone flower, pondering what to do with it, then gently pinned it into her hair like a hairpin.
As if made for it from the start.
Fiddling with the now-naturally nestled stone, Maya murmured inwardly.
‘It doesn’t sit right.’
Arvela’s words were fitting for an aide—what she should say.
No matter the circumstances, the Green Dragon Princess personally managing a slave was absurd.
Yet the irritation at Arvela offering to discipline Rimon.
Not knowing why she felt that way.
All of it grated.
But Maya soon smoothed her furrowed brow.
The faint scent from the stone soothed her displeasure.
Her mind eased, and even her low spirits lifted refreshingly—as if by themselves.
As Maya closed her eyes, sinking into the floral aroma…
Arvela addressed her.
“Princess, preparations are complete.”
Maya opened her eyes and nodded.
Gazing at the test subject—bound from neck to waist and limbs, gagged and writhing—she spoke coldly.
“Begin the experiment.”