Chapter 314: Slave Experience (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 314: Slave Experience (7)
“Don't feel burdened. Make yourself comfortable.”
Violetta invited Rami into the reception room.
She had rare tea and refreshments brought out. They sat facing each other, not as a maid and her lady, but as a guest and her host.
The maids couldn't understand what kind of spell he had cast to receive such treatment.
They were deeply displeased that a mere slave, a newcomer at that, was getting special treatment, but they could only swallow their complaints.
To make matters worse, Rami's behavior was a spectacle in itself, leaving them even more baffled.
“I'll enjoy it, thank you.”
Told to make himself at home, he sat on the sofa and crossed his legs. He drank his tea with an elegant posture, as if he were truly a noble himself.
A dignity ingrained in his very being, one that couldn't be erased even as a slave. He was flawless.
It was no wonder the maids felt a pang of inferiority.
“You said you and Narsha are lovers, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Who made the first move?”
“Narsha did.”
“That woman? The one who's so full of herself?”
“I helped her with something, and she came chasing after me later. She said she would give me her body, heart, and soul if I would just agree to be with her.”
“Oh, my.”
Violetta exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.
It was only natural. The Narsha that Violetta knew was a person of immense self-regard.
Noble status.
Exceptional abilities.
Striking looks.
As a merchant, Narsha knew her own worth better than anyone. She was a woman who lived off her own ego.
A woman like that, the very epitome of a noble, followed Rami around, offering her body, heart, and soul?
Just imagining Narsha desperately pleading with Rami was enough to make her chuckle.
“What on earth did you do to capture her heart? Please, tell me your secret.”
“It was nothing so grand. I simply rescued her after she was sold to a brothel.”
“A brothel? Ohoho! So, after becoming a slave, she was sold as a prostitute? Serves her right! A prostitute... how fitting!”
“Narsha has quite the large chest, you know.”
“That's right. Just like a dairy cow!”
At some point, Violetta, having forgotten all about maintaining her decorum in front of a slave, chattered on excitedly.
“That woman was always looking down on people. You know that signature condescending look she has, even while smiling?”
“I do. She was like that when we first met, too.”
“She'd dismiss people with that quiet, condescending tone, then curse them out colorfully behind their backs. It gave me the creeps when I first found out.”
“She did it right to my face. Screamed at me not to touch her with my filthy hands, cursed at me... Ugh.”
Rami shook his head as if fed up with the memory.
She was a trustworthy slave now, but back when he was taming her, she was a wild horse. His other slaves each had some human flaw, which made them relatively easy to win over, but Narsha, the noble, was close to perfect. He couldn't count the hours he'd spent trying to find a crack in her armor.
“Still, Narsha is far more lovable than she seems. It's adorable how she tries to act cute to be loved, all while trying to maintain her noble dignity.”
“Oh, my. She has a side like that? It seems I knew nothing at all.”
The two continued to chat cheerfully about the same topic.
The more she heard, the more astonishing the stories became.
The Narsha in Rami's stories was the epitome of a woman. Violetta grew curious about how he had managed to make her that way.
“You.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Do to me what you did to that woman.”
“To you, my lady?”
“If I learn your methods, I can get my revenge on her, can't I?”
If Rami could do it, then she, who was far superior to Narsha, surely could as well.
“Now, go on. Show me the skills that captured Narsha Bryan's heart.”
Rami hesitated for a moment.
Many of his slaves adored him, but he couldn't recall ever intentionally doing anything to make them. He just acted as he normally did, and they happened to like it.
But now she was asking him to show his "skills." He wasn't sure what to do, but refusing seemed like it would cause its own set of problems.
Fortunately, his subject was a woman, and Violetta, who had been raised like a precious jewel, was quite beautiful, so he had no aversion to the task.
Should I just do what the girls do to me?
He decided to give it a try.
“Then, if you'll excuse me for a moment.”
Rami rose from his seat and sat down next to Violetta.
He lowered his head slightly.
Swish. His black hair cascaded down.
As it blocked his view, he casually tucked a strand behind his ear.
His gaze drifted up to meet hers from below.
Rami's eyes were slender, the corners curving up slightly like a tilde. It was a look that seemed to hold a relaxed smile, yet hinted at a deep charisma. He had an androgynous appearance, both feminine and strangely handsome.
He did nothing more than gaze at her intently.
“...”
But that alone was enough to make Violetta's pupils tremble.
Rami spoke in a calm tone.
“My lady.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I noticed when I held your hand earlier, but your hands are surprisingly cute.”
His fingers lightly tickled Violetta's palm before gently caressing her hand.
“Small, soft, and warm. This is why I like a woman's hands. It makes me want to keep holding them. Don't you agree?”
“W-Well...”
“Compared to yours, my hands are rough and probably not very pleasant to touch. Right?”
“N-Not particularly...”
“Oh? Would you tell me yourself?”
Violetta focused on the sensation of his hand against hers.
“Slender... and a little bigger than mine, so it's strangely reassuring... and...”
“And?”
“And... it's cool to the touch, so it f-feels nice.”
“Hehe. I'm glad it feels nice.”
Rami let out a small smile.
He spoke quietly, as if whispering in her ear.
“Here, don't feel burdened. Touch it as you please. I am your slave, my lady. This hand is yours.”
Like creeping vines, Rami's fingers slid between Violetta's.
Their two delicate hands intertwined like liquid, tangling until she could no longer tell which fingers were hers. All of her nerves focused on that single point of contact.
They were only holding hands.
Her partner was a woman.
A jolt of electricity shot up her arm from Rami's hand.
I've never felt this way, not even with a man...
Her whole body flushed with heat.
It felt as if a new sense was about to awaken within her.
“My lady, your face is red. Are you all right?”
“Y-Yes? I-It's nothing! I'm just hot, that's all!”
“Just a moment, excuse me.”
Rami swept his bangs aside.
Thump.
He pressed his forehead to Violetta's.
“Eh...?”
“Hmm, you're burning up. I'm worried you might be overexerting yourself.”
Violetta's eyes flew wide open.
He was right in front of her.
So close their breaths mingled.
A faint scent rose from the nape of Rami's slightly sweat-dampened neck, tickling her nostrils. It was an incredibly sweet, strangely titillating fragrance.
“Ah... ah...”
Violetta, who had been letting out nothing but fragmented gasps, suddenly slumped to the side.
“My lady?”
There was no reply.
Violetta had fainted.
An ecstatic expression on her face.
“Hmm...”
Rami scratched his ear.
I don't think I did much of anything.
She must have heatstroke. It was bound to happen, all bundled up in a dress in this summer heat.
“Excuse me, could you please look after the young lady? I'll need her moved to her bedroom, and please bring some cold water and a towel.”
“...”
“Hello?”
The maids, who had been watching the exchange between Rami and Violetta, were frozen like statues, showing no sign of moving. Their faces were bright red, like children who had just secretly witnessed something intimate between adults. One of them had even collapsed to the floor, as if dizzy.
Did they all get heatstroke?
With no other choice, Rami lifted Violetta himself.
His arms trembled, likely from cleaning the warehouse yesterday, but he used all his strength and managed not to drop her. He carried her to her bedroom, which he had been to before.
He created some spirit water for her to drink and placed a damp towel on her forehead.
Her complexion improved almost instantly.
That should be enough.
The maids would take care of the rest.
“I'll be on my way, then. Please take care of things from here.”
Rami left the mansion leisurely, his hands clasped behind his back. The way the maids looked at him had subtly changed.
*
Rami returned to Alberic's mansion.
At some point, Alberic had woken up.
“You're awake.”
“And where have you been wandering off to now?”
“Lady Violetta summoned me, so I went to keep her company for a bit.”
“What did you do with Violetta?”
“We just talked. I mentioned I knew Narsha Bryan, and she took an interest. That's all.”
“Hmm.”
Alberic didn't seem particularly suspicious. He could always just check with Violetta to see if Rami was telling the truth. Besides, he didn't seem clever enough to lie.
Still, he couldn't let this insubordination slide.
“You are my slave. Do not go anywhere without my permission.”
“Yeees~”
Rami replied half-heartedly.
Why are these damn siblings so desperate to keep me on a leash?
He didn't get it.
“By the way, Young Master, why were you sleeping on the floor today?”
“...You knew?”
“When I opened my eyes, you were passed out on the floor.”
“And you just left me there?”
“Ah.”
I should have just kept my mouth shut.
He'd just made things worse for himself.
“This won't do. It seems you still don't understand your place. I should take this opportunity to educate you...”
Alberic was about to lay down the law for once.
“Educate me?”
“Before I... educate you, just try not to cause any trouble and behave yourself.”
He couldn't remember why, but his instincts screamed at him not to mess with Rami.
“Don't worry,” Rami said confidently. “What kind of trouble could I possibly cause?”
*
That day, a new rumor began to spread through the duchy.
A rumor that a single maid had incapacitated Lady Violetta with nothing but her fingers.
And another.
“...Today's meal is quite good.”
“The water is delicious, too! Was water always this tasty?”
“My skin, just from washing my face?!”
A mysterious water was shaking the ducal estate to its core.
But its true nature fell into a labyrinth, never to be known.