The Dialectic of Master and Slave - Chapter 46
Objectively speaking, she knew the Emperor wasn’t particularly evil.
If someone from the 21st century held the mindset of the Joseon Dynasty, they would deserve criticism. But a person from the Joseon Dynasty holding the mindset of that era isn’t a target for blame. Human consciousness rarely transcends the era they live in. While the era itself can be judged as primitive, individuals living in that time can’t be held responsible.
This world’s overall level was similar to that of Europe during the era of absolute monarchy, with even more powerful monarchs.
The Emperor simply had the mindset befitting an absolute monarch of his time. Expecting him to have the consciousness of the 21st century was like expecting Jaha to rise to the consciousness of people from the 25th century.
He was merely using his slave as he pleased. By the standards here, his actions were neither illegal nor unethical. When in Rome, do as the Romans do—in this world, he was right.
If Jaha had been born and raised in this world, she might have accepted it indifferently. As a slave, it was only natural to do as her master, the Emperor, desired. She might even have been thrilled to serve someone of such high status.
But Jaha wasn’t from this world, nor was she a saint whose emotions were suppressed by reason. No matter how much she understood intellectually, she couldn’t forgive the Emperor.
Though she usually lived forgetting it, when left alone like this, anger, hatred, and murderous intent would swirl within her. At the end of it all was self-loathing, waiting with its mouth wide open.
A bottomless pit whispered temptingly. It’s time now. If you give up and come inside, you’ll find peace. But no matter how cozy it looked, Jaha’s destination wasn’t that black pit—it was Earth. She couldn’t let herself be consumed by it.
To break free from her dark thoughts, Jaha got up. Out of habit, she first checked the cloth placed on the bedside table.
“It’s not much, but would you like to use this?”
It was something she had received from a man named Cedric, who was in a similar situation to hers.
A slave carrying a piece of cloth to use as a handkerchief.
“Strange man.”
Jaha had debated what to do with the cloth—the first act of kindness she had received in this world without any strings attached—and eventually decided to place it somewhere visible.
There was no special meaning behind it. She just found comfort in seeing it neatly placed there. It reminded her that she was still human, not an object.
Since that day, she had crossed paths with Cedric a few more times. Since she had received his help, she couldn’t just ignore him, so she greeted him and exchanged a few words.
Cedric had an exceptionally gentle personality. He always asked for permission rather than giving orders, and his actions were as soft as his tone. He maintained an appropriate distance, never touching her without reason, and his habitual thoughtfulness was evident. Overall, he was close to the ideal gentleman portrayed in media.
A slave acting like a gentleman. Jaha knew how absurd that sounded in a world where even commoners rarely received proper education.
Here, manners were rare, and even basic arithmetic was beyond most people. The majority of the population was illiterate, and while they drank water and used the bathroom daily, they didn’t know that over half the human body is made of water. Though they had life wisdom, their academic knowledge was below that of an elementary school student. Like early modern Earth, knowledge here was the exclusive domain of the privileged. Yet, here was a slave with manners that required learning etiquette, not even practical knowledge.
This wasn’t a world like 21st-century Earth, where one could learn things through internet videos. Nor was it a world where anyone could freely enter libraries and read books. To learn something, one had to be taught by others or pick it up by observation.
“Did he serve nobles for a long time?”
That was the most plausible explanation she could think of. As the saying goes, even a dog in a schoolhouse for three years will learn to recite poetry.
In any case, Cedric was the polar opposite of the Emperor, who forcibly took her body without regard for her will, knew nothing of consideration, and exuded a threatening aura as if to flaunt his position at the top of the food chain. It was as if some god had deliberately created Cedric to be the Emperor’s antithesis.
riye
what if Cedric is just like her—a transmigrator😶