The Dialectic of Master and Slave - Chapter 82
Listening to the crude, vulgar words spilling from the emperor’s mouth made me feel like my intelligence was rotting away. The kind of filthy language I never thought I’d hear in a lifetime now flowed effortlessly from the man of the highest status in this world. Several times a day, I felt like my mind would snap.
All I did was eat, sleep, wash, and rut with the emperor like an animal.
This wasn’t a human life.
“Send me back.”
Jaha stared blankly at the empty air. Resentment surged inside her, directed at some unknown entity.
A god?
A demon?
A mad researcher who succeeded in summoning beings from another dimension?
Or the laws of the universe?
Causality?
At one point, she had been desperately curious, but now, none of it mattered. Jaha had only one wish.
“Send me back to Korea. Haven’t you had your fun toying with me enough? If you’re going to play with me however you want, the least you could do is put me back where I was supposed to be. If you have any conscience at all!”
With the thought that the unknown being who dragged her into this world might still be watching, Jaha pleaded with all her heart.
“Will you only be satisfied if I lose my mind completely? If I die, will it finally be over?”
Jaha, who had raised her voice in agitation without realizing it, suddenly grew anxious—what if the unknown being grew angry at her outburst and refused to send her back to Earth? The cowardly worry made her clasp her hands together and soften her tone, pleading desperately.
“Just send me back to Earth, and I’ll forget everything. I’ll wipe it all clean—everything I’ve endured here—and I won’t hold a grudge. So please… just send me back to Earth.”
She clenched her eyes shut and stayed still for a moment.
Wishing, praying, that when she opened them again, she’d see Earth instead of this world—she counted to three and slowly lifted her eyelids.
The same unchanging bathroom scenery filled her vision.
With a sigh, Jaha finished her bath and stepped out of the tub.
She had to return to the emperor. To that depraved beast.
After dressing, Jaha forced her reluctant feet to move and stepped out of the bathroom. She followed the emperor like a silent shadow as he strolled through the garden—until she spotted Cedric. Even from a distance, lying prone on the ground, she recognized him instantly.
That shimmering platinum blonde, gleaming under the sunlight.
A hair color that striking couldn’t possibly be common.
Without thinking, she nearly called out to him—but then she remembered she wasn’t alone and quickly pressed her lips together.
You’re safe.
She’d worried when she couldn’t see him, fearing something might have happened. But he was fine.
Relief washed over her as she smoothed a hand over her chest, stealing glances toward where Cedric lay while trailing behind the emperor.
“The flowers are in full bloom. Jaha, which of these do you find the most beautiful?”
Jaha snapped back to attention at the emperor’s question. The problem was, she had been distracted and hadn’t properly heard what he said. She could guess it was something about the flowers, though… Hiding her panic, she replied calmly.
“It’s difficult for me to dare answer.”
“Anyone with eyes could answer. What’s so hard about it? Just pick one.”
The emperor pressed, as though he couldn’t understand her hesitation. Since it seemed he wanted her to choose a flower, Jaha randomly pointed to one among the many scattered across the garden.
“Then… I’ll choose this one.”
“Out of all the countless flowers in bloom, you pick that pitiful-looking one?”
The emperor’s gaze sharpened. Among the large, ostentatious flowers, Jaha had chosen a small, unremarkable yellow one.
“Yes.”
She kept her answer as short as possible. Adding unnecessary explanations might lead to a nonsensical reply—and then she’d be caught for not paying attention to the emperor’s words.
“Hmm.”
The emperor paused for a moment, studying the yellow flower with a dissatisfied expression.
Jaha stole a glance to the side. Cedric was still lying face down on the ground. Since all slaves within the emperor’s line of sight were required to prostrate themselves, it was only natural.
Eventually, the emperor looked away from the yellow flower and resumed walking. Jaha followed, stealing sidelong glances at Cedric until he was out of sight.
That night, a vase in the emperor’s bedroom was adorned with yellow flowers. Not just that—the bed itself was strewn with lavish yellow petals.
The emperor had ordered it done, believing Jaha liked them. But since she hadn’t even properly listened to his question and had answered carelessly, she had no idea why she was now rolling around in a bed full of yellow petals.
In fact, she didn’t even realize those petals came from the same flower she had picked earlier that day.
Hilale
Emperor fall in love