Chapter 98

…Srrrk.

Revi turned her back and began to remove her clothing.

Ihan flinched.

It wasn’t because she suddenly started undressing. It was because of what lay across her back.

“Can you see it?”

“A… tattoo, huh? Young noble ladies are quite bold these days.”

“Heh, you know it’s not that,” she responded with a sly smile.

“Ahem.” He forced a cough, signaling that no further explanation was necessary, yet she continued, unwavering.

“It’s a slave brand. And a severe one at that.”

She dropped the bitter truth.

“……”

“Master, I… I don’t have parents. In the most literal sense, I’m an orphan.”

She began redressing, and Ihan managed a bittersweet smile.

“You could have just told me; no need to make a scene by undressing, honestly.”

“Isn’t it better to show it once than explain it a hundred times? You say that all the time, Master.”

“…Such a model student,” he muttered.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Today, Revi was unusually articulate. She had never spoken so freely in front of others, without a hint of hesitation or fear. She was always shy, but with him, it felt like she could share everything.

So, she continued without restraint.

“I’m a slave. About five years ago, I was sold to the Folt family.”

She revealed her greatest vulnerability and secret.

“……”

He only listened silently, his gaze calm, as if her being a slave didn’t matter. To him, Revi was not a “slave” but a “disciple,” just a young girl.

Her throat tightened with emotion.

‘…Ah, he’s truly…’

She couldn’t deny his kindness.

‘Anyone else would have been shocked or felt betrayed… I have an incredibly good Master, more than I deserve.’

Revi held back her tears again, deciding it wouldn’t be too late to cry once she had shared everything she’d hidden.

“…I’m not originally from Pendragon. I’m from Britain. Not that it matters much where a slave is from.”

She had been a war orphan from the start. Britain had waged countless wars, even against the Empire and Pendragon. War orphans were as common as rats, and she was no exception, having lost her parents and ended up alone.

Then, Revi was captured by a “slave caravan.”

Although slave caravans were supposedly outlawed, everyone knew they still existed. Her kidnapping and enslavement weren’t particularly unusual or cruel.

…Most children with no parents and no power led lives like hers.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Fortunately or not, I was considered beautiful for an orphan, and my hair color was rare, much like that of the nobles. Because of this, I was classified as ‘high-quality merchandise’ and given quite an education. The demand for ‘premium slaves’… Well, it was overflowing, or so the merchant told me.”

Her beauty was either a curse or a blessing. The slave merchant had taught her to read, write, and even noble etiquette, claiming there was a demand for attractive, educated slaves. She was talented at learning, and the merchant was thrilled by her intelligence.

‘Now I can sell her for an even higher price!’

– That was his favorite phrase to say to her.

“It didn’t make me happy at all.”

…During her training as a high-class slave, a war broke out between Pendragon and Britain. The slave merchant, unfortunately for him, was killed in the conflict.

While misfortune for the merchant, it was a stroke of luck for her.

It gave her a chance to escape.

But, unfortunately for her—

“I had no idea that being a high-class slave would come with its own set of problems.”

[Seal of Obedience.]

The brand on her back was a slave mark, inscribed on her by a rogue mage hired by the merchant. This mark was like a curse, an unbreakable spell that could not be removed by any ordinary means.

It was the merchant’s attempt to prevent high-value slaves from escaping. Eventually, she was sold to another merchant who had absorbed the dead man’s network.

And that merchant…

“...sold me to Pendragon. In the midst of the war, everything that could be turned into money was sold off. I was sold cheaply, too.”

Ten silver coins.

That was her price.

“And the place I was sold to was…”

“The Folt family?”

“…Yes.”

“Where did those bastards get the money to buy you?”

“I suspect they borrowed it. I’d guess it was an investment. From the beginning, that man intended…”

To sell me off again.

– You are now our daughter. From this day forward, you are Revi Folt. Hahaha!

The day she was sold, the Folt family gave her a name and surname, welcoming her as part of the family.

A mere slave, yet they took her in as family.

She was deeply moved.

Finally, a day like this had come for her—a miraculous blessing from a fairy tale.

She was truly overjoyed.

But.

– Why, why are you growing so slowly! Can’t you grow up faster?!

Raynol Folt had only one reason for adopting her as a daughter:

To “sell” her.

He intended to marry her off to some wealthy merchant or high-ranking noble.

Yes, he had bought her with the intent of an “investment.”

The Folt family.

A hopeless family clinging to dreams of reclaiming their status as a knightly house, yet raising her only to use her as a “sacrifice” to extract money.

A family that refused to try any other way, or work to restore their fortunes.

An undead clan of ghosts, clinging to a hollow legacy.

Revi wanted to escape from their madness, from their incompetence. She could foresee what her fate would be if she stayed.

She had tried to find a chance to escape, or report them, but…

– You’d better abandon any thought of escape.

Because of the [Seal of Obedience], she couldn’t do anything.

She was an enslaved being, unable to disobey her master’s commands.

Her commands were threefold:

One. She couldn’t reveal her status as a slave to anyone. Two. She couldn’t do anything that would harm the Folt family. Three. She must be obedient to all members of the Folt family.

With these commands branded on her, she could only say—

“No matter how disgusting it was, I had to behave submissively toward them.”

The guild member who taunted her yesterday—

It wasn’t because she felt any attachment or gratitude toward the mother and daughter.

“I had to act submissive toward them as well.”

Truly a curse.

Freedom didn’t exist in her life, only oppression, with horror trailing close behind.

…It was terrifying.

“…Ironically, though, I… wanted to be acknowledged as family. Since it was my first time having something like family… I really… tried my best.”

Effort.

The blind devotion that Ihan once described.

Through her efforts, she wanted to prove herself.

If she kept trying her best, maybe they would accept her one day?

If she could achieve something to bring honor to the family, produce real results, then maybe…!

“I foolishly hoped that they’d accept me as family one day, like some naïve little girl’s dream.”

“……”

“Heh, aren’t I just incredibly stupid?”

She laughed bitterly, closing her eyes as if expecting a look of disdain from him.

She was too afraid to hear his response.

“No, on the contrary, I’m proud of you… so much that I want to hold you and tell you how brave you are.”

“……”

“You did well. Truly… you did well.”

…He still looked at her with that same gentle gaze.

It wasn’t pity.

It was admiration for her strength in overcoming those harsh times.

“…Ah.”

Revi was dazed.

All her life, she had been nervous about what reactions her secrets would bring, wondering if she’d be despised.

But now…

…In front of her was someone who accepted her for who she was, and she trembled.

“Well, I’m sure being hugged by an old man like me wouldn’t feel great, but—”

Without a word, she flung herself at him.

“……”

“…Hic.”

“Go on, cry. My arms are here as long as you need them.”

“Hic… Hwaaaa!”

“Yes, cry as loudly as you need to. That’s how you let it out.”

Revi ran into his arms with all her strength, both grateful and resentful.

Why had he only appeared now?

When she needed someone like him so badly, why had they never met?

Nineteen years of suffering.

Now, standing before someone who could truly care for her as family, Revi wept with all her heart.

This time, not quietly, but with a loud, mournful cry…

She cried her heart out.

“…It’s okay. Everything’s okay now.”

Ihan gently patted her back.

Warmly.