Chapter 5 (2/2)

“It’s nothing. It’s all thanks to Miss Serena’s wonderful explanation that I could remember all of them.”

“Oh my, you’re really a…. These are only taught to the candidates for a month by an educational institution. How did you become a slave when you’re so smart?”

Celestia laughed bitterly. It’s because she remembered the bastard who betrayed her.

“There were some hardships.”

“…I see.”

Serena went back and forth silently, preparing for the supplies and clothes that Celestia needed.

“You can wear them from time to time, so you shouldn’t go to a shabby place. Try to dress perfectly, okay? There is a bathroom next to the room. Go wash yourself and put on your new clothes…..”

“Yes. Miss Serena.”

“Just call me Serena since we will be working together. But why did His Majesty pick you up?”

To treat the negative reaction. The adverse side-effects of harnessing mana.

But Celestia was silent. When she first pointed it out, the King glared at her and asked her from where he had heard it. He must have been reluctant to let people know about the disease.

‘If you don’t have anything, you have to be quick-witted and kind for joining the society to live long.’

“I’m sorry. I will….ask for His Majesty’s permission and then let you know.”

When she said “I’m sorry.”, she smiled. Serena might have thought that Celestia was good at keeping secrets.

Serena hurriedly disappeared for her other work before telling Celestia to take a rest. She would have to wake up at 6.30 the next morning.

She, absentminded, sat on the bed of an empty room, brooding over the missed opportunity to talk about her brother. Serena did not seem to have the authority to handle it.

She was worried about her new life.

“The scale of the work should be quite large…. Be it the Castle or the aristocratic….’

Standing up, she looked around the room. The room seemed to be a workman’s room. It was not a room for anyone else but for herself. It was a great deal considering that so many people were needed to manage such a large building.

The bed was made out of finely cut straw and the small room next to it had a bathtub.

“Wow…!”

When she dipped one of her legs in the tub, some of the water spilled out.

‘Oh my!’

She felt like the nobles of Golddina did not even enjoy this kind of luxury. Gulping, she pulled out her leg.

‘She told me to wash up and rest, right?’ For the past few days, she had been together with other slaves in a wagon, and worse, she was touched by the slave dealers. She washed her body and face properly in a hurry.

After carefully locking the door and pulling the sheets of the windows, she took off her shabby clothes and went to soak herself in the tub.

“I love it…”

She was so happy that she felt like her body was melting away. The warm water seemed to cure all her fatigue. Her body was completely immersed in the water while her long, red hair floated over the water.

After cleaning up her hair and body after a long time, she really felt like she was going to live. She was drying her hair with a towel, wearing a thin gown, when she heard a knock on the door.

“Serena?”

Her voice must have been heard outside, but there was no answer.

She should have asked Serena what she would do if somebody knocked on her door.

‘Should I just ask her now?’

She ran to open the door. She was told that no one else would bother her today, so it must have been Serena.

But it was not Serena who was standing at the door. She saw a wide chest of a man at the place where she had expected to see Serena’s face. She stepped back and looked up. It was none other than the raven haired Emperor. Now, she fully understood the meaning of that purple dress. The towel fell off her hand.

The Emperor waved his hand sideways, as if it was annoying to see her standing at the door. She hurriedly stepped aside.

“I don’t have to ask for your permission, do I? Since it’s my own palace.”

‘Arrogant and talkative. Yeah, I’d love to treat you.’

Previously, she was a person to watch people come in alone, closing the door and sitting in one of the chairs inside her shop.

The Emperor looked at her with his strangely warm red eyes.

Remembering about the quick lesson that she was given, she stepped back and sat down on the floor.

“Now that you’ve freshened up, I can see why the slave traders were much reluctant to give you up. You’re pretty.”

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

“Did you feel bad?”

He asked her as if he did not care about her feelings. He continued before she could even reply back.

“Anyway, I did not come here for this nonsense. I’m afraid there is something I should be ashamed of…..”

“I am not a kind of person who would go around talking about that. I will keep silent about your illness, Your Majesty. But, I want something too.”

“What do you want? Ah, your brother.”