blueteamnovel Chapter 98
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.
“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—
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.