ʟᴀᴅʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ sʟᴀᴠᴇs

7 | Information

"Just call me Eleanore."

(... It won't work on Alvaro. I wonder if it'll work on Evius-)

"Oh dear, I can't do that."

She crossed her arms and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as she didn't expect him to reject that.

"Why?"

"You are my Master, and I am merely your slave. Please accept my heartfelt regrets, my dear Master."

His eyes narrowed, his smile unwavering as he placed his hand on his chest in a polite gesture.

(... he's strange.)

(He's really strange.)

"Welcome back, Master."

Another familiar voice appeared from behind as Eleanore turned her head to be greeted by Alvaro, who was holding a medical book he took from the library with her permission.

Then, Alvaro's golden eyes narrowed the moment his gaze found Evius.

"Master...?"

His questioning eyes were aimed toward Evius, who stood beside her.

"Evius, his name is Alvaro."

Evius also turned, and his golden eyes found Alvaro's eyes. A chuckle escaped Evius' lips the moment he saw Alvaro.

A mysterious emotion sparked in Evius' eyes.

"... What a coincidence. An admirable coincidence, or perhaps, is it fate?"

Eleanore furrowed her brow in response to another of his ambiguous words that she couldn't decipher.

(What the hell is he saying now?)

Evius then lowered his head respectfully.

"Greetings, I'm Master's new slave, Evius. I hope we can get along, Alvaro."

Alvaro, on the other hand, took a step back and his golden eyes quivered, revealing a complex set of emotions within his gaze.

Eleanore was confused as she gazed at Alvaro.

"Is there something wrong, Alvaro?"

Alvaro flinched and responded with a shake of his head, as if he had just awoken from a dream.

(Why is he acting so strangely-)

Eleanore returned her attention to Evius, who was still smiling at Alvaro. Evius then returned his gaze to Eleanore.

(Whatever it is.)

Eleanore made the decision to brush the thoughts away.

"With you, I have three companions now."

She spoke with a smile, but Evius looked at her. The smile he formed was a friendly one.

"You don't have to force yourself, Master. 'Companions' you say?"

He lifted his brow at her.

"It's more accurate to refer to us as slaves."

As he stated, he placed his hand on his chest and his gaze was emotionless.

"Don't you agree, Master?"

Eleanore's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"... Do you want to be treated as a slave?"

"I wouldn't mind if the person was a goddess like yourself."

She balled her hands into fists.

(What the hell is wrong with him?!)

She shook her head and walked over to Alvaro, who was still standing quite far away.

"Alvaro, leave first. I need to speak with Evius about a few things. Can you do that?"

"But Master-"

"It's alright."

She smiled as Alvaro reluctantly bowed his head slowly and turned away, leaving her in the hallway with Evius, who stood far behind her.

"Then let's have our sweet talk, Master."

As a familiar voice whispered in her ear, her eyes widened in surprise, and she spun around to be welcomed by Evius, who appeared out of nowhere.

(I didn't hear his footsteps at all!)

Shiver ran down her spine as she subconsciously took a step back, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

(... This is actually creepy.)

With a pleasant smile on his face, he continued to look at her, but then his eyes darkened.

(It's as if I'm being threatened...!)

With his attention fixed on her, he reached out and gently caressed her cheek. His eyes narrowed gently.

"Your terrified expression- is the most beautiful one I've seen so far. "

Her entire body froze in place, as if captivated by his golden eyes, which made her shiver to the point where she took a step back.

(... Psycho.)

Veins appeared on her neck as she twitched her eyes in irritation.

"Evius, stop."

She gently slapped his palm away from her cheek, a concerned frown on her face as Evius chuckled.

"Please accept my apologies. Master is just so breathtakingly beautiful that I lost myself."

She shivered and spun around as a way to keep the distance between them.

(Let's just ignore his antics.)

"Follow me to my office."

He followed her from behind, but she was extremely cautious and wary of him.

(It felt like I met him somewhere... but where?)

As she thought to herself, they arrived at her office, and she pushed the door open, entering the room, followed by Evius.

Making sure the door was locked, she sat on the couch and he sat across from her. She raised her brow at him.

"What do you have in mind?"

She asked, looking at him with a curious gaze.

"Then, I'll start with the story of the past that everyone had forgotten. There are five prominent households that served the Imperial Family 250 years ago."

As Evius explained, her eyes narrowed in understatement.

"Onyx Household, Diamond Household, Chrysolite Household, Lapis Lazuli Household, and Topaz Household."

The newly discovered facts caused her eyes to widen in amazement.

(I didn't find anything like that in the books I read!)

"Surprised, aren't you?"

He gently smiled as she hesitantly nodded her head, furrowing her brows.

"It is, after all, natural for everyone, even for Master. Since the reign of Empress Louella von Amaryllis, the five households have been completely obliterated from existence."

(Oh, now that's a name I'm familiar with. When Empress Louella von Amaryllis ascended the throne, she altered the Empire, and maybe the entire world...)

"... Don't tell me the Empress is the one who eliminated the existence of those five households?"

Evius gave a firm nod, his smile unwavering.

Onyx Household.

Diamond Household.

Chrysolite Household

Lapis Lazuli Household.

Topaz Household.

(All households had a name that was identical to a gemstone.)

Her eyes narrowed in realization.

(Five households- five slaves.)

"Gemstone..."

Evius nodded his head as she mumbled under her breath.

"Master caught on very quickly, as I expected from someone as brilliant as you."

She only twitched her brows as he complemented her.

(I feel like my life continues to shorten while talking with him.)

"Then there's the matter of gemstones. I'm sure it had something to do with onyx, diamond, chrysolite, lapis lazuli, and topaz, given the names of the households. What is the connection?"

Her perceptive gaze lingered on him.

"... Each family safeguards those gemstones because they carry God's blessing and curse. The Amaryllis Empire and its people are protected by these gems. It was bestowed to the first Emperor of Amaryllis."

(... Now everything makes sense. In the historical book, there was no mention of it. Empress Louella most likely erased the five houses' existence and took each gemstone, hiding it.)

(However, why did she feel compelled to trample on men? Being tyrannical might have sufficed if she truly needed those gems. Why would she want to alter the gender balance-)

Her eyes dilated in wonder as she realized something.

"Was gender equality common among people 250 years ago?"

Evius shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

"... Hmm, how should I say it?

His golden eyes were staring deeply into her ruby eyes, but there were no emotions attached to it.

(... I don't understand him.)

"Eh?"

Suddenly, the world swirled around her, and it took a while for her to realize he'd pushed her back down onto the couch.

"Evius-"

He gently pressed his lips against hers before she could even finish her lines.

She was speechless because it was such a soft and gentle kiss that she couldn't bring herself to push him away. However, she couldn't kiss him back either.

(... What the hell?!)

As he drew his lips away from her, she caught her breath at the gentleness in his golden eyes and the weight of his body pressing down against her.

"... I think I should be satisfied with it for today."

(... What is he going on about now?!)

He reached down and delicately traced his fingertips around her neck.

"Evius, release me!"

He caught both of her hands, pinning them above her head with a single hand as he stared down at her.

"Master, allow me to share a little secret with you."

His dazzling, golden eyes were all she could see as she gulped.

"What...?"

"... I would kill anyone, even if it means to protect you."

He smiled gently, and this time, she could see the clear emotions in his eyes. His eyes softened as he looked at her.

But her eyes were filled with suspicion and doubt.

"... Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm your slave and I will always be, without exception."

Her pinned hands trembled, as she was trapped by his brute strength. And her ruby eyes quiver under his golden ones.

(Why is he saying this to me?)

"However-"

He gave a heartfelt smile.

"What do you think people would say if they discovered Master wasn't the real Eleanore, even if Master accomplished everything?"

He asked as her eyes widened in realisation. At the same time, she froze on the spot.

"What would they think of you if they discovered you were merely deceiving them? After all, you're not the real Eleanore."

(... No, that's not it, Evius.)

Anxiety consumed her, but her determination swallowed it all.

"... I don't care."

Evius' eyes narrowed at her statement.

"I don't care what they think about me! As long as I can change this world to a better place, I'll gladly accept execution if they see me as a witch who took over Eleanore's body!"

"Hm...? Won't they feel really deceived?"

> End of Chapter 7