I Became The Villain's Master

6

It was embarrassing to speak the truth out loud. Why couldn’t he understand?

The man pressed his lips together. I felt a glimmer of hope rise in my heart when he didn’t give an immediate response. Maybe he didn’t see it? It’s possible he might have just regained his senses.

But my hopes were shattered as he continued speaking.

“I’ve been watching you since you started dancing… I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

With my face turning red with embarrassment, I took a step back. Please, just stop…

“Forget about it.”

“Huh?”

“Just say you understand.”

Fortunately, the man was perceptive. When he nodded obediently, I smiled with satisfaction.

“Yes, please act as if nothing happened.”

“If you insist.”

With that answer, the man shifted his gaze to his side. Then, in a trembling voice, he asked, “But…were you the one who treated me?”

When asked directly, it was only natural to answer! I am Rosette Cernia!

…I wanted to say that, but my lips refused to move.

This was driving me crazy. What am I supposed to do when he stares at me so intensely?
Earlier, I was too embarrassed to look at him, but now I could clearly see the man’s appearance.

‘Wow…Is he even human?’

His silver hair resembled glistening frost, and his finely chiseled features seemed to have been sculpted with great care.

And his stunning crimson eyes contrasted with his aura of decadence, accentuating his allure.

“Ah… Yes. I treated you.”

In other words, my heart skipped a beat. I involuntarily closed my mouth, which was hanging open, and adjusted my clothes for no reason before speaking.

“Well… you… you collapsed unconscious in front of my house, so I treated you. You seemed wounded, so I used a whole tube of magic ointment on you.”

While explaining the situation, I subtly added that I had used up a whole tube of magic ointment. That way, he could understand how serious the situation was.

“It was nothing. I can buy more ointment. What matters is that you’re not in pain, right?”

“Yes, thanks to you… I’m really grateful. You’re my savior.”

“I wouldn’t go that far… But… by the way… how did you get injured? Do you remember?”

In response to my question, the man shook his head and raised his eyebrows in confusion. The downturned corners of his lips looked genuinely sorrowful yet remarkably beautiful, deserving of admiration.

“…I don’t remember.”

“What?”

With an unexpected response, I found myself questioning my disbelief. The man lowered his gaze and murmured gloomily.

“I don’t remember who I was. From the moment I opened my eyes, I was being beaten by someone.”

“You were beaten?” I repeated, blinking in surprise.

The man blinked and subtly moved his head.

“…Slave. People called me a slave.”

What did I just hear? A slave? Only now did I understand how the wounds on the man’s body came to be. But slavery was clearly illegal according to imperial law. How could this be…?

In that moment, I recalled the orphanage director who had attempted to sell the original novel’s heroine as a slave. I reluctantly accepted the fact that there was no perfect law.

The man, with a slightly furrowed brow, continued speaking.

“I was working as a slave, but I managed to escape…I was chased and injured, and I barely got away.”

As I listened to his words, tears welled up in my eyes. Was there a connection between the noise I heard earlier from the hill and the man’s escape? If that was true, there was a high chance they would come searching for this man again in the future.

While the security on the outskirts of the capital was relatively safe, I still worried about the possibility of someone pursuing him immediately.

‘I should go to the guards tomorrow.’

Perhaps I could request an increase in patrols. Once that issue was resolved, I was still worried about the man’s future. What would an amnesiac who had escaped as an illegal slave do on their own?

‘What should I do?’ I mused.

First, I needed to find someone who could help. The first thing that crossed my mind was the imperial palace. If I went to the imperial palace and explained that I had found an illegal slave due to my family’s circumstances, would anyone listen to me? They would probably dismiss it as nonsense.

Reporting it to the guards, perhaps? ‘I found someone!’ No, that wouldn’t work.

They would likely give me strange looks. It was astonishing that I hadn’t been kicked out of here already.

Moreover, I had recently left my family and gained independence, so if my identity were revealed, it could lead to trouble. I clenched my hair in frustration.

‘Oh, dear gods, grant me wisdom!’

‘Would it be okay if I took him in…?’ I wondered.

I imagined being alone with this unfamiliar man in my house. And to make it even more complicated, he was incredibly handsome.

It might seem nice at first, but the idea of living with a stranger of the opposite sex wasn’t appealing. All sorts of speculation and rumors could arise, and I could easily be swept up in various troubles. Above all, it was important to consider the man’s perspective.

“So, what are you going to do now?” I asked.

In response to my question, the man blinked his long eyelashes and then turned his head sideways.

“I have nowhere to go.”

Ugh, don’t say such painful words so casually! I bit my lip to hold back the tears.

“Hmm… then what should I do…”

As my mind became a jumbled mess, the man cautiously spoke up.

“You seem to live alone…by any chance, do you require any help?”

“Huh? Um… well, my house is a bit big, so it’s difficult to clean… but it’s fine.”

“I see.”

“But why are you asking?”

Does he wish to be hired as a servant? Just as I was about to decline, the man suddenly knelt down.

“….”

“Hmm?”

“If it’s acceptable to you…may I serve you as my mistress?”

What kind of situation was this?