[Part 1/6]
Dark. Everywhere, dark. My vision swallowed by darkness. Like a bottomless pit of darkness stretching endlessly. And it's cold.
It wasn't as simple as closing one's eyes or wearing a blindfold. This darkness, this deep blackness, was beyond such asures. It felt more primal, like it could halt the optic nerves, obstruct light from entering the retinas, causing complete blindness.
The feeling of extre cold intensified the experience too. Held in an uncomfortable position, my body freezing, only the sound of my trembling breath echoed. Unfortunately, making a sound was impossible.
"I heard your story."
A child's voice pierced the darkness. Fear caused my body to tense. It was the sweet, lodious voice of a haughty and arrogant young girl.
"You used to be a laborer, right?"
I held my breath at the girl's comnt. Knowing this fact, knowing the content, suggested it wouldn't end there.
"And you were even that woman's attendant, right?"
Her tone was mocking, as if she was making fun of her sister to no end. A tone of complete contempt for a family mber. It was hard to believe such words were spoken by a child.
"Just a peasant's child, yet you were treated grandly, right? Don't you think?"
Giggles filled with malice and disdain. It felt more like veiled coercion than seeking agreent.
"Is that ugly woman, so dried up and unattractive, really my sister? A sister by blood? Spare the jokes. Disgusting."
Truly, her disdain for the other was evident. Dismissive, scornful. As if even ntioning it would dirty her mouth.
"I am nothing like that woman. Everything about is different. That's why everyone should respect . They should revere . They should... honor ."
She declared her superiority repeatedly, emphasizing how she should be treated. It was almost obsessive, even possessive.
As if starved, as if thirsty.
"So, you see? This is proper discipline. A show of affection for those under my care."
She laughed. Mocked. The young child asserted her legitimacy, like a teacher reprimanding a defiant student.
"Aren't you lucky? If not for my father's appointnt, it wouldn't be this easy, okay? Be grateful."
A cruel and harsh declaration chilling my core. Fear of death consud my mind. My body trembled to the core, separate from the cold.
"Well then. That's all. You all should show more affection."
The outburst was silent, but a flood of malice rushed in, repeating endlessly. And then, and then...
...
...
...
"Whoaaaaa!!!??"
My own scream pulled from the darkness. My heartbeats pounded fiercely. The thudding of my heart echoed in my ears. Drenched in sweat, my whole body shivered, and my vision wavered. Frantically looking around, I saw my familiar room...
"Tomobe!? Are you okay!!? Can you hear !!!??"
My shoulders were suddenly grasped, and I recoiled, but before stood the person I trusted most. Despite her urgent expression, her presence alone was reassuring.
Relief washed over , and with it, a surge of emotions. Tears welled up uncontrollably, and I couldn't fake a flushed face or suppress sobs.
"Ugh...!!"
"Tomobe?"
A torrent of emotions cos crashing down on with relief. My eyes moistened involuntarily, and I couldn't feign a blushing face or stifle my sobs.
"Uahhhh...!!!!"
"Wh-what...!?"
I clung to my ntor in bewildernt, but I continued to sob and sob. Frightened, I sob pitifully.
"...There, there. You did well. You did well."
Seeing in such a pitiful state, my ntor embraced , offering comfort. In that mont, her kindness was all that mattered...
* * *
After a short ti of crying like a child, I finally composed myself. Yun-shoku waited for to regain my composure before speaking softly.
"First... how much of your mory remains?"
"Well..."
I thought, shivering. The last vivid mory was of the cherry-colored girl looking down on like a maggot. Scorned, despised, questioned—then nothing.
A mory severed, like a cut...
"I see... Let explain things in order, then."
Yun-shoku began to explain. Likely, visual or illusion art had been used. I was taken without any resistance. It was at the hands of laborers under Princess Aoi's command, a princess known for her tyranny and irrationality.
"Hisa was the one who inford that you were taken."
The incident with the loli gorilla happened right after I parted ways with Hisa. It wouldn't be strange if he had noticed the commotion. In fact, he seed to have rushed to report it. I was grateful for that.
"So, did Yun-shoku retrieve ?"
"Well, that's... it's not sothing I can do in my position."
Yun-shoku responded with a self-deprecating smirk at my observation. It was a conversation where we both understood the obviousness of the situation, causing embarrassnt. It would be difficult for the third-ranked servant to go against the daughter of the legal wife, even if their positions didn't matter. Physically challenging her would be futile.
"A bit circuitous, but you can thank various connections. With so intervention, I managed to take you in."
Yun-shoku shrugged as if to say it was a tough journey. Despite the playful tone, signs of fatigue were evident in her expression. She seed to have had a hard ti protecting .
"I apologize for causing you trouble. I'm sor—ow!!?"
I attempted to express gratitude and winced as I beca acutely aware of the pain throughout my body. Yun-shoku supported and continued to explain.
"Don't rush. ...It's not like you've been fully recovered."
It was likely a half-playful punishnt. My body was wrapped in bandages, revealing clear signs of violence. There were marks of punches, as well as traces of kicks, whips, and ropes. The chill in my body was probably due to being stripped and doused with cold water multiple tis. That was a guess based on my condition at the ti of retrieval.
"At the very least, the laborers around you were likely involved."
"Well, of course. If it were the princess's direct punishnt, I'd be dead."
Even during her loli days, Gorilla-sama was physically strong enough to single-handedly wipe out a group of powerful youkai. No matter how much she held back, multiple complex fractures would be certain. In reality, it might be bad, but it was probably just bruising and internal bleeding. It seed most likely that it was a collective assault by the powerless laborers. At this point, Gorilla-sama couldn't discern people well enough to blindly trust her father (I'm not saying she had good judgnt even during the original story).
"But even so, these are not minor injuries. According to the dic, you should rest for about five or six days. You'll need to change the dication and bandages."
"dic? Ah, you an Dokusawa's..."
I imdiately deduced that the dic who treated was the girl I had gotten to know during my laborer days. Or rather, it couldn't have been anyone else. Or rather, she's a bit dubious too. Like Sarujirou, she's smart and takes advantage of opportunities. She managed to help in the nick of ti.
"It seems to be at the Advisor's instruction. She also said that her people took care of you."
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