"Stop!"
The thunderous shout echoed throughout every corner of the royal throne room. Teressa descended from her seat, approaching the mob of people who were about to beat the helpless God Mervous mercilessly again.
She then bent down, kneeling before Libradon who looked at her with eyes full of questions about the woman's behavior.
"What are you doing, Teressa?" asked Libradon with his chin raised, giving her an ambiguous look.
Teressa bowed her head and said, "Enough, Your Majesty. I only wanted to teach him a lesson. Please allow me to take him back."
Libradon's gaze narrowed, focusing on the woman who was now pleading for mercy for the man who could barely move.
Libradon paused momentarily, standing from his seat and then flicking the edge of his royal robe as he approached the woman.
He looked at her with contempt, clearly displeased by what he saw before him.
"Meet me after you've finished your business with him," he stated firmly before leaving the place.
Teressa bowed her head in acknowledgment. She remained in position until Libradon had completely left the room.
"Take him to the Medical chamber. Call the royal healer to treat his wounds immediately," Teressa ordered the palace guards.
They couldn't refuse, especially since Libradon hadn't given any indication that they should oppose the woman.
Everyone nodded, helping the incapacitated man to receive immediate treatment.
God Mervous could vaguely see what was happening. His battered body made it impossible to fully comprehend the situation.
He could only surrender, letting everything unfold while hoping that what he glimpsed wasn't just an illusion but actual reality.
***
"Wake up, slave!"
The voice sounded faint to God Mervous's ears, a voice that once called him with gentleness and sweet words now sounded sarcastic.
Yet, despite this, he couldn't forget the voice that was once his favorite part of each day.
"How weak! Just that much and you're already down. I thought after being so bold with me, you wouldn't be this fragile."
God Mervous slowly began to open his eyes, looking at the woman who was now standing right beside his helpless body.
His body felt covered with many wounds that left him feeling completely paralyzed.
"Don't think I've forgiven you. I have no intention of helping you at all. Everything I'm doing is because I want you to pay for your inappropriate actions."
God Mervous gave no response. He only stared at the woman in front of him.
His longing for his lover was gradually being satisfied. Her way of speaking, her appearance—only her treatment of him was different. All of this made God Mervous feel much more at ease now.
Nothing was more beautiful than feeling the presence of the young Goddess by his side again.
"What are you staring at, slave! You are not allowed to look at me like that! You are just a slave and please mind your boundaries!"
Once again, God Mervous only stared at the woman in silence.
No response whatsoever.
"I don't understand why you keep silent like this. I just want to offer you something. And you'd be too foolish not to accept this opportunity I'm about to offer you," Teressa explained to the man.
God Mervous raised one eyebrow, indicating his questioning of Teressa's intentions.
"I will give you the opportunity to become my mentor. I received reports from the palace guards that your martial arts skills are quite good. I need someone who can teach me self-defense and help me study some magic spells here."
Teressa explained the work contract they would establish after this.
She also wouldn't possibly grant freedom to the man without payment; there had to be compensation for everything he did.
"If you agree, I can guarantee leniency for your punishment if you accept my offer. You will get decent living quarters while serving as my mentor."
God Mervous was reminded of his lover again. The way this woman spoke and her courage in expressing all those words made him nostalgic for his beloved.
"Hey! Slave! Did you hear everything I said? I'm not asking you to just sit here in silence!"
God Mervous snapped out of his daydream.
He realized one thing: how his over-eager behavior could make him lose the woman's trust again as before.
Therefore, he might follow the woman's request and slowly verify whether the woman before him was actually his lover or just someone who looked similar.
"Kayrus, that's my name."
After all the dialogue Teressa had spoken, only then did God Mervous finally speak.
Teressa appeared to furrow her brow and then smiled slightly before finally ending their meeting.
"I hope you are my young goddess."
***
"Are you finished with that slave? What's the final decision? Did everything go smoothly?"
There was a cynical tone in Libradon's voice when Teressa first stepped into his room.
He had his back to Teressa but could recognize the sound of her footsteps.
Teressa smiled slightly, approached the man, and hugged him from behind.
"Don't come near me!" Libradon snapped, pushing away her embrace.
Teressa's face soured, but she understood why Libradon acted that way toward her.
"I'm sorry, Brother. I didn't mean to play games. I feel something isn't right about that man, Brother."
Libradon sighed deeply, turned around, and looked at the woman who was now focusing her attention on him.
"What do you mean, Teressa? I've never seen you act like this before. Do you like that slave?"
Libradon spoke carelessly. He was already extremely annoyed by his sister's behavior; she was acting quite differently than usual.
It was as if he no longer recognized the woman.
"What are you saying! How absurd. As if I would ever be with a man like him. Don't say such things, Brother!" Teressa was upset by her brother's words.
She then distanced herself a bit, taking a few steps away from Libradon. She grabbed a slice of apple that Libradon had been eating earlier.
"That man's behavior seems suspicious. I feel like he's hiding something. Just imagine, he never even uttered words begging for mercy or asking to be released. Meanwhile, every slave who's been exiled and punished always begs and pleads."
Teressa tried to convince Libradon of her opinion. "That means he's resigned to his fate. Besides, what's there to defend in such a weak man? Useless," Libradon replied.
Teressa rolled her eyes and then approached him. "That's not what I mean. He seems to be hiding something suspicious. I don't know for sure yet, but I feel... maybe he was sent here. A spy from some kingdom or another."
Libradon fell silent, seemingly contaminated by everything Teressa had said.
"What if he really is a spy? There's something big he's hiding. I don't feel like he's the same as the people who have been punished here before. I have strong suspicions about him. Are you sure, Brother, that you want to let an infiltrator escape our capture? What if we could take advantage of this situation?"
Teressa continued to poison Libradon's thoughts. She was confident that she could make him follow her line of thinking.
"Don't worry, Brother. I'll handle this. I think I know how to make him reveal his true identity."
Libradon looked at his sister before finally nodding, allowing Teressa to do whatever she wanted.
Their conversation ended, and Teressa decided to leave the room.
Her steps slowly began to traverse the corridor in the palace, ensuring that she wasn't conspicuous or caught in the sight of all the palace inhabitants.
In the darkening corridor, behind tall plants, she handed a money bag directly onto the palm of a woman's hand.
"Do your job well. Find out about that woman. I'll pay you more if you manage to get a lot of information."
Teressa whispered, leaving the place and the person to avoid suspicion against herself.
"A plan?" someone murmured from a distance, smirking with an unclear meaning.