Chapter 4
The emperor, his hand trembling, reached down and hauled her to her feet. She whimpered, struggling against his grip, her eyes rolling back in her head.
“Look at me.” He slapped her across the face. Slap. Jia’s eyes snapped back into focus. Slap. She blinked, her tear-blurred vision settling on the silver-haired emperor.
“What are you?”
“I… I’m… Yoon… Jia… and…”
“I asked if you are human.”
“Yes… I… came from… Earth…” Jia stammered, her mind in a haze. The emperor conjured water and splashed it on her face. She cried out, her eyes flying open.
“You get wet.” Forced clarity pierced through the fog. Jia screamed, the face she’d once thought beautiful now inches from her own. The shimmering silver was gone, replaced by a horrifying mask of blood. He was drenched from head to toe, the earlier sparkle vanished like a mirage.
The crimson stain began to fade, as if washing away. Jia’s pupils dilated, her gaze darting frantically.
“You feel pain.”
“J-Jia… call me… Jia…”
“Are you still delirious?” Another wave of water crashed against her face. Jia blinked, numb. Drip. Drip. She couldn’t tell if it was water or her own tears.
“What are you?”
“I… I… three years ago… E-Earth… f-first… here… came, and… w-wash… even if I don’t… dirty… doesn’t get…” Jia trembled, her words tumbling out in a disjointed rush. The emperor, thankfully, remained silent, listening.
“H-hurt… even if I… w-wounds… immediately… heal…”
“….”
“I… it hurts. It does hurt… so… p-please… stop.”
Still, the emperor said nothing as she stammered through her explanation. Jia’s teeth chattered. She hadn’t felt hunger or the need to relieve herself since arriving, sparing her from further humiliation.
“Earth?”
“Y-yes… the planet I live on is… E-Earth… and my country is… S-South Korea…”
“Never heard of it.” The emperor’s eyes crinkled with amusement. Jia immediately fell to her knees.
“P-please… spare me. I-I’ll be useful. I-I promise… I… my aging has stopped. I… I don’t die.” Unaware of the words spilling from her lips, Jia pleaded desperately. The will to survive burned fiercely within her. She didn’t want to become a plaything for an emperor who treated human life like that of insects.
“Y-your Majesty… I… I can be of use… to you…” She didn’t know how. She might be useless. But she wanted to live.
“Just… spare me…” Another tear escaped, tracing a path down her cheek. The emperor glanced down at her hand clutching his robe. Then, he abruptly flung her to the floor.
“Oof!” She landed hard on the marble, absorbing the impact, a scream escaping her lips.
“I don’t like it when someone touches me without permission.”
“Hu… huu… huh…”
“So, it would be wise not to do it again.”
… I’m alive.
Jia frantically nodded, relief washing over her as her body went limp. She collapsed, unconscious. It was the first sleep she’d experienced in the three years since she’d arrived in Erendia.
***
Jia bolted upright the moment she regained consciousness. She’d never slept in Erendia, never expected to lose consciousness like that. A large knight stood beside her.
“You’re awake.”
“Ah… ah…” Jia stammered, flustered. The knight, with golden hair and green eyes, calmly presented her with a round, golden insignia. She accepted it instinctively.
“Don’t lose this. Keep it safe.”
The insignia bore the symbol of Eustanville: a magnificent white wolf. Jia numbly traced its raised outline. The knight, without another word, closed the door and left. Jia sat alone on the bed, staring blankly ahead.
A sudden wave of loneliness washed over her. She was utterly alone. For the past three years, completely alone…
She’d been a slave, subjected to constant scorn. The memory of those horrific three years, and the events of last night, brought fresh tears to her eyes.
“Huu… M-mom… Dad… S-sister…”
Back on Earth, she’d been a cherished daughter, loved and adored. A loving family, a gruff but caring older sister—she’d had a happy childhood, even without many friends.
It had been the day of her university entrance ceremony, a day filled with dreams and excitement for the family dinner planned that evening. She could never have imagined it would become a nightmare, a descent into this terrifying hell.
Why?
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