Chapter 9
The Emperor gazed down at Jia’s anguish with indifferent eyes. He’d seen countless humans beg for their lives on the brink of death. But this was the first time he’d encountered one weeping, pleading to be taken somewhere, anywhere else.
This was no ordinary human, indeed. The Emperor carelessly tossed the dead bird to the floor and walked toward Jia. Lost in a vortex of panic, she didn’t even register his approach.
“You.”
“Huu… huh…”
At the Emperor’s call, Jia looked up. His face superimposed itself over the swirling phantoms of her fear. A scream tore from her throat.
“Here. Stab me.”
The Emperor took Jia’s small, pale hand and placed a dagger in it. Her hand trembled as her gaze flitted between the blade and his face.
Stab him? With this?
“Jia!”
“Help me!”
“Chirp… chirp…”
Jia stared at the dagger in her hand, its sharp edge glinting.
This was the man who had hurt her, tormented her, forced her to kill the bird with her own hands. A surge of hatred propelled her. The blade, imbued with her nascent power, sliced across the Emperor’s throat. A few drops of blood welled up, leaving a faint mark. Even though she’d done it, Jia gasped in astonishment.
Why? He’d said he couldn’t be hurt…
“Hmm.”
The Emperor’s voice held a note of wonder, despite the superficiality of the wound.
“Do it again.”
“Control yourself. I do not like to repeat myself.”
His earlier words echoed in her ears. This time, she gripped the dagger firmly and struck again. A deeper cut appeared, the crimson line stark against his pale skin.
Jia stared at the gash and the blood trickling from it, then her hand went limp, releasing the dagger.
“Uh… ah…”
Clang.
The blade struck the marble floor with a sharp ring, the sound reverberating through the vast chamber.
Slowly, Jia raised her head. Their eyes met, and she saw a smile playing on the Emperor’s lips.
Why… why is he smiling…?
His eyes, no longer filled with their usual boredom, now glittered with something akin to exhilaration. Jia felt a wetness on her skin, and her scattered thoughts began to coalesce. The faint scent of blood reached her nostrils.
“I’ve finally found it.”
Found what…?
The Emperor, who had lived an unending existence from the year 131 to 467 of the Eustanville calendar, felt a thrill course through him.
“Something that can kill me.”
Forgetting all decorum, Jia stared into the depths of his sea-colored eyes, wide with disbelief. He smiled brilliantly, cupping her cheeks in his hands. His blood-stained fingers left red streaks across her skin.
“Come to me every night, from now on.”
The smile on his beautiful face was picturesque, yet Jia felt no admiration, only a chilling sense of unease.
“Until you kill me.”
Overwhelmed by the burning blue light emanating from him, Jia swallowed hard and nodded. She didn’t process the meaning of his words, her mind consumed by the metallic scent of blood and a paralyzing fear.
***
The next day, a knight was assigned to Jia. It was Ethan Straduvan, the one she had seen the previous day. He bowed his head in greeting, his expression as strained as before.
“If you have any questions about your power, please ask me.”
His brother, Tristan Straduvan, still stood guard at the door. Jia felt a pang of guilt, as if she were imposing on them, wasting their time for a mere slave like herself.
“I… I’m sorry… for this…”
“As a member of the Straduvan family, known as the Emperor’s left hand, this is my duty.”
His words were smooth, but his voice held a trace of discomfort he couldn’t quite conceal. Jia lowered her gaze and bit her lip. He clearly didn’t want this assignment.
“I can… I can occupy myself… Couldn’t you… attend to your own duties… Sir Ethan?”
“I apologize, but that is not possible. Though I am not a member of the Valversa Knights, I am still a Straduvan.”
This meant he would be confined to this room with her, or forced to follow her every move. Ethan simply stared at her as she fidgeted, unsure what to do.
Finally, Jia turned away, unable to meet his gaze. She’d always been timid, but three years of slavery had honed her sensitivity to the moods and attitudes of others. It was a matter of survival.
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