What I Gained by Giving My Body - Chapter 1.11

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A cup of tea in an office bathed in sunlight. Roxias was enjoying that tranquility while scanning through reports sent up from his territory. Unfortunately, the peace he loved so much was shattered by a woman who suddenly flung the door open.

“It’s done now, right? Heal my brother.”

Roxias stared at the woman before him. Seeing the water dripping from her hair, it seemed she had run to him as soon as she had finished a light wash.

“You’re stupider than you look.”

The woman furrowed her brows but didn’t get angry immediately. Rather, her tone was one of admonishment.

“……It’s only natural that I wouldn’t know if you don’t tell me. What is the problem?”

“Judge for yourself. Has the power completely disappeared? From just that one night?”

“…….”

The woman’s face contorted. Roxias thought to himself with amusement. Cathy really was…… a woman who hadn’t changed at all, then or now.

“That’s right.”

He slowly continued his words.

“You have to keep going until you lose the power.”

“……Until when, and how much…….”

“That, I don’t know either.”

Caitlyn Hardick bit her lip hard. Roxias observed her appearance closely. Even in the past, she used to do that until her lips burst and bled. Then, he would greedily taste that blood while kissing her deeply.

“……For today, let me go back. My brother will be worried.”

“Ah, I sent a messenger ahead because I thought he would be worried.”

Caitlyn’s face turned deathly pale.

“What did you say to him?”

Roxias shrugged.

“Isn’t it better to get the bad news over with? I told him that since his sister is spending the night with me, she won’t be able to return home today.”

“……!”

A flame of fury flared up in Caitlyn’s eyes. Roxias looked at her with surprised eyes.

When he had collected information about Caitlyn Hardick a few times, there were no reports that she was this hot-tempered. So he had thought her personality had softened quite a bit as the era changed, but…….

‘I was wrong.’

As expected, even if she couldn’t remember the past, Cathy was Cathy. Furthermore, then and now, she was skilled at quickly pulling her emotions together for the sake of her own benefit. Caitlyn calmed her mind by taking several deep breaths, then slowly opened her mouth.

“……The servants weren’t surprised at all even when I walked around the hallway questioning them. What on earth did you tell them?”

“I told them you were a precious guest.”

“…….”

“I also told them that since you would be visiting quite often in the future, they should serve you well.”

Roxias didn’t miss Caitlyn’s trembling hands.

“In my own way, I tried to look out for you as much as possible…… why are you in a bad mood?”

“I don’t think Your Grace is ignorant of the implications of those words.”

“Haha.”

Roxias let out a light laugh.

“Indeed, as of today, you will be treated as my mistress at least within this place. But what of it?”

Caitlyn opened her mouth in disbelief, but no sound came out. To a man who had absolutely no empathy for her situation…… what on earth could she say?

Even if she did, would it be of any use?

So she said nothing, but she had no choice but to respond to Roxias’s following cruel sarcasm.

“Upon investigation, it seems you are suffering because of an incompetent brother. That house you’re living in now will also disappear soon to pay for medicine, won’t it?”

“About my brother…… don’t speak like that.”

Caitlyn’s knuckles turned white. Roxias looked at her with interest. Come to think of it, she had a very strong attachment to her family in the past as well. While he didn’t lack regret over the fact that the family she had tried so hard to save was slaughtered and she herself was dragged away as a slave to meet a miserable death, it wasn’t his fault.

If she knew the future alone, she should have run away; no one had forced her to foolishly struggle to save them until the end.

“Listen well, Cathy.”

Roxias spoke softly.

“I can solve something as trivial as money problems whenever I want. In exchange for that measly body of yours.”

“…….”

“Isn’t it a profitable deal?”

“……Your Grace.”

Caitlyn finally spoke.

“You have nothing to gain by insulting me. All I want is for my brother to become healthy, so please just tell me what I have to do for that.”

On the surface, it was a calm voice, but Roxias knew the fact that she was barely swallowing her sense of humiliation inside.

“I’ll give you two choices. One is to continue residing here.”

Roxias slowly continued, inwardly enjoying this situation.

“The other is to return to your original home, but to come running immediately whenever I call.”

Caitlyn raised her head, which she had been keeping lowered. Roxias was quite surprised internally. It was because not a single shadow could be found on Caitlyn’s face.

“It’s an easier task than I thought. Until when is this?”

“You’ll find out for yourself.”

Caitlyn nodded.

“Then, I may go back now, right?”

Roxias substituted his answer by turning his gaze back to the documents. Caitlyn stumbled slightly as she turned around, but Roxias did not support her body. He didn’t call anyone to help her, either.

There was no reason whatsoever to be considerate toward an old lover who had betrayed him.

A moment later, the door closed. Roxias exhaled the breath he had been holding.

‘Humans are truly inconvenient.’

He had only had a trivial conversation with Cathy, so why on earth was his heart racing like this? He commanded his heart, which was pounding so hard it felt painful, to beat slowly, but there was no way his heart would listen to his commands now that he was no longer a god.