Chapter 21. Fall at his feet
***
She had forgotten about the Bayate family for a moment.
Ihedia barely suppressed a vomit as she looked at the shattered remains of Monica.
Someone beside her whispered.
"I heard you had to f*ck an Anut man to get out of here, but that's the way it is, she was of noble blood, how could she do such a lowly thing with a barbarian......."
"It was as plain as fire that Netira was onto her, and there's no way we're getting out of here as long as she keeps her eyes on us, not even the dreaded Kayan Bayate can stop her."
"Foolish, tsk-tsk. She’s paid dearly for trusting a man who is no better than a three-legged beast."
As it turned out, her fears were realized.
The red-eyed man could not protect Monica.
Or maybe he never intended to.
Not a single slave had ever managed to escape with the help of an Anut.
For the Anut men, it was a moment of realization that the women in exile were nothing more than tools to satisfy their lust.
What a contradiction, Ihedia thought, to trust and rely on the very people who had destroyed her country.
As the women of the outbuildings discussed Monica's death, Ellie’s subtle gaze fell on 5.
"By the way, we need someone to take 3's place......."
Just then, in the distance, over Monica's corpse, a long-haired woman strode toward them.
Her languid gait, like that of a leisurely stroll, seemed out of place against the gruesome scene.
Netira let out a small laugh as she glanced over the white-faced people.
"Well, as for the fuss, I thought you needed an example. It gives you all a rare opportunity, so it can't be all bad, right?"
Monica was in charge of the main house chores.
In addition to maids of managerial status like Ellie, the main house had several outbuilding slaves who were responsible for the odd jobs there.
The duties were the same, except that they were still housed in the outbuildings and performed hard physical labor, but at least they could work indoors in the warmth, which made the main house a preferred location.
Now that the position was vacant, it would have to be filled by someone else.
Normally, it would have been Monica's next in line, or Ellie's choice, but the fact that Netira showed up at the outbuilding and delegated the task meant….
'Maybe it's because she's worried about Kayan Bayate.’
She had heard that Netira was more sensitive when Kayan was in the mansion.
She couldn’t stand the sight of a young, beautiful slave flirting with him.
To make matters worse, Monica had used her beauty to lure an Anut warrior to escape.
No wonder Netira was so sensitive that she had to handpick a slave to do her errands.
One by one, Netira stared into their faces, sending them unreadable glares.
Starting at the far left, Ihedia's turn was approaching.
Aurora, right next to her, already frightened, ducked her head and gave a small shudder of her shoulders.
She had only just gotten up from her illness, and she was afraid of the harm that might befall her if she caught Netira's eye.
Time was running out.
Netira would be here any minute.
Ihedia, on the end of the back row, was not yet in her line of sight.
Ihedia quietly removed her mask and tucked it into her sleeve, keeping an eye on Netira's movements as she studied the faces of the outbuilding women.
Then she looked up, stiffly.
Aurora, startled, called out to her in a small voice, "Sister," but Ihedia only glanced up and smirked at her.
A question mark appeared in Aurora's eyes at her incomprehensible behavior, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.
Netira was slowly closing the distance.
‘If I don't take this opportunity now, my escape will be even more difficult.’
Ihedia told herself, clenching her fists to keep her trembling hands from showing.
She pretended to Aurora that she was unconcerned, but in truth, her mouth was dry at the fishy smell of blood wafting from Monica's remains.
Keeping a clear head in the presence of a dismembered corpse lying on the floor was a daunting task for any normal woman.
The closer Netira got, the faster her heart pounded.
"Oh, and by the way, there you are."
Finally standing in front of her, Netira lifted Ihedia's head with her index finger, one corner of her mouth quirking up.
A shiver ran down her spine as her cold fingers touched her skin.
Netira looked down at Ihedia's disfigured face with satisfaction.
Normally, the sight of Ihedia's bare face would make most people gasp or frown.
Ihedia's face was disfigured to such an extent.
In Netira's eyes, it was impossible to seduce a man with such an ugly appearance, and that alone made her an excellent slave to work in the main house.
Netira laughed sharply and nodded to Ellie.
Then she turned and left, as if there was nothing more to see.
As soon as Netira was gone, Aurora sank back into her seat, her tension dissipating.
"77, you will be working in the main house starting today."
Aurora looked at Ihedia with concern, but outwardly her face remained impassive.
After another storm of Monica's blood had swept through the outbuildings, it was time for everyone to disperse.
As many of the outbuilding women left to go about their business, 5 stood in Ellie's way.
Uneasy, 5 turned to Ellie and spoke bluntly.
"Ellie, I'm......."
"That's what Netira wanted."
Ellie said firmly, cutting off 5's words.
Biting her lip, 5 hung her head and walked away.
"77, follow me."
Watching her go, Ihedia felt a little uncomfortable with 5's attitude, but the thought was soon forgotten at Ellie's call.
***
Ihedia followed Ellie’s lead to the main house kitchen.
Although it did not completely block the icy wind, the main building was warm enough to be incomparable to the outbuildings.
After passing through the center hall, which displayed mystical objects from various countries that appeared to be loot, the kitchen was directly in front of them.
Before opening the door, Ellie said something meaningful.
"The outbuilding women who work here won't be too kind to you, so I hope you'll be careful not to cause any unnecessary disturbance."
Ihedia, who had already heard so much from Aurora about the affairs of the Bayate family, knew exactly what Ellie meant.
She nodded and stepped inside.
There were about twenty or so people in the kitchen.
Everyone was busy doing their own work, and the noise of clinking crockery and shouting at someone here and there echoed frantically.
Ihedia was nervous as she faced the unfamiliar faces, but she didn't let it show.
On the other hand, no one paid any attention to the newest member of the group, 77.
"Hey, come here and help me with this."
An older man who appeared to be the chef said bluntly to Ihedia.
His finger pointed to a basin filled with dishes and leftovers.
Without hesitation, Ihedia rolled up her sleeves and began to clean the dishes, one by one.
A lesser noblewoman would have cringed at the thought of doing something she had never done before in her life, but it was nothing to her when she remembered how often she had been summoned by Lena and Charlotte to do odd jobs back in her country.
The chef glanced at her face as she worked diligently.
"You've earned your keep."
Ihedia had no idea where the time was going, buried in a never-ending stream of work.
Someone shouted in her direction.
"77, throw this away. Pick up some water on the way back."
One of the kitchen workers handed over an empty bucket of water and gestured to a large cylindrical box piled high with garbage.
Ihedia finally stretched and lightly brushed her sweat-soaked hair out of her face.
She strode out of the kitchen, carrying a box of trash and a bucket of water that weighed as much as her body.
As soon as she stepped out into the building's hallway, the pungent air scratched her skin.
The dumpster and well were near the outbuildings, and it would be quite a walk to get to her destination from here.
The thought of carrying this heavy thing through the gale force winds sent chills down her spine.
As expected, when she opened the door to the outside, she could barely keep her eyes open in the dizzying wind.
She pulled her sleeves down to her palms and slowly took a step.
"Ha..."
She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally reached the dump.
Her fingers had turned red and numb, but she had to move on to her next destination.
As she drew water from the well, she thought of Aurora, who was tending to the stables not far away.
She wanted to stop by and say hello, but she couldn't delay her job on her first day in the main house.
With a sigh of regret, Ihedia picked up the bucket full of water and hurried back to where she had come from.
She passed through the garden attached to the main house.
From the opposite direction, countless footsteps were coming toward her.
At the center of it all was Kayan Bayate, a man with a physique distinctly different from the others.
It was the first time she had seen his face since coming here.
She paused for a moment, her fingertips tingling with nervousness.
Kayan's gaze met hers with precision, but only for a moment.
When they were directly in front of her, Ihedia was about to bow her head in an attempt to be moderately polite.
"Squeak."
A rat had appeared out of nowhere, gnawing furiously at the food stuck to her shoe.
"Ah!"
Ihedia let out a short shriek of surprise.
At the same time, all eyes in the place were on her.
The fierce rat had been starving for a long time, and her struggles didn't deter it, and she ended up dropping the bucket of water she was holding.
The bucket landed on her feet and barely managed to dislodge the rat, but Ihedia stumbled precariously before falling to the ground.
When she looked up, she realized she was face down at Kayan's feet.
His shoes and pants were soaked with the water she had spilled.
"....."
A silent gaze of unknown depth settled on her, who was overwhelmed with embarrassment.
****
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Write a comment
Iona (Friday, 05 January 2024 22:53)
Thank you!!