"…"
Lior was sitting on one of the steps of the grand staircase, thinking about the terror he had felt earlier.
[Lior: I'm scared…]
Lior was afraid of his master. His face and the way he acted were so erratic, yet his manner of speaking was so calm.
[Lior: He's a lunatic]
When he had been serving the wine, his master had worn an ecstatic expression. At first, he thought it was because of the wine he was pouring.
But…
[Lior: His gaze… it was directed at me…]
"What does he want… to do with me…?"
That gaze… that gaze, he would never forget it.
It was the most deranged look he had ever seen in his life. No one would be able to endure such a deadly stare—it was simply horrifying.
[Lior: Ah…]
His entire body was trembling. His tail was stiff, and his ears were drooping.
[Lior: I need to… calm down…]
His hands shook as he stared at the floor. His mind was a mess, and his legs wouldn't respond.
[Lior: Calm down… calm down…]
His breathing was ragged. He kept trying to steady it, but something wouldn't let him.
[Lior: Please… stop…]
Tears fell from his eyes as he rested his arms on his legs.
[Lior: Ah… ah…]
His arms held his head, while his legs drew inward.
[Lior: …]
"…"
[Chiyo: Mhm…]
"…"
[Lior: …]
[Chiyo: Hey you, what are you doing? The master ordered you to bathe. Are you an idiot?]
[Lior: Ah? Uh… Miss Chiyo… s-sorry]
[Chiyo: Shut up]
Chiyo was standing in front of him, looking down on him with her usual disdain. Lior hadn't even noticed her sudden arrival.
But…
Before worrying about that…
There was something strange about Chiyo…
"Her gaze… it's not the same…"
Her eyes were softer than usual. He didn't understand why, but he knew it couldn't mean anything good.
[Chiyo: Follow me!]
[Lior: Ah… s-sorry, miss]
Lior had missed her first call, and Chiyo was already starting to lose her patience.
The cat boy quickly stood up from where he had been sitting and obediently prepared to follow Chiyo.
The two servants walked down a hallway, the one on the side of the well door.
They kept walking and walking until they reached a specific door. Chiyo stopped there.
"Huh? This door… I've seen it before."
That door felt very familiar, but Lior couldn't remember why.
"Ah! It's the door those maids went into."
Ah… right…
It was the same door Lior had seen earlier. While he was cleaning, he had watched two maids pass through the hallway, mocking and laughing as they headed into that room.
[Chiyo: This is the servants' bathroom. The young master had it built exclusively for us.]
[Lior: Um… miss… wouldn't that be a women's bathroom, nya?]
[Chiyo: Yes… but since it's an order that comes directly from the master, it has to be obeyed.]
[Lior: …]
Everything that came from the master had to be followed, no matter what. Lior didn't want to confront him—nor did Chiyo. The only option was submission.
It was then that Chiyo took the initiative and opened the bathroom door.
[Chiyo: Go in.]
[Lior: …]
Chiyo shot Lior a look, urging him to react.
Seeing that, Lior slowly walked inside.
[Lior: There's no one here.]
There was no one in the room—not a single woman. Instead, there was a large tub filled with water, along with a shelf on the left side.
[Chiyo: All the other girls bathed during the day. It's your turn now, so I'll give you the things.]
After closing the door, Chiyo approached the shelf and picked up two small bottles. Then she returned to Lior and handed them to him.
[Chiyo: This one is shampoo, and this one is body soap. Soap is rare, but the master likes our hygiene to be impeccable, so he buys these expensive products.]
[Lior: I see…]
[Chiyo: Use very little—just enough. There isn't any more.]
In ancient times, soap was quite expensive, since it was handmade. Production was limited, and the cost was high due to the materials involved. The ingredients were difficult to obtain in large quantities, as everything had to be gathered by hand.
"This really is luxurious."
The cat boy was surprised to find this here. He had thought his master was of low noble status, but judging by this item alone—just this one—it could be said that his master actually held a very high rank of nobility.
Lior, Chiyo, and all the maids in general were quite fortunate to have a good master. Although…
"That master… I think all of this has other motives."
His master claimed ownership over all his servants, but the way he expressed himself was deeply obsessive. It was probably because of that same obsession that he bought all this for his beloved maids.
[Lior: Ghg…]
"His gaze said everything…"
Lior was still under the effects of Akuma's perverse eyes. Just remembering them made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
[Chiyo: Fine. Bathe quickly.]
[Lior: …]
[Chiyo: I'll give you the final instructions afterward.]
Chiyo, having finished everything she needed to do, turned around and headed for the door, opening it and leaving the bathroom.
Lior was left alone, the small bottles still in his hands.
[Lior: Ah… I feel calmer now, nya.]
He had been in constant interaction with people all day; being left alone for a while wasn't a bad thing. Now he could relax, bathing in a tub of hot water.
"…"
Piece by piece, Lior took off the maid's uniform. It had so many separate parts that it took him a while.
Finally, he was naked, and he stepped into the tub, fully submerging himself.
[Lior: Ah… this feels so good.]
After such a busy and exhausting day, he finally relaxed in the tub. As a slave, he thought he might never get to enjoy this kind of peace again. It was very lucky that he had ended up with this master—because even though he was very strange, he took good care of his servants.
[Lior: Still, I need to hurry. Chiyo is waiting outside.]
The cat boy remembered that Chiyo still had something she needed to tell him, so he got to work. His new body had been kept in a dungeon, and apparently his hygiene had been terrible.
[Lior: It feels strange washing this body… I still struggle to recognize it…]
That feeling was normal. His new body was very different from the one he had before. But even if he suffered from issues of identity and self-recognition, sooner or later his mind would adjust.
[Lior: I just have to wait for that moment.]
He just had to get used to it…
There was nothing else he could do…
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chiyo was standing outside the bathroom, waiting for Lior. Her posture was the same as always—like a bodyguard stationed at the door.
But…
Her gaze was unfocused, aimed at nothing at all. She was dissociating.
[Chiyo: Now… he's the one who'll have to take on the dirty work…]
She recalled her master's words and thought about her future from now on.
[Chiyo: I sacrificed a lot to reach this position… but…]
"The boy isn't ready."
Her replacement—the boy—wasn't prepared enough to endure that suffering in her place. She had managed to survive in that world because she had done that kind of work since she was young.
[Chiyo: This boy… his eyes are far too innocent. He won't endure it.]
Chiyo was already used to being an object, but the boy was different.
His gaze was timid, though in truth he was quite intelligent.
[Chiyo: He's tried to follow every order to the letter. He knows his words don't matter, and he knows he has to obey no matter what.]
"He's smart, but a little immature."
[Chiyo: I suppose tomorrow I'll have to test him. He needs to be mentally stronger.]
Lior's mindset was the right one; he just hadn't lived long enough yet to experience something that would truly mark him.
"…"
Just then, a sound came from the bathroom door.
Hearing it, Chiyo snapped back to herself and paid close attention.
Lior came out of the bathroom, already dressed in his maid uniform.
[Lior: I'm finished… Miss Chiyo.]
With his usual timid voice, he spoke to Chiyo, who was standing beside the door.
[Chiyo: Good… it's already night. You took too long.]
[Lior: Ah… s-sorry.]
[Chiyo: Your maximum time is five minutes. Starting tomorrow, you will meet that time no matter what.]
[Lior: Yes, ma'am.]
Lior was slow; he needed to be more responsible and quicker when acting.
[Chiyo: Now you must sleep. The master likes his servants to go to bed early. I'm the only one who stays up late.]
[Lior: …]
[Chiyo: There are rooms in the mansion for each servant. Yours is the same one we saw this morning.]
[Lior: …]
[Chiyo: Your room must always be clean and tidy. I'm always inspecting everything, so make sure you comply.]
One more mistake, and Lior would be punished. He had been warned.
[Lior: Well then, miss, I'll take my leave. Have a good nyight, nya.]
[Chiyo: …]
Lior bowed to Chiyo and walked away.
Chiyo watched him as he walked farther and farther down the hall, until he entered the correct room.
She was left alone, in the middle of that vast corridor, staring off into nothingness.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lior lay sitting on his bed, wearing a woman's pajama set.
The garment was white and made of thin fabric; it covered his entire body and fit him perfectly.
[Lior: The master thought of everything…]
His master had prepared everything in advance for his arrival, and that made him feel quite uneasy and nervous.
[Lior: Ah—fu.]
Lior blew out the candle on the nightstand and lay down completely, covering himself with the sheets.
[Lior: I feel strange, but it's much more comfortable to sleep in this dress than in my old pajamas, nya.]
The sensation the pajama gave him felt like freedom—something he had never felt with his old sleepwear, which in comparison felt tight and restrictive.
[Lior: Also, it feels really strange wearing panties… I feel very exposed…]
The underwear he had always worn were boxers, but now he had to wear panties. Since the two garments were so different, he felt unfamiliar and unprotected, as if he were wearing nothing underneath.
And yet…
It didn't feel bad—actually, it felt very good.
[Lior: I don't feel uncomfortable with the clothes, even if it's a bit awkward because they're for women. I'll get used to it quickly, so it's not really a problem, nya.]
What he wanted now was to stop worrying and sleep.
Lior had had a very exhausting and difficult day, having to adapt to living in a noble mansion that didn't even belong to his original world.
[Lior: The night before…]
He remembered the previous night. He had been chained in a dungeon full of beast demi-humans.
That had been his first contact with this new world.
[Lior: I still remember you… Pomeli.]
Pomeli had been the first person he met in this world. She was a cat girl who was in the same situation as him, though she had been sold to another man.
[Lior: I hope they at least treat you well…]
Pomeli had clung to him in terror and fear when they were separated. Who knows what she must have lived through to react that way.
[Lior: Aaahhhmmnnhh…]
The cat boy let out a yawn as he drifted along with his thoughts, relaxing quickly.
[Lior: I hope… someday I can see you again, Pomeli.]
She had been truly sweet—the only one who had cared about him up to this point.
[Lior: I hope nothing bad happened to you…]
Lior's eyes slowly closed.
[Lior: I want… to see you…]
His consciousness began to fade.
[Lior: Thank you…]
His senses gradually disappeared.
[Lior: I… care about you…]
Until…
[Lior: Po… me… li…]
His consciousness faded away completely.