Morning.
When I went to the room to wake Ayla up, she was already awake and sitting on the bed.
For the first few days after I arrived, she had quite a hard time waking up in the morning, but at some point, she started waking up and waiting at the time I arrived. Now, after about two weeks, she was completely waking up before me.
I was even starting to worry whether I should adjust my bedtime.
“About that choker.”
When our eyes met, I gently bowed, but Ayla, without greeting me, brought it up first.
“Is it really working?”
It has been almost a week since Ayla put the choker on my neck. But still, it has never worked.
Of course, that’s because I’ve never resisted Ayla. There’s no reason to.
In the first place, I only put it on to persuade Ayla.
Actually, even I was a little doubtful, so I experimented with it, fiddling with the choker in my hands.
The choker, tightly attached to my skin, couldn’t be removed no matter what I did. I could barely fit a finger underneath, but that’s it; it was impossible to tear it off.
“Of course, Ayla.”
“How exactly does it work?”
“If I don’t obey Ayla’s command, the choker will tighten around my neck.”
It’s that simple.
Of course, that’s only what it looks like in the mind of a person. In reality, making it work fully requires an enormous amount of effort.
When magic was discovered, naturally, many people tried to figure out how to fully control others with it.
But most of the research concluded that ‘It’s probably more efficient to just hit someone until they obey.’
Moreover, as I mentioned before, it’s not something that can be made with just a ‘choker.’ Only a witch like the one from the forest, perhaps, could do something like that.
“But you don’t plan on disobeying my command, do you?” Ayla asked.
“Of course not, Ayla.”
Ayla hesitated for a moment and slowly stood up from the bed.
Then, she suddenly tossed her sleepwear aside.
I hurriedly turned away, but—
“Could you look at me? It’s an order.”
Once the word “order” was attached, I couldn’t avoid looking. If I didn’t, I would lose my life for the ridiculous reason that I didn’t look at my mistress in the nude.
However, if I turned my body now—
Just as I was contemplating this,
I felt an odd pressure around my neck.
Very slowly, the choker was tightening around my neck.
I’m not exactly sure why, but since I didn’t feel any creases in the choker, I wondered if perhaps the length itself was shortening.
I turned my body.
A small sigh escaped me. The choker returned to its original state as though nothing had happened.
And before my eyes—
Were Ayla’s eyes.
Fortunately, Ayla was taller than me now. To look into those eyes, I could avoid looking at her body by tilting my head upward.
“Hmm.”
Ayla’s eyes narrowed as she paused for a moment in thought.
Her fingers touched my neck. It was slightly cold.
Ayla gently swept her fingers over the spot where the choker had tightened. My body shivered slightly.
“It seems like you weren’t lying.”
Her gaze, which had dropped a little, rose again to meet mine.
“Is there a way to remove it?”
“Only the one who put the choker on can remove it.”
“Literally, you hold my life and death in your hands. Slave traders would have liked that. Even though it’s mostly gone in today’s world.”
And those who run brothels would probably like it too. If they find a human who seems marketable, they can just hang it around their neck and bring them in, without all the hassle of lending money and gaining interest.
Ayla stepped back.
The curtains in this room aren’t that thick. They’re thin and white, so if the sun is up outside, the room will become bright enough.
The soft white morning sunlight was gently pouring over Ayla’s body.
I remember Ayla seemed embarrassed the last time she showed such a sight.
“Well, it’s fine.”
Ayla said,
And slowly walked past me, brushing by my side. She wasn’t even wearing shoes, so the only sound in the room was the soft sound of Ayla’s bare feet touching the floor.
The footsteps soon stopped.
“What are you doing, Luna?”
“Ayla.”
I turned toward Ayla.
Ayla stood still and slightly turned toward me. Her delicate, soft back was clearly etched into my mind.
“Didn’t you say you could change my clothes and wash my body?”
“…I did say that, Ayla.”
“Then do it. It’s what you wanted, right?”
I bowed politely.
As she entered the bathroom, Ayla was thinking.
Was I really such an easy person?
Had she felt lonely? It couldn’t be denied.
Ayla always remembered the time before she became the Countess. Back then, without caring about each other’s status, they would swing wooden swords at each other, share food together, and laugh as they exchanged trivial stories.
At that time, she wasn’t lonely.
She knew she had been abandoned, but the person who had abandoned her was only one. The others hadn’t abandoned her, so she couldn’t help but not feel abandoned by the world.
“Ayla, the water isn’t ready yet.”
After hearing Luna’s words, Ayla stopped in front of the bathroom.
Oh my, to have said such a thing while being naked.
Her face almost turned red, but thankfully, she thought that Luna probably wasn’t looking directly at her.
“Then, what should I do?”
Ayla spoke sharply for no reason.
“I’ll prepare the water. It may take some time, but would that be alright?”
“Please prepare it as quickly as possible.”
Ayla said this to Luna and then stepped aside.
Luna bowed politely and hurried into the bathroom, seemingly trying to avoid the situation.
Now.
What about now?
She couldn’t say she felt lonely. The mansion was already full of people, and everyone greeted Ayla with kindness.
That was fundamentally different from the greetings of the old servants, which had only been out of duty.
It wasn’t that Ayla disliked that kind of relationship. The servants who acted out of duty never did anything she told them not to.
Thanks to that, she was never disturbed while changing clothes or washing up, whether at the Baron’s or Count’s house.
But Luna was different. She always took the initiative to do something. Even if it wasn’t something Ayla particularly liked.
“An assassin… maybe not.”
Ayla murmured to herself.
She had never met an assassin. The only thing she had was a vague impression.
But,
When you think about it, it’s hard to imagine that a group of assassins would be this warm with each other.
They always have to hide their emotions and get close to others while carrying hidden knives…
No, wait, is that what it means to be warm? Ayla’s mind grew confused for no reason.
Still, there was something fundamentally different.
Yes.
That warm gaze was directed at Luna, not at Ayla.
It was like the relationship between a noble lady and her long-time servants.
Every morning since then, Luna came to Ayla’s room after having put on makeup. It was certain that Luna hadn’t done the makeup herself. She probably hadn’t even wanted it.
When Luna handed the choker to Ayla, the atmosphere became tense.
But since Luna was clinging to Ayla, did that mean she was warm toward her?
Ayla still hadn’t fully resolved her doubts about Luna. Even though she knew the choker worked, she still wasn’t entirely sure. If she didn’t doubt her, she would have taken it off by now.
The reason she hadn’t dismissed her doubts was simple.
If Luna truly had affection for Ayla, then why?
Why did Luna have such feelings for Ayla?
Such eyes weren’t common. If Ayla had seen those eyes before, she would have never been able to forget them.
The person Ayla knew, with violet eyes, was—
A sound came from inside the bathroom.
“Ayla.”
Luna opened the bathroom door and spoke.
Her gaze was directed downward.
“It’s ready.”
“Good.”
Ayla, for some reason, felt pleased seeing Luna so flustered.
“Of course, you’ll help me, won’t you?”
“Of course, Ayla.”
Luna responded politely to Ayla’s words.
Her heart felt like it was about to burst.
No, I was probably expecting this. After all, I had brought it up myself.
But what could I do?
This was the body of someone I had loved my entire life.
For someone who had never experienced anything like this before, it was an inevitable reaction.
Ayla didn’t seem to find it strange either.
But—
When I lifted my head to wash Ayla’s arm as she stepped out of the bathtub, I accidentally made eye contact with her.
Ayla was looking at me, as if intrigued, while I washed her body.
Why was she suddenly like this?
When I tried to undress in front of her before, she had been so shocked.
No, showing my body and looking at someone else’s body seemed completely different.
If it was Ayla, she must have had people who dressed her.
“You look like you’re frustrated.”
“…No, Ayla.”
I denied it.
Yes.
I wasn’t frustrated about losing to Ayla.
I was frustrated that Ayla had had servants before me.
But I couldn’t tell Ayla that.
In the end, the only way to handle it was to wash her body as best as I could while avoiding eye contact.
Fortunately, Ayla didn’t issue any more commands.