Episode 85
"Va-value...?"
"That's right, value."
As Lulu asked back with a dazed expression while looking at Frey who was wearing a gentle smile, Frey chuckled and spoke again.
"You're my possession and precious asset. If someone like you gets hurt, my assets decrease. So naturally, I have to treat you."
"Kyah!"
When Frey grabbed Lulu's left arm after saying that, she ended up screaming before she knew it.
"What's wrong? Does it hurt?"
"Ah, th-that's..."
"My, the left arm is a mess too."
After saying that, Frey took out the bandages placed beside the bed and began wrapping them around Lulu's arm.
"These bandages are high-quality. Just wrapping them has hemostatic and healing effects. So wounds like that will heal quickly."
"Ah... th-thank..."
"So don't do things like self-harm anymore."
When Lulu expressed her thanks with an awkward expression, Frey stroked her head and whispered quietly.
"If you keep doing self-harm and your value drops, I'll have no choice but to throw you away."
"N-no...!"
Hearing those words, Lulu opened her mouth urgently.
"P-please don't throw me away... Please, please..."
"Why? Are you scared of being thrown away?"
When Frey asked with a chuckle, Lulu spoke with fear-filled eyes.
"I... I don't want to be thrown away anymore..."
"True, our Lulu has been thrown away a lot, hasn't she?"
"Eh?"
When Lulu opened her eyes wide at those words, Frey wore a cold expression and spoke.
"Cursed as a child who brings disaster to her parents, cursed and chased out of the house, every friend you made suffered misfortune one after another, and that kind nun who tried to help you is unconscious now, isn't she?"
"Ah, aaah..."
As Frey began reciting her painful memories one by one, Lulu started to show a despairing expression.
"I'll do anything... Please, just take me in..."
"Say it. 'Please raise me.'"
"Please raise me... I beg you."
Thanks to that, Lulu who immediately bowed her head and answered Frey's words, began to feel a strange emotion again as Frey stroked her head.
"Anyway, do you know why I'm saying these things?"
Frey, who had been stroking Lulu's head, suddenly stopped his hand and whispered in her ear in a low voice.
"If you're thrown away by me too, that's the end. You know that well too, right?"
".....Yes."
Since it was an irrefutable fact, Lulu nodded obediently even though she knew very well it was a swamp.
"That's why you're not a person, you're a pet. My exclusive pet at that."
"That's right."
"Then even if I'm the empire's greatest scoundrel, an incurable trash and villain, you should obediently let yourself be raised by me and love me, right?"
"That's... right."
When Lulu slightly stuttered at Frey's words, Frey raised his hand.
"Hiek...!"
"What's wrong, did you think I was going to hit you?"
Lulu, who naturally thought she would be hit by Frey, started to show a dazed expression again when he gently placed his hand on her shoulder instead of assaulting her.
"As I said earlier, you're my possession and asset so I won't treat you carelessly."
"Ah....."
"But if you don't want that, then the story changes."
As Frey wore a cold expression again while saying that, Lulu swallowed nervously from tension.
"Why did you stutter just now? Lulu?"
"Th-that's... I mean..."
"Don't you want to become my pet?"
"N-no..."
"I see... You wanted to be thrown away again."
Hearing those words, Lulu began to cry out with a pale, frightened face.
"I, I'll do it! I'll become your pet! Please...hic!?"
When Frey started moving the hand that was on her shoulder toward the buttons of her upper garment, she showed a flustered expression and looked at Frey.
"A pet doesn't disobey its master's words. That's common sense."
"Huu, huueu..."
As Frey began unbuttoning her clothes one by one while saying that, Lulu bowed her head deeply and started making strange moaning sounds.
- Slither...
However, Frey continued unbuttoning Lulu's clothes without caring, and when all the buttons were finally undone, he covered her and slowly began lying down on the bed.
"Churup."
"...mm."
After covering Lulu and looking down at her for a while, Frey carefully inserted his tongue into her mouth.
"Euu..."
For a long time, Lulu lay beneath Frey with a red face, and when Frey's hand approached her lower region, she unconsciously tried to block that hand with her own hand, but.
'.....To survive, I have no choice.'
Soon, she shed tears and dropped her hand onto the bed.
"Puhaha..."
And at that moment, Frey separated from her.
"Good, it seems you've completely submitted to me. You're not even blocking my touch."
"Y-yes..."
Lulu barely answered while listening to her thumping heartbeat, and Frey buttoned her clothes back up and whispered in a gentle voice.
"If you had resisted, I was planning to break your limbs and throw you in a back alley... I'm glad."
"Euu..."
Though it was said in a joking tone, since the person who said it was Frey, it became a story with sufficient possibility.
Thanks to that, Lulu quietly thought about what would have happened if she had blocked Frey's hand earlier, and soon her face turned pale with fear.
"Hmm... But what's with these clothes?"
"Eh, excuse me?"
When Frey, who had been looking at such a Lulu with an expression saying she was cute, suddenly frowned and asked a question, Lulu who had shrunk greatly asked back in surprise.
"I mean the clothes you're wearing now. For my pet, they're too shabby."
After saying that, Frey clapped his hands, and Kania who had been waiting outside entered.
"Kania, bring the most refined women's clothes from our mansion."
"Understood."
"Ah, and jewels and accessories too."
Hearing those words, Kania nodded her head and quickly left the room.
"W-why are you giving me clothes...?"
Lulu, who had been watching with an expression saying she couldn't understand what she was seeing, looked at Frey and asked a question.
"You're my pet, so naturally I should dress you in the most refined clothes."
Frey answered with an expression saying it was obvious.
"That way, when I show you off to the Shadow friends who will visit soon, it won't be embarrassing, right?"
"Ah..."
Lulu, who couldn't understand Frey's intention at all, finally showed an understanding expression and nodded.
"What? Why are you looking at me with those eyes?"
"N-no, it's nothing."
But perhaps because she understood too well, Lulu ended up looking at Frey with cooled eyes, and when he tilted his head, she urgently began bowing her head.
"I told you there's no need to be so scared like that. You've already submitted to me, right? So you can be that affectionate as much as you want."
'Young master, I've brought the most expensive clothes and jewels from this mansion.'
"Ah, really? Bring them in."
Frey, who had been looking at such a Lulu with a relaxed expression, smiled when Kania brought the clothes.
"So, which one here do you like?"
"Ah, that's... I mean..."
The clothes Kania brought were all so expensive and splendid that Lulu couldn't purchase them even if she worked hard her whole life.
"Eh... eheo..."
Lulu, who felt an enormous burden at Frey's words to choose one from among such clothes, couldn't bring herself to choose anything and just kept making groaning sounds.
"Lulu? Don't tell me you don't like any of them?"
When she had been pondering for a while, Frey asked with a puzzled expression.
"N-no! That's not it! I like them all so much, it's hard to choose just one..."
Lulu, who had been scared of Frey all this time, quickly started making excuses so as not to displease him anymore, but.
"Is that so? Then take them all."
"What!?"
She ended up freezing at the words that came out of Frey's mouth.
"You said you like them all? So take them all."
Frey, who said that to her as if it was nothing, said to Kania who was standing quietly to the side.
"Kania, later take all the clothes here to Lulu's room."
"Yes, young master."
Only after hearing those words did Lulu realize the situation and tried to wave her hands with a blue-pale face, but Frey continued speaking without giving her a chance to say anything.
"Then, bring the jewelry box now. I need to find jewels suitable for Lulu."
"Yes, understood."
When Frey's command was given, Kania bowed her head and started heading toward the jewelry box she had brought along with the clothes.
"Please handle them carefully, these jewels are weak against shock..."
Soon, Kania who picked up the jewelry box started walking toward Lulu who was wearing a dazed expression while telling her precautions, but.
"...Hwaat!"
For some reason, she ended up falling on the floor while holding the jewelry box.
It was an incident that occurred due to Lulu's misfortune that unconsciously recognized this situation as a 'happy situation.'
"........"
While Lulu, who realized that fact, didn't know what to do, Frey and Kania, who were flustered by the unexpected sudden situation, started exchanging glances with each other in that fleeting moment.
- Swoosh...
And a few seconds later, Frey who finished exchanging glances got up from his seat and started heading toward Kania.
"Y-young master! I was wrong! Just once, please forgive me just once...keuhuk!!!"
Soon, Frey who arrived right in front of Kania kicked her stomach with all his might while she was asking for forgiveness with a pale, frightened face.
"He, heueuk... euheuk..."
Kania, who was kicked squarely in the stomach by Frey's foot, started making ugly groaning sounds while clutching her stomach.
"...Fortunately, the jewels aren't damaged."
However, Frey didn't even look at such Kania and just held out the jewelry box to Lulu.
"So, which one is pretty? The emerald here? Or the opal here? Or maybe... is it the diamond in the middle after all?"
"Haaeu...heuuuk..."
When the sight of Frey pointing at jewels with a gentle smile and Kania behind him groaning while clutching her stomach spread in her vision at the same time, Lulu lost her words and just started showing a pale expression.
"Alright, I understand. Take them all."
"...Ah."
"Of course, I'm not completely giving you the clothes and jewels, I'm lending them. Keep in mind that this is a benefit you can only receive while living as my pet."
Frey, who smiled gently at such Lulu, said while heading toward the door.
"Decorate yourself with the clothes and jewels you like, and come to the dining room. Let's have lunch together."
After Frey disappeared after saying that, Lulu who was staring blankly approached Kania who was still clutching her stomach and groaning.
"Kania... are you o..."
"I, I'm... fi...heuuuk!"
Her face had even turned bright red from how much it hurt, and Kania, who was clutching her stomach and staggering, tried to get up but soon collapsed again.
"...Lulu-nim, please change your clothes and come out. I will withdraw now."
Kania, who had been trembling for a while, barely got up and headed toward the door while bowing politely to Lulu.
- Creak...
"...Haa."
When Kania left the room and she was left alone, Lulu slumped down on the bed and started organizing what had happened until now.
'Right, I've become his toy and doll. These clothes too, these ornaments too... they're just given to show me off to his friends who will visit the house soon.'
Soon, Lulu who finished organizing wore a cold expression and started muttering to herself.
'You can tell just by looking at what happened to Kania just now. No matter how well Frey treats me, in the end, he's an incurable villain.'
Thinking that, she reached out her hand toward the slightly damaged jewelry box.
'So I... just need to use the twisted love he gives me.'
Soon, Lulu who chose a ruby from among those jewels got up carefully from the bed and muttered.
"That should be enough..."
With a complicated expression, while stroking the bandage wrapped around her arm.
"Kania! What's wrong? Did you get hit squarely? I definitely released my strength before kicking your stomach with my foot!"
"N-no... Please don't worry about it..."
Lulu's behavior continued until Frey, who was behind the door right after that, led Kania who was wearing a worried expression and trying to touch her own stomach toward the dining room.
.
"What... what is all this?"
"What do you mean, it's a meal."
What entered Lulu's eyes after she changed her clothes and went down to the dining room was a table laden with splendid food enough to break the table legs.
"I, I can't eat all this food...!"
Lulu, who was already intimidated by the overwhelming sight, said with a trembling voice, and Frey answered with a chuckle.
"Leave it."
"What?"
"Eat only what you want, and if you don't like something or can't eat anymore, just leave it."
Hearing those words, Lulu started looking at Frey with a dumbfounded expression.
"Why, do you not like the food? I hired cooks urgently today so I wasn't sure how it would be, but I guess they were just mediocre folks after all."
Seeing that, Frey frowned and started getting up from his seat, and Lulu urgently grabbed him.
"N-no! I'm satisfied! It's the best!"
"Really? That's a relief. I won't have to dispose of the cooks then."
After saying that, Frey sat down right next to Lulu with a gentle smile.
"Come on, say 'ah'."
"Eh, yesh?"
"What's wrong? It's natural to feed a pet, isn't it?"
When Frey asked with a puzzled expression, Lulu nodded urgently and opened her mouth.
"Ah..."
"Good, well done."
Frey, who put a piece of steak in her mouth and showed a satisfied smile, asked while carefully stroking Lulu's head as she chewed the steak piece.
"How is it, is it delicious?"
"Yes... it's delicious."
To Frey's question, Lulu gave an answer that was sincere for almost the first time.
Because for her who was abandoned by her parents since childhood and didn't even have a single friend, such food was the finest delicacy she was tasting for the first time in her life.
"Good, then next is this."
"Ah, aah..."
"Good. You've adapted well."
Lulu, who at first followed out of fear, gradually fell for the taste of the mountain and sea delicacies melting in her mouth, and before she knew it, she was opening her mouth with a dazed expression without realizing it.
"Ah, you got something on you."
"...mmph."
Frey, who had been feeding Lulu food for a while, wiped Lulu's mouth with his hand and spoke with eyes smiling.
"Now you roughly know how to eat, right?"
"Ye, yesh..."
"Good, then enjoy your meal."
When Frey got up from his seat after saying that, Lulu asked with a flustered expression.
"Wh-where are you going?"
"I'm full. Eat as much as you want from those foods, and leave the rest."
"W-wait a minute!"
Leaving those words, when Frey tried to head to the bathhouse, Lulu urgently called him to a stop.
"What's wrong, Lulu?"
"Well... I mean... if you leave all these foods, they'll just be thrown away... that's too wasteful, isn't it?"
"So?"
"So... perhaps from now on... how about sending the leftover food to places like orphanages with a donation spell...?"
Frey, who had been looking slightly taken aback hearing Lulu's timid proposal, soon changed his expression to a cold one and started approaching Lulu.
"Ah, I'm... I'm sorry..."
"Lulu, there's something you need to know."
Soon, Frey who reached in front of her started speaking while looking down at Lulu with cold eyes.
"For a pet to propose something to its master is quite a presumptuous behavior."
"Eu, euut..."
"A pet should just unilaterally receive the affection and attention its master gives, and just be happy. Understand?"
"Yesh..."
When Lulu, who had shrunk greatly, answered with difficulty, Frey who stroked her chin for a moment soon stepped back and said.
"When you're done eating, go to the bathroom on the second floor. I've prepared warm water there."
"Yes?"
When Lulu tilted her head at those words, Frey headed toward the stairs extending to the upper floor and added.
"Maintaining cleanliness is a basic attitude a pet should have, so make sure to keep that in mind from now on."
Leaving those words, Frey opened the door to his room on the second floor and went in.
"........"
Soon, Lulu who was left alone in the dining room where silence flowed carefully picked up the steak piece in front of her with a fork and bit into it.
"...It's delicious."
It was quite a while after that when Lulu left the dining room.
.
"Wow..."
Lulu, who entered the bathroom, opened her mouth wide at the sight unfolding before her eyes.
She thought it would just be an ordinary bathroom, but the bathroom she entered for the first time today was several tens of times larger than the shack or tent she had lived in until now, and was a space of luxury decorated even with jewels.
- Bubble bubble...
Lulu, who had been standing with her mouth open for a while, lowered her gaze at the sound of bubbles coming from somewhere and soon lost her words.
"My goodness..."
The bathtub filled with bubbles was filled with top-grade potion.
- Shaaaa...
"...mm."
After hesitating for a moment, Lulu stepped into the bathtub and watched the wounds and marks all over her body from self-harm heal in an instant, falling into thought.
'I shouldn't be deceived... He's a villain. This isn't him truly loving me either, he's doing this because he sees me as property...'
Before coming here, she had witnessed a cook staggering out of the mansion.
Wondering what happened, when she asked Kania, she told her the truth with a calm expression.
"When Lulu-nim was receiving food from Frey-nim, you frowned once because the fish dish was too greasy, right?"
"H-how do you..."
"The cook who made that dish was beaten and chased out of the mansion. Probably, rumors will spread and he won't be able to work as a cook anymore."
"That's...!"
When Lulu showed a flustered expression at those words, Kania whispered to her in a low voice.
"Please get used to it. Here, it's everyday life."
Lulu, who was ruminating on the words Kania had told her, soon made a determined expression and muttered.
"Right, Frey is just a villain. I just need to use him to remove this curse."
But Lulu, who had been muttering like that, soon looked down at her completely clean body and slowly started changing her expression.
"That should be enough..."
Lulu, who had received an abundance of affection, albeit in an异质 form, that she had never received even once since being chased out by her parents, ended her words with a trembling voice.
"...Why is my heart so unsettled."
Such her, the bubbling bathwater was wrapping around warmly.