Chapter 15
I’ll Call Your Name
Diana hurried her steps. Her small feet were light, almost dancing. Finally, finally! She could get Giskar. As expected, she didn’t receive the key to remove the restraints, but this was enough.
In truth, Diana hadn’t been able to go see Giskar until now. If she kept visiting him before making him truly hers, rumors would spread that the daughter of the duke’s house had fallen for a slave.
Mirva must have been monitoring her actions to prevent the duke from giving Giskar to her. Since she couldn’t change her father’s mind, Diana had instructed a maid to bring food and clothes to Giskar.
She knew. Still, he must have been in a difficult situation these past few days. She only hoped he hadn’t suffered terribly.
Diana quickened her pace and let out a small laugh. What am I doing? To desperately try to save an enemy from a previous life… She shook her head, clearing thoughts of Giskar from her mind.
The past didn’t matter now. What mattered was what she would do. Diana arrived at the barn where Giskar was kept.
He didn’t even have a proper room. In her past life, young Diana had pitied this and pleaded with her father. After that, Giskar was at least allowed to sleep in a storage room inside the mansion.
Now that he was hers, it would be better to move him to a slightly better room. First, she needed to get him changed.
She needed to speak with him. To tell him she would one day free him—she wanted him to believe that. Diana knocked on the door. When no answer came, she tried to open it, but the maid following behind her stepped forward as well.
It was an almost instinctive move. But Diana hadn’t permitted her to come along. Maids were supposed to follow Diana, but they needed permission for actions like this. Out of concern for the young lady, some explanation should have been given.
Yet the maids here had long ignored Diana’s authority. Even as the mansion’s daughter, her wishes held little weight.
“He has restraints, so he can’t hurt me. Stay where you are.”
Diana opened the door without another word. But the maid ignored her and tried to follow. Diana, forcing patience, spoke again:
“I told you not to come in.”
“Miss, this is really dangerous. The head maid will scold you.”
“Who, me?”
The maid didn’t answer when Diana raised an eyebrow.
“Sigh.”
Diana exhaled. Mirva’s opinion always came first here. That was the reality of this mansion.
“Codel, do you realize you’re the one putting me in danger right now?”
The maid blinked when her name was suddenly called.
“Miss.”
“If the maids won’t even follow me, do you think a slave will respect me?”
“…….”
“Then if you respect me, stay still. I don’t want to punish you.”
Diana looked her straight in the eye, and the maid lowered her head. Finally, Diana could step inside.
The room was, unsurprisingly, terrible. In fact, it barely counted as a “room.” It was a narrow space just big enough for two people to lie down. The musty dust nearly made Diana cough.
Giskar sat with his back to the window, the black shadow looming like a large beast.
The light from the window reflected off Giskar’s purple eyes. He was sunk in the darkness, watching Diana clearly.
The gaze made her feel breathless. Facing the young boy staring at her, Diana clutched her skirts tightly. Her heart pounded like it would burst. She chose her words carefully.
“Long time no see.”
“…….”
“You’ve been… well, maybe not well.”
Diana bit her tongue. Everything seemed to collapse as she saw the exhausted boy leaning back. It almost seemed mocking. Giskar slowly straightened, observing Diana standing before him.
Then, for a moment, the corner of his mouth curved upward. It resembled the smirk he had shown before, and Diana felt her heart sink.
“So, have you finally remembered me?”
The slave Giskar had never once said anything like this to her before. Back then, he always spoke formally to her. It felt like he was a different person now. Young Giskar had seemed silent and unreadable, but she had never seen him mock like this.
Why had he changed? Or had he always been like this even in their past life? But it didn’t matter. Diana forced herself to maintain her composure.
“Have I finally come to mind?”
“The lady of this mansion can be rather capricious.”
He continued to smirk.
“So that’s why the maids look down on you?”
She had heard that. Diana sighed.
“You know, the workers here say you know nothing. That you’re a stupid, unlucky girl.”
“…….”
“They say you try to act mature, but you’re just the head maid’s puppet.”
“…….”
“Do you really think your behavior now is dignified?”
“…….”
“Think what you like….”
“Sorry, I never had any thoughts about how I appear.”
Diana looked down at Giskar.
“Also, I don’t care what the lower-class people say behind my back. They don’t need to tell me.”
Giskar’s eyes widened, staring at her in surprise. He seemed twisted, wanting to vent his anger on her.
Why was he suddenly so honest?
Because, literally, nothing severe had happened to crush his spirit completely. Diana spoke to Giskar:
“My father allowed you to be my slave.”
“Hah.”
No matter where he went, he was a slave. Now he would become the lady’s plaything, and naturally, he wouldn’t like it. Diana knelt, bringing her eyes level with his. Clear silver eyes met dull purple ones. Startled, as if touching icy water, he recoiled.
“Don’t you like your new owner?”
“…….”
“Even if you dislike it, there’s nothing you can do. You’re a slave.”
Giskar looked at Diana as if he might disappear. His pale skin contrasted with silver-gray eyes that seemed both cold and warm.
“Still, I’ll give you a choice.”
“A choice?”
“I want to give you the chance to take my hand willingly, not forcibly.”
What nonsense. A slave without choice can’t even do that. Diana smiled knowingly, as if he had realized it too.
“I know. You have no choice but to take my hand.”
Her wide skirt trailed in the dusty ground. In the gray world filled with dust, it looked like a single petal had fallen. The crimson dress shone in the moonlight streaming through the window.
Though it was night, Diana glowed alone as if she held color itself. The boy watched the girl as she suddenly closed the distance.
When she reached out her hand, Giskar instinctively shrank back, fearing violence. Slaves grow accustomed to violence, though that didn’t mean they weren’t afraid.
Yet his purple eyes kept observing this strange girl. She hadn’t struck him; she only extended her small, delicate hand.
“Here.”
Giskar alternated between looking at Diana and her hand. Ah, what a slow reaction. Diana sighed.
“You already understand without my explanation. I don’t have much power in this mansion.”
“…….”
“So I want to have someone on my side. Choose me.”
Diana dared to utter the word “choice.” No matter what, she wanted him to follow her. She couldn’t change fate, but she hoped it would change.
“Giskar.”
He flinched at his name being called. No one had ever used it. Seeing his confused face, Diana faintly smiled.
“I can’t promise to protect you from everything, but I won’t call you a slave. I’ll call your name.”
She knew the hell with fleeting comfort and the unending hell were both cruel choices. She wished he would come, even to the hell with some reprieve.
Diana wanted to tell Giskar she wished to free him, but she swallowed the words. A promise without a time-frame was only cruel hope.
“So, are you going to get tired of holding hands and then throw me away?”
Giskar asked, and Diana smirked, shaking her head.
“You’re misunderstanding something…”
Better to clear the misunderstanding now.
“Even before meeting you, I sent you clothes and food. Didn’t you get them?”
He shook his head, and Diana nodded. Makes sense—someone must have intercepted them. Only now did Giskar roughly understand the situation.
“You really are a powerless lady,” he muttered. Diana couldn’t refute that.
“I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Why are you doing all this for me?”
“…….”
“Why for a slave?”
Diana thought for a moment. Could she say it was to change the future as much as possible? Not really.
“Because… it’s the right thing to do.”
That was all Diana could say. And yet, it carried an odd resonance.
Diana sighed, having ordered Giskar to be bathed, and rose. Before going downstairs, she checked her outfit. Not a single detail could be out of place. The difference between commoners and nobles was this—no slip-ups at all.
She descended the stairs. In front of the entrance, the butlers and maids stood properly. Diana forced a stern expression. They needed to be educated.
“Miss, what’s going on? Suddenly like this…”
Mirva, standing at the entrance, asked with an annoyed expression, probably because Diana had interrupted her tea. She looked almost like the mistress of the mansion.
Diana glanced at the mansion’s steward. The old man was too feeble to confront Mirva, merely compliant.
“It seems everyone’s forgetting their roles.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Mirva, when I speak, shouldn’t everyone wait respectfully? You look like you’re interrogating me.”
Diana smiled faintly. The maids watched the small lady confront Mirva. The little lady couldn’t oppose Mirva yet. That was the conclusion the maids had reached.
“So, what’s the matter? Why is our little miss so angry?”
If Diana were twelve, she might have fallen for that. She longed for her mother’s affection. But Diana threw the pearl necklace she held to the floor.
“Huh…?”
Then she struck Mirva’s cheek as she bent down to look at it.
Smack—the chilling sound echoed.
She thought about what to do but decided this was the most effective. Doing it from behind required accomplices.
“The head maid who dared act insolent must be punished.”
The true mistress of the mansion wasn’t her, it was Diana.
