Christie was dissatisfied with everything.
She couldn’t stand Anna, a girl from a small-town store acting as her superior, nor Mathilda, a beastman woman who acted as the head slave.
Once, she was a daughter of a wealthy family, with maids bowing to her. Now, even the maids in this mansion wouldn’t kowtow to her, which she found intolerable.
This was all wrong. Her family was one of the largest merchant houses in the Galdwin Marquisate. She had lived a life more luxurious than many lower-ranking nobles, yet here she was, having fallen to the status of a lowly slave, and worse, bought by the lord of this remote village.
“Christie, next, I need you to look over this invoice—”
“Shut up! Don’t call me by my name like that, you insignificant shopkeeper! Who do you think you are?!”
Christie shouted angrily at Anna, who had spoken to her.
“Even so, I am your superior… and we’re about the same age, so I think this way of speaking is normal—”
“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!”
Anna tried to reason with her with a sigh, but Christie refused to listen.
“Regardless, you need to do your job properly… You wouldn’t want to be sent to work in the fields or the mines, would you?”
When Anna thrust the documents toward her, Christie clicked her tongue in irritation, snatching them as though she had swallowed a bitter pill.
The work here, at least the tasks Christie was currently entrusted with, were no big deal to her. She had to learn the detailed rules and tricks unique to the job, but once she got used to it, it became just another routine.
To be made to do such work that anyone literate could do—it was absurd.
Muttering curses under her breath, sometimes letting them slip out aloud, Christie continued her paperwork.
…
“Christie, Lord Noein is calling for you. Once you finish your work, he would like you to come to his office—”
“Don’t order me around, you beastman slave!”
It was nearly time to finish for the day when Mathilda entered the office shared by the attendants and clerks. Christie’s mood soured once again, and she shouted at Mathilda.
“…Aren’t you a slave as well? And as the head slave, I outrank you.”
“So what!? You’re still a lowly beastman! How dare you act so high and mighty, you rabbit!”
Christie spat her words with all the disdain she could muster, but Mathilda’s expression remained impassive.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“Ugh! Don’t mock me… Are you proud of being Lord Noein’s favorite toy?”
At this, for the first time, Mathilda’s eyebrow twitched.
There—this must be her weak spot, Christie thought, and continued her tirade.
“To think a beastman would sell her body… Your master’s lust must be as wild as a rabbit’s. You’re just a sex slave kept by the lord, and you’re deluded if you think that makes you important. I guess for a lowborn beastman like you, being the plaything of some clueless noble is the only way to survive—”
The next moment, there was a sharp sound as Mathilda twisted her body. The noise was followed by a violent crash from behind.
When Christie looked back, she saw that the chair she had been sitting in just moments before had been thrown against the wall.
“Eek!”
“Anyway, Lord Noein has called for you. Make sure you go after finishing your work. I have delivered the message.”
Mathilda shot Christie a glare so cold it could have killed her with a look, then left the room.
“What the… what was that? You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“You know, unless you say it to her face, I don’t think your complaints will get through.”
It was Anna, who had been working in the same room and witnessed the entire exchange without any hint of surprise, who spoke to the seething Christie. If anything, she wore a slight smile.
“Shut up! Stop mocking me, all of you!”
In the past, whenever Christie raised her voice, the employees and maids of her household would bow down to her. But here, no one feared Christie, and no one bowed to her.
It was an unbearable humiliation for her.
“Christie, sorry to bother you after work.”
“Shut up! What do you want now?”
Still in a bad mood from her earlier interaction with Mathilda, Christie stormed into Noein’s office.
“No particular reason. I just wanted to check on how you were doing.”
“Don’t call me in for something so trivial! Are you mocking me?”
As Christie continued her tirade, Noein sighed.
“Are you ready to give in and behave now? From what I’ve heard, you’ve been quite rude to Anna, Mathilda, and the other maids. Today, in particular, it seems like you insulted Mathilda quite severely.”
For a brief moment, a dark look flickered in Noein’s eyes, sending a chill down Christie’s spine. But the next moment, his usual lighthearted expression returned.
“Wh-what do you mean? I only told that lowly beastkin slave the truth!”
At this point, Christie’s pride refused to back down. No way was she going to give in now.
“I see… So no matter how many times I say it, you’re not going to listen?”
“No, I’m not!”
Noein showed a sad expression before saying, “Alright. You can go now. You’re dismissed for the day.”
…
Left alone with Mathilda in the office, Noein spoke to her.
“As expected, it didn’t work. It’s time to go ahead with ‘re-education.’ I’m sorry for making you endure all of Christie’s insults, Mathilda.”
“You have no reason to apologize, Noein-sama… Yes, she has been infuriating, but everything is her fault.”
“Thank you. Still, it pains me to know that you had to suffer such awful words because I wanted to see if she could come to terms with reality.”
“As long as I have your concern, Noein-sama, the humiliation she made me feel can easily be forgotten. Please don’t worry about it.”
Noein smiled weakly at Mathilda’s words, sighing again as he often did when thinking about Christie.
Mathilda continued speaking.
“To be honest, I thought you would deal with Christie in the same way you handled Bendera.”
“If Christie ever tried to harm someone for her own selfish desires, I might have to. But that’s not what this is. She’s just struggling to accept her situation.”
With a small, bitter smile, Noein shared his thoughts with Mathilda.
“I bought her, and I’ve decided to take responsibility for her life. As her master, I have to guide her as best I can. Once she accepts reality, she should be able to find her place and show her potential.”
To Noein, Christie was already one of his subjects. Unless she committed a grievous act like harming others for personal gain, he had no intention of casting her aside.
“Besides, she was expensive. I need to recover the investment I made. It would be a waste to dispose of her so easily, and it wouldn’t be fair to the villagers who helped earn the money used to buy her.”
Noein’s income as lord came from taxes paid by his people and the profits from the mines in the Restio Mountains. Since Christie’s purchase wasn’t solely from his own wealth, he felt responsible for not letting it go to waste.
“I spoke too rashly. I am deeply moved by your compassion, Noein-sama.”
“It’s fine. I know how much trouble she’s caused you… Well, tonight’s going to be a busy one.”
