“Young Master, it’s time to eat.”
Mu’en opened his eyes at An’s call.
Her voice was so gentle, it felt like the old days—waking up in a plush bed, greeted by An’s soft summons.
Too bad those days were over.
Now, he was stuck in a cold cage, his bare rear sitting on steel even icier than his shattered heart.
“How long has it been?” he asked, exhaustion flickering in his eyes.
“A whole night~”
An set down a food box before him, grinning.
“Did Young Master sleep well?”
“Oh, what do YOU think?!”
Yanking at his shackles, Mu’en scoffed.
“Take these off, drag in a 2-meter bed with velvet blankets, maybe THEN I’ll answer ‘yes.’ But nooo, I get to sit naked on freezing metal instead!”
“Ah, sorry, but that’s a hard pass~ If you somehow escaped, I’d be very, very sad.”
“I’m just your spoiled, useless rich boy! Does that warrant this kind of treatment? Even prisoners on death row get more dignity!”
“Better safe than sorry~”
An cheerfully unpacked breakfast.
“You looked tired yesterday, so I made you some Ultimate Vitality Soup~!”
“…Ultimate Vitality what now?”
“Mm! A recipe I found—tiger king, bull king, goblin king, troll king, Morolita Giant Bear King—all boiled together! Very good for men~”
“WHAT kind of bear?!” Mu’en paled.
“A magic beast~ When the males can’t find mates in heat, their territory ends up with lots of new tree holes by morning. Hence the nickname Tree Hole Giant Bear.”
“Tree holes…”
Mu’en wisely chose not to ask further.
As An’s delicate hands unscrewed the container, a pungent black broth poured into the bowl. With every splash, his soul trembled in sync.
“You SURE this won’t kill me?!”
“Of course not! In fact…” She winked. “I’ve been sneaking bits into your meals since you were ten~”
“WHAT?!”
Ten?! That meant eight years of this nightmare brew!
“Gotta plan ahead~ I really wanted to add dragon King too, but those are tricky to hunt. Maybe next time?”
“STOP SAYING THAT LIKE IT’S NORMAL!”
“No need to fear~ As long as you behave, I’d never hurt you.”
An lifted the spoon to his lips.
“Now, say ahh~”
“Nope. Not happening.”
Who knew what side effects this sludge had? Maybe this was why the original Mu’en was so dense.
“Not… drinking?”
An’s smile froze.
Leaning in, her eyes burned into his—a churning darkness, ready to consume everything.
“Are you sure?”
No threats. Just a silent click of an imaginary blade against his ribs. One wrong move, and—SNIKT.
“GULP—I mean, yes! I’ll drink!”
Chugging the broth, Mu’en consoled himself: A real man adapts. Eight years of this junk? One more won’t kill me.
…Huh.
Weirdly tasty?
—
After the last spoonful, An stood—and her maid outfit puddled to the floor.
“AGAIN?!” Mu’en wailed. “It hasn’t even been that long!”
No undergarments. Premeditated.
“Can’t be helped~”
Licking her lips, An crawled closer, eyes glinting.
“Gotta mark you as mine ASAP~”
“Stay back, you fiend! Mmmph—!”
“Mm… Young Master says no, but his body’s honest~”
“Sh-shut up!”
“Really? But you’re moving on your own—”
“DAMN YOU—!”
[Two demonic hours later…]
An dressed, radiant.
Mu’en stared blankly at the ceiling, soul as empty as a violated maiden’s.
Feeling slightly guilty, An crouched beside him.
“…Maybe I overdid it~”
Mu’en’s glare said: NO KIDDING.
“My conscience is aching.”
Another eye-roll. Conscience? AFTER ALL THIS?!
“Fine~ I’ll grant you one tiny wish.”
Eyes lighting up: “FREEDOM—”
“Nope!”
An booped his nose.
“Tiny. Like… picking today’s lunch~”
“…Wow. Generous.”
Sighing, Mu’en conceded.
“Well, autumn’s coming…” He mused dramatically. “This time of year, I’d be boating on Beipole Lake, savoring plump fish with Count Rock’s Manor wine… Ah, what bliss~”
“You want fish from Beipole Lake? But it’s so far—”
“Last year, I was glorious. Now? A caged bird. How tragic. How meaningless. Why go on? Just let me DIE—”
“…Fine.”
An’s eyelid twitched, smile intact.
“I’ll get the fish. Wait nicely~”
“Oh?”
Mu’en instantly perked up.
“Then I’ll be counting on you, An.”
—
