“This reason—or rather, the evidence—turns out to be thanks to you, Ruyimion.”
“Prince Ruyimion, I don’t understand,” the girl said after a moment’s thought, shaking her head.
“Ah, you forgot? Then let me remind you. You introduced yourself to Baiya Ifir Clorom, and because of that, I realized that slave no longer had her own consciousness.”
Ruyimion pinched his throat again, imitating Baiya’s voice: “ ‘I don’t know who you are, nor your name, but I hope you can save me.’” That was Baiya’s exact line. “It’s precisely that sentence that convinced me she had lost her consciousness.”
The girl quietly repeated the phrase, not sensing anything unnatural, then looked up at Ruyimion with a puzzled expression.
“Prince Ruyimion…”
“Ruyimion, you really are slow-witted. At this point, you still look clueless. If one day I’m framed and assassinated, you won’t be able to find the culprit before they bury me, will you?”
Discussing his own life and death with such casualness—though his words were mocking, they carried no emotion—Ruyimion truly was a strange youth. It seemed impossible to read his thoughts.
“…I sincerely apologize for my incompetence. From now on, I will do my utmost to improve myself and reach the standards you expect, Prince Ruyimion, becoming your most capable aide,” the girl said without hesitation, dropping to her knees and pressing her forehead to the ground in reverence.
“So you admit your incompetence, huh?” Ruyimion’s lips curled slightly. Though he wanted to prod her more, he had already given up trying to get answers from her.
Because slaves are forbidden to have independent thoughts, she had never considered the meaning behind actions—she only followed orders blindly. The king had trained her well, but to evolve her from a mere puppet into a true person who could serve him fully might still take years.
With her current intelligence, she wouldn’t come to the truth, so this outcome was expected.
Then no more beating around the bush. It’s time to reveal the mystery and let the girl experience the shock he had felt back then.
“Listen carefully. After you introduced yourself, Baiya Ifir Clorom said this,” Ruyimion grinned wildly, his face alight with manic excitement. “She said she didn’t know you and hoped for help! Ridiculous! Absurd! Unbelievable!”
“So you should have figured out the so-called answer by now.”
“I am the slave girl of Prince Ruyimion, Third Prince of Amidarl, slave girl [Master of Life and Death], number 04.” This was the girl’s self-introduction.
“ ‘I don’t know who you are, nor your name, but I hope you can save me.’” This was Baiya’s line spoken after the girl’s introduction.
Paired together, these statements contradict each other—of course, this assumes Baiya heard every word the girl said perfectly. If she didn’t, then there’s no explanation. And at that time, Baiya was badly wounded, likely with a hazy mind—meaning it was possible she hadn’t heard the other’s words.
But here is where things become strange, and the girl frowned in thought.
At that time, every word Baiya spoke was clear and articulate, hardly the speech of someone in a confused state. This oddity had greatly surprised the girl.
“This is…”
The girl admitted that Ruyimion had found a point she could not explain, and any explanation she might give would only weaken her argument.
The anomaly lay in Baiya’s words showing she did not know the girl’s identity, even though the girl had already introduced herself.
If Baiya’s mind was muddled and she didn’t hear the introduction, then she couldn’t have spoken so clearly afterward.
If Baiya was conscious and alert, in that dark, silent place, even the slightest whisper would be heard clearly—she couldn’t have missed the girl’s introduction.
It’s impossible Baiya was daydreaming or absent-minded because…
The introduction was Baiya’s idea first.
That’s why the girl responded with her own self-introduction—this was a basic courtly courtesy she learned.
A clear-minded person in such a situation wouldn’t lose focus.
The key thought was slowly unlocking in the girl’s mind. Her pupils contracted tightly, pressed by the shock building inside.
Continuing her reasoning, she was close to a conclusion that shattered the contradiction—
Baiya’s state of consciousness at that moment was neither confused nor fully clear.
A strange and absurd conclusion.
Ruyimion placed a hand on his chin, leaning forward to exert a sense of pressure. He clearly caught the emotions flickering across the girl’s face.
Resentment, anger, disbelief, doubt—all so rich in that instant, but sadly they all settled into calm, though her heart could never truly return to peace.
“I cannot agree…” The girl lowered her head, hiding her expression, but her trembling voice reminded one of the swelling ocean waves slowly rising.
Once they break, nothing can stop their momentum.
But Ruyimion was confident he could ride this tidal wave.
“Even if it wasn’t a clear consciousness nor a confused one, Baiya Ifir Clorom could not have lost her consciousness then!”
“Heh heh heh, you look beautiful right now. Is that the only belief keeping you alive?”
“If Baiya had lost consciousness, she couldn’t have spoken those clear words then,” Ruyimion stated.
“If Baiya had lost consciousness, she couldn’t have spoken those clear words then!” the girl repeated.
Ruyimion raised his hand to cover the confident smile at his lips: “Such simple thoughts that can’t be hidden, easily swayed by emotion—it’s easy to understand this time. Once again, I’m the one who speaks first. I didn’t imitate you.”
(Maybe some readers want to say, “Stop dragging this out, the protagonist’s about to be done for.” Frankly, a chapter is only about 1,700 words, but in my mind a chapter is about 3,000 words, so these two chapters about the slave girl actually make up one full story chapter. That’s why I haven’t been dragging it out!)
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