I Became A Slave To The Mastermind

"It seems you've been smiling a lot more lately, my lord."

As always, Bordin came to deliver his report. Recently, he had noticed Athena displaying a broader range of expressions.

Where before her face showed only a cold smile or no emotion at all, now it reflected a variety of feelings.

"Well… it does seem that way."

Athena let out a deep sigh, thinking about her fox-like servant.

"But at the same time, my patience is wearing thin."

She desperately wanted to pin Hera down beneath her bed and leave her a complete mess.

Just imagining Hera crying out and confessing her love made a strange warmth stir in her lower abdomen.

But the walls around Hera's heart were thicker than expected.

Though Hera was currently looking only at her, it was out of loneliness—a craving for affection—not love for Athena.

If Hera had fallen when that little brat was at her side, she wouldn't be smiling at Athena now.

"Haha… Is it because you hold her so dear?"

Bordin's question brought a faint smile to Athena's lips.

"Dear? She is now more precious to me than anything else."

Initially, all Athena wanted was to possess the beautiful gem that was Hera. But as they talked more, as she touched her more, her feelings for Hera grew uncontrollably.

She couldn't bear the thought of Hera being away from her even for a moment.

This must be love.

"I never thought I'd fall in love in my lifetime… much less with a woman."

Athena had never believed she'd give her heart to anyone.

Humans were selfish and self-centered, something she had learned all too well growing up.

But Hera was different.

She was so pure.

She had a purity that naturally drew people to her.

Being with Hera made even Athena's dark side feel illuminated.

And so, Athena would never let her go.

She would make Hera entirely dependent on her, incapable of doing anything without her, so she'd only ever look at her.

"This is your fault, Hera."

Who told you to wag your tail and seduce me like that?

This entire situation was of Hera's own making.

As Athena's lips curled into a sinister smile, Bordin stared at her quietly for a long time, his expression filled with emotion.

"…At last, you have someone precious to you."

"You seem happier about it than I am."

Bordin straightened his shoulders and beamed confidently.

"Of course! Do you know how much I've run around to spark your interest, my lord? Haha! This Bordin feels deeply satisfied to have finally brought you happiness."

Indeed, it was always Bordin who delivered news that piqued Athena's interest.

It was through one of the visual recordings he brought that she first learned of Hera.

Perhaps he was right. Hera had stirred many emotions in her.

For the first time, Athena felt a hint of gratitude.

"Pfft. Now that I think about it, it was thanks to you that I met Hera. Thank you."

For a moment, Bordin stood dumbfounded at her words.

"My lord… you're thanking me?"

He covered his mouth with both hands, visibly moved.

"Don't overdo it."

Bordin quickly composed himself, his expression returning to calm as if nothing had happened.

"Then… may I consider the command rescinded? The staff is beginning to feel guilty about their treatment of the young lady."

Athena had issued a directive to everyone in the estate.

Hera was to be made completely incapable of functioning without help.

She was to trust no one, including herself.

She was to be utterly isolated.

A command that had thoroughly broken Hera.

"No. Continue as ordered."

Now that Hera was finally starting to look only at her, rescinding the command was out of the question.

The only person Hera should rely on was Athena. She couldn't afford to leave any room for doubt.

When Hera completely surrendered to her, then Athena would withdraw the command.

"Understood. As you wish."

Bordin accepted without protest and added another report.

"Ah, recently, there has been a rapid increase in monster activity near the empire."

"Mm?"

"The imperial palace believes it could be an omen, though no clear evidence has surfaced yet."

Athena had little interest in the matter.

There were already enough tasks demanding her attention.

Even though her personality leaned toward defiance, her status was second only to the emperor, and with that came a mountain of responsibilities. She had no time to concern herself with monsters.

"I'm not interested. Anything else?"

"Ahaha, I thought you might say that. Then, perhaps this will catch your attention."

He leaned in with a serious expression, whispering quietly.

"The young lady… is cooking alone in the kitchen."

"…What?"

"The head chef mentioned that she insisted on preparing tonight's dinner herself."

"Hera?"

Dinner?

For a moment, her words replayed in my head.

-Do you have any favorite foods…?

-Do you have plans for dinner?

Then… then let's have dinner together.

Her behavior had been quite strange.

So suspicious that it made me wonder if she had eaten something wrong.

But no way…

Could it mean she wanted to cook for me?

Kuwaaa-

The mana around me started to swirl violently, like a raging storm.

Windows shattered, picture frames fell, and the desk shook.

"M-Master…!"

Ah.

Hearing Bordin's panicked voice, I realized my rationality had momentarily slipped.

As I calmed the mana down, Bordin adjusted his disheveled clothes and spoke cautiously.

"Are you all right, Master…?"

But his words didn't register at all.

"Like a bitch in heat…"

"I can't hold back anymore…"

"Tonight, immediately…"

Wasn't this obviously some kind of signal asking to be devoured?

Without realizing it, my inner thoughts started spilling out.

At my ominous muttering, Bordin, standing before me, broke into a cold sweat.

'This won't do.'

Originally, I had planned to slowly make her mine.

After all, I had all the time in the world.

With patience, I intended to lure her into my grasp on her own.

But now I realized that time was not on my side.

This cunning fox, tempting me day by day, needed to be dealt with swiftly.

It was decided.

This month.

Whether she opened her heart to me or not.

By the end of this month.

I would claim her body.

***

"Eek!!"

"Are you all right, miss?"

"Y-Yes, just a sudden chill."

What was that?

Suddenly, goosebumps covered my entire body.

'But it's not even cold…?'

It must've just been my imagination.

Brushing off the inexplicable chill, I refocused on my cooking.

Right now, I was in the mansion's kitchen.

At first, the head chef had tried to kick me out, but when I explained I wanted to cook for Athena, he happily handed over the kitchen.

He did, however, assign me an assistant chef since I'd be working with fire.

So, what am I cooking now?

Heh.

An unfailing dish.

Beloved by everyone, young and old alike.

That is—

"Chicken? I've never heard of such a dish."

The nation's dish. Chicken.

As I surveyed the ingredients, I found fresh chicken and, without hesitation, decided to make fried chicken.

If I coated it in spicy sauce, it would perfectly suit Athena's preference for spicy and meaty dishes.

"Is it common to fry chicken?"

"There are some who fry it, but chicken dishes are typically roasted, like turkey."

It seemed chicken wasn't a common food in this world.

Even better.

I could present it as a novel dish, which made me even more confident.

The assistant chef prepared the chicken while I worked on the seasoning.

Garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, and chili for heat—all combined into a perfect sauce.

Since there was no chicken powder here, I coated the chicken with breadcrumbs to create a batter.

After frying it in oil for a long time, I tossed the crispy chicken in the sauce to complete the dish.

The finished spicy fried chicken sat before me, looking irresistibly delicious.

The aroma of freshly fried chicken spread through the air, making my mouth water.

One bite, and the crispy, sweet, and spicy flavors harmonized perfectly in my mouth.

'As expected, it's delicious.'

When I glanced at the assistant chef beside me, he couldn't take his eyes off the chicken.

His eyes were filled with an undeniable desire to taste it right away.

Truly, the power of the almighty chicken.

Even though I lacked many skills, cooking was something I was confident in. And fried chicken, a dish that's delicious no matter how simply it's made, would surely win her over.

"Would you like to try a bite?"

When I cautiously suggested it, the assistant chef slowly nodded.

He picked up a piece with his fork, placed it in his mouth, and savored the taste.

"….!"

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he stared at the chicken with a startled expression.

It must have been that delicious.

Seeing his reaction, I felt a surge of pride.

I thought I couldn't do anything.

But at least I could cook. That was a relief.

With a satisfied smile, I looked at the chef and asked,

"How is it?"

Without answering, he closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

He appeared to be grappling with something serious, judging by his conflicted expression.

When no answer came for a long time, I decided to call out to him again.

"..Excuse me?"

He slowly opened his eyes at my call, sighed deeply, and said,

"The seasoning is a mess."

"Ah… what?"

"It's unnecessarily spicy. I think you added too many chili peppers."

"Uh… um…"

"And for chicken, the exterior is far too tough. The flavor is so off-putting that I wouldn't go for another bite."

"Well… that's…"

"And coating it like this? It'll just make a mess on people's faces. It'd be better to serve the sauce separately."

His harsh critique stabbed at my heart.

My breathing started to falter slightly.

This can't be.

Chicken being tasteless? That's impossible.

No matter how inept I might be… at least my chicken…

"Isn't it just that your taste buds are strange?"

I tried blaming the chef in a fit of frustration, but he shrugged nonchalantly and replied.

"If that's the case, why not have the head chef take a look?"

Here, the chef, in charge of countless brilliant dishes, was…

Surely, he would recognize the taste.

"F-fine."

However.

"This can't really be called cooking."

Thud, thud—

It felt like a pang in my chest.

My hands trembled as tears began welling up in my eyes.

"I don't think I can allow this dish to be served to Lady Athena."

"Is it really… that bad?"

"Yes."

Tears slid down my cheeks, driven by a sense of loss.

Not wanting them to see my tears, I quickly bowed my head, forcing myself to hold back my sobs.

At that moment, someone whispered beside me.

So pathetic.

—You're useless, aren't you?

—Why bother trying to do anything?

—Look what happened because you tried.

—Is it that hard to just stay still like I told you?

—You should just stick to clinging to Athena for attention—

"Go away!!!"

When I screamed into the air, everyone around me began to look at me.

"Miss! Are you alright?"

"Haah… haah…"

All of them stared at me, their faces stretched with unsettlingly wide smiles.

I don't clearly remember what happened after that.

I just kept running.

I ran aimlessly until I reached my room.

Once there, as I clung to my fading consciousness and approached the bed,

"Huff… huff…"

My vision went dark in an instant.

I collapsed onto the bed just like that.

***

"Hm… quite late."

Looking at the time, it was 7 PM.

Dinner time had slightly passed.

I was tapping my fingers on the desk, waiting.

A meal cooked by Hera.

Even if it didn't taste good, the food would be more precious than anything else.

It was the first time I'd ever looked forward to a meal this much.

I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined her cooking for me.

Waking up in the morning to the fragrant smell wafting in the air.

Following the scent, I would see my lovely slave.

Wearing an apron, humming a tune while cooking.

When I approached her, she'd smile brightly and embrace me…

"Ah. Here I go again."

A faint, damp feeling began to emerge as my lower abdomen whined.

"Tch. This isn't heat or anything."

But once it started, I couldn't stop. Deciding to hold back, I used magic to dispel the sticky liquid from myself.

Hera would be here soon anyway. There was no time to waste on such things.

Knock-knock.

She was here.

Suppressing the smile threatening to burst from my face, I greeted her.

"Come in, Hera—"

"It's me, my lord."

But contrary to my expectations, it wasn't her who entered, but Bordin.

"What…?"

Feeling deflated for no reason, I exuded an icy aura toward him.

If he had come for something trivial, I decided I'd have to punish him.

But he looked somewhat troubled.

And then, what he said to me was:

"…The lady has said she won't be having dinner tonight."

"…What?"

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck from a clear sky.