Dina recoiled in horror. As a matter of fact, this morning, he came for a training session with lady, his eyes red, his cheeks sunken, his clothes in disarray, and his hair worn out: the spitting image a raving psychotic, an escapee from a mental inst.i.tution. Could the reason be...

Despair darted in the girl's eyes, the world vaguely reeled - what... dirt, what an abomination! If the old man did with her things just what she thought... Oh, her honor, her dignity!

«It can't be him… He's stolen…» - the girl's eyes were wet with a storm of feelings. She'd always been strong, iron-willed one and all of a sudden she could hardly stand her ground. She turned around and slowly "went with the flow" into the mansion, tears blurred her eyes but she kept them directed forward; her entire appearance expressed a desire to kill with particular cruelty.

{It serves you right, b.i.t.c.h.} – Kyon spat after her, picked up the sausage soiled with dirt and started his meal, tearing off bite by bite and swallowing without chewing. There it was - the taste of heavenly life! Ah yes, Marina, nevertheless helped him out, not at once but still. He had to fight for his food, of course, but it was totally worth it.

After he'd satisfied his hunger, Kyon began to practice. Dinah was no longer an issue or so it seemed; now the need to develop the baseline of pure force comes to the fore. He still had a chance to survive! In addition, he found an ally under the code name "Marina" in the mansion. Everything was getting better, it had to get better.

Until very late at night, Kyon was completely alone. What a nice feeling of being left alone. One couldn't ask for more... Just a full stomach and some solitude. The quiet peaceful practice of the baseline of pure force. He might soon decipher the neural connections and immediately become invulnerable to the beating of the demoness.

The sausage was rich in fats and proteins. Kyon saw through Synergy his body getting rid of serious injuries. The numbness had pa.s.sed, only dull pain and a couple of injuries of moderate severity were left.

He was sure that by morning he would be able to heal from the beatings of Juno. There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Maybe someday he'd be able to take revenge on Dinah and Juno, give thanks to Marina and Anna, and also Martha from the mine... But all that had to wait. Now the main thing was to learn the d.a.m.n baseline of pure force.

Kyon took a deep breath. He had excessive thirst. And need to take a bath. Fortunately, that time he was not locked. His memory helpfully planted the picture of a fancy gate leading to the hot springs. He had no intention to risk his life getting into the mansion to quench his thirst. The spring was a more reliable option. Besides, who was going there at such a late hour even for a couple of minutes, which were all he needed? As far as he knew the mansion, no one went to the park after 11 pm. The maids were asleep, as well as Lady Juno, and he had never seen a patrol security guard.

Carefully sneaking in the night, the guy proceeded to the long-awaited water spring. He diligently peered into the darkness through the gap in the gate - although it was long past midnight a bit caution was never superfluous.

A minute of observation later, he penetrated inside with no fear, hastily threw off his dirty clothes and plunged naked into the hot, very relaxing water of the spring. He hadn't yet experienced such bliss in that world

However, he couldn't afford to enjoy life for too long: no more than a minute of his joy had pa.s.sed, as the water splashed out, and Juno herself emerged from the bottom of the spring.

The time seemed to stop.

The poetry in motion appeared before Kyon in clouds of steam: the milky-white delicate skin seemed to glow in the dark, a slender flexible waist, a thin graceful neck, small neat mounds partially hidden by sticky wet curls... It was as if the G.o.ddess of beauty and youth herself had descended from heaven in order to splash in the hot spring. The unopened bud, the most beautiful flower ever seen in the sublunary sphere, the idea of the most daring men's fantasies... Jean's perversion no longer seemed so abnormal. No one could resist the charm of that angel, albeit a fallen one.

In one second, a whole hurricane of thoughts had pa.s.sed through Kyon's head. He plunged gently and silently underwater, praying to G.o.d, that Juno would not notice him.

In his lungs, there might be enough oxygen for a few minutes... But he had to escape as soon as possible. His heart was pounding against the chest like mad, striving to jump out. The guy was even afraid that Juno could hear its rumble in the silence of the smooth water.

What a terrible set of circ.u.mstances. Why was she not sleeping at that late hour? Why was she the whole minute under the water? d.a.m.nit!

The girl demonstrated her charms to the surrounding night only for a short time and soon dived back. She enjoyed taking the night bath in the hot spring when her skin was caressed by warm water and moonlight, it seemed that she became one with the universe itself, the line between the earth and the sky was erased, there was only she, the night, and the stars, the stars everywhere... She was alone in the whole world.

Kyon seized the moment, quickly and quietly got out of the water, grabbed his clothes and showed a clean pair of heels, running off at full speed.

However, Juno could sense some strange vibration; she opened her eyes under the water and noticed with a side sight a figure getting out of the spring! Instantly, she emerged and managed to seek out someone's bare a.s.s rus.h.i.+ng off.

A second of stupor, her temples pounding from boiling rage: it was that slave! Still alive!

«I order to freeze immediately!» - the girl growled as quietly as possible: truth be told, she didn't want to draw the attention of the highest maid or guard to such a piquant situation, there was n.o.body else in the mansion.

Kyon paused, turned around and saw a virgin-naked miracle s.h.i.+ning in droplets of water. So pure, innocent, beautiful and at the same time cruel and bloodthirsty.

Juno walked slowly out of the water with a regal gait. Inside her, the anger was seething, but on the outside, she was calm and nonchalant. The hungry look of the future dead guy did not embarra.s.s her at all.

The girl slowly put on her white panties, wrapped her elegant, slim body in a towel and went to the slave with bad intentions.

The guy remembered the time when she herself collapsed on him, then him made guilty and forced to knock out his own teeth. Now he was looking at her naked body, which was at least a hundred times worse. What were his chances of surviving? Insignificant... She was going to kill him!

His mind worked at 120%, Kyon didn't have that many options that gave him a minimal hope of survival. The options like fighting back won't fly: even if he somehow succeeded in overcoming her, then what's next? It would be the end of him. She'd click on the formation and they'd come after him, and to kill her, would be even worse. Much more pleasant, but worse.

To prove her his value was also completely stupid and meaningless.

His last option was to give that selfish, malicious, vile s.a.d.i.s.t what her nature wanted. The case with Jean, when the girl humiliated her own master, was particularly revealing - she wanted to see people suffer. And not only physically, but morally, as well. Following that reasoning, there was a minimal, almost illusory chance of surviving if only he took advantage of that.

If the guy convinced the demoness that his existence might bring her benefit, that is, a pleasure, then the trick could work. In case she wanted him to suffer for many days.

He didn't want to die, he needed to grasp at any hope, so Kyon meekly raised his open palms (in an unarmed gesture) and started to bow, he babbled in a trembling voice:

«Madam your highness, your humble servant was completely out of luck to be present at the hot spring at the same time as you. Please do not bear a grudge against the stupid loser. I did a terrible thing, but please save my life! I will do everything to earn your forgiveness... I am sure that sooner or later you will be able to forgive me, just give me a chance! Please…» - Kyon was ready to make pretend as much as it was needed. It was going to take him only a couple of days to master the pure force and then he'd have more chances for salvation. If, of course, she fell for his trick.

All the thirst for blood in Juno's beautiful brilliant eyes was followed by a stupor. She opened her mouth but could not say a thing. She did not expect words from that slave... Especially words like those. His posture was so humble as if he was ready to accept any of her decisions. To live or to die. Was he hoping for forgiveness?

After a moment's pause, Juno spoke in an angelic voice:

«Lousy slave, you have soiled with your filthy eyes my beautiful body, you deserve hundreds of executions and countless years of torture. However, I am not the kind of a lady who deprives her subordinates of a chance of forgiveness...» - Kyon looked up, full of hope. Did his words really work?! - «That's why I'll let you redeem your guilt during next week.» - Juno finished with a n.o.ble, regal look.

For the first time in his life, the guy had experienced such a relief. Though, it was hard to tell by the girl what she was hiding behind her words it was more than obvious that she was getting back at him. The d.a.m.n s.a.d.i.s.t was going to thrill beating him up! The young miss wasn't that terrible, after all, since she still gave him hope!

At the meantime, he'd definitely come up with something, he'd surely have a lot of opportunities! Kyon was enjoying the h.e.l.l out of that. He still had a chance to get out of that h.e.l.l.

Juno saw the expression of relief and even happiness on the slave's face, smiled warmly, and right then she took a long stick out of nowhere and whacked it right onto his head.

The impact of her blow was lessened as Kyon managed to block it with his hand, still, he could hear his bones crack. He struggled to stay on his feet, shocked by her sudden attack.

Juno giggled enchantingly, her eyes squinting, her thin eyebrows arched. - «A stupid creature is so easy to fool... Did you really believe that you can stay alive after what you've seen? Slave, today you will die a horrible death, face it.» - Her voice was gentle and tender.

«You… You're a cruel, loathsome b.i.t.c.h…» - for the first time in his life, Kyon experienced such a distinct hatred for a living being. One look at her sent s.h.i.+vers down his spine, his heart was drumming in his chest so hard it ached, and his hands kept clenching into fists. Her charming appearance completely contradicted her inner world. He wanted to snap her neck at any cost!

Juno had shattered his expectations. He thought that that the remote probability was already in his hands but the girl only deceived him to see his rise and fall. How mean of her.

She noticed the whole range of emotions on the guy's face and could hardly restrain herself - she wanted to whoop and holler. She'd never been so thrilled in her heart. It was a heavenly delight to contemplate the despair of the sc.u.m. It was time to finish... She defiantly rushed to the attack with a stick.

«Ugly b.i.t.c.h, you'll die with me!» - Kyon snarled and violently grabbed the stick in flight, trying to pull it out but a powerful blow struck him sending pain to his whole body. Everything went dark and when it cleared he missed the fatal blow to his thigh and lost his balance.

«Die, you fool.» - The girl said with a laugh and proceeded to murder.

The gun shoved the guy on his head, Kyon desperately protected himself with his hands. The bones crumbled into dust under the fierce blows, a h.e.l.lish pain eclipsed the mind with a bright flash... Blissful darkness fell in.

Juno mercilessly belabored the guy on all sides - his stomach, ribs, legs, back... She was incredibly pleased to break off the life of a nothing like him on a warm note. He dared to tarnish her beautiful body with his eyes but his death will make her crystal clear.

She didn't like the guy from the start. He stared at her brazenly at their first meeting then for some reason, he did not scream in pain, did not yell in front of her when she kicked him with her feet. Something was broken in him: he refused to die, well, that was something she was going to fix.

The beating with the stick lasted for five minutes, she beat him to the pulp. His groaning never stopped and breathing was hoa.r.s.e. Amazingly, he still showed signs of life. But she took her time.

The girl grabbed the stick more comfortably and began to chop with the slave's chest, like a woodp.e.c.k.e.r, as if trying to make a hole. b.u.mp, b.u.mp, b.u.mp... The ribs broke through, the sternum turned into a total mash of meat and small fragments, the lungs gurgled suspiciously... The wood was soaked through with the blood. The guy was no longer breathing.

His body went limp, his hands and feet spread unnaturally over the crimson earth like a broken rag doll, mutilated and thrown away by a cruel child.

Only then did Juno stop. Her chest heaving, a fever and a sensation of ecstasy, something at the level of filthy l.u.s.t was boiling inside her body. She had just deprived the boy of his life as if he were a miserable insect crawling onto the toe of her shoes. He lived like no one and died like no one. In the morning he'd be thrown into a cesspool without any questions and she'd never remember about him anymore, she'd never allow any thoughts creep into her pretty head about the boy who dared to look at her so shamelessly.

When she felt the long-awaited satisfaction, she hid the stick, returned to the spring to wash off the sweat and splashes of dirty stinky blood, carelessly wiped herself with a towel, and whistling merrily, hopped into the mansion. It was time to go to bed, great things were still to come. The path of becoming strong is always th.o.r.n.y and difficult, but her goal — to bring her hated sister down — was worth all the effort.

The moon looked with a pity on the pile of meat and bones that was once a living person. The cold cadent light illuminated the twisted limbs, the broken head, the chest covered with the deep dents… No matter who he was, even a three-time former emperor, he still got into a situation where he had no control over the situation and now he was just a handful of half-dead meat.

{I did everything possible to survive in this d.a.m.ned mansion... And I am still going to die?} - his voice sounded in the depths of consciousness. - {No way!}

Suddenly, the heap startled, shuddered in convulsions, blood spurted out of the lungs - a convulsive sigh caused the body to explode from the burning and piercing every cell pain.