Chapter 118 - A Piece of the Past

'D—Duchess of Arion!'

Aster frowned upon seeing Ramuja's extreme reaction. His frightened reaction reminded him of someone who just got sentenced to death. Ramuja was shaking, even his lips were trembling. He was holding tears that only welled in his eyes, but didn't fall to his cheek.

It looked like someone who went through horrible trauma.

"Ramuja? What happened to you?" Aster approached Ramuja. He reached Ramuja's head with his hand and Ramuja reacted wildly. He slapped Aster's hand hard.

"Ah!"

"NO, GO AWAY!" Ramuja screamed like a madman. He was still on the floor, but his expression was so bitter and scared that he didn't even recognize his master. His eyes were focused on Lady Merse who frowned slightly, but seemed nonchalant with his behavior.

Aster rubbed his hand who just got slapped by Ramuja. His skin was very thin, against Ramuja's force, it got bruised easily and some blood seeped out of his skin. However, what bothered him right now was the reaction of Ramuja. He had that frightened face, like a dog who got beaten by his master many times.

Aster followed Ramuja's line of sight and caught him staring at Lady Merse like seeing a monster. Aster didn't know what was in his servant's mind, but he decided to block Ramuja's line of sight and squatted in front of him.

He held Ramuja's shoulder gently, to which Ramuja still tried to struggle. But when he saw the golden circle in front of him, he instinctively hugged this figure in front of him and buried his face to this figure's stomach.

"I'm scared, I'm scared, please help me…" Ramuja begged. He found warmth and safety in this person's embrace. He trembled no more, he tightly hugged this person, as if he was scared that he would be left alone again.

Aster gently rubbed Ramuja's hair and said, "Relax, Ramuja. You are safe with me."

After few minutes, Ramuja seemed to have regained his consciousness and opened his eyes. He just realized that his face was in Young Lord's stomach and he had been breathing heavily, seemingly intoxicated with Young Lord's smell for a while.

Ramuja raised his head slowly and stared at his master. He was expecting Young Lord to be mad, but Young Lord's pupils turned golden for few moments before dissipated back to golden circle, he still retained his small smile though.

"P—Pardon this servant impertinence, Young Lord…" Ramuja begged softly. He was ashamed to have lost control in front of his master.

"I'm not sure what just happened to you, but it is fine," Aster replied.

"Aster, who is he?" Lady Merse who had become a spectator finally asked Aster. Aster stood up and replied, "This is my servant, Ramuja. He is here to assist me, but he seems to have… lost control."

Lady Merse frowned dissatisfiedly, "If a servant is unable to control himself, you are supposed to replace him. A useless servant is a dead servant, remember that wise word?"

Aster knew that was the common rule in Golden Camellia. Because the disparity between the aristocrats and serfs or slaves was huge, a slave could die under his master's hand and no one batted an eye. There was even a carnage of slave as an entertainment for nobles, where the slaves would need to fight to death so his master could win the bet.

However, Aster was disturbed with such remark against Ramuja, thus he rebuked, "This servant is my favorite servant, I bought it myself and I trained him. Begging for Aunt Merse's forgiveness if he is unpleasant to your eyes."

Realizing that Aster was dissatisfied, Lady Merse retracted her words back, "Oh, Aster, I was hasty to make such remark. You are a kind person to have pity to a servant."

"Thanking Aunt Merse's compliment, but Aunt Merse is also a kind person to me."

"Oh, I am, only to you though…" Lady Merse replied. She saw Aster as a gentle person who wouldn't hurt anyone before, now her impression doubled.

'Aster is such a sweetheart, he even pities a worthless servant. Maybe he is the one that would…' Lady Merse pondered in her heart.

"Aunt Merse?"

"Ah, yes? Well, I'm going back to my husband's room. Do you want to see him?" Lady Merse offered.

"What a coincidence, I still have to check the top floor. And I never see General Wirgard Thana, they said he is a big and strong general!" Aster said excitedly. General Wirgard was a military hero back in the days, he was the one who subdued naval attack from Great Kingdom Arctyr before finally a peace treaty was signed.

Aster only read about his heroic deeds in the book. Since General Wirgard appeared in non-military conference and party, he also didn't have children. So he was particularly unreachable to everyone except royal family.

Aster followed Lady Merse to one room at the end of the corridor in top floor. She opened the door and went inside first, Aster followed her behind, but his step halted and he turned his head.

Ramuja froze. His expression was still terrified, although he seemed to be calmer than before. "Are you okay?" Aster asked.

"Y—Yes, Young Lord, this servant will always stay beside you," Ramuja replied. Aster didn't understand the meaning of Ramuja's last sentence, but he entered the room anyway.

Aster was very familiar with this big room. Because he spent years here. However, Aster's eyes were focused to a man in his late fifties, but he still looked gallant. He had strands of white hairs and his eyes were closed tightly.

"He has been like this for few months now, we don't know his illness is, but he often went through series of nightmare and then fell into coma for weeks before he recovered. This has happened numerous times already," Lady Merse explained. She sat on a chair beside her husband and held his hand tightly.

"Aunt Merse seems to love General so much…" Aster said.

"I do," Lady Merse sighed, "But something happened and our relationship fractured. After that, my husband purchased a s.e.x slave, a young boy, and he played with that slave day and night. That young boy basically replaced me in bed."

"That's…" Aster was unsure how should he react. To hear the news that General Wirgard was a pedophile was too shocking.

"That young boy was a southeasterner? He has brown skin and handsome feature for a s.e.x slave…" Lady Merse glanced at Ramuja who got tense immediately and said, "Well, that young boy was similar to your servant, but he was very skinny. He is dead now, though."

"You executed him?" Aster asked curiously.

"Yes, he is too much of a nuisance to me and my husband. I had him tortured and executed," Lady Merse said nonchalantly.

"I see, that is good," Aster added, he was also nonchalant about this, "S.e.x slave is the lowest slave one could have. But their presence could destroy many relationsh.i.p.s…"

Lady Merse's gaze brightened. She was happy that Aster supported him, unlike his husband who kept wailing about that young boy, "You understand me so much, Aster. I'm just trying to save my marriage."

"Yes, Aunt Merse, I understand."

Aster glanced at Ramuja's hand who still tightly clenched the hem of his shirt. Ramuja still looked tense and trembled slightly. Which made Aster suspicious in his heart.

"… little deer… little deer… little deer…" a husky voice broke the silence. General Wirgard was calling someone.

"Who is little deer?"

"Little deer is the name that my husband gave to that young boy," Lady Merse sighed, "He keeps calling that name."

"I'm sorry, Aunt Merse…"

"No, It's okay. Soon or later, my husband would forget that young s.l.u.t anyway. I don't know what did that boy said to my husband that made him almost crazy. You should be careful if someday a s.e.x slave entered your house, Aster," Lady Merse suggested.

"Yes, I will keep that in mind."

Again, Aster could feel that Ramuja trembled even more. Which made him almost self-confirmed his suspicion.

'I will keep that in mind…'