A Mother's Pain

"Levi's building an empire, huh? Tch. Well, it's not like that's unprecedented. She's been wanting that since before her ass was born." Sae laid on the grass, eyes closed with Rei's head on his stomach.

The young mistress sat on a rock near the lake, watching the water sparkle. The cool breeze was refreshing, but even from this far, they could hear the screams from a dying village.

Sae still hadn't seen Levi, and no news about Aziel was given to him even when he himself asked. Whatever was happening without him knowing, Sae had to trust that things would be okay for the time being. Even so, that did not mean that he would place his life and future in the hands of two very suspicious and strange women.

He was on guard, but remained calm like his usual self.

"I still don't really get why the hell you wanted a slave. I don't get why that slave is me, and why you aren't like every other mistress."

"This again? How persistent...would you prefer it if I were like every other mistress? Treat you as the slave that you are, instead of the freedom I kindly give you?"

Sae laughed, "It's not what I prefer. It's what I've been waiting all that time for. I didn't run, or struggle when I was forced to live a new life. I was patient and never let myself think that my life became unfair, cause it wasn't. It was fair, it was what it was."

The young mistress listened carefully to those words. Such a confession couldn't be blocked. No one could take that kind of purity and twist it into something disgusting. It was simply what Sae truly felt. But that kind of maturity, to say that such a cruel fate was fair...

"You say that your life was fair, but how can you truly say that without any heartbreak? If I were to treat you like a real mistress and her slave would you still think your life was fair?"

The young mistress's tone sounded like she was skeptical. Sae petted Rei, breathing steadily.

"I don't know." the young mistress chuckled softly, pleased with his vague but truthful answer.

The words "I don't know" have a different meaning and sense of appeal depending on the situation. But hearing Sae use those same words just now, the young mistress couldn't be happier with his answer. If he hadn't said anything, she would be skeptical and possibly banish him off to Country X again. If he had been all too specific and said "yes", that would've been even more troublesome. Someone too stupid to only stick to what is accepted by people who are used to offensive and unfair customs is someone who will never be able to go very far in life. In Sae's case, him being too accepting to his life and rank as a slave would mean he would never be free. He would never be able to evolve into a stronger, smarter man.

"You know, I taught Aziel something that I'd learned myself a long time ago. That when the light shines over you, that's when darkness fades. These past few weeks, I've started to wonder how much longer I'll continue to believe that." Sae sat up, looking at the young mistress facing the lake.

"Adelpha believed that too, same as your father." there was an unexpected nostalgic feeling from her. Sae got to his feet to walk up to her as she spoke in a quiet voice.

"She'd often be reading her book, always wanting to buy more. She'd hum a unique tune everywhere she went. She spoke those words to everyone she's meet, which is why so many loved and admired her bright hope and kind smile." she paused.

"Never did I think she'd break by the actions of her own son."

The young mistress turned to look up at Sae's face which remained blank and unfazed. Did the mention of his parents, specifically his mother, no longer hurt him? Did he learn to let go so quickly?

Sae took a while before he finally spoke, but when he did, his voice was filled with guilt.

"I didn't know that I could hurt them that way. I just thought they'd understand that I wanted to help."

"I already knew you were selfish, but I didn't think you were this extreme." the young mistress stood and out her hands on the sides of Sae's face.

"You have no right to take all that responsibility. You have no right to take yourself away from your parents."

Before either of them could take another breath, Sae pulled her into his warm embrace. From the ways he spoke, it was as if she knew the pain Sae had brought his mother, and that was too much.

Never did he imagine he'd hear her cry. Ever so softly, he could hear her sniffle as she buried her head in his shoulder, gripping the back of his shirt tightly. To see her in such a vulnerable state bewildered Sae. She was acting as if she was the woman young Sae had hurt so much.