What a laughable woman.

To say she hadn’t eaten because she had no money. Who in their right mind would demand payment from a captive for food? At the very least, wouldn’t it make more sense for her to ask when her meal would be served?

Hatan found her absurd way of thinking so ridiculous that he felt no need to even ask why she thought that way.

“Lisha.”

At the sound of his voice, the woman lifted her head and looked straight at him. Relaxing the stiffness of his mouth, Hatan spoke.

“From now on, eat your meals on time.”

“……”

Blinking blankly, she parted her small lips and asked, “Me?”

At her dazed question, another dry chuckle slipped from Hatan. Who else in this room would he be speaking to, if not her?

“Lisha…”

The woman repeated the name he had called her, murmuring it softly as she gazed into the distance.

Wasn’t that her name? He paused to consider it, but when no memory surfaced, he dismissed the idea without regret.

“Lisha. From this moment, you’re Lisha.”

It didn’t matter what her name had been before. If it wasn’t Lisha, then now it would be. She would be reborn as his, and her old name held no importance.

“Lisha…”

Like a child learning her first word, she repeated it several times, foolishly, then finally nodded as if pleased with it.

“Lisha. You don’t have to pay money to eat.”

“Why not?”

Just as her question left her lips, the food arrived. At Hatan’s command to enter, maids came in carrying a large tray laden with dishes.

“Wow…”

To Hatan, it was a modest spread—simple in portion and variety. But to Lisha, it was a feast unlike anything she had ever seen or tasted.

The sight alone seemed to dizzy her; rubbing her eyes, she looked again and again at the array before her.

Hatan spoke to her as she sat staring vacantly at the food.

“Eat.”

“…Pardon?”

“Is questioning me your habit?”

“No…”

“Then stop asking and eat before it gets cold.”

To Lisha, the kindness in his words felt strange. She had never known the warmth of another person, not even in her earliest years, and so her hands hesitated to touch the food.

“Am I really allowed to eat this?”

“Yes.”

“Truly?”

“If you won’t, I’ll have it taken away.”

Lisha snatched up a piece of bread at his firm tone, afraid he might change his mind.

Giving him one last wary glance, she saw only the same unspoken command for her to eat. Abandoning all further hesitation, she began stuffing food into her mouth.

Watching her devour it, Hatan clicked his tongue, poured water into a cup and placed it in front of her. However, Lisha merely placed the cup back on the table without slowing down.

“Eat slowly.”

She gave a vague nod, but continued to cram food into her mouth with abandon. Then, suddenly, her hands stopped moving. Forgetting the bread and meat in her grasp, she lifted her eyes to him.

“Aren’t… you going to eat?”

Hatan let out a short laugh. She had eaten so much before she thought to ask.

“Don’t mind me. Just eat.”

But Lisha set the bread down entirely. Only when her stomach was half-filled did her reason finally return.

“Eat with me.”

Even if I’ve already eaten half. That was what her gaze seemed to say as it lingered on him.

An herbivore, foolishly worrying over a predator. A deeper laugh spilled from Hatan’s lips.

“I said no.”

“……”

Yet even at his refusal, Lisha did not resume eating.

“You want me to eat with you?”

“Yes.”

The question slipped easily from his lips — something the old Hatan would never have bothered to ask.

“Why?”

He wondered why he was sitting there so calmly, talking to this woman. Moreover, he noticed with faint surprise that he was completely focused on her without realizing it.

His gaze swept over her from head to toe as he reflected on this oddity.

When had he last held such a conversation with anyone outside of Has?

“Must there always be a reason?”

At Lisha’s reply, it was Hatan who found himself at a loss. If she claimed there was no reason, pressing further felt meaningless. So instead, he simply picked up a small piece of bread.

“I’ll eat. So you eat too.”

Pleased by his response, Lisha nodded and continued eating. This time, at least, she ate more slowly.

“How did you know my name?”

“I heard Lord Caro call you.”

At that, Hatan fixed her with a steady stare.

“And Caro’s name?”

“I heard you call him.”

“Any others? Do you remember the names of those who left earlier?”

“Lord Miltan, and Lord Kan, whom you just called.”

Catching their names in a passing conversation and remembering both their faces and their names was a promising start.

Perhaps she would be far more useful than he had thought. Hatan’s lips curved faintly in satisfaction.

While he considered her potential, Lisha returned to her food. For a time, the only sounds in the room were the clinking of plates and cutlery.

Then, gradually, her pace slowed. The furtive glances she had cast at him between bites disappeared, too.

“……”

How much time passed, he could not say. But then, something strange occurred.

Lisha’s head began to bob, as though about to nod off.

“?”

At first, Hatan didn’t grasp what he was seeing. Soon enough, however, he realized—she was dozing off in the middle of her meal.

“…Hah.”

How could a person possibly fall asleep while eating? If she were sleepy, she could lie down. If she were hungry, she could sit and eat. Why cling so stubbornly to both, nodding off as she chewed?

For Hatan, hunger forced by circumstance and sleep that could not be resisted were memories buried so far in the past that he could not understand the woman before him.

“Lisha.”

He finally shook her thin shoulder, waking her with a quiet sigh. Lifting drowsy eyes, she looked up at him.

“If you’re sleepy, sleep.”

“But the food…”

“Are you still hungry?”

“…No, not exactly.”

Her voice wavered, shifting between formal and casual speech, thread-thin with exhaustion.

“……”

She was truly strange. Without doubt, of every woman he had ever met—no, of every person he had ever encountered—she was the strangest.

The fact that she could doze so carelessly before him was absurd. Even the Emperor himself never let his guard fall in Hatan’s presence. And yet this fragile creature, who looked as though she would shatter at the slightest touch…

How was he supposed to describe such a ridiculous feeling?

“Go sleep.”

Despite his firm coaxing, Lisha shook her head. She was determined to finish every last bite before she got up. Whether she would be able to finish it all while nodding off like this was doubtful.

Hatan took the plate away and cleared away the remaining food.

“You can eat it tomorrow.”

“…Tomorrow… will I be able to eat like this again?”

Her voice was suddenly clear, as though she had grasped a moment of lucidity. Anyone who knew Hatan would have frozen at such a question—yet here he was, laughter spilling from his lips as though against his will.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Her heavy eyelids struggled to stay open as she met his gaze. It was uncertain whether she would remember this exchange the next morning, but Hatan still answered her evenly.

“Because I said so.”

“Then… why… did you say so…?”

“Does my command require a reason?”

“…No, it’s just… I haven’t done anything to deserve it. Why give me food this good… a place to sleep… clothes to wear…”

Her words, little more than a drowsy mumble, made sense of her behavior at last. She didn’t truly understand her own position.

Only then did a certain ease come over Hatan. He leaned back against the chair, letting his gaze lock with hers.

“Lisha.”

“Yes…”

She nodded, forcing herself to keep his eyes.

“From this moment, you belong to me.”

“……”

“You are not a servant groveling beneath the lowest of the low. You move only under my command. You are my subordinate.”

For once, Lisha did not answer with “Why?” or “I don’t know.”

If she were capable of ordinary thought, she might have asked, “Why am I yours, Lord Hatan?”

But such questions held no meaning for her.

For her, what mattered now was simple: a safe place to rest her weary body and a life free from the fear of hunger. If those things were guaranteed, nothing else truly concerned her.

“From now on, you will move by my words and act by my words. Which means—you don’t need to pay me to eat.”

“Ah.”

Lisha nodded without protest, as though the life contained in his words suited her well enough.

“If you understand, then go sleep. Finish the rest tomorrow.”

“Yes…”

Her voice trailed off, stretched thin with drowsiness she could no longer resist, as she rose unsteadily to her feet. Hatan watched her sluggish movements for a moment before turning his head.

“Where are you going?”

“To my room.”

“Why?”

“You told me to go sleep.”

Hatan glanced at the large bed. The moment her head touched the pillow, she would surely fall asleep. So why drag her exhausted body off to another room?

“Sleep here.”

“…What?”

“Just sleep here.”

“……”

When Lisha hesitated, looking reluctant, Hatan rose to his feet.

“It’s the same as I told you before. Sleep here.”

It was meant to ease her burden. By now, he was accustomed to her slow, hesitant responses, and he pressed his lips into a firm line as he waited.

“…Yes.”

Awkwardly, Lisha nodded and moved toward the bed. She glanced at him sidelong, as though trying to see if he intended to stay.

“I’ll return in a few days. Make sure you eat properly.”

As if he had no thought of disturbing her sleep, Hatan left the room with only that simple command.

✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦ ✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦❘༻༺❘✦ ✦❘

Though it seemed she would fall asleep at once, Lisha blinked and stared for a moment at the door he had passed through.

“…Strange.”

From beginning to end, everything about her encounter with Hatan had been strange.

There was a warm bath, soft clothes, and a dazzling array of food unlike anything she had ever seen before. Everything was unfamiliar.

Here, there was none of the musty damp that had always tormented her sensitive nose. Instead, the air was filled with the scents of flowers and musk.

But she was too tired to dwell on each thing individually. She decided to leave it all for later. For now, it was time to close her heavy eyelids.