"If it has undesirable effects, then it is a bad thing, my dear!" Rhea returned to the living room while holding a tray of our dinner. She smiled at me and said, "But you don't have to act like someone you're not, am I right?"
As much as I'd like to see things in a positive light, the sudden appearance of that demon whispering in my head could be one of its undesirable effects. Should I start recording my daily primordial life in a diary to observe myself?
"I hope my cooking puts your mind and heart at ease, Lord Dylan," Rhea added. "I'd opt for cooking chicken for dinner, but looking at flayed birds makes me nauseous!"
"That's understandable. Take care of your health at all times," I said, scanning her body from head to hips to legs . . . then to her heavy breasts. Damn . . . they look perfect in her tight red dress. "I'm glad that you look better and prettier now. Are they completely healed?"
"Oh? My breasts are completely healed! It's all thanks to Cordelia's healing magic." Rhea giggled, but that didn't sound so innocent to me. She bent down and flaunted her cleavage. Damn! "Would you like to fondle them after dinner?"
Dad snickered and poked my side. I gulped down my saliva and hugged a cushion to my lap. Then I secretly held his finger and bent it backwards. He withdrew his finger and screamed in silence.
I ignored my annoying dad and said, "I'm not against that but . . ."
"I can visit your room tonight and strip naked for you." Rhea gave me a flirtatious wink. Shit. My dick got excited, so I kept the cushion on my lap. "You can examine and touch every part of me as long as you'd like! I'll volunteer as your round two—"
"Ahem!" Cordelia coughed out loud. "Dinner is getting cold, Rhea." She glared at her, softly. "You will have your turn when Lord Dylan is ready. He is still adjusting in that department."
The strictness in her voice made me laugh, and she used my 'department' line. How cute.
"Oh! I'm sorry, my dear! I got carried away." Rhea smiled, innocently, as if she did nothing wrong. "Let's change the topic, shall we? Okay! Here's my rice specialty: Seafood Fried Rice!"
My mouth began watering when Rhea served our meal on the coffee table: four bowls of fried rice topped with green onions, peas, carrots, sweet corn, prawns, and scallops in shells. The sweet and fried aroma tickled my nose so I snatched my bowl and took a spoonful of fried rice. The first bite was heaven.
"Wow. This is so good!" The saucy flavors were melting on my tongue that I craved more.
"Mm-hm! It is truly a scrumptious dish!" Dad nodded in agreement.
"You must teach me the recipe for this, Rhea!" Cordelia hummed a happy tune as she chewed on a buttery scallop.
"I'm glad that you all love it!" Rhea looked proud of her cooking skills. "Just slow down or you might choke on your food," she said, humming as she went back to the kitchen. She fetched four drinking glasses and a pitch of water, putting them all on a tray.
"Rhea is a nice addition to your household, don't you think so?" Dad asked me as he took another bite of his fried rice. "Should I deposit another million in your bank account? Ravens are quite expensive to own."
A million? I absorbed that information like a sponge before swallowing my food. "Wait a minute. Rhea's going to be my slave?"
"Oh, dear. Don't you want me at all, Lord Dylan?" Rhea distributed our glasses of water one by one with a frown on her face, but I couldn't quite tell if she was offended. She showed nothing but playfulness all the time. "How could you? I went out of my way to register myself as a legal slave, and now you're breaking my heart!"
Register? Did she include that in her errand a while ago?
"I . . . didn't mean it that way," I said, calmly. "I just didn't expect that I'd own another slave so soon and . . . you seem to be fine with living with us. Don't you have a life outside?"
"Oh? I have a good explanation for that." Rhea smiled and sat comfortably beside Cordelia. "When you stole me from the Ripper Dragon, I made up my mind to follow and serve you as my master. Ravens are very loyal once they set their eyes on someone they can trust with their lives. Seeing you protect me with that sexy angry look on your handsome face, I instantly fell in love and felt that I can trust you with my heart and curvy body!"
I nodded in understanding and tried not to make any comments on her . . . overconfidence and attraction towards me.
"Even if I try to reject the idea of serving you," Rhea continued, now picking up her chopsticks and bowl of fried rice. "I can't escape my instinct as a raven. I'll always come flying back to you. Therefore, I've fully decided to move out of my shabby apartment, leave the brothel and that frigid kingdom to start fresh." She smiled with satisfaction. "I haven't met a good-natured primordial so I truly believe that living with you and Cordelia will be so much fun!" and she ate her food.
As I got to know more about Rhea, I'd been having that feeling of familiarity towards her race and playful personality. It felt like I had read her whole character in an article before. But which memory was it? Was it about birds?
Birds . . .
Ah. I was searching for a specific bird for my stage performance. Before setting my eyes on a phoenix, I stumbled across a crow documentary. There was a little girl who routinely fed a murder of crows with tiny portions of bread. She did that every morning while she waited for the school bus. In exchange for her kindness, they often gifted her with shiny trinkets the next day, just lying around in their front yard. It was cool and . . .
Wait a minute. Shiny trinkets?
I glanced down at my bowl and looked at the scallop shells. I must be imagining things, but the shells were shiny and the pink and orange patterns looked pretty.
Suddenly, my brain connected the dots to Rhea's stealing incident. Prince Victor accused her of stealing gold, but did she?
"You might not want to talk about this anymore, but I'm curious," I told Rhea. "When you stole from Prince Victor . . . you weren't stealing, am I right? You must have seen a shiny object on him. Correct me if I'm wrong, but your race doesn't seem to stray too far from wild crows and ravens."
"Oh, dear. My lord is not only handsome but knowledgable!" Rhea placed her bowl down on her lap, and then she clapped her hands, soundlessly. "You're right. Races with animalistic features, like me, are closely related to wild animals. If you ever meet a rabbitfolk, expect high jumpers and fast runners. Easy to understand, right?"
I nodded. That explains her personality.
"As for my humiliating story," she said, giving it a second thought.
I frowned. "You don't need to tell us the whole story if it makes you uncomfortable."
Rhea shook her head. "I might as well say it and share a little bit of myself." A faint smile curled her lips, and we lent our ears. "My full name is Rhea Lin. I live in the snowy region of Rimeria and had lived in an orphanage for sixteen years."
Cordelia's eyebrows shot up. "Orphanage? Did your parents . . ."
"My parents were murdered." Rhea sighed, and the room fell silent. "The headmistress of the orphanage witnessed everything. She was up in the snowy mountains, searching for medicinal herbs when she heard a woman desperately crying for help. She went to investigate and hid behind a bush.
"Not long after, five cloaked figures surrounded my father and mother and they cornered them up against a tree. The leader pointed his sword at my father and sliced his throat open without a second thought. My frightened mother held me close to her chest and begged them to spare our lives but . . ." She gritted her teeth. "They stripped her naked and forced themselves in her, taking turns, before ending her life. They spared me, but I was left to die in the snow. That's when the headmistress went out of hiding. She picked me up and quickly ran back to the orphanage."
Cordelia shook her head in disbelief. "I have no words. Who could have done such a cruel thing to your parents? Do you not know anything? Not even a clue?"
"Even if we try to investigate the murder of my parents right now, they wouldn't open my case without proof. It happened thirty years ago."
Cordelia made a small gasp. "Thirty? You're thirty? You look so young and beautiful!"
Rhea smiled, though it was faint. "Thank you, Cordelia. That makes me happy."
I don't know why but when it to comes to tragic stories or touching moments, I well up in tears so easily. My eyes were stinging, but I didn't let tears form in my eyes. I focused on the main topic and asked: "How did you end up as a prostitute?"
"Oh, I was grabbing too much attention as I grew older." Rhea seemed to brighten up a little. "I left the orphanage at the age of eighteen and worked part-time jobs. At the age of twenty-one, I worked in a restaurant as a waitress, then I met the brothel owner's wife.
"I was serving her a hot meal when she complimented my looks and tried recruiting me. I initially refused, but then, she offered me a huge sum of money and told me, 'With your pretty looks and deadly curves, you will instantly become the top star and bring good fortune to the brothel! All you have to do is moan and turn your fantasies into reality!' And I did!" Rhea crossed her arms and held her nose high.
My dad and Cordelia clapped their hands to acknowledge her achievement, which effectively cheered her up.
Okay. It looks like she's completely back to normal. But I shouldn't ask her about how she ended up loving . . . sex. Now for the most important question . . .
I cleared my throat. "Where is this brothel located? Did Prince Victor . . . ask for your service?"
Rhea shook her head. "The brothel is in Rimeria and can be found in Hailsberg—the vast kingdom of the Aldrich Clan," she explained. "I was making my way through the bistro district of the capital when I passed by a popular outdoor coffee shop. I saw a gold pouch lying on the ground. Attached to it was a glimmering sapphire brooch.
"I admit that I was attracted to it, but it quickly crossed my mind that someone must have dropped it. So . . . I picked it up and admired the brooch for a minute, then I decided to surrender it to the Lost and Found."
"Prince Victor saw you holding the gold pouch and the misunderstanding started," I said, rubbing my forehead. My brain hurts. How distrustful is he?