Chapter 25 – Never Marry a Torturer Maid
Nathan Evenhart:
Chloe was very nervous, holding the small ball of light and trembling. We were standing in front of a door.
"What do we do?" I asked her.
"We've been here for about 10 minutes and you're just staring at this door."
She looked at me, then wiped away a few tears.
"Sorry, it's just that this is the first time I'm leaving this place… it's a bit special for me."
"Alright, but can you let go of my hand? You're squeezing a bit too tight…" I said.
She glanced at my hand and quickly let go.
"I'm sorry, Nathan… I didn't mean to," she said, lowering her head.
I sighed.
"It's fine, just stop with the sad act. You're finally leaving this mansion and your reaction is to be sad? Let's celebrate."
I knocked on the door.
"You're right."
How do they know when to open it or not? And the lock is on the outside? If an intruder gets into the castle or something, they'll have easy access to this area since the lock is on that side.
Then I remembered Carnellian.
Maybe they want people to come in here so that thing can deal with them…
Technically, this place is an area within a massive castle guarded by soldiers and crazy assassins, so having the lock on the outside is the least of their worries.
"Who is it?" asked a voice on the other side.
"Nathan Evenhart and Chloe Evenhart," I replied.
"Oh! Pardon!" said the voice from the other side as the door began to open.
The girl next to me took a deep breath.
"Can I hold your hand? I'm nervous…" she said, turning her face away.
"As long as you don't crush my fingers…" I said, extending my hand.
The door opened and two guards were on the other side.
"Sir and ma'am! Sorry for the delay, we'll take you both to the throne room. The dinner is happening there," said the soldier, motioning for us to follow.
We walked down the castle corridor. I had walked here the first time I entered this place, but I won't lie; having that sense of freedom again was comforting. I looked at my prison companion and saw her eyes wide open, looking at everything.
"I've never even been to the throne room; if I have, it was when I was a baby, so I don't remember," she said.
You're five years old, so to me, you're still a baby.
"I only went once, and it was when I arrived."
"Really? What's it like? Is it impressive?" she asked.
"I found it impressive, but I have to admit I was a bit nervous about other things."
"Nervous about what?" she asked.
"Nervous about meeting the family…" I answered.
"I was nervous too, but I saw that you guys are nice."
I thought you guys were nice too.
We continued walking.
"Really? You found that throne impressive? You've got to be FUCKING KIDDING ME, Icarus! Do you remember what my throne room looked like?" Athena said, walking beside me.
I glanced at the Goddess who was following me.
She's just a kid. What do you want me to say? That it doesn't compare to Olympus or your empire? I was genuinely impressed, I was nervous at the time. I suspect I'm influenced by the biology of this body, so it amazed me.
"That upset me. I created my throne with such care and the blood of fallen warriors, and now I'm deeply hurt. Do you remember how it looked? You led the armies that allowed me to build it, making it worthy of a great Empress."
FUCK YOU, ATHENA!
I quickly closed my eyes and focused, letting the anger wash away.
"Now you're the one squeezing my hand," Chloe said, laughing.
"Sorry... I got a bit nervous too," I told her.
I looked around and confirmed that the Psychopath Goddess had disappeared.
I must have done a lot of shit in another life for this to haunt me. Oops! I actually did do a lot of shit in another life... not a funny joke.
The soldier accompanied us to the door and stopped.
"You may enter," he said, opening it.
"Thanks for letting me hold your hand..." she whispered in my ear before letting go.
The door opened and we walked in. The place was lively, filled with people talking and drinking. The throne room was decorated, and a long table was laden with food.
"Children, finally you're here!" my mother appeared and pulled us close.
"Aunt Katie, you're squeezing me a bit..." my cousin said.
"I'm just happy this confusion is coming to an end."
I felt a pat on my shoulder.
"If it isn't the stars of the show!" Hugo said. "I want to officially introduce you. This is my wife Martha and my two daughters Natty and Catty."
What? That bastard married the prettiest maid here! Damn...
"Pleasure to see you again, young master," Martha greeted me.
"Nice to meet you," said one of the twins.
The other just nodded.
"Forgive my sister, she doesn't talk much. She's getting used to the screams and causing pain," one of them said.
I noticed both were dressed as maids.
"It's okay, I understand."
I don't understand shit! These two are really learning the art of torture, and it's a lot for me to take in.
The quiet one pulled a knife from her pocket. "I'm learning to pull out nails with my partner here."
Holy shit… she must be only about nine years old...
"Catty! I told you not to carry your work tools around!" Natty scolded.
At least one of them seems more normal.
"Only the fun weapons are allowed," she said, showing a small hatchet.
OK, I take it back. They're both strange.
"Aww! They're already getting attached to their torture tools, my love," Martha said to Hugo.
"They grow up so fast," he said, wiping away tears.
The torturer family walked away, leaving us standing there.
"I told you they were strange..." Chloe said to me.
"I'll trust your judgment more..."
Chloe was called over by some people, and I sat at the table with my mother while we ate.
As soon as I saw Sifu alone, I ran over to him.
"Hello, my student. I see your period of imprisonment has finally ended."
"Hey, Master. Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, if I can answer it, I will."
I sighed.
I needed to finally ask what had been eating away at me. It was perhaps the biggest question of my life, and he had the answer.
"You always said never to fall for a torturer maid. So why did Hugo marry one?"
Sifu let out a laugh.
"Because Hugo is an idiot. Who marries a woman trained from childhood in the art of torture? That guy has a few screws loose."
"But didn't my uncle marry my aunt? Wasn't she a torturer maid too?"
"Your uncle was also an idiot. Just don't tell your aunt I said that. I'm afraid of her…"
With that, a weight was lifted off my shoulders with this question answered.
Damn Hugo married the prettiest maid… lucky bastard.