The Eclipse Sanctum, a place rumored to exist somewhere in Qugan, but was never seen by human eyes.
For so long, the King of Qugan had been looking for this Sanctum, seeking to put an end to its creator and all its dealings with the harshest punishment conceivable. Little did the King know that this place was the brain child of one of his most trusted, that being Lady Qui Lin, the Crimson Goddess.
Judith had remembered very vividly how it was described in her novel, that if the King was to uncover this secret place, he would have been heart broken. Not only because he was betrayed by someone he considered family, but also because he would have to publicly execute her.
Fully aware of the gravity of what she had just said, Judith steeled her will. There was no backing down now.
"How...how do you know so much?! Who are you?!" Qui Lin had burst, now getting off her seat and summoning her flames once more. She made her way toward Judith with hands of fire pointed at her face.
Throwing caution to the wind, Judith had powered through the pain emanating in her legs and stood, so she could reach the same eye level as Qui Lin. With intensity burning in her eyes and being, she met Qui Lin's gaze and spoke.
"Kill me Lady Qui Lin, and everything you hold dear will crumble to dust." Following these line of words was Qui Lin frozen, stunned, dazed. She felt a sudden fear enveloping her, a fear she didn't understand, neither did she like, not in the slightest.
"You're bluffing." Qui Lin had said this as though she was asking a question rather than making a statement.
"Are you willing to risk that?" Judith said, praying that Qui Lin wouldn't notice the fear in her heart. Of course she was bluffing, if Qui Lin was to do away with her here and now, then it would be over. The story of her life would be over before it even began. The world's shortest story ever.
"What do you want?" Qui Lin asked, as she found the flames in her hands dwindling. Judith now felt a sudden relief overwhelm her. Luckily, this secret was too great for Qui Lin to risk it getting out.
Unable to keep up the act of being tough any longer, and also feeling the pain in her legs eat away at her, Judith had sighed. She then made her way to the floor, where she sat and leaned against the wall, further perplexing Qui Lin.
"To be honest, I just want one thing from you." Judith paused, gulping hard as the pain in her legs began to sink in.
Qui Lin stood still, a bit dazed but mostly frightened. She didn't know what this slave girl was going to ask of her, but one thing was for sure, she was hanging by a puppeteer's string, which the slave girl was pulling.
At this point, Qui Lin could be asked to do anything and she couldn't say no. She could be asked to do the most despicable and heinous...
"Make me your personal maid." Judith had said, interrupting Qui Lin's thought process and more than anything, astounding her.
Qui Lin was completely at a loss for words. Then, with a frown, she spoke.
"You want to be my maid?" Qui Lin had asked, trying to make sure she didn't hear it wrong.
"Your personal maid. And I want to have every right a personal maid of a noble has, every right." Judith had said with a strained voice.
Qui Lin was still unsure of what to say or how to properly respond. This was an odd ask, by a very long shot. With the power Judith now suddenly held over Qui Lin, she could have asked anything, but yet, she chose to be a mere maid?
Yes she was asking to be a personal maid, and though personal maids to nobles held a certain amount of power and nobility, it didn't change the fact that they were still maids. Qui Lin tried to wrap her head around Judith's request, but she couldn't come up with any fathomable answer as to why, which had caused her to blurt.
"Why? What is your intention, what do you hope to achieve by being a mere maid?" Qui Lin said.
"Not a mere maid, a personal maid of a no..."
"I know!" Qui Lin had burst, feeling irritated by Judith's repetition of the obvious. Expecting and or triggering this reaction on purpose, Judith smiled.
"Lady Qui Lin, I just want to live out a comfortable life. A life in which I can sleep on a soft bed, eat five square meals a day if wanted to, not have to worry about being kicked out of my own home, not having to worry about bills and debts." Judith hadn't realized it, but her words had seeped out of the norm of this fantasy realm and onto the one she came from, which is why Qui Lin found herself all the more confused by her words.
"I want to live a peaceful and fulfilling life, that is all." Everything Judith had said was the truth, but she knew this sort of life wouldn't be possible in this realm. There was just too many conflicts that would hinder her from living a comfortable and fulfilled life. So if she wanted this life, she would have to carve it out for herself.
"Surely, that can't be everything you seek." Qui Lin said, expecting Judith to say more, perhaps give away even the smallest detail of her overall plan, because she wasn't buying any of this.
"Believe it or not it's the truth." Judith said while squinting her eyes, the pain was becoming worse by the second.
Qui Lin took a few steps backwards and then returned to her chair. With a multitude of thoughts sinking into her, one becoming the primary focus of her mind. She had wondered why this thought had eluded her during her entire conversation with the slave girl, but now that it was present, all else faded to irrelevance.
After coming to a conclusion, Qui Lin had finally made up her mind, before responding
"I'm sorry, but I won't be complying with your demands."