To tell or not to tell—that was the question in Saya's mind. The potential consequences of a bad outcome still scared her too much, so she tried to play it off.
"It was nothing, Young Master! He was just… yeah… I think he was trying to hit on me."
Unfortunately for her, Caelum knew more about the young man than she realized. Not to mention, Saya's subpar acting could not fool him.
Caelum didn't say anything. He merely continued to stare at her, applying silent pressure.
His unrelenting gaze caused Saya to bow her head. Her hands were clutched together at the front of her dress, and her mental defenses were crumbling.
"Haa… I thought you said you were grateful for everything the Goldheart family had done for you? But is this how you choose to repay me? By keeping secrets?" Caelum increased the pressure.
'There's no getting out of this, is there?' she thought.
"Forget it. If you don't want to tell me, I won't—"
She raised her head to meet his gaze, steadying her resolve.
"There is indeed something I must confess to you, Young Master. Can we speak in your room?" She didn't want Caelum to finish that sentence. She was tired of hiding it.
***
And so, Caelum and Saya once again found themselves inside the familiar confines of Caelum's room.
Caelum sat comfortably on his chair while Saya knelt before him, as if about to confess to a crime she had committed.
"Young Master, do you remember I told you I was rescued by Lady Elara from devil worshippers in my village?" Saya began slowly, her voice soft.
"Yes, I do." Caelum didn't rush her. Clearly, this was important to Saya.
Her expression contorted in pain, as if recalling a truly terrible experience.
"I was betrayed by my parents when I was ten. Until the very last moment, I didn't realize that both my parents were devil worshippers."
Tears swirled in her eyes, and her next words came out in stifled sobs.
"I… I was apparently being prepared for a ritual in which I would be betrothed to the devil. They sold me to earn the favor of the devil they worshipped."
"That night… although I was saved by cultivators from the Goldheart family, it was too late for me. The ritual had already been completed."
"I didn't tell Lady Elara because I was afraid… afraid she would kill me. I never told anyone because I was scared of either dying or being abandoned."
Once those words left her mouth, it was as if a huge burden had been lifted off her chest. At the same time, her emotional state devolved into full-blown crying.
Even seeing her like this, Caelum remained impassive. He was lost in his own thoughts. Honestly, this was not great news for him.
'Urgh… another powerful enemy isn't quite what I needed…'
From his time at the library, Caelum had some understanding of devils. They were a different race compared to human beings, much like elves or dwarves. They were also considered a far superior race on average.
Devil worshippers often tried to please the devil they worshipped in exchange for some boons. Choosing someone they were close to and betraying them by arranging a betrothal to the devil via a ritual was one way of doing it.
The betrayal part was important.
Caelum tried to recall the effects of being marked by a devil in this manner.
'Saya will not be able to fight against the devil that marked her. The mark makes it physically impossible to go against him.'
'The devil will be able to pinpoint her exact location whenever he wants.'
'It will be possible for him to implant mental suggestions in her mind if they are close enough.'
'I'm not sure if there's anything else…'
"You said this happened when you were ten years old, right? Why hasn't the devil come to collect you yet, then? It has been two decades already. Could it be that he is dead already?"
Saya shook her head.
"That is not possible. I still feel the connection. Occasionally, I feel the pain that originates from the mark. Sometimes, I get recurring nightmares. I'm sure the devil is still out there, somewhere."
"As for why he did not come to collect me yet? I don't know."
"Hmm… But what does this have to do with the man we met in the rift?"
"He said that he might have a way to rid me of this devil's mark."
"Oh?" Now Caelum's interest was piqued to the maximum.
"Recount the entire conversation between you two. Tell me everything. No hiding anything. No lies." Those were not the words of reassurance that Saya had hoped to hear.
The fear in her heart increased along with a growing sense of trepidation. But she still did as she was told to do.
Saya repeated the conversation she had with that young man, word for word.
Once she was done, Caelum leaned back in his chair, lost in contemplation.
Saya thought that Caelum was perhaps upset with her. That would be very understandable.
"Young Master, punish me however you see fit. I won't complain even if you kill me right now," she said while bowing deeply from her kneeling posture.
That's it. She chose to give up control of her life. She felt that a terrible fate would've awaited her if not for the Goldheart Family's rescue anyway.
'I was just living on borrowed time. This is for the best.'
Caelum rubbed his forehead, feeling a sense of deja-vu from her words.
Much like everyone else, there were two sides inside of Caelum—an emotional side and a rational side. Typically, it was his rational side that drove his life.
Right now, something interesting was happening. His two sides were not at odds with each other. No, both of them suggested the same course of action.
He could not abandon Saya!
'Devils are known to be prideful creatures. He won't like the fact that I've already slept with someone he's betrothed to. Letting Saya go right now might come back to bite me in the future.'
'No. I must keep her close. Only then will I have some degree of control over the situation.'
"Raise your head."
Saya raised her head, her tear-stained eyes meeting Caelum's.
"Honestly, I am a bit disappointed that you kept this a secret for as long as you did."
Saya's eyelids shuddered, her heart pounding. Caelum's next words would determine her fate.
"Never do that again. I don't want you to keep secrets from me."