Next Day, Morning.
Ming Yue woke before the sun rose up to the sky.
Her daughter and husband, both of them were asleep at this hour of the day.
Normally, she would be asleep too—however, after all she went through yesterday, she didn't sleep—or rather, she couldn't.
She sat on a fat mattress in her quarters, her hands trembling, her mind replaying what happened last time on repeat.
She remembered each and every word Lin Tian (Zeta) said. She remembered his mocking smile, his eyes, which reflected nothing but pure confidence and arrogance.
She remembered the words he said when she asked for what he needs out of her to forget their previous grudges.
"Serve Me. Obey Me. Appease Me."
That's what he said, and these were the particular sentences that replayed in her mind over all the other words.
She bit her fingernails, her expression turning ugly.
Was it a dream? A delusion? Was her mind playing tricks on her?
That's what she'd like to believe and think of it as what really happened. However, she knows—she knows damn well that what happened last night was real. It was no dream, no delusion.
He basically asked her to be under him, serve him, appease him in however ways he wants in an attempt to forget their past and make sure her husband and daughter don't face any difficulty in life all because of her actions.
"Ugh!" Her leg almost gave out when she tried standing up, but she forced herself to walk.
If this means keeping her daughter and husband safe—she wouldn't mind dying for it.
That's how much she loved her husband and her daughter.
***
After a struggling walk to the shack room of Lin Tian, Ming Yue finally reached the outside of the room, her hands curling into a fist, her nails digging into her skin. Her hesitation was palpable.
After taking a deep breath and comforting herself that this is all for the sake of her family, she opened the door.
Inside, Zeta was casually sitting on the chair that he used yesterday, in the same sitting way—backward with his head resting on the backrest.
"You're early..." Zeta said, a small smile curling up to his face, his expression showing not even a hint of surprise—as if already expecting her to come.
"Though, I definitely appreciate the commitment you've shown," he added.
Even though Ming Yue heard his remarks, she didn't speak, her head remained low.
Zeta stood up from his chair, walking toward her before circling around her.
"Close the door." After stopping the pointless circling around her, he ordered.
And... she did. There was not an ounce of hesitation in whether she should actually follow his words or not.
"Good," he commented.
Then, he started his pointless act of circling around her again, but this time, he didn't just circle around her, he inspected her like she was some ancient statue found in a museum, like a work of art.
"You didn't sleep last night, did you?" he remarked, his eyes glancing just under her eyes where dark circles were visible.
Instead of speaking the truth, she shook her head.
"Fear does make you sleepless at nights," he said, but got no reply.
She had been real quiet since she came inside the room—as if she wants this to be over quickly so she can be free from this guilt and grudge.
He then stopped in front of her, looking right in her eyes.
"You do know that I've never said anything about actually doing anything to your family nor to you, right?" Zeta said, leaning his head toward her, which made her take a step back.
"Y-yes... I know!" she meekly said. She knows he never said he was going to kill himself or run away, which would make the blame go to her, potentially making that imaginary scene a reality, which she didn't want to risk.
She just wanted to do this out of guilt and to make sure that there were no real threats to her or her family, even at the cost of her heavy sacrifice.
"Do you really want to do it? Just so you know, I haven't threatened you or anything else. You're doing this all on your own for no reasons that I know," Zeta said, closing his one eye while looking at her through his other.
"I know..." she said in a low voice.
Zeta smiled as he stepped back.
"Start with the mattress. Straighten it, sweep the floor. Clean the filth like the good little servant you are."
Hearing his strange demand, she hesitated. However, that only lasted for a split second before she nodded her head.
She then went past Zeta and started cleaning his room.
To be honest, she had never really done household chores.
In her own family, her husband did everything—cooking, cleaning. Even though she worked as a servant in this sect, she was never treated or worked as such.
So it was her first time actually cleaning in a long time.
While she worked in silence, Zeta watched. He never moved from where he was, only watched her clean while correcting her position.
"Smile while you do."
Giving in to his demand again, she forced a weak smile.
"Good. You learn quick," he praised her with a small smile. But what she saw was him mocking her. Even then, she felt no anger toward him. She knew her actions in the past were even worse than this.
...
After a while, she finished cleaning, she then stood up.
"Done," she said.
Zeta smiled while walking forward, before stopping just before the mattress.
"Now," he said, "sit there." He pointed at the mattress.
And the moment she heard that, she tensed. Her mind racing faster than ever.
What does he want now?
Does he want to do that with me like those stupid nobles' sons? she thought, sweat pouring down her.
Please forgive me, hubby! I absolutely didn't want any of this too—but... but... this... This is all for the sake of you and our daughter's safety.
***
Just to clarify, this novel does not contain r@pe. Even though Zeta has done it in his past life, it does NOT mean he will do it again.