"Why haven't you placed a Slave Collar on me?" I finally decided to ask in a low mutter.
It had been around thirty minutes since we left the Slave Prison, and even now I was confused. When asked if she wanted me to have a slave collar, so that I would never be able to betray or refuse any of her orders, she had refused almost instantly.
When asked about choosing a new name for me, she had also refused.
It was only a theory, but it was as if Morgana Vera had not come to the Slave Prison to obtain a slave.
The story of Zale Alaric was very briefly mentioned inside the Eroge. There was no information about his family or where he came from. All that we knew was that he was once captured as a slave before being saved by a noble family. But that's where it ended, because the character wasn't remotely important.
"I didn't feel like it. Why? Do you want one?" she asked as she sat calmly drinking her tea. "I can arrange that if you want."
I gulped quietly, averting her gaze.
We were both alone inside her carousel, sitting in front of one another. She had some of her guards placed outside the carousel, but she had once more insisted on staying alone with me inside the carriage.
"I-It's fine…" I replied with a stutter.
"You don't have to be nervous. Nothing will happen to you," she suddenly exclaimed as she seemed to realize how scared I was. "I won't treat you as a slave."
I frowned, not sure if I had understood that correctly.
"It's complicated. But I just wanted to have some company." She noticed the confusion in my eyes. "Um… being the head of a noble family can get lonely."
Suddenly, as I was about to answer, the carousel gradually came to a stop.
"What's happening?"
"Bandits, Madame! Stay inside. We will deal with them accordingly."
Immediately, she noticed how tense I was. Because while I had been stuck for around three weeks inside the Slave Prison, I had never been in danger inside it. Also… I was trying to gain points, acting like a cute child that she needed to protect.
Look… it's not my fault.
I need to get that affection up. One heart of affection wasn't even remotely close to what I need.
She tapped next to her seat and smiled brightly in my direction. "You can sit here if you want."
I continued to act scared as I cautiously sat next to her. And now that I was only centimeters away from her, I could confirm that she was an absolute beauty.
From a distance, I could hear the sounds of swords clashing against one another, making me jump from surprise. Without saying a single word, I felt the arms of the noblewoman wrap around me, pulling me closer to her into a side-hug.
"Don't worry, you're safe now. No one will ever touch you again."
I looked up into her eyes, which were now filled with love for me, and smiled back, muttering, "T-Thank you…"
I wasn't sure if this was how things were supposed to go for Zale. But now that I was out of the Slave Prison, things were looking much better.
A few more minutes passed as the sound of swords clashing continued, and then suddenly silence took over.
"A-Are they gone now?" I asked, still stuttering.
My hands were now also wrapped around her body as I fully hugged her without holding back at all. Her ample chest was only inches away from my face as my hair grazed against it.
She patted my head and said, "Yes, they're gone."
[The Affection of Morgana Vera has increased by one.]
[Affection: ♥♥♡♡♡]
I smiled as I continued to smile at her.
Things were definitely going well for me. It was only a matter of time before I would be able to try my taming skill on her. And honestly, I was wondering if it would work since she was so powerful.
For the rest of the trip, I sat next to her in silence, even falling asleep because of how exhausted I was.
"Here, have some good sleep," Morgana muttered as she placed my head on her lap, her thick thighs serving as pillows.
And let's just say that I had some of the greatest sleep of my life.
***
"We've arrived… wake up," a soft voice muttered in my ear, waking me right up from my slumber.
I stood up lazily as I made sense of everything that had just happened. I briefly looked out the window and spotted a giant mansion. It was honestly the biggest house that I had ever seen in my life.
"I-Is that my new home?!"
She softly giggled, her chest rising as she did. "Yes, that's where you will live as long as you serve me."
Much better than the Slave Prison.
I couldn't be one to complain here.
"Serve you?" I asked with a slight frown. "What do you mean?"
She smiled at my cute reaction. "You will be my servant starting today. You will be the one taking care of me every day. Talking to me, putting me to sleep; we will spend most of our days together from now on."
I nodded quietly as there was still something that I had yet to verify since I had arrived in this world.
The date.
I had to know what date it was.
"I know it might be a strange question, but could you tell me what day and year it is? Inside the prison, we had no knowledge of that. I just want to know how much time has passed since I was captured…"
"It's the 23rd of August, and it's the 99th year after the Global Awakening."
'99th?' I subtly frowned.
Things started to make a lot more sense all of a sudden.
I had arrived one year before the beginning of the story. The day when the game would begin would be at the entrance ceremony of the Royal Academy, which was on the 1st of September of the 100th year after the Global Awakening.
That meant I would have one year to prepare for everything.
I smiled inwardly.