"Oh, nothing, Master. I'll tell you a little about yourself and some basic knowledge of this world..." she stated, straightening her posture.
"You are Richard Auric, the sole heir to Auric Dynasty..."
"Dynasty?" Richard's eyes sparkled at the mention of the word, unconsciously leaning forward to hear more.
"...Your family has a history spanning before the Era of Awakeners, 79 years ago." She paused, giving room for any question from Richard, the latter's gaze locked on her, giving her his full attention.
Though the intent was good, this made her uncomfortable.
The old Richard had never paid attention to her, always brushing her off, treating her as a nuisance.
But today, his attention was fully on her. Though uncomfortable, her lips curved slightly, enjoying the attention she had never received.
"Continue," Richard urged.
"Yeah..." she stammered, quickly regaining her composure. "Your family was already well off before the world war in 1914, but shot up after the war, owning most of the land in Zafaria and most of the oil on the continent..." She paused again, noticing Richard's narrowed gaze, clearly confused about something.
True to her thoughts, Richard wanted to know what Zafaria was - a name he had never heard in his past life, not even once.
"Zafaria, huh? This truly is a new world," he unconsciously muttered under his breath, Kaida's eyes narrowing.
"Do you have any questions?" she inquired.
"No, don't worry. I'll learn all in due time. Please continue." Richard gave her the go-ahead to continue, relaxing his posture, his ears perked.
"After the world's near destruction on the eve of the Era of Awakeners, your family once again made use of the chaos, being the first to explore the gates, amassing more wealth, becoming the first pioneers of the new era.
As of now, you are said to be the seventh generation, inheriting trillions of dollars as well as artifacts." She paused, her lips parched.
"Here." Richard poured her a glass of wine, her eyes widening.
Once again, the gesture was foreign to her.
This was the first time Richard had done this - offering her anything apart from work upon work, never once thanking her as if it were a given for her to be there.
"Thanks," she said with a smile, accepting the glass.
" He's like a completely different person now that he's lost his memory..." She sipped the wine thoughtfully. " More reasonable..."
Across the rim of her glass, she caught Richard's steady gaze - still waiting patiently for her to finish her drink and continue explaining the history of his vast fortune.
When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.
" Maybe... in this amnesiac state, he might annul the contract. This version of Richard seems far more reasonable."
She set the wine glass down carefully.
A spark in her eyes.
"Before we continue, can you take a look at this for me?" She pulled out a scroll from thin air.
Richard's pupils dilating in shock.
" Magic " he thought, his curiosity rising. Even though he kept mute, his eyes screamed questions.
"Ah... since you lost your memory, this might seem strange... It's my inventory, a pocket space all Awakeners possess to store their items," she briefly explained, noticing Richard's curious gaze.
"Here." She turned the scroll to him, a bit fidgety as she knew the original Richard would never agree with what she proposed.
Richard took the scroll, opening it with the intention to read its contents.
Yet as the scroll opened, a wisp of light instantly shot into his forehead, granting him knowledge of the scroll's contents, the scroll itself now empty.
"Huh, a slave contract," Richard thought aloud, quickly understanding the clauses of the contract.
A slave contract that bound the Dzo family to the Auric family, spanning three generations now.
With the emergence of the era of Awakeners, the contract was strengthened with soul bonds—a cruel contract that tied the contractor's and slave's souls together.
At their will, the slave could die, not to mention if the master died, so did the slave.
"Do you understand? This is the contract that we share. My life is in your hands, so could you..."
"Do you hate your job?" Richard interrupted her, regaining the composure he had lost moments ago.
"No... No, I mean yes... Well, I could die!" She couldn't make coherent words, a bit taken aback by his question.
" I thought he would understand..." Her assumption about the amnesiac Richard proved all wrong.
"Sigh!! I get why you want to annul this contract, but I also get why the Auric family made this contract..." Richard relaxed in the luxurious bench seats.
" This is a new world. Even before I got here, this body was poisoned. I can't let my humanity get the better of me " Richard thought to himself, making up his mind without hesitation.
"I'm sorry I brought it up." Kaida awkwardly tried to take back the scroll, her face beet red, tears welling in her eyes, her hands outstretched awkwardly toward Richard.
"I feel bad but this has to be done," Richard thought, handing over the scroll.
Kaida took the scroll with shaky hands, quickly placing it in her inventory. To Richard, it looked like the scroll was being placed in an invisible vault, disappearing from sight as she pushed it into thin air.
"I should ask her how I can access mine but for now—" He pulled closer to Kaida.
"Have I or the family done anything that warrants your resignation?" he asked, his tone apologetic.
"No... But when my family, my mom—" she sobbed, shaking with every word.
"My dad—sob!—my brothers—" She turned to Richard, the tears falling like a broken dam.
"They're dead because of this contract..." Her sorrow turned to frustration as her brows furrowed, the bottled-up rage spilling out.
"They're all dead, just because your family died in the Ruins!"