"Umm..."
A soft, muffled groan slipped out. Athena narrowed her eyes, watching the young man inside the chamber. Who would've thought someone could look this adorable after waking up?
"Kitten." She murmured.
At this moment, the young man blinked his drowsy eyes, tears glistening faintly at the corners.
Blue eyes, Sylus noted from the side. Then he quietly clenched his fists—itching to beat the bastard who dared to seduce Athena!
The young man blinked again, staring at Athena in a daze, as though his mind hadn't caught up yet.
A few seconds later, he suddenly jolted awake, body flinching backward. His head slammed right into the biopod with a dull thunk, the kind of sound that already told you it hurt like hell.
"Ah... www..."
He clutched his head, curling slightly from the pain, even his toes scrunching tight. All Athena could see was a mop of messy black hair.
"Ha ha."
Athena suddenly laughed, unable to resist wanting to see his expression at this moment.
And Athena was always the type to act on her impulses.
So she pried the young man's hands away. His weren't weak by any means, but to Athena, they felt lacking, easy to push aside.
She took hold of his chin, forcing him to lift his face. Just as she expected, his eyes were rimmed red, unshed tears clinging stubbornly in his blue irises, cheeks tinged with pink, likely from the pain.
Seeing Athena, he flinched and raised his voice in alarm:
"Y-you... who are you?! Human trafficking is illegal!"
Paper tiger, Athena sneered inwardly. Her fingertip traced across the corner of his eye, icy cold, leaving behind a thin red mark as though blood might spill. This time, tears streamed freely down his cheeks, his eyes squeezing shut beyond his control.
Humiliated, the young man bit his lip hard, bracing himself as though resigned to death, refusing to say another word.
"So adorable." Athena chuckled, ruffling his dark hair, which felt surprisingly pleasant under her touch.
He kept his legs tucked in, like a wild kitten baring its fangs and puffing up its fur, pretending to be fierce—yet his body trembled the whole time.
He turned his head away, trying to shield himself, but against Athena's claws, he was utterly powerless.
"I am Athena Aurellan. What's your name?"
Athena took the initiative to introduce herself first.
Hearing that, the young man couldn't help but open his eyes. The corners of his eyes still throbbed faintly with pain. He blinked, staring at Athena in shock.
"A... Aurellan?"
"Hick!"
Just then, an unpleasant voice rang out, low and guttural like a wolf's growl. Sylus, standing beside Athena, radiated an overwhelming chill.
The young man frowned at him. Even though fear made his hands tremble, he still refused to look away.
Athena clearly saw through this kitten's paper-tiger act. She chuckled and said:
"All right, Sylus. Step aside now if you don't want me to throw you out."
Her words instantly made Sylus's brows knit together, his gaze dark and frosty.
Then Athena added, "If you keep staring like that, I'm afraid my Kitten might explode from fright."
The young man's eyes flew wide in disbelief. Sylus gave a mocking laugh but, in the end, obediently stepped back.
Athena's words had obviously embarrassed the young man. His entire face flushed red.
"You're the Kitten!" he blurted.
"Not even the slightest bit intimidating. Paper tiger." Athena rested her chin on her hand, tilting her head as she laughed at him.
The young man parted his lips, hesitating as he looked at her. His face suddenly grew redder, his lips moving as though to speak—but no words came out. Ultimately, he could only turn his head away, refusing to look at her again. Still, Athena could clearly see the blush spreading across his cheeks and the tips of his ears.
Her smile only widened further.
And right then, the young man suddenly spoke:
"Louis."
Athena raised an eyebrow. Was this him answering her question about his name?
"Didn't hear you~" she sang out, drawing her tone.
The young man turned back toward her. By now, his face had cooled a little, his expression serious as he said:
"Louis. My name is Louis! And you'd better let me go immediately. Even if you're from the Aurellan family, you can't just imprison ordinary people like this!"
Before Athena could reply, a loud, domineering voice suddenly boomed from the doorway:
"Who dares talk to Sister Athena like that! This guy clearly doesn't know his place. Sister Athena, let me teach him a lesson for you!"
Joshua burst into the room like a gust of wind, shouting as he came.
But the moment his eyes landed on Louis beside Athena, they lit up slightly.
He rushed over to Athena, grabbing her hand and shaking it coquettishly.
"Sister Athena, I want him, I want him! He has to be my new toy!"
Athena's expression remained calm, the faint smile on her lips never wavering. She pulled her hand free from Joshua's grasp, gently ruffling his hair as she said:
"Pick anyone else you like—except this one."
Joshua's eyes widened, clearly not expecting Athena to refuse. In the past, had there ever been anyone he wanted that Athena couldn't give him?!
So he immediately puffed up his cheeks in protest, glaring at Athena.
"Why not? I won't accept this, I want—"
"Because this one will be my toy."
Before Joshua could throw a tantrum, Athena cut him off directly.
Joshua froze, eyes wide, staring at Athena in disbelief.
Sylus, still standing by the door, furrowed his brows and immediately stepped forward, protesting heatedly:
"Athena, what do you mean by this? You're being unfaithful to my love for you!"
Athena sneered at him.
"Sylus, don't forget—I never agreed to your pursuit. Prove yourself first."
Hearing that, Sylus let out a cold laugh, his sharp gaze cutting toward Louis.
"So I need to prove myself, but what about this brat? What does he have? That flimsy, pathetic look of his?"
"I'm not flimsy!" Louis shot back immediately.
"A toy is still just a toy. All it knows are cheap tricks to win favor!"
With that, Sylus kicked the door and stormed out in fury. Louis, equally furious, clenched his fists tight, lips pressed into a thin line.
Off to the side, Joshua couldn't help but sigh inwardly. How can someone even look cute when they're angry? Damn it, I really want this one!
"Sister Athena..." Joshua started, trying to wheedle again.
But Athena only smiled at him. Behind the narrow lenses of her glasses, her long eyes glinted with a strangely icy chill.
Joshua shuddered, tail tucked. In the end, he could only stomp away in a huff. But only he knew that beneath the sulking, his skin still prickled with trembling fear.
Athena, however, paid no mind to Sylus or Joshua. Everything was still firmly within her control.
She straightened, lowering her gaze to Louis, and said:
"Let's go."
"I'm not your toy."
Louis still sat inside the pod, the oversized white uniform draped over him, making his frame seem frail. But his expression carried a defiance stronger than anyone else's.
Athena found herself quite entertained by this look on Louis—but in truth, she preferred a toy that knew when to behave.
"Do you know how Joshua usually punishes his slaves? He throws them into Leo's cage. Ah, Leo is a lion. If they're lucky, they get eaten first. If not, they're used as a vessel for his lust before being eaten. Do you want to try it?"
Athena pressed closer to Louis as she spoke, her fingers trailing slowly down his spine, sliding to his tailbone.
"With you, I could be generous—grant you a different use. I promise, even through the pain, you'll still feel pleasure."
Under her touch, Athena could feel his body tremble from fear.
She glanced up, and sure enough—his blue eyes quivered, his lips pale, his gaze shimmering like a lake about to overflow.
Ha... how pitiful. Heaven help him, so fragile he can't endure a few threats. Yet still he insists on acting tough, like a hedgehog bristling with quills.
"Kitten, let's go." Athena turned her back to him, glancing at him over her shoulder.
"I'm not a Kitten..."
Louis muttered under his breath. But this time, he obediently stood up. Though his legs still trembled, he quickly followed after Athena.