The bird sat on the happy guy’s wrist.

Yegorka removed the spatial ring from the bird and took out its contents, his heart sinking. It was a beautiful red gift box. He opened the box and...

«Yes, oh yes… Oh, yeah!» – He said blissfully. Inside the box, there was a blue round pill with a pleasant medicinal scent. A piece of paper with instructions was attached in the box.

Such a little ball and it cost him almost everything he had. Yegorka was afraid even to touch this treasure. He carefully put it back into the box, locked it and placed it in his personal ring. He was going to keep the pill until the party began... Then he would give it to his beloved girl, she would embrace him passionately, and they would swirl in a graceful, sensual dance right before all the young talents of their kingdom... It was his plan. It would show to everyone his intention to be Juno’s life partner. And even if her grandfather was against their marriage, he would convince him otherwise. Power meant everything in this world, and he had the best talent among the younger generation of the Stones.

His blissful thoughts disappeared as soon as he remembered the hated slave. Yegorka couldn’t get inside the mansion, which means they must have removed him from the V.I.P. list. He had to find out real quick how to get rid of the jerk he hated with all his heart.

Of course, he could wait for the party and do everything he had to there... But he would only demean himself and his bright future if he got his hands dirty on such a momentous day. His heavenly life of an influential aristocrat shouldn’t start like that.

Yegorka took his sound transmitter and called a friend who lived in Boston, like the vast majority of the young members of the Stone family. Yegorka was one of the few who stayed at the family’s estate. He stayed because Juno lived there.

He heard respectful, but not without a hint of mockery, voice:

«Greetings, Yegorka. It is a great honor for me that someone magnificent and talented like you has deigned to call a little friend of no importance…»

«Shut up, Makar. I have no time for jokes.»

«My apologies... How is it going? What have you been up to?»

«I'm not calling for idle chatter. Listen carefully... Take Sicily with you and come to the estate. I need both of you to finish off an annoying jerk in Juno’s mansion... It’s a little over two weeks before the party and it’s right your way, anyway. So no complaints.»

«To kill someone? In lady Juno’s mansion? Are there possibly any jerks? Something tells me if we try to hurt anyone inside the mansion, they will kill us instead. Are you kidding me?»

«Come on. It’s about a slave... I need his life, or rather the speedy ending of it.» – Yegorka said coldly.

«Yegorka, we have to turn the world upside down, at the very least, to get into the patriarch's park! My sister and I aren’t allowed near there!»

«I am in elder Rin’s good books. If I ask him properly, he will write you a pass.» – Yegorka smiled arrogantly. Of course, he is in good books of the elders. Talented people are cherished and revered here.

«Then why don't you do it yourself?»

«I've been blackballed. I'll tell you later why.»

«I see... And... I do not understand... What the hell is the slave doing in lady Juno's mansion?!»

«My babe needs to blow off steam. I didn’t let her beat me. I can’t be humiliated even by her. Cut her some slack here.»

After a short pause, Makar agreed with a sigh:

«I hear what you’re saying. We will do everything, buddy. As soon as the elder gives his permission... Not everyone can get into the best park of our family.»

«I’ll set it up. Come quickly.»

«Until then!»

Makar and Sicily, brother and sister, were Yegorka’s old friends, the promising young people of the Stone family. They are not up to the front runners of the younger generation but they are only 14-15-year-olds. They have a bright future ahead of them.

Yegorka finished the call and looked at the entrance to the mansion. That weird slave messed with his head. As a rule, Juno’s slaves were quick to expire and meet their end. This piece of meat didn’t only survive, he had gained the lady’s trust, ruining her greatness with his pathetic figure.

Yegorka suddenly noticed Flitz come to the entrance, accompanied by a hefty slave. Soon they entered the mansion.

…

Juno came out to Flitz, a passive observer at the threshold, unhealthily coughing up his sleeve. {Old poop! How dared you to screw me like this? You brought me a slave with defective subjugating formation! How dared you to give me someone who does not know his place in the world?! And how dared you to offend Marina?!} - She wanted to say all that out loud, and even better, to beat the old asshole to a pulp, but her mouth did not open and every part of her body failed her. Instead, the girl froze on the spot with an indifferent look on her face. No one could tell about the storm that reigned in her thoughts at the moment.

The old man looked like he had gained another 20 years (but who cared, anyway.) He stared at the charming girl, giving her a fake smile:

«Hello, baby. Don't eat me with your eyes, you scare me. I'm inedible, just skin and bones.»

«I am not... Hi.» – Juno stopped in mid-sentence and nodded slightly.

Flitz called the big guy from behind and casually patted him on the back.

«Juno, meet your new slave. His name is Sashka. Look at him. Isn’t he stronger than the previous one? He will last a couple of days for sure!»

The slave watched the girl, captivated. He had never seen such a beauty in all his life. His lady was a real angel! The whole world around her had lost color! Especially in the light of his complete loss of sex-drive... The heart of the big man was beating wildly. He hurried to bow.

«Mu-mu-my lady, my respect. Yu-yu-you are very beautiful... So-sorry, I can’t keep my mouth shut…»

Juno turned an angry look from the disgusting bald bull to the old man.

«You… Old fart… Dared… Again…» – Her tongue was pinched with the cage of orders. Her head was striving to turn aside, her legs were forcing her to leave, but she convinced herself to stay with her will power.

Flitz frowned in annoyance.

«What did I dare? To bring you a slave? You told me yourself to find you a new one, and now you suddenly change your mind? What am I, some low-grade servant, or what?! Should I dance before you? Pah!» – Flitz didn’t want to take it out on Juno for his troubles. With an effort of will, he held back his anger and turned away, displeased. Anybody who had eyes could see that the old man was really upset.

Juno turned her “indifferent” look at the young bull who hastily took his away. His cheeks glowed red. He thought he had been bestowed the greatest honor in his life, lady Juno’s glance.

Sashka respectfully babbled, bowing:

«My lady, take care of me, please. I will serve you faithfully!»

Juno instantly lost her temper. She was boiling with a desire to kill. It was all about Kyon’s order to hear “I order you” instead of the word “please.” That’s why it seemed to her that the slave had ordered her to take care of him. He was looking to get killed!

Juno violently pressed on her wrist. A couple of seconds later, Anna came to her.

«Yes, my lady.»

«Anna, send… To the training ground.» – Juno nodded disdainfully at Sashka.

«Yes, my lady…» – Anna bowed and took away the happy slave (his lady was so wonderful mistress) to wait for her on the training ground. The maid was a little confused. Why did the lady need a slave if she had a servant? But no one was going to give her an answer.

Juno grabbed Flitz by the sleeve of his robe and took him to the bathroom. It was as dark as under the blanket at night.

Flitz was taken aback when Juno locked the door behind them. He exclaimed with a fair amount of anxiety in his voice:

«Hey hey hey! I know I am handsome, and all that, but your grandfather will make a sharpener out of my skull for your little game!»

Juno gathered up all her concentration. She remembered the training sessions and tried to imagine that Flitz was imaginary, that she was alone in the bathroom. However, it didn’t exactly work. She wasn’t completely free to take part in the conversation.

Flitz was standing in total darkness and had no idea what the girl had on her mind. He hurried to warn her, just in case:

«I see you are up to something. For your information, I have a headache. There’s no time for this now. I am busy and besides… Oh I have told nobody yet, but I have a husband!»

Juno shook her head as if shaking her mind:

«No! I… not… Flitz… Do you remember the slave you brought?» - Juno had to keep Sashka’s image in her mind to bypass the cage of orders. She did master some self-deception techniques, after all.

Of course, Flitz thought of the other slave. Why would Juno ask “do you remember” about the one he brought a second ago? If the girl was mentally retarded, it was possible. But she was as far from being stupid as to the moon and back. He knew her too well.

The old man scratched his nose in confusion.

«Um... Kyon was his name, wasn’t it? Did you bring me to the bathroom to talk about the dead? Or do you want me to invoke his spirit? Sorry, I do not have the skills of charlatan spiritualists. But I can light a candle for his soul if his spirit bothers you at night, which I doubt very much... After all, if the soul of every slave killed with your little hands haunted you... I would be wearing black mourning clothes today... And then I would have to bury your grandfather who died of grief for his adoring little granddaughter.»

«No, no!» – Juno irritatedly interrupted him. Look at him cracking his jokes! Even imaginary, he was being creative. However, as soon as they talked about Kyon, her subconscious started protesting. The usual orders activated again. They were forcing her to change the subject as soon as possible because she was strictly forbidden to talk about Kyon.

«Well then, I’ll be…» – Juno started and stopped in the mid-sentence bound by the orders. It took all her willpower to convince the subconscious that she was talking about Sashka and not Kyon. Flitz was imaginary at all, she was alone there. The three factors got multiplied and weakened the chains enough for her to resist for some more time.

«I order you to cut off his... Cut off... H... Hair and... Round... Where they gr... H... Hea…» – Juno's voice treacherously trembled. Her lips were not saying what she needed to say. All she wanted to tell him was to cut off the slave’s head, but the subconscious mind kindly reminded her that she should not give orders to kill anyone.

«Round... Round thing... Cut off... Well, this... Thing…» – Juno’s subconsciousness was in the trap of the formation. It was forcing her to leave the bathroom. She won another unnoticed internal battle only with the help of the autosuggestion.

«To cut off his balls or what?» – Flitz asked, dumbfounded. It seemed quite logical to him. There was no need to cut off the head after cutting off the hair. What else is round on the man’s body?

«Yes! And… And…» – And again her mouth could not pronounce the word “head.” Even in her imagination, she was forbidden to kill her vile master. She was really screwed up...

«And cut off his hair, I got the message. I repeat: you want me to dig up Kyon’s body, shave off the hair on his head, and cut off his balls. Is everything correct?» – The old man’s voice sounded extremely irritated in the darkness as if little children were resourcefully torturing him and he hadn’t slept for three days in a row.

He was shocked to hear Juno scream with joy:

«Yes! Yes! Yeah, oh yeah! I want it!» – And then Juno got scared. She had already ordered Flitz to cut off the slave’s balls and hair... What’s next?! If she couldn’t order him to finish the slave off, what was the point in all that?!

For a moment, she wanted to give up the stupid idea, but her mind obligingly showed her the memories of Kyon’s harassment, his threats to take her honor, even if not in a direct way. And that nasty kiss on the neck... A moment later, she made a firm decision. It was too early to give up!

It was true, she couldn’t kill him. However, she could get rid of his dirty mind. No balls, no harassment. He would beat her half to death, perhaps more than once. She was ready to endure any pain as long as he did not dare to think about her body anymore.

As Juno made her decision, she suddenly got even more scared. The slave had a sound transmitter! He could always use it and change the situation with a couple of pointed orders.

Juno added right away:

«And take away his sound-transmitter!»

Flitz was dumbfounded by Juno’s strange, illogical words. He could not believe his ears. He lit a match to look at her face in hope that she was joking. But no, she wasn’t... Too bad. She must have gone crazy.

«Juno…» - Flitz began in an ingratiating, almost admonishing tone. He winced as if he was looking at a psychopath. - «…Tell me, girl. Did you have cereal for breakfast? Were there any suspicious-looking mushrooms with white spots on them?»

When Juno saw Flitz’s face lit by the fire, she was terrified. Her subconscious mind raised the alarm. Flitz was not imaginary anymore! She took off like a shot, disappearing around the corner. The old man watched her leave and quietly muttered under his breath: «Is she messing with me?» - and followed her at once.