The system did not answer.
"Of course not," Elara said. "Because then it would be captivity."
The room seemed to grow quieter with every word she spoke.
She folded her arms.
"You say your goddess is different from others. Fine. I can accept that. But different does not automatically mean good. Different does not mean righteous. Different does not mean justified. If she brought me here because she believed she had the right to reshape my life, then she is not acting like a parent. She is acting like an owner."
The system's expression shifted again, this time from anger to confusion.
Elara noticed, but she did not soften.
"Do you know what I find most ridiculous?" she said.
The system hesitated. "What?"
"I was not even given a choice to refuse."
Her gaze stayed flat, but there was something colder now beneath it.
