CH 28

‘Who knew that man would actually keep his promise.’

Damian fulfilling his promise meant that a lady acquainted with the Crown Prince had high value for him.

I immediately left my room and arrived at the mansion’s main entrance, where the gift was said to be.

Thump!

What was placed there was an incredibly large box covered with a black veil. The workers were breathing heavily as they wiped away their sweat.

“Wow, that’s really heavy.”

“My shoulders feel dislocated after carrying that here.”

“I can’t straighten my back.”

All of the workers doused their throats with the water canister hanging from their belts.

“Were you sent by the Grand Duke?”

The workers bowed to me, then questioned me in return.

“Are you Lady Aren Serkia?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Milady. We were indeed sent by His Grace.”

“I see. Is this the gift?”

When I pointed to the box, the workmen exchanged glances with each other, then they removed the black veil covering the box. What I thought was a large box was actually a cage with thick iron bars.

“!”

Inside the cage that should have contained a wild beast was a slave with tanned skin.

His long, disheveled brown hair was the first thing to catch my eye. There were ropes binding the slave’s hands and feet. They were tightened to the point that I could even see traces of dried blood on his wrists.

Damian had put on new clothes on the slave to make him seem more like a gift, but his arms, with bulging muscles and veins, had horrible wounds.

Not to mention, the slave had a black cloth over his eyes and a gag in his mouth. The gag was drenched in blood.

‘He was really planning to gift this slave to the Crown Prince?’

It was to the point where I wanted to see what thoughts had been going through Damian’s head when he planned this. The more I stared at the slave in the cage, the more I could feel Damian’s cruelty.

“Master said to deliver this message along with the gift.”

“…?”

“That he wishes to meet Milady as soon as possible.”

I felt nauseous as soon as I heard the worker’s message. But it was none other than me who approached Damian. I could no longer avoid my meeting with Damian.

Damian, just as you have turned the crisis I have given you into an opportunity, I will also use this to my benefit.

“It’s a difficult one to handle. Will you be alright, Milady?”

I nodded to the worker.

“His Grace has also provided this along with the gift.”

“…?”

The workers brought in a large box about half the size of a human.

Clack.

Inside the box were dozens of containers with sharp needles attached to their ends.

“They’re tranquilizers. Even the most savage of beasts turn into harmless lambs with these. The effect lasts 10 hours.”

“…”

“The effect will take place as soon as the needle enters its body. Of course, it won’t harm its strong body in any way, so there’s no need to worry. The tranquilizer is merely used to calm it down momentarily.”

‘This is too cruel.’

“Feel free to visit the duchy any time you run out. He’s no different from a wild beast, so please be careful. Then…”

Damian’s worker dumped the slave into my hands and left.

Then I crouched down to take a better look at the slave trapped in the cage. At the same time, I heard Cassadin’s voice call out from behind.

“Sister.”

I flinched in surprise at the warm breath that grazed my ear, then I turned to look behind me. At some point, Cassadin approached me without making a single sound.

“Can you at least make a sound when you walk?”

“I’m afraid I cannot.”

“Why?”

“Because then I can’t see Sister’s surprised face.”

Cassadin’s eyes curved beautifully as he said so. His smile was so radiant that Cassadin’s smile was brighter than the sun in the sky.

“Is he, him?”

Cassadin looked down at the slave in the cage. His expression as he gazed down at the cage was so cold that for a moment, I was so confused about whether he was the same person who was smiling at me just a moment ago.

Was he afraid a different slave might take his place?

I didn’t plan to adopt this slave into the family as I did with Cassadin. I didn’t need another younger brother other than Cassadin.

But it was because of the fact that this slave was caught by Damian, out of all people, that I felt a small amount of empathy for him.

Damian had mentioned he struggled to prevent the slave from killing himself by biting his tongue. To think he attempted to bite his own tongue to die. How much did he suffer for him to make such a tragic decision?

Just switching my gaze between the sharp needles and the figure in the cage made me feel like I was doing something cruel.

“What do you plan on doing?”

I contemplated Cassadin’s question for a moment before answering.

“Well, he’s a gift.”

I called for some servants, the ones with especially large and muscular bodies.

“So I’ll get him washed and a change of clothes.”

Cassadin’s expression hardened. He must be worried that this new slave would endanger his status. In order to ease Cassadin’s concerns, I gently patted his wide back and said to him,

“You’re my one and only younger brother. So you don’t have to make such an expression.”

“…Alright.”

After giving Cassadin several more pats, I ordered the servants to take the new slave into the most secluded room in the mansion.

“Clean him up as much as possible.”

“Yes, Miss.”

While Aren was washing up the new slave, at the imperial palace…

“Leon!”

The Emperor’s angry voice filled the entire throne room. In front of the Emperor, who was fuming with a reddened face, Crown Prince Leon looked incredibly bored.

“Why did you go to the Earl Serkia Family a week ago?”

“Did you already hear about that?”

“It hasn’t been long since the poisoning incident. Just how much do you have to make me worry…”

“Wasn’t it Father who ordered that woman to stay with me?”

Leon’s mouth curled up into a slant.

“Which is why I proposed to that woman to become the Crown Princess.”

Hearing Leon’s answer, the Emperor’s eyes widened significantly. The golden eyes that were identical to those of the Crown Prince trembled uncontrollably in anger. With shaking hands, the Emperor grasped his temples as he shouted,

“Are you truly out of your mind? One may think that the Crown Princess’s title is for a pet dog. Do you think that is the reason why I ordered Lady Serkia to keep your company?”

Leon just shrugged at the furious Emperor.

“According to Your Majesty, then I’m just a dog that holds the title of Crown Prince.”

“What?”

“I always follow Your Majesty’s orders, and I cannot leave the palace without Your Majesty’s permission. The most I can do in this palace is hold banquets, isn’t it?”

Leon scoffed. He had been filled with the Emperor’s affection since a young age. But that love was fake.

What the Emperor gave to him as love was just affection out of duty for the Empress, who had passed away giving birth to him.

Aware of this fact early in his life, Leon considered the Emperor’s attention troublesome.

“So is it your spite against me that you said such nonsense to Lady Serkia? You have gone completely mad. It was my mistake making you Crown Prince.”

“…Your Majesty. Did you know? Lady Serkia rejected my offer. Isn’t she such an interesting woman?”

Leon snickered to himself as if he found that funny.

“I would have actually lost interest in her had she accepted my offer right away. And so, I have become interested in that woman.”

Then Leon approached the furious Emperor with his long legs. After stopping right in front of the Emperor, he whispered into the Emperor’s ear.

“The crown’s prestige has already fallen due to the poisoning incident. In addition, I’ve heard Grand Duke Daeus also filed a lawsuit not long ago.”

“…!”

“To think that the mighty Emperor had chosen an innocent man as the culprit. The real culprit has still not been found, and only the crown was rendered a fool. Don’t you think this could possibly place the throne in danger?

“Leon! You dare!”

Unable to withstand his remarks any longer, the Emperor grabbed Leon by the collar. His golden eyes, blazing with fury, reflected the Crown Prince’s placid expression.

“Your Majesty, take into consideration that someone may witness this sight.”

“You dare say such things to the one who has raised you? And you call yourself the Crown Prince of the…!”

“I never wanted it.”

Leon responded coldly.

“Neither the title of Crown Prince nor your love.”

With those words, the strength in the Emperor’s hand clutching Leon’s collar disappeared. Instead of an expression full of rage, the Emperor seemed like an empty shell with his now despondent expression. It was as if his soul had slipped out of his body.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you quit projecting Mother’s image onto me?”

As soon as Leon mentioned the deceased Empress, the eyes on the Emperor’s wrinkled face trembled faintly.

Taking one last glimpse at the Emperor, who was now lifelessly looking out into the void, Leon walked out of the throne room. But just before he completely left the room, he turned his face and spoke to the Emperor.

“Ah, and I plan to hold a banquet in the near future.”

Then the Emperor’s unfocused eyes fell toward Leon.

“No matter how far the prestige has fallen, I will need to show that I’m well and alive in order to affirm to the people that the empire stands strong.”

“…”

“If we don’t have anything else to talk about, I will now take my leave. I request that you no longer call me for such trivial matters, Your Majesty.”

Without waiting for the Emperor’s response, Leon left the throne room.

The Emperor merely helplessly watched Leon walk away. A singular sigh filled the silence of the throne room.

Immediately after talking with the Emperor, Leon returned to his palace. Ignoring the various golden decorations and jewels that decorated his palace, Leon entered his bedroom.

On the table right next to him was a sky-blue forget-me-not in a vase. It was the same flower that Aren healed with her abilities.

Honestly, it didn’t matter much to Leon whether the Emperor projected the dead Empress onto him or not. He just needed an excuse to hold a banquet.

Lying down on his bed and staring at the forget-me-not with a gentle expression, Leon quietly muttered to himself.

“Aren Serkia.”