Chapter 01 …

The Slave Is Too Handsome!

The youngest, most intelligent, and most beautiful emperor in the history of the Finestra Empire clearly remembered the day he first met Eloise.

Kwang kwang! Swoooosh—

It was a day when a gloomy downpour was pouring endlessly. Even before the sun had set, the sky and air were so dark that the entire world felt like night—silent and heavy.

In such a setting, the annex of a powerful ducal estate within the Finestra Empire—more precisely, the residence of the duke’s only daughter, Lady Eloise Bell La Croix—was in an uproar.

It was because an order had been given for her to dress more extravagantly than ever before.

“Where is she going?”
“There’s a count’s family ball. She’s going there!”
“Oh, I heard the Second Prince will be there this time too.”

The maids’ chatter continued even inside the lady’s room. They had just finished preparing her for her outing.

“My lady, you are so beautiful. You’re always beautiful, but today… even the sun hidden behind the darkness would leap out just to see you.”

The maids all praised Eloise in unison. There was not a single false word in their admiration.

In truth, the maids who served Eloise took great pride in her. Pride in serving the most beautiful, noble, and elegant young lady in the entire empire.

“Hm.”

The subject of their praise, Eloise, merely glanced at herself in the mirror.

Hm, not bad.

Her face in the mirror held no emotion whatsoever.

“Good work, everyone.”
“You must tell us how people react!”
“I heard Prince Camilo will be there too. What if His Highness is so stunned he goes blind?”

How cute.

Eloise, who was picking up her mask, quietly listened to the maids’ chatter as she walked.

On the first floor, Frederick, the knight in charge of the lady’s protection, was waiting for his master. One of the maids whispered to him.

“My lady is coming out.”

The moment Frederick lifted his head, Eloise was slowly descending the wide central staircase connecting the second and first floors. The hem of her pure white dress fluttered at her feet.

Frederick froze in shock. For a moment, he even wondered if her destination was truly the count’s ball.

As if time had stopped, he stared at his master in a daze—until Eloise approached him and said indifferently,

“Let’s go.”

Eloise placed on a decorative mask that covered her eyes. Frederick escorted her.

The duke’s carriage carrying the two of them cut through the darkness and sped away. Contrary to the maids’ expectations, the carriage did not head to the count’s estate where the ball was being held.

After a long ride, it stopped in a dark, sinister back alley.

An old wall had a rusted door handle attached to it. When Frederick opened the door, Eloise stepped inside without hesitation.

It was a place where a noble lady would normally not even take a single step out of fear—but Eloise walked in confidently.

Inside, a damp stench of mold and various unknown odors filled the air. There was even a faint smell of blood. The place was humid and pitch dark.

Even after wandering such places for days, she had never grown accustomed to this air.

On both sides of the narrow corridor were iron cages, and inside them, enslaved men clung to the bars. The cages shook violently.

“A woman! I smell something disgusting!”
“Is she ugly? She’s wearing a mask, kekekeke!”

Every time Eloise’s thin, luxurious dress brushed past the cages, the men howled like animals. They begged for attention, demanding even a glance. They spat out all kinds of filthy words without hesitation.

Yet her upright gaze never wavered.

Escorted by her knight, she walked deeper inside, until a fork appeared.

Loud noises came from the left. An auction seemed to be in progress, but that was not her concern.

“This way.”

Choosing the right path, Eloise walked further in. At the end stood a middle-aged man with a protruding belly.

He was the slave dealer she had arranged to meet today.

“I’ve been waiting, my lady.”

At his words, Frederick glared at him sharply, warning him not to openly reveal her status here. It was only because there were no other listeners present; otherwise, that man would already be on his way to hell.

The slave dealer lowered his gaze.

“My apologies. I was overwhelmed by the honor of meeting you directly, my lady… ah, no, miss…”

“It’s fine. More importantly, is it ready?”

“Yes, of course. This way, please.”

The slave dealer guided Eloise deeper inside. A quiet, dark corridor appeared. It was hard to see ahead. Frederick extended his hand to his master.

“No need.”

His proud master coldly refused his kindness and walked ahead gracefully, passing him.

The three of them reached the innermost reception room. The sound from earlier disappeared completely, as if the room were soundproof.

It was a VIP—no, VVIP—room prepared for rare customers who visited occasionally. In the center stood a soft velvet sofa.

Eloise sat down and crossed her legs.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

Eloise gave a slight nod. After bowing deeply, the slave dealer quickly left the room.

Indeed. She was worthy of being the daughter of the powerful La Croix Ducal House, one of the greatest nobles of the Finestra Empire. Even with half her face covered by a mask, she was breathtaking. And she carried an aura that could not be approached lightly.

Yet she was just a girl smaller than him, and still the slave dealer found himself overwhelmed by her presence.

“Um, miss.”

At her knight’s voice, Eloise glanced sideways.

“Wouldn’t it be better to return now? No matter how I think about it, this is not a place for you.”

“Frederick.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Have you ever seen me make a mistake? Has my decision ever been wrong?”

Through the mask, her green eyes gleamed sharply. Meeting her gaze made Frederick flinch. Before that look, he felt utterly insignificant.

But that was also why he admired her.

“I apologize. I spoke without thinking.”

As Frederick bowed his head, Eloise turned forward again.

Waiting felt like eternity. It had already been a week. For seven days, Eloise had been scouring this area, inspecting every slave she could find.

The noble lady’s strange behavior was all due to a rumor.

A rumor that a beautiful blond man had been brought in as a slave.

‘If I fail again this time…’

No. Don’t think negatively.

Even if she didn’t find the one she was looking for, she could think of another method. She could do it. Eloise.

As she silently made that vow, the slave dealer appeared again.

“Thank you for waiting.”

He pulled a leash—and from the darkness, a blond man crawled forward on all fours.

Messy hair covering his face, pale skin, lean but defined muscles. His shoulders suggested he was quite tall.

He kept his gaze fixed on the ground, as if dissatisfied with everything.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and greet her properly.”

“Ugh!”

The slave dealer yanked the leash upward. It was the attitude of someone handling an animal without affection. The man struggled in pain.

Even so, he refused to lift his head, resisting obedience.

‘He’s quite spirited.’

Eloise silently observed him and slowly stood up.

Despite her expressionless face, she felt strangely excited. The anticipation that she might finally obtain what she wanted stirred within her.

A pleasant tension.

“My lady!”

Despite Frederick trying to stop her, Eloise walked slowly toward the disheveled man.

A pair of pale, slender ankles appeared in the man’s lowered vision. Then came a clear, calm voice.

“Show me your face.”

So noble, as expected of a noble.

The slave dealer sneered inwardly. Did she think saying that would make him obey?

This slave was unusually proud for a slave, not like the others who would easily grovel at a noble’s words.

The more he was beaten, the sharper his murderous gaze became—so much so that he had been marked as a dangerous one the moment he arrived.

But contrary to the dealer’s expectations, the man who had been resisting slowly raised his head.

Eloise knelt slightly to match his eye level. The distance between them closed instantly.

Their eyes met.

Through unkempt hair, clear blue eyes were revealed. A high nose bridge, sharp gaze, and an elegant jawline that did not resemble a slave at all.

His bare upper body was covered in scratches and wounds, yet his skin remained surprisingly pale and smooth.

“Can you stand up?”

At her words, the slave dealer tugged the leash again. The man grimaced but obediently stood up. As expected, he was tall and well-built.

‘If cleaned and dressed well, he’d look impressive.’

A faint smile formed on Eloise’s lips.

“You are beautiful.”

At her words, the slave flinched. Then a faint, mocking smile appeared on his lips. He seemed to find it ridiculous that a sheltered noble girl knew nothing of the world.

“Would you like to come with me?”

The slave dealer’s face brightened, already imagining a high price.

But the slave himself suddenly reached out toward Eloise with sharp eyes.

“!”

“Lady!”

“You bastard!”

Startled, Eloise stepped back slightly—but the mask covering her face had already been knocked to the ground.

Her face was revealed.

Frederick quickly picked up the mask and moved in front of her, shielding her. In that dangerous moment, Eloise only smiled in satisfaction.

“I like it. Even this boldness.”