Chapter 06 …

The Slave Is Too Handsome!

“Hm? I asked if you were going to leave me.”

Eloise casually shook the leather pouch, completely unconcerned about the blood.

“Ah…”

Lucian let out an exclamation and slipped a hand into his trouser pocket, but of course, there was nothing there.

He only glared at Eloise without saying a word.

“Don’t go. I need you.”

Eloise returned the leather pouch to Lucian as she spoke. Caught off guard, Lucian accepted it and asked,

“Why?”

Now Lucian was genuinely curious. Leaving aside the troublesome little duke—or rather, the walking time bomb—why would a duke’s daughter who lacked absolutely nothing need a slave like him?

“That’s…”

Eloise wore an unusually serious expression and deliberately paused.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow morning when the sun rises.”

“What?”

Eloise smiled sweetly.

Ha.

Lucian let out a mocking laugh. The young lady before him possessed an incredible talent for playing with people’s emotions.

Meanwhile, Eloise yawned and added in a somewhat drowsy voice,

“So you should hurry back to your quarters too. Before Arthur wakes up. Ah, you know who Arthur is, right? Our butler.”

The old man who had nagged him throughout the meal immediately came to Lucian’s mind.

“Our butler absolutely adores me. So if he sees you coming out of my room, he’ll probably try to kill you.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“It’s advice. Let’s talk again after we’ve slept and have clear heads.”

As if she had finished everything she wanted to say, Eloise walked toward the bed.

Whether her persuasion had worked or not, Lucian silently tucked away the leather pouch and headed for the door. Before leaving, he glanced at Eloise one last time, then quietly closed the door behind him.

The sun seemed ready to rise at any moment, but regardless, Eloise felt as though she could finally sleep soundly.

Why do I need you? Because I have to make you Emperor.

Even after closing her eyes, she could still picture Lucian standing in front of her moments earlier. A smile curved her lips.

Before that, though, I’ll have to test whether you actually have the qualifications.

The next morning, Mary entered Eloise’s bedroom at the usual time.

Normally, Eloise would already be awake by now.

“…Miss?”

For once, Eloise was still in bed.

Placing a hand on her waist, Mary walked over to her. Today was Wednesday—the day when all members of the ducal family ate breakfast together.

Is she pretending to be sick because she doesn’t want to eat with them?

Mary approached, fully prepared to lecture her, but her expression softened.

Eloise was sleeping with an exceptionally peaceful face.

As if she were having a pleasant dream, she even wore a harmless smile. The same smile appeared on Mary’s face.

Normally, her young lady never slept deeply. Her naturally sensitive disposition and constant worries about family matters kept her restless.

Should I just let her sleep a little longer?

The moment Mary thought that, Eloise slowly opened her eyes.

“…Mary?”

“Good morning, Miss.”

“So Wednesday has arrived.”

Throwing off the blankets, Eloise stretched and sat before the dressing table.

Just as Mary approached to brush her hair, she let out a small gasp.

“Miss, what happened last night?”

There was a small scratch on Eloise’s jade-like face.

Startled, Mary hurriedly looked around the room and only then noticed the shattered fragments of a broken vase scattered about.

“Ah. It’s nothing.”

Eloise’s indifferent answer only fueled Mary’s anger.

“Nothing? Nothing, you say? Who dared leave a scratch on our Miss’s face?! Something happened at the ball yesterday, didn’t it? Right? Was it Lady Rose?”

Instead of answering, Eloise chuckled.

Mary looked so cute acting angry while trying to seem like an adult despite her youthful appearance. It was also amusing how completely wrong her guess was.

“Don’t worry. I was already planning to go punish the bastard who scratched my face.”

The eyes reflected in the mirror gleamed with murderous intent.

Mary flinched.

Really, she’s my lady, but she can be terrifying at times.

Immediately changing her attitude, Mary silently offered her condolences to whoever had left that scratch on Eloise’s cheek.

“Good morning.”

Dressed neatly, Eloise greeted everyone with a bright smile.

At the far end of the long dining table sat her father, Duke La Croix, with the Duchess La Croix seated beside him.

“Good morning, my child.”

The Duke returned her greeting.

Coincidentally, the seat opposite the Duchess was empty. Its owner, George, had apparently not arrived yet.

Though whether he’s merely late or deliberately avoiding breakfast, who knows.

Normally, Eloise sat at the opposite end of the table facing the Duke, far away from the other three.

Today, however, was different.

“!?”

Eloise sat in George’s seat.

Since she needed to naturally show her father the scratch on her face, this was the perfect place.

“Today I’d like to eat a little closer to the two of you. That’s alright, isn’t it?”

“Of course. It’s nice to see your face up close like this.”

The Duchess answered with an awkward smile.

The servants soon began bringing out the food one course after another.

“Eloise, what happened to your cheek?”

The Duke asked.

The Duchess’s gaze naturally followed his to Eloise’s face. A red scratch marred her beautiful features.

The expressions of both adults twisted upon seeing such an unsuitable injury on a duke’s daughter.

Exactly as Eloise intended.

Despite her true intentions, Eloise lowered her head as though embarrassed and acted reluctant to answer.

However, the Duchess instantly knew who had done it.

It had to be her foolish son.

The fact that he was nowhere to be seen only confirmed it.

“There was… an incident last night. My older brother was drunk and accidentally…”

As expected.

The Duchess’s suspicion had been perfectly correct.

“George? Why?”

The Duke asked in shock.

The hand holding his knife trembled.

“Something unpleasant must have happened at Count Miller’s ball last night. Thankfully, it ended with only a scratch. He smashed a vase and threatened me with it.”

“!!!”

The Duke’s face alternated between red and blue with rage.

“Normally he’s a good brother. But I think it might be better if he exercised a little more restraint when it comes to alcohol, Father.”

“…”

“Thankfully, he only took his anger out on me. If word ever got out that a son of House La Croix was violent…”

Eloise trailed off and shook her head as though she did not even want to imagine it.

The Duchess was so busy suppressing her anger that she could barely tell whether the food was going into her mouth or her nose.

That child would be so much more lovable if he just stayed quiet. Instead, he causes trouble every single day.

Even in the Duchess’s eyes, her son was inferior to her stepdaughter Eloise in nearly every way.

The only things she could rely on were the Duke’s affection for her and his sympathy for George.

The Duchess shot Eloise a subtle glare.

If only the Duke weren’t here, I’d teach this stepdaughter who looks down on me a lesson…

For now, she needed to retreat.

Her chance to repay this humiliation would come eventually.

Forcing herself to remain calm, the Duchess spoke.

“I shall speak to George on your behalf.”

“Please don’t. I’m sure my brother is reflecting on his actions already.”

Contrary to her words, Eloise was smiling.

Then the Duke spoke in a heavy voice.

“A reprimand is not enough. George is forbidden from leaving the estate for the time being.”

“…Dear.”

The Duchess looked at him, but the Duke remained firm.

“How can he raise violence against his only sister? Does that make any sense?”

“That’s true, but it was all because of the alcohol—”

“Alcohol is merely an excuse. If we overlook this because of drink, how will he ever correct his behavior?”

The Duke’s voice gradually grew louder.

The more he thought about it, the more dissatisfied he became with his son’s conduct.

“With that sort of mentality, I even question whether he’s handling the family’s affairs properly. Jeffrey!”

At last, the Duke called for the butler of the main residence.

Hehe.

Watching the Duchess’s face turn pale, Eloise cut off a small piece of perfectly smoked herring and placed it in her mouth.

The meals in the main residence were just as excellent as those in the annex.

“Bring me the ledgers for the lands George manages. To my office.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Jeffrey bowed respectfully.

Having lost his appetite, the Duke rose from his seat.

The Duchess hurriedly stood as well.

Neither of them had touched their meals.

“Your father is busy, so I’ll be going ahead. Enjoy your meal.”

“Yes, Father.”

Watching the couple leave, Eloise smiled.

The scratch really wasn’t that serious.

She had simply asked Mary to apply makeup that would make it look much more noticeable.

What Eloise had wanted was a punishment such as confinement or perhaps a ban on approaching the annex.

Instead, George was now unexpectedly facing an audit of his ledgers as well.

Well, he was so incompetent that the Duke and Eloise handled most of the estate’s territories and assets anyway. George merely managed a few minor tasks that anyone with a functioning brain could perform.

Though even those ledgers are probably a mess.

Thinking happily about yet another territory that would soon fall into her hands, Eloise dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin.

I should reward Mary.

After leisurely enjoying her breakfast, Eloise headed toward the annex while basking in the warm sunlight.

A familiar figure stood near the entrance.

It was Lucian.

Leaning against the outer wall of the building, Lucian had been casually tossing an apple into the air. Upon spotting Eloise, he straightened his posture.

“Good morning, Lucian.”

Lucian frowned slightly.

He did not appreciate Eloise casually calling him Lucian ever since yesterday.

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

Lucian gave a rough nod.

His face looked somewhat haggard, as though he had not slept properly, unlike Eloise.

No doubt her words from last night had been bothering him.

Bending forward, Lucian whispered into Eloise’s ear.

“I’d like to continue the conversation we didn’t finish yesterday.”

Eloise nodded.

“Shall we go somewhere else?”