Chapter 07 …

The Slave Is Too Handsome!

The two headed toward the rear garden. Eloise skillfully took the lead, and Lucian followed behind her.

Pretending not to be interested, Lucian looked around here and there, taking in the scenery with his wide eyes.

As expected of a ducal house, the estate was enormous. The rear garden was beautifully maintained with all kinds of rare trees, grasses, and flowers, and it was obvious that expert hands had carefully tended every corner.

It had been a long time since Eloise had visited as well. The garden was a place that her late mother, the former Duchess, had devoted great care to cultivating.

After her mother’s death, Eloise had taken responsibility for its management, though in practice she left most of the work to a skilled gardener and only inspected it occasionally.

“Sit.”

Seated at a table in the center of the garden, Eloise gestured with her chin. Lucian sat across from her.

He seemed interested in plants, glancing around at the surroundings. Then he rose from his seat, bent one knee, and began examining a shrub.

Eloise quietly observed him.

After studying the shrub for quite some time, Lucian stood up and approached her.

“?”

“Put this on your wound. It’ll help.”

Lucian held out a nameless-looking herb. His gaze was fixed on the scratches on Eloise’s skin.

“You know about things like this too?”

Taking the herb, Eloise let out a small exclamation of admiration.

The fact that this insolent brat was actually worried about her made her feel strangely happy. It made her want to learn even more about Lucian.

Dropping back into his seat, Lucian spoke casually.

“It’s nothing special.”

“Thank you. I’ll put it on when I get back to my room.”

“Why don’t you finish what you were talking about yesterday?”

Crossing his arms, Lucian asked.

“Lucian. Do you know what your name means?”

“That’s not what I’m curious about.”

“It means a shining person.”

The two stared at each other while completely talking past one another.

It was the second round of their battle of nerves, continuing from dawn.

“Do you know why it was chosen? Because you’re meant to become the most—no, the second most radiant and noble existence in the Empire.”

“Hah.”

Lucian sneered at the absurd statement.

“Of course, the first is me.”

“Did getting your cheek scratched yesterday finally drive you insane?”

Lucian asked with one corner of his mouth twitching upward.

Eloise casually ignored his mocking tone.

“I’m going to make you Emperor.”

At Eloise’s declaration, Lucian blinked blankly.

Make me… what?

Taking a deep breath, Lucian stared deeply into the young lady’s eyes, trying to read her intentions.

“I, Eloise, am going to make you, Lucian, Emperor.”

“……”

“By any means necessary.”

When Eloise drove the point home with a serious expression, Lucian’s face stiffened.

A moment ago, asking if she had gone insane had been pure sarcasm.

Now he was beginning to change his mind.

This woman is actually crazy.

An inexplicable confidence shone within Eloise’s emerald eyes as she stared directly at him.

“Hah. Hahahahahaha.”

Lucian burst out laughing, looking utterly dumbfounded.

“Well? Doesn’t my proposal sound tempting?”

“Are you insane?”

“If you’re going to become Emperor, you’ll need to fix that habit of speaking, Lucian.”

Lucian.

A name that had always irritated him somehow became even more unbearable to hear now.

He couldn’t understand the young lady’s intentions in the slightest.

“You really think that’s possible? Are you planning to start a rebellion?”

“No. Why would I go through something so exhausting?”

“……”

“I’m going to make you Crown Prince first, and then Emperor, through completely lawful procedures.”

Lucian came to a conclusion.

No matter what, he needed to leave the ducal household—and get away from this madwoman.

“……”

For a while, Eloise and Lucian simply stared at one another in silence.

Lucian was the first to break it.

For the first time, he put on a humble smile, the kind of smile that made him look harmless and agreeable.

“Yes, My Lady. I’ve heard your grand dream very well. And I sincerely hope that dream comes true. However, regrettably, a lowly person such as myself does not believe he can accompany you on that path. Well then, if you’ll excuse me.”

Bowing politely, Lucian rose from his seat.

Eloise’s gaze remained firmly locked on him.

“It has to be you.”

“No. I’m sure there are plenty of suitable candidates besides me. The guys who were brought along with me, for example—”

“If you refuse, I’ll kill you.”

“……”

Seeing Eloise’s smile, Lucian felt a chill run down his spine.

Though her lips were smiling, her eyes were ice-cold.

He recalled the way she had skillfully drawn a dagger the night before.

The way she had aimed an arrow at him.

If things had gone even slightly wrong, he might really have ended up as the young lady’s first preserved collection while still alive.

He would rather die.

The very thought of being stuffed and displayed was horrifying.

And what about the young Duke, her brother?

Hadn’t that man casually threatened someone with a weapon after barging into a lady’s room late at night?

He had only known them for a single day, but it was obvious that every member of the La Croix family was at least half insane.

Especially the woman before him.

Once she set her mind on something, it felt as though she would accomplish it no matter what.

For now, survival comes first.

Lucian sat back down as politely as possible.

Then he neatly placed both hands on his knees.

At the moment, avoiding provoking Eloise was his highest priority.

“Let’s hear the rest, then. Why exactly do you want to make me Emperor?”

Though he had been nothing more than a slave rolling around in a slave market until recently, even he knew that the position of Crown Prince was still vacant.

In the end, the Second Prince—the oldest remaining prince—would probably take the position.

“I need to take control of this family.”

“What?”

Lucian frowned.

Every word coming out of Eloise’s mouth seemed to arrive out of nowhere.

“There are two ways a noble family chooses its heir. First, the holder of the title designates the next successor. In other words, the Duke of La Croix has the authority to decide the next Duke.”

“……”

“Second, the Emperor designates the heir.”

Only then did Lucian begin to understand her absurd goal.

She wanted to become the next Duke, but for some reason the first method seemed impossible.

So her plan was to make him Emperor and then have him appoint her as Duke.

That appeared to be Eloise’s strategy.

“Even so, isn’t that taking a ridiculously roundabout route? Wouldn’t earning the Duke’s approval be much faster?”

Even without knowing the details of the family situation, it seemed obvious to Lucian that Eloise was far more suited to the ducal seat than that incompetent young Duke from yesterday.

Anyone with common sense would think the same.

Then maybe the Duke has lost his mind too.

Eloise, who had been speaking confidently until now, twitched her lips before continuing.

“The Second Prince wants to marry me. My father wants that too.”

“……You mean you’re going to become the Crown Princess?”

Eloise nodded, her expression darkening.

Then she frowned to herself, apparently imagining something unpleasant.

Spoiled.

That was Lucian’s immediate thought as he crossed his legs.

“Isn’t that even better? Compared to becoming a Duke, becoming the Crown Princess—”

“Absolutely not.”

Eloise shot him a glare for sounding exactly like her father.

“That sounds like the complaint of someone who has it too good.”

To Lucian, who had grown up on the streets, her words sounded like nothing more than the pointless whining of a noble lady.

“You expect someone as smart, beautiful, and kind as me to marry that idiot? Then spend the rest of my life trapped inside the stifling Imperial Palace, living like a puppet?”

Overcome with emotion, Eloise’s hands trembled.

Hah.

Watching her shameless self-praise, Lucian barely managed to disguise his laughter as a cough.

Really now.

Who compliments themselves like that?

Though honestly, it didn’t sound entirely wrong.

She did seem intelligent.

She had courage.

And, well… she was beautiful.

I wouldn’t say she’s kind, though.

Eloise’s eyes were burning with determination.

At the very least, she was entertaining to watch.

Now clenching both fists, she declared:

“Seriously, that would be an insult to the life I’ve spent living proudly as a noble lady!”

Though he had never seen the Second Prince’s face, Lucian guessed he must either be extremely ugly.

Or have a terrible personality.

Watching Eloise shudder in disgust, he silently wondered which it was.

At the same time, Lucian subtly leaned backward, just in case those small fists suddenly came flying toward him.

“……That statement you just made sounds like the kind of thing that could get you arrested for insulting the Imperial Family.”

“Do you know about the missing First Prince?”

Having finally calmed her anger, Eloise regained her composure and spoke.

Lucian nodded.

What was she talking about now?

“You mean the prince who was kidnapped as a child? Considering they still haven’t found him, he’s probably dead.”

“That’s right. Even so, the current Emperor still hasn’t given up on the First Prince. As far as he’s concerned, the only Crown Prince he recognizes is still the First Prince.”

“That doesn’t mean the missing First Prince is suddenly going to come back…”

Lucian trailed off mid-sentence.

Ah.

Every piece of the puzzle suddenly clicked into place.

“So you’re saying you want me to act as the First Prince’s stand-in.”

“Correct!”

Eloise smiled in satisfaction.

Clap, clap.

After lightly applauding, she added:

“The deadline is the Second Prince’s next birthday. By then, even the Emperor won’t be able to delay naming a Crown Prince any longer. Naturally, the Second Prince would become Crown Prince.”

“……”

“Honestly, among the children currently available, he’s the least terrible option.”

Eloise bit her lip as she spoke, clearly reluctant to admit it.

I’ve really gotten caught up in something dangerous.

After hearing the entirety of Eloise’s grand plan, Lucian wanted to run away even more.

If things went wrong, this was the sort of scheme that could easily end in charges of treason.

“Well? Doesn’t it sound tempting? Lucian—the man who rose from slave to Emperor.”

“No matter how I think about it, I am far too lacking to participate in Your Ladyship’s magnificent plan…”

Lucian avoided her gaze.

“You’re still misunderstanding. You only have two choices.”

“……”

“You either do as I say.”

“……”

“Or you die by my hand.”