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Chapter 08 …
The Slave Is Too Handsome!
“Or die by my hand.”
Lucian let out a deep sigh at the sight of the young lady speaking such terrifying words with the face of an angel.
Even if he ran away, it felt as though this woman would chase him to the ends of the earth just to kill him. And then, as if to make a point, she would probably stuff and display him in the ducal estate.
In that case, Lucian would become a ghost of the Duke’s household, neither truly alive nor dead.
‘I really should have left yesterday.’
Last night had probably been his final chance to escape this crazy young lady.
Only now did regret come flooding in. Was it because of his curiosity toward this unpredictable noble girl? Thinking he should at least hear her out, he had decided to stay a little longer.
Now Lucian found himself resenting that version of himself.
He had grown up on the streets and seen all kinds of ugliness. Life had hardened him to the point where almost nothing could faze him anymore.
But even for Lucian, this kind of hopeless situation was a first.
“So, what’s your choice?”
His mouth had gone dry.
Lucian, who had been repeatedly running his fingers through his hair in frustration, finally dropped to one knee before Eloise.
“I shall obey my master’s command.”
Yes. That was more like it.
Smiling victoriously, Eloise rose from her seat.
“Good. I look forward to working with you, Lucian.”
At the sound of his young master’s voice calling his name, Lucian’s shoulders trembled slightly.
‘Sorry, but no matter how I think about it, your plan sounds completely insane.’
For now, he would pretend to obey.
Play along, gain her trust, and wait for an opportunity to escape.
Then he would cross the border and disappear into a foreign country where she could never follow him.
Even if this woman eventually caught up to him and killed him, he had to at least try everything he could.
Looking up, Lucian flashed Eloise a bright smile.
A few days later.
One sunny afternoon, with sunlight streaming through the room, Eloise was organizing account books in her office.
Knock. Knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Mary entered.
Eloise set down the quill she had been using and placed it into the inkstand.
“My Lady, I’ve finished what you ordered.”
“Really?”
“Would you like to see?”
When Eloise nodded, Mary gestured outside the door.
Soon, four slaves entered the office one after another.
“Well? Much better, right?”
Mary spoke proudly.
All four men had been thoroughly cleaned up.
Their messy hair had been trimmed, revealing faces that had previously been hidden beneath grime and neglect.
Each of them turned out to be quite handsome.
Of course, the one who stood out the most was Lucian.
With the long bangs that used to cover his eyes gone, his deep gaze became even more striking.
The combination of beauty and handsomeness in his face was exactly to Eloise’s liking.
“Wow. I barely recognize any of you. As expected, Mary, your skills are amazing.”
At Eloise’s praise, three of the men smiled shyly.
Only Lucian maintained a completely expressionless face.
“From now on, you all belong to my knight order.”
The three men immediately brightened.
Naturally, Lucian looked as though he had just been dragged into another troublesome mess.
“Of course, for now you’ll only be apprentice knights, and you’ll have to endure Frederick’s strict training.”
“For the record, there’s no one in this Empire as generous as our young lady!”
Mary proudly chimed in.
She wasn’t wrong.
Who would dare accept slaves as apprentice knights of a ducal house?
Such a thing was almost unheard of.
It was the sort of fortune that might require three generations of accumulated merit.
“I’ll follow you to the death!”
“I dedicate this life to you, Master!”
“I’ll never forget your kindness, Master!”
Ned, Finn, and Gabe shouted one after another.
Watching them with satisfaction, Eloise glanced toward Lucian.
Forced by the situation, he gave a casual bow.
Mary shot him a glare.
‘Just because he’s handsome.’
She really didn’t like how arrogant he was compared to everyone else.
“You may leave now.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Lucian, you stay.”
After leading the other three out, Mary quietly closed the door.
Once they were alone, Lucian flopped down into an empty chair.
“I’ll be teaching you personally. Why? Because there aren’t many people in this Empire who are as knowledgeable as I am about etiquette, politics, economics, society, and culture.”
“……”
“Of course, you’ll still need Frederick’s martial training too. Prepare yourself.”
“…Fine.”
“Your answers are getting short again?”
Crossing her arms, Eloise looked down at him.
“What’s the problem? There’s no one else around to hear us. Besides, we’re in the same boat now, aren’t we?”
Lucian grinned casually.
Eloise, however, did not smile.
“You seem to have forgotten. I’m still your master, and you’re still my slave—”
“Not for long. I’m the Crown Prince, and eventually the Emperor of the Finestra Empire. Shouldn’t you be practicing how to show me proper respect from now on, my lady?”
‘Well, look at that.’
Cute.
Eloise finally laughed and nodded.
When she had first explained everything to him, he had been trembling in fear.
Now he had the audacity to talk back.
Still, no matter how much he acted up, he remained in the palm of her hand.
“Fine. Do whatever you want.”
How magnanimous of me.
‘Once the lessons start, I’m going to work you into the ground.’
Hehehe.
Eloise let out a rather sinister laugh.
Watching her, a chill ran down the back of Lucian’s neck.
He had no idea what she was thinking.
But he could tell it would not end well for him.
‘I’m definitely escaping before that Second Prince’s birthday.’
The next day.
From the morning onward, Lucian looked utterly miserable.
He sat slouched at the desk in Eloise’s office.
Then one thick book after another began piling onto the desk.
“You’ll need to learn the history, politics, and diplomacy of the Great Finestra Empire. Also the history and genealogy of the Imperial Family, basic social etiquette, artistic appreciation, languages, piano, and dancing.”
Having personally stacked several books onto the desk, Eloise dusted off her hands proudly.
The tower of books soon rose well above Lucian’s line of sight.
The only fortunate thing was that it hadn’t yet reached the ceiling.
His face turned deathly pale.
“What… did you just say?”
“The history and politics of the Great Finestra Empire—”
“Wait. Wait a second.”
Just hearing the list made his head ache.
Pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose, Lucian groaned.
“Do I really have to go this far?”
“You’re already saying weak things on the very first day?”
With her arms crossed, Eloise looked down at him as though he were pathetic.
“Listen, my lady. The First Prince was only five years old when he was kidnapped. Five. Do you really think a five-year-old knew all that?”
Lucian held up an open hand in front of her, emphasizing the number five.
Eloise answered in a clear voice, as if reciting poetry.
“The Finestrean language, Imperial history, basic piano skills, the ability to write poetry, and finally basic swordsmanship. Oh, and proper etiquette as well.”
“……”
“That’s everything the five-year-old First Prince had already mastered.”
“Is that even possible? Is he human? Sounds more like a demon.”
“Which is exactly why the Emperor is still waiting for the First Prince, despite not even knowing whether he’s alive or dead.”
Lucian let out a long sigh and vigorously ruffled his hair.
No matter how many times he thought about it, he felt like he had stepped into a trap.
“And besides, we need to think long-term. Simply getting you acknowledged as the First Prince isn’t the goal.”
At the word we, Lucian’s eyebrow twitched.
This goal belonged entirely to Eloise.
He wanted nothing more than to distance himself from it.
Being grouped together with her under the word we irritated him.
“After you’re officially recognized as the First Prince, you’ll have to compete with the Second Prince for the position of Crown Prince. Compared to that, this is just the basics.”
Eloise pointed at the mountain of books.
Lucian made one final attempt at resistance.
“You said the Second Prince is an idiot. Then surely this much isn’t necessary—”
“I said he’s an idiot compared to me. He’s still someone who received the finest education the Imperial Family could provide.”
“……”
“And he’s quick-witted in all the wrong ways. Very crafty.”
“……”
“You must never underestimate him.”
As she said that, Eloise’s face twisted.
Just imagining the Second Prince seemed enough to make her grind her teeth.
“Understood?”
“…Understood.”
Lucian pouted as he answered.
He had no more arguments left, but he certainly wasn’t happy about the situation.
“Haa… Three months until the birthday celebration. I should be able to finish everything by then, right?”
Muttering to herself, Eloise pulled out a sheet of parchment and quickly scribbled something on it.
Then she held it out to Lucian.
“Can you read this?”
Lucian stared intently at the parchment.
He said nothing.
‘As expected. Do I need to start by teaching him the alphabet?’
To begin with, she had never really expected a slave to know how to read.
This had merely been a test, just in case.
Just as Eloise was about to speak, Lucian muttered first.
“Valensio Seth Floren… Who’s that?”
“!!!”
“Since he uses the Floren surname, he must be a prince. Ah, I see. Is that the First Prince’s name?”
Eloise said nothing.
So Lucian looked over the parchment once more.
Perhaps he had read it wrong.
Valensio Seth Floren.
No matter how many times he read it, the name remained the same.
Yet Eloise still said nothing.
Lucian began cautiously studying her expression.
No matter how deeply he stared into her eyes, he could never understand what was going on inside the brilliant young lady’s head.
Eventually, his thoughts arrived at a single conclusion.
Should I just give up on everything and let the young lady kill me?
