Tamed A Blackened Slave Man

‘Trust you?’

How was I supposed to trust you, who killed me after using me up to the last drop?

Oh, how nonchalantly you ask me to delve into the pits of hell.

“Very well.”

Maybe it was because my head remained chillingly cold, as lies flowed out of my mouth all too easily.

“I will trust Your Grace.”

Only after hearing the answer that he wanted did Damian back away from me.

“Then, let us meet again at the Founding Day festival.”

---

I immediately headed to the carriage that would take me back to my home.

That was because I knew that even if Damian knew the whereabouts of Cassadin, he wouldn’t tell me, and because I had the eerie feeling that someone was watching me just by being within Damian’s territory.

When the carriage started to move, Sasha swallowed visibly before opening her mouth,

“…For a moment, I thought he was a different person from yesterday.”

As Sasha scratched her cheek, Tuule nodded vigorously in agreement with her comment.

Tuule’s dark brown hair bobbed along with his nodding head.

“They’re the same person. The Grand Duke from yesterday and today.”

Hearing that, Tuule stopped nodding and shook his head to the side instead.

“He is surely scheming something.”

I smiled wordlessly at the accusation Tuule made with narrowed eyes.

And I knew that better than anyone else.

---

When we returned to our home, there was an unexpected guest waiting for us.

I found someone in red clothing standing in front of the mansion entrance, talking with Father.

Luscious golden strands of hair fluttered carelessly in the breeze.

I could see Father wiping away beads of sweat rolling down his forehead with a handkerchief as he spoke with the man in red clothing.

“Does that mean the lady is not coming today either?”

“Well, that is…”

‘Who even is the man speaking to Father?’

When I stepped out of the carriage and approached the two talking men, their gazes simultaneously fell on me.

“Aren?”

I was unable to tell who the red-clothed man was from the back, but it turned out that he was Crown Prince Leon.

“Your Highness?”

When my eyes widened in surprise, the Crown Prince responded with a grin.

“I’ve come here because you didn’t keep your promise to visit the palace.”

In response to the Crown Prince’s remark, Father also stared at me with a confused expression. His face demanded an answer to what this situation was.

“Well, why don’t we go inside to talk first?”

“As you say.”

And so, as we entered the living room, the Crown Prince turned to Father.

“I ask that you give us some time, as this is between me and the lady.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Father then shot me a glance, saying that he was going to need an explanation from me later. I nodded my head, telling him that I would.

Clack.

The doors closed, and it was just me and the Crown Prince left in the living room.

A table created a distance between us, and we sat down on the chairs at each side.

“You wouldn’t know how surprised I was to hear that Milady wasn’t here when I came to visit.”

“…I had been elsewhere for a couple of days.”

“May I ask where you have gone to?”

How would the Crown Prince react if I honestly told him that I went to Damian’s mansion? He would most likely be dumbfounded that I went to visit the man who tried to harm me.

‘And it may just make him suspicious of me. I shouldn’t intentionally tell him that I went to the Duke’s house.’

But I didn’t feel that it was right to lie to the Crown Prince after he had promised to protect me, so in the end, I gave him a vague answer.

“I had gone to the northern regions, Your Highness.”

“Why the northern regions?”

“…In order to find my younger brother.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Seeming to be surprised, the Crown Prince looked at me with widened eyes and slightly parted lips.

“Did he finally leave the house?”

“Pardon?”

“I knew it from that look in his eyes when he looked at you. That ungrateful bastard.”

Just what was this man talking about?

“Your Highness. Please refrain from referring to my younger brother in such a way.”

Though Cassadin was no longer my younger brother, I didn’t feel that great when it sounded like the Crown Prince was talking ill of him.

When I expressed my disapproval, Leon let out a sigh and asked me,

“Aren. Please put your hand on your chest and tell me. Did you really not know that he had feelings for you as more than just a sister?”

“……”

“Even as an onlooker, I could tell that those eyes were not ones for family, but ones looking at a woman he loved. It couldn’t possibly have been directed to you as a sister.”

‘Oh, of course, I knew that Cassadin had feelings for me. I heard him say it with his own mouth. But I really don’t want to hear that from Your Highness right now.’

Pushing down the words that wanted to spill out of my mouth, I mustered up a smile and spoke to the Crown Prince.

“That couldn’t possibly be, Your Highness. We’re family.”

“……”

“I beg that Your Highness not mention that matter anymore. It upsets me to hear such things when I am already worried that Cassadin has been gone for several days.”

The Crown Prince seemed ready to say something, but shut his mouth after hearing me. In order to loosen the air that had become awkward, I changed the topic.

“But, what brings Your Highness to our mansion?”

“I told you. Because you promised to come to the palace but didn’t.”

“I apologize. I have been so busy that there hasn’t been time to visit the palace.”

“It’s alright. I’ve now seen that you are alive and well.”

The Crown Prince rose from his seat. Seeing the man turn away from the door without any hesitation, I felt a sudden bewilderment that caused me to stop him.

“You aren’t going to wait to have a cup of tea?”

“I thank you for the kindness, but I will have to turn down the offer. I’ve only come here today in order to see if you were alright.”

“…Thank you.”

When I gave him a sincere expression of gratitude, the Crown Prince smiled calmly. And just as he was walking out of the room, the Crown Prince suddenly turned his head towards me.

“I believe that the butler that Damian had called for that time was called Kindel, was he not?”

“Yes. That was his name.”

“I’ve met him last time, and it seems like he is loyal to Damian. But I can’t help but get an ominous feeling from him.”

“……”

The Crown Prince was a sharp man.

“Just in case, I recommend that you refrain from going out. That’s what I have come here to say.”

And as soon as he finished speaking, the Crown Prince turned around and actually tried to leave the room.

‘Did he really come here just to say that?’

“Excuse me……”

I couldn’t help but stop him once more. He turned around to look at me.

“Why did you call me?”

“…Why are you so kind to me?”

When I asked him honestly, the Crown Prince burst into laughter.

After a long session of laughing, he messed with the doorknob several times before suddenly turning around and walking towards the chair that I was seated in.

Then he grabbed onto the armrest of my chair and leaned over towards me. I unconsciously leaned away from how close he was to me when he muttered quietly into my ear.

“I know. I’m not sure either.”

The tiny voice tickled my ears, then disappeared. With a confused expression, I looked up at the Crown Prince.

Seeing that, he gave me a wide, playful grin and ruffled my hair with his hand.

Thanks to him ruffling my hair, it turned into a tangled mess. Just like a lion’s mane.

“Your Highness!”

At that moment, I glared at him with a frustrated expression, which, for some reason, caused him to burst into laughter once more.

“Let us meet next time, Aren.”

With those final words, the Crown Prince left the living room.

‘He’s such a weird man, truly.’

---

Immediately after the Crown Prince left, I confessed the current situation to my puzzled father.

“So from what you are saying, Aren, you have become acquainted with His Highness after healing him from the poison, and, as a result, received much help from him at the banquet hall and in other cases?”

“Yes, that is what happened.”

After hearing the details of the situation, Father’s eyes sparkled as he smiled cheerfully. Reflecting the autumn skies, Father’s blue eyes were shining with more clarity than ever before.

“His Highness seems like a much nicer man than I thought. I had heard that His Highness usually did not have interest in others.”

“Is that so?”

Not interested in others? That man? The rumors must have changed. If anything, he had too much interest.

“At least, that’s what the rumors claim. I’m not sure how accurate they are since I’ve just heard what the others have been saying. But, even I have only spoken with His Majesty, but never with His Highness.”

“I see.”

Now that I think about it, I didn’t have much interaction with the Crown Prince in my past life either.

If Cassadin hadn’t poisoned the Crown Prince in this life, I would have never had the chance to talk with the Crown Prince like this.

“That reminds me, Aren. How did it go with finding Cassadin? Did you meet him?”

When Cassadin’s name came out of Father’s mouth, I could feel all of my strength draining out of me.

“No, I couldn’t find him.”

“…That damned bastard. I’ll break his legs so he won’t be able to go anywhere next time I see him.”

“Father!”

“It’s a joke. A joke.”

Father laughed quietly as he patted my back.

“Cassadin didn’t happen to come back here while I was gone, did he?”

“No. I didn’t see a single hair of him.”

“…That’s disappointing.”

I did consider hiring someone to find Cassadin, but that might only cause news to spread to others that Cassadin was no longer part of our family.

“Let’s wait for now.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“Ah, right. Are you going to the Founding Day festival, Father?”

“Hm. I haven’t thought about that yet.”

I was going to the Founding Day festival in order to lower Damian’s guard, but it wouldn’t be strange for that man to attempt something while I was away from the mansion.

Since something might happen to Father, maybe it would be better if he attended the Founding Day festival with me. It would be a good idea to bring along some knights from our family as well.

“Father, why don’t you attend this Founding Day festival with me?”