Tamed A Blackened Slave Man

It was the morning of the Founding Day festival.

“Aren, you seem quite happy this morning. Did you perhaps have a nice dream last night?”

We were having breakfast when Father made his observation, to which I smiled awkwardly in response.

“…It’s something similar.”

“Hahah. It’s nice to see you in a good mood.”

With a pleased smile, Father brought his cup of tea to his mouth.

“Aren, I had actually been concerned these past days because you seemed so depressed. It looked like you were upset after Cassadin had left the house without any notice.”

“…Have I?”

“Yes. But I’m glad to see that you’ve gotten past it now.”

Clink.

Father placed the empty cup back on the table.

I just quietly stared at Father for a moment.

“Father.”

“Yes?”

“What will you do if Cassadin says he no longer wants to be a part of our family?”

“Hmm…”

Father contemplated deeply for a while before answering.

“I would think that he is ungrateful.”

“……”

“And remember him as an ungrateful bastard who ran away from our home.”

“Then, Father…”

Just as I opened my mouth, I saw the anger in Father’s expression and closed it back up. He seemed ready to use the fork in his hand to stab Cassadin if he declared that he wouldn’t return to the family.

“Why? You can tell me.”

“Please trust Cassadin, Father.”

“……”

Father’s eyes narrowed slightly, but I continued regardless.

“You’ve also become close with Cassadin in the past several months. I am going to respect whatever decision he makes.”

“……”

“So don’t hate him too much.”

Hearing that, Father stared intently at my face. Finding his gaze uncomfortable, I turned my head slightly to the side. Maybe it was because of my kiss with Cassadin yesterday, but it felt like I had done something wrong to Father.

“Aren.”

His low voice called my name.

“By the way, what’s the matter with your lips?”

“…What?”

I hurriedly raised my hand to my lips and touched it. My lips were definitely more swollen than usual.

When my eyes widened as I continued to touch my lips, Father’s eyes narrowed even further. I coughed as I got up from my seat.

“…Th-thank you for the meal!”

And because of that, Father started to stare at me with even more suspicion. At some point, sweat droplets started to form on my forehead.

“Aren, what you have just said about Cassadin and those swollen lips……”

When Father started to speak with a frown, I could feel my heart drop. Feeling it shrink into a small ball, I waited for his next words.

“…Are you not sleeping well these days? It must worry you that Cassadin has left our home.”

The tension in my body loosened. Hiding my surprise, I managed to muster up a smile to show my father.

“Don’t worry, I’m not Father.”

“…If you say so.”

Clearing his throat with a short cough, Father then smiled at me and continued.

“Today is the Founding Day, so forget all your concerns for today and enjoy the festival.”

“Yes, Father.”

With several of the knights from the mansion accompanying us, we headed for the capital square, where the Founding Day festival was being held.

I hadn’t known it until then.

That the ‘entertaining event’ that Damian had prepared for me was related to Cassadin.

---

“Freeesh gelato!”

“Aren’t you a bit peckish? Why not try a sweet, delicious crepe?”

As expected from a festival that was celebrating the Founding Day of the Seville Empire, the capital square was packed with people.

Starting with stall owners selling street foods to shops selling all sorts of cute accessories and fans.

“There’s quite a lot to see. But we may get lost if we don’t stay close because of the sheer number of people here.”

Hearing Father speak in a concerned tone, I looked around until I found the square’s fountain, then pointed at it.

It was the same fountain that Cassadin had been standing in front of on that rainy day.

“Then, just in case we get lost, how about we meet back up there, Father?”

“Are you talking about that fountain?”

“Yes.”

“That seems like a good idea.”

Father nodded his head. Stopping after taking a couple of steps, Father then looked around us and asked me.

“Is there anything that you need? Or something you want?”

“I’m more than satisfied just walking around like this with you.”

“Hahah. How well you’ve grown.”

“Is there anything that you need, Father?”

With a pleased smile, Father patted my shoulder with his hand.

“I’m also more than happy just being with my daughter.”

It was supposed to be autumn, but Father’s warm remark also made my heart warm up, as if it were spring.

Father and I had been enjoying the festival as such when…

“Are you perhaps Lady Serkia?”

When I turned around to hear a voice calling my name, I found a man in a neat black suit standing behind me.

The knights that had been standing nearby stepped in front of me and my father like a wall.

“Who are you to be looking for our Miss?”

“Ah, pardon me. I haven’t introduced myself. Please forgive me.”

The man politely bowed his head and apologized to me.

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m the person that Grand Duke Damian has sent. You can call me K for convenience.”

“Ah.”

‘I will send a trusted servant of mine, so all Milady has to do is follow them.’

So this was the person that Damian said he would send.

“He has told me to personally take charge of guiding Milady.”

“It’s alright for my father to come as well, right? And the knights?”

The man who called himself K nodded his head.

“Of course.”

“Will you tell me where we are going?”

“His Grace has said that you will figure that out naturally once you follow me. He also added that nothing that could be of harm to Milady should happen, so you may rest assured.”

I quietly peered up at my father after hearing the man’s response. Father looked down at me with a smile and clasped his hands over mine.

“Let’s see what this is about.”

---

When we followed the path that the man guided us through, we arrived at a place with a massive crowd of people that was incomparable to the square we had just been in.

In our sight was a large circular stadium that only opened during the Founding Day festival, and countless people were waiting in line to watch the games.

“Isn’t this the arena?”

“Yes, it is.”

“…Why here?”

“His Grace has already prepared the tickets. He had bought two tickets for seats that have the greatest view, so it is a relief that you’ve come with your father.”

The man called K smiled and guided us through. Passing all of the people waiting in line, he handed the bulky man standing right in front of the ticket booth two golden tickets.

After checking each side of the tickets multiple times, he slowly nodded and waved at us to follow him.

“You may follow me.”

When the man spoke, Damian’s servant K bowed to us and glanced between me and my father.

“This is where my duty ends. He will be the guide to the seats, so you should follow him. But the knights can’t continue from here.”

The knights couldn’t come in? Now, what was this about?

“Why can’t the knights come with us?”

“Because these gold tickets are reserved for royalty. Nothing dangerous will happen inside, so there is no need to worry.”

Since Damian’s deceased father was the younger brother of the current Emperor, Damian must also be considered royalty as part of their bloodline. Seeing as he had no rights to the throne, he was still able to buy tickets that were reserved for the imperial family.

So, this must be why Damian was so obsessed with my healing abilities. Because he, a half-royal, had no idea that a healer existed.

“Did His Grace really say to come to this arena?”

“Yes, he did.”

‘Well, I’ll see exactly why Damian asked me to come here once I go in.’

Finding this entire situation strange, Father and I followed the man inside.

I commanded the knights to be on standby outside, just in case. When we entered, I found that the arena was much bigger than it had seemed from the outside.

The spectator seats were already full. Those who were unable to buy tickets were asking people with tickets to sell them their seats for more money than they had paid for.

“I’ll give you some more money on top of the ticket prices, so sell your seats to me.”

“That won’t do. I’ve already bought these tickets from a scalper in order to see this competition.”

“Darn. It looks like I’m not getting seats this year either.”

So the fighting competition was this popular.

I knew a fighting competition was held at the Founding Day festival, but I hadn’t known of its popularity because I’d never attended it. Peering around me with curiosity, I stopped at the voice of the man who had been guiding us.

“This is the place. May you have an enjoyable time.”

What Damian’s servant had said was true. These were the best seats in the entire arena.

Unlike normal seats, there were comfortable velvet chairs in place, and they were located where they had the closest and best view of the actual field.

Out of those chairs, there was a single golden chair decorated with all sorts of jewels, which someone was already occupying.

Golden hair that was identical to Crown Prince Leon. A golden crown on top of his head and a red robe around his shoulders.

There were several knights standing near the golden chair as if to guard the person sitting on it.

‘I thought knights weren’t allowed in this place, according to the man who guided us, so why are they here?’

Feeling that something was strange, I narrowed my eyes and took a closer look at the knights.

The knights weren’t just ordinary knights, but ones from the imperial palace, and judging by the red seal of the imperial family stamped on their navy-blue epaulets, the escort knight who protected the emperor was also with them.

Wait, that meant…

“…Your Majesty?”

To my voice, the person sitting on the golden chair turned their head. Confirming the identity of the golden throne’s owner, my lips parted slightly.