Tamed A Blackened Slave Man

‘What is this man doing all of a sudden…..?’

I was taken aback by the Crown Prince’s unexpected involvement.

Moreover, he had something to discuss with me? I had nothing to converse about with him.

As the Crown Prince approached me, Father whispered just loud enough for me to hear.

“Aren, I did not get the chance to ask you yesterday.”

“Yes.”

“But the person you confess to liking… it’s not the Crown Prince, is it?”

I practically gasped at my father’s question and vehemently shook my head from side to side.

“Father, you know that couldn’t possibly be true. That is absolutely not the case.”

“Then, who is it?”

My father’s sullen voice compelled me to swallow visibly.

Almost at the same moment that I opened my mouth to speak, a shadow fell over my face. When I turned my head, I saw the owner of that shadow smiling down at me.

“Aren.”

The individual who had called out my name was the Crown Prince. At some point, he had positioned himself in front of me.

“Your Highness.”

The turn of events was enormously confusing, but I nevertheless managed to gather a smile and curtsy, out of respect for his royal status.

“There is something I need to discuss with you….”

I had just found myself inwardly blaming him for mentioning that in the midst of this quandary.

In the blink of an eye, somebody appeared next to us, clutching the Crown Prince’s arm.

“What?”

Wondering who the insolent individual was that had dared to stop him, when even the Emperor had failed to do so, Leon turned to face the person who was tightly gripping his arm with an irritated face.

…It was Cassadin.

Adorning his left chest was a silver medal emblazoned with a hawk symbol. It appeared to be the medallion that the Emperor had awarded him alongside his title of Marquess.

“Release me at once.”

Leon sounded livid, but Cassadin didn’t even blink once as he responded.

“Can’t you read the mood right now?”

“Do you think I’m someone who allows you to say such things?”

“You, Your Highness, are the Crown Prince.”

Leon glared furiously at Cassadin, who did not yield even a single word to him.

‘Why does he despise him so much? I thought they had a good relationship in my previous life.’

Though Cassadin had become the Crown Prince’s aide primarily for revenge, I had heard that the two men shared a close friendship in my past life.

But now, it seemed like the complete opposite. Even though there was no reason for them to be close, there also wasn’t any reason for them to dislike each other.

“Please continue to behave in a civil manner. Can’t Your Highness see that my sister is not at ease?”

The following statement from Cassadin reminded me of something I had heard in the past.

‘Can’t you see that the lady is not at ease?’

It appeared that Leon had also reached the same realization, chuckling incredulously at what he’d just heard.

“I can see that you’ve clearly lost your mind. You’ve never once treated Aren as family, and now, after leaving her family, you claim her as your sister? Is it because the Earl is present?”

Father’s face turned pale at the Crown Prince’s comment. With a puzzled expression, Father questioned the Crown Prince in response.

“Your Highness, wh-what do you mean by that?”

That damned mouth. I shot a silent glance at the Crown Prince, pleading with him to stop, but the Crown Prince merely smiled and then spoke up.

“It appears that the Earl is clueless about this. Cassadin here is, in fact… Argh…!”

The Crown Prince, who had been chattering non-stop, abruptly cried out and twisted his face in pain. Upon closer examination, I noticed that Cassadin was now gripping the Crown Prince’s arm much harder than before.

“His Majesty has ordered that Your Highness be detained.”

“…How dare you lay your hands on me…”

With a cold expression, Cassadin peered down at the Crown Prince, grasped his other arm, and began to drag him away.

Leon valiantly fought against Cassadin, but his efforts were insufficient to escape from Cassadin’s grasp as he was persistently being pulled away.

Just before Leon was completely out of the room, he clenched his teeth and pleaded with the Emperor with desperation.

“Your Majesty! I will remain quiet, so please revoke your order.”

Upon hearing the Crown Prince’s shouts, which nearly resembled cries, the Emperor slowly directed his gaze toward his one and only son. It was only after the Emperor raised his hand that Cassadin removed his hands from Leon.

Clumsily slicking back his hair, Leon gave Cassadin a sinister glare for a brief moment, then he began walking towards the Emperor.

“I will keep quiet. I won’t voice a single word and just observe the ceremony, as long as you let me stay here.”

“I strongly suggest you keep that promise.”

Leon nodded at the Emperor’s warning. Witnessing such behavior, the Emperor, filled with a sense of shame, waved his hand to summon Cassadin. Just as Cassadin arrived in front of the Emperor…

“Lady Serkia and Earl Zigen. Come forward.”

Unexpectedly, the Emperor called out to me and my father, who had been standing at the back. And in response to the Emperor’s loud summons, my father and I approached the front.

As we bowed to the man seated on the throne, we soon heard his raspy voice echo again.

“I request both of you to share what you know about Cassadin.”

“……”

“Given your past familial ties, you should have far more information about him than I do. Lady Serkia, you even went as far as retrieving him from the gladiator arena, so you should know even more.”

‘We’re in trouble.’

Was he not testing us but was rather attempting to extract information about Cassadin from me by inviting us to this ceremony?

‘Not to mention, at a public setting like this full of the Emperor’s eyes and ears.’

If I failed to provide an appropriate response here, I would undoubtedly arouse the Emperor’s suspicion. My answer might even determine whether the Emperor discovers that the real perpetrator of the Crown Prince’s poisoning was, in fact, Cassadin.

The Emperor was an astute man. It was because Damian recognized his ingenuity that he didn’t hastily scheme to dethrone the Emperor, despite his outstanding swordsmanship.

It wasn’t merely by chance that he conferred Cassadin with the high title of Marquess. The Emperor remained cautious yet again.

‘He’s suspicious of me and Cassadin.’

The Emperor managed to reclaim the title he had bestowed on Cassadin. To the Emperor, retracting a title from a slave was just as effortless as granting it.

“Did you adopt him into your family because you noticed his exceptional swordsmanship? Or, was there another reason?”

Stifling my feelings towards the Emperor’s behavior, I selected responses that would help evade his suspicions.

“It was unrelated to his swordsmanship.”

“Oh. So why did you accept him into the family? Did Milady not contemplate the societal backlash you would encounter upon accepting a slave?”

“The societal backlash…”

My voice trailed off as I slowly lifted my gaze. The Emperor’s piercing golden eyes met mine in a silent collision. And with a bitter smile, I continued.

“It didn’t matter.”

“…Why is that? Weren’t you afraid? There has not been a single case where a noble family has welcomed a slave into their family. The subsequent judgment from others must have been difficult. Despite these considerations, what prompted you to take such a step?”

The reason why I brought Cassadin into the family.

At first, I had brought him in with the intent of using him to my advantage. I had planned for him to serve as a protector for both me and my father and to be our family’s weapon.

I hadn’t considered Cassadin’s feelings for even a single moment in that process. Yet, despite knowing that my initial intention was to use him, Cassadin had faithfully remained by my side.

‘Just as you’ve protected me, now it’s my turn to protect you.’

With a radiant smile, I looked up at the Emperor and gave my response.

“There is… no particular reason why I brought Cassadin into our family.”

“There is no reason?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed. He clearly did not believe me at all. Meeting the cautious gaze of his golden eyes, I continued.

“It did not matter to me whether Cassadin was a slave or not.”

“……”

“I had merely thought of him as such an unfortunate soul. His mournful eyes that were gazing up at me, his entire body smeared with blood, and those blank eyes. He gave the impression of being nothing more than an empty husk of a person.”

I could vividly recall the first time Cassadin’s eyes met mine. It was as though he was someone who had lost everything, looking at me with that kind of gaze.

What were you thinking when you looked up at me? I could sense Cassadin’s eyes on me from nearby, but instead of meeting his gaze, I spoke.

“I wanted to give him a sense of familial warmth. His status was irrelevant.”

“……”

“That’s all, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor remained silent. After studying my face for a moment, he opened his mouth and started with a small ‘hm’.

“…Hmm, it seems she truly is the child of the Earl. They say that certain traits run in one’s bloodline.”

Unlike me, Father was innately compassionate, and thus took pleasure in giving generously to others. Much like when he initially vehemently opposed bringing Cassadin into the family, only to accept him later on.

The Serkia family was under the watchful eye of the imperial house, purportedly for protection. Consequently, the Emperor was well aware of my father’s benevolent tendencies.

‘Even if he doesn’t believe me, it’s preferable to appeal to his emotions. Had I told him I brought Cassadin for his swordsmanship, he might have accused us of plotting treason.’

I glanced at the Emperor after responding. It seemed he no longer had any intention to continue our conversation.

The Crown Prince, who had been standing next to the Emperor, was quietly mouthing words towards me as though trying to communicate something. However, he quickly shut his mouth when the Emperor turned his attention towards him.

The Emperor then issued a command for us to leave.

“Earl and Lady, you may now take your leave.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

‘He’s dismissing us before the ceremony has concluded.’

Seeing as how he sent us away when part of the ceremony was still left, it was proof that the Emperor did not believe what I had said.

‘I put forth my best effort in whatever I said.’

My ability to heal the imperial family and the Emperor’s trust in us were clearly two separate matters.

I quickened my pace, fearful that the Emperor might suddenly change his mind. However, as we exited the palace, Father just continued to stare blankly into space.

“Father.”

When I could no longer bear the suspense, I stopped and called out to him. His eyes slowly moved to meet mine.

“Oh, Aren. Why did you call?”

“Father, what’s wrong? You seem so… dazed.”

“Well. Uh, this is. Ahem. It’s nothing.”

It was definitely not nothing. As I narrowed my eyes at him, Father turned away to avoid my gaze and coughed awkwardly.

“Also, who was the person you professed your affection for?”

“……?”

“Is it someone whom you can’t even reveal to your own father?”

A pang of guilt swept over me. However, I had a feeling that if I blurted out,

“The person I like is actually Cassadin, Father!”

Due to my guilt, Father would be more than willing to rush back to the Emperor and request that he eliminate Cassadin.

As evidence, Father’s hands were clenched into trembling fists at that moment.

“I cannot say just yet, Father.”

Hearing me withhold the answer once again, he looked at me with an expression of pain. In response, I offered a bitter smile, then added,

“I will explain everything to you later.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Father’s fists unclenched. Heaving a light sigh, he spoke.

“Alright. I will trust my daughter. I believe there will come a day when you explain everything to me.”

“……”

“As long as it’s not Cassadin that you’re fond of, I’ll be alright.”

I held my breath after hearing what Father had said. Unaware of my internal turmoil, Father smiled calmly and patted my back.

“No matter how I see it, it just doesn’t make sense to harbor feelings for someone who was once family.”