Tamed A Blackened Slave Man

After confirming that Aren and the Earl had left the room, the Emperor turned to the man standing before him.

“It seems the Marquess’s ‘former’ family is quite compassionate.”

The Emperor laid emphasis on the word ‘former’.

Cassadin wasn’t one to overlook such hidden implications, but he pretended not to understand and placed his hand over his chest before bowing.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor, with a satisfied smile, bestowed a fiefdom upon Cassadin.

“I will grant one of the fiefdoms in the capital to the Marquess.”

“I am unsure how to express my immense gratitude for Your Majesty’s boundless grace.”

Throughout the entire award ceremony, the Crown Prince had persistently glared at Cassadin. However, Cassadin had not once returned the Crown Prince’s gaze.

Unable to endure his conduct any longer, the Emperor looked at Leon and his fiery eyes with a pitiful gaze, then addressed him.

“I told you to remain silent, yet now you articulate curses with your gaze.”

“Your Majesty, this is what I normally look like.”

As the Crown Prince directed his gaze at the Emperor while maintaining this expression, the Emperor exhaled a heavy sigh. Even the wisest of emperors could experience failure when it came to raising their offspring properly.

‘Since the awards ceremony has concluded, he will probably pay a visit to Aren once again. What exactly is the Crown Prince doing? Is he truly following behind a simple healer like a baby duckling?’

Internally shaking his head in disagreement, the Emperor resolved to urgently find a capable woman to become the Crown Princess.

“Marquess.”

In his hoarse voice, the Crown Prince called out to Cassadin.

“Confine the Crown Prince in an empty room, at least until Aren has left the palace.”

“Your Majesty! What is the meaning of this?”

Leon immediately objected, but Cassadin ignored him, bowing to the Emperor before seizing the Crown Prince’s wrist.

“Let go! You scoundrel!”

Despite Leon’s struggles and shouts, he was no match for Cassadin’s strength. He found himself being forcibly dragged out the door by his wrist.

Clack.

When the imposing golden doors closed behind them, Cassadin located an empty room and stepped inside. The Crown Prince, with his wrists still firmly held in Cassadin’s grasp, continued to resist.

It was not until Cassadin had secured the door that he released the Crown Prince.

“It was His Majesty’s command to confine Your Highness. While this might be uncomfortable, I request that you remain here with me for a while.”

“Hah!”

He had never experienced such humiliation in his entire life. Never before had anyone treated him, the Crown Prince, in such a manner.

He couldn’t comprehend how the man had not only obtained the rank of Marquess from the Emperor but had also been ordered to bring him here…

Moreover, he had been brought here in an incredibly disgraceful manner, and his father, the Emperor, merely watched with a gaze filled with disappointment, failing to intervene.

In a fit of frustration, the Crown Prince aggressively ruffled his hair with his hand.

“I’ve never encountered a madman like you before in my life.”

Resigning to his fate, the Crown Prince abandoned the idea of leaving the room and slumped down onto the plush red carpet, glaring accusatorily at Cassadin.

“From the start, there was something about you that I didn’t like. Especially that peculiar gaze with which you’d regard your sister.”

This man had been an oddball from the onset.

Leon’s wrists hurt from where Cassadin had grasped him, yet he didn’t show it. He was about to talk with Aren for the first time in a while, but the man just had to interfere.

Everything regarding the man confronting him was aggravating in some way.

“I’m amazed that you have the audacity to hold your head up high after leaving that house of your own volition.”

“……”

“You could, at least, attempt to speak using that mouth of yours.”

Cassadin did not react to the Crown Prince’s provocations. Instead, he gazed at the Crown Prince with an impassive expression, giving no indication that he intended to speak.

“So, you’ve decided to completely ignore me? What a surprise. I’m not sure who’s the royal one now.”

Even in response to the Crown Prince’s sarcastic comment, Cassadin remained silent. He continued to watch the Crown Prince with a face devoid of any emotion.

“I knew from the beginning that you loved Aren. Sister? Hardly. Not even the eyes of a man looking at the woman he loves are that affectionate.”

As soon as Aren’s name slipped from the Crown Prince’s lips, Cassadin’s eyes turned icy. The tension in the room seemed to escalate within moments.

The Crown Prince felt this too, and responded with a bemused expression.

“…Are you truly insane?”

Cassadin was now observing the Crown Prince with a frosty expression.

But no matter how much he craved to kill the man, Cassadin was restricted from laying his hands on him as long as he remained the Crown Prince.

Leon was also aware of this fact. Hence, he continued to agitate Cassadin.

“It’s regrettable that Aren has accepted someone like you into his family.”

Leon genuinely felt pity for Aren.

The reason Leon took an initial interest in Aren was merely out of curiosity.

Curiosity soon evolved into fondness. This was due to the fact that the more he got to know about Aren, the more she seemed like a good person. She was the first person who looked at him for who he was, not for his status.

The individuals who approached Leon always seemed to be interested in his background and societal standing. But Aren didn’t seem to care about such things. Perhaps this was due to her role as a healer.

He even tried testing her by mentioning the possibility of her becoming the Crown Princess, but Aren, rather than displaying enthusiasm, appeared startled and promptly turned his offer down.

Saints now only exist in myths, but if they really had existed, they would have been just like Aren.

Because of this, Leon sincerely pitied Aren. She had been generous enough to adopt a slave into her household, only to find that her new family member was a man with ulterior motives.

“Aren and I are no longer family.”

Cassadin’s remark was so absurd that it made Leon laugh.

“So, Aren will become my spouse.”

The ensuing declaration led him to erupt into laughter.

“Ahahahah!”

Indeed, the man standing before him appeared to be out of his mind. Leon realized this must have been the reason why Cassadin had abandoned the family he held so dear.

“So, that’s why you stormed off.”

“……”

“Were you intending to marry Aren? The one who became your family, your savior who ushered you into society, and now you’re planning to wed her? So, the Fighting Competition must have been a part of your grand scheme as well.”

Leon had not attended this year’s competition. He didn’t see the point in watching if it was going to be the same every year.

However, he realized his mistake when he heard that Cassadin and Damian had participated in the competition. Leon deeply regretted that he hadn’t been able to witness the match with his own two eyes.

‘If he is capable enough to attract the Emperor’s attention like that, then he really must have defeated Damian.’

Everything was peculiar. Whether it was the Grand Duke participating in the fighting competition that he would typically disregard entirely, or that he collapsed due to his heart condition only when he reached the final round.

There were far too many odd elements for it to be sheer coincidence.

It seemed as though the others were too absorbed with the news that Cassadin had defeated Damian, and that he had been awarded the title of Marquess for doing so, to notice that something was amiss.

If he had taken all these actions to marry Aren, it would have been extremely disturbing.

“Your obsession is frightening.”

Cassadin’s laughter quietly echoed in response to the Crown Prince’s words. His laughter was so chilling, akin to the icy winter wind, that it made goosebumps rise on his arms.

“Do you think Aren will still love you after discovering everything you’ve done?”

“…That’s not for Your Highness to decide.”

His voice dropped noticeably. It was so low that merely listening could make one feel as if sinking into the depths of an abyss.

“As I’ve brought up before, please refrain from interfering in the relationship between Aren and me. This is an issue that we need to resolve, not a matter for an outsider like Your Highness to meddle in.”

However, there was one element that Cassadin had not accounted for. It was the fact that Leon possessed a pride that the Emperor himself could not affect.

“I don’t want to.”

“……”

“I will do whatever I can to prevent you from using Aren further.”

Cassadin’s face hardened. But regardless of his reaction, Leon continued his speech unflinchingly.

“It appeared to me that the Earl was not aware of this situation.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“Threatening you? No, I’m merely giving you advice.”

Leon gave Cassadin a smug smile.

“Do not approach Aren any longer.”

“……”

“In turn, I will remain silent about this matter to the Earl.”

Cassadin tilted his head in response to Leon’s proposal. His dark purple eyes, visible under his silver hair, seemed unusually colder than before.

“Will Your Highness really tell him?”

“…Of course.”

Cassadin’s mouth, which had been held in a straight line, then curved into a smile.

“Doesn’t Your Highness like Aren? Yet, you still intend to tell him?”

Leon’s eyes widened at Cassadin’s analysis. Then, with an awkward cough, he denied the allegation.

“…Hah, as if! Me, like Aren? You’ve got it completely wrong.”

“Did Your Highness honestly believe I wouldn’t notice?”

Cassadin crossed his arms, wearing a smug smile.

“I’m uncertain if Your Highness is aware that Aren has been placed in a precarious position due to your actions. Are you even aware that His Majesty is hesitant to trust Aren because of Your Highness’s demonstrative behavior?”

He was completely unaware. The Emperor had never mentioned such topics with him in the past.

Observing Leon’s bewildered countenance with a relaxed demeanor, Cassadin continued speaking.

“I have also disliked Your Highness from the very beginning. Primarily since you had the audacity to speak to my sister about becoming the Crown Princess.”

Cassadin had boldly voiced his feelings against him, the Crown Prince. But Leon didn’t have the power to send Cassadin to prison for his insolent words on the grounds of disrespect towards the royal family.

The reason being that he knew it would only inflame Aren’s hostility towards him. If he really imprisoned Cassadin, then she might never try to see him again.

And Leon was scared of that. The single person to whom he had opened his heart to, refusing to see him.

This fact was something that Cassadin knew, which allowed him to express his hostility towards Leon without any reservations. To keep Leon from trying to see Aren while he was away at war.

Leon had not been oblivious to the Emperor’s increasingly grim expression every time he went to meet Aren. However, he hadn’t realized that the Emperor had become so suspicious of Aren simply because of his interest in her.

‘This must be his way of getting back at me for warning Aren about him.’

Leon was left speechless by Cassadin’s remarkable personality.

And he felt intense pity for Aren. Just observing from a distance was enough to stifle his breath, so how much worse would it be for the one who was the object of that obsession?

Scowling at him, Leon cursed Cassadin.

“You are a disgraceful bastard and a monster.”

Whether or not the Crown Prince was cursing him, Cassadin had his eyes closed, focusing on planning his future tasks.

‘There are too many nuisances I need to deal with.’

Too many pests surrounded Aren, but the man named Damian irked Cassadin the most, surpassing even the Crown Prince. Despite the Crown Prince’s higher status, his intellect barely matched that of a few brain cells, unlike Damian.

Damian possessed the skill to manipulate individuals by leveraging their shortcomings. He proved to be cunning and calculative, making him the most troublesome fly for Cassadin to swat.

Cassadin completely ignored the Crown Prince, who continued his onslaught of curses, as he fell deep into thought.

‘He collapsed yesterday, so he should awaken about now.’

---

“Geuahhh!”

By the time Damian awoke from his deep sleep, Cassadin’s award ceremony had already ended.

Sitting up in bed, Damian surveyed his surroundings with a hand supporting his throbbing head. And the high golden ceilings were the first things to enter his field of vision.

Was he brought to the palace after he collapsed?

“Have you awoken, Your Grace?”

A stranger sat close to Damian. He was a middle-aged man dressed in a white gown, looking at him with a worried expression.

‘A palace physician.’

“…Is this the palace?”

Then the palace physician responded to Damian’s quiet mutter.

“Yes. His Majesty has directed me to care for Your Grace. However, I regret to inform you that my medical skills may not be sufficient to treat your heart condition. I sincerely apologize.”

Upon hearing the palace physician’s response, Damian clenched his teeth in silent frustration.

‘It appears he doesn’t intend to admit they have a healer. This useless emperor.’

The thought prompted him to recall the combat tournament. What had happened to it? What had Cassadin requested as his prize for winning the competition?

It was only then that Damian regained his senses. Barely managing to grasp hold of his sanity, which was on the brink of slipping away, Damian asked the physician,

“Do you know what happened during the match after I collapsed?”

“Ah, yes. I do.”

“Tell me.”

After nervously glancing at Damian’s pale face, the physician began to speak.

“That is… I was told that this year’s winner has earned the title of a Marquess.”

“What? Marquess?”

Shocked by the news, Damian attempted to get out of bed. Yet, his debilitating heart condition only allowed him to take a few unsteady steps before he fell to the ground.

An indescribable fury was boiling within him. Although aware that this rage could exacerbate his heart condition, Damian was unable to suppress his anger.

“He used me as a stepping stone, changing his status from slave to marquess in one fell swoop. That damned bastard.”

“Argh…”

“You mustn’t strain yourself yet, Your Grace. It has been a whole day since your collapse.”

Taken aback by the man’s sudden behavior, the physician struggled as he tried to lay Damian, who had collapsed onto the floor. And with a soft sigh, Damian called out the name of his singular savior.

“Aren.”

“……”

“Where is Aren?”

“The… Lady of the Serkia Family?”

Damian’s green eyes shone sharply at the physician’s statement. He was unnerved by the dangerous stare of his patient, causing him to swallow nervously.

“You are familiar with this woman?”

“Yes, I am. I understand she is currently in the palace.”

“Take me there.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Guide me to where this woman is.”

The physician could almost feel his throat being constricted under the man’s threatening gaze.

“But, Your Grace, your physical condition…”

“I am alright, so lead me there.”

After taking several deep breaths to control his emotions, Damian felt the pain gradually fade away. He then urged the palace physician.

“Right this instant.”