The Slave Is Too Handsome - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The slave is far too handsome!
022.
In the afternoon, the dance lesson began as Eloïse had promised.
Behind Eloïse stood a woman in a modest dress who would be teaching Eloïse dance and playing the accompaniment for today’s lesson.
Such explanations made no impression on Lucian whatsoever.

His mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of Brick.
‘He was alive after all. That’s right. Well, would Eloïse kill someone? Did he escape the Duke’s Mansion?’
Lucian stood lost in thought, and Eloïse approached him.
‘What if… Brick was never caught in the first place?’
The suspicion was deepening when a clear, cold voice cut through Lucian’s thoughts.
“Focus.”
Eloïse pulled Lucian’s hand, dragging his wandering mind back to reality.
“You’re not planning to stand there like a wooden block at the ball, are you?”
“With a face like this, wouldn’t it be fine even if I stood like a wooden block?”
He wasn’t serious. It was an empty joke thrown out to hide the fact that he’d been distracted.
But Eloïse’s expression became so absurd that he felt embarrassed.
“A joke…”
“You’re not wrong, but still focus. You need to stand out everywhere you go.”
Lucian flinched. Regardless, Eloïse turned his hand so his palm faced upward. Her hand released his large one.
“Both of you, bow lightly to each other. Good.”
Eloïse grasped her dress and greeted him with composure. Lucian awkwardly mimicked a noble’s bow in return. He felt artificial doing it, but there was no helping it.
“I’ll play it more slowly than normal pace, so pay attention to each movement.”
A slow, gentle piano melody began. Though the dance instructor’s directions could be heard intermittently, Lucian sank back into thoughts of Brick.
‘How did he know about the birthday party? Well, with Brick’s information network, there’s little he couldn’t find out.’
Not that it mattered to dwell on his information-gathering abilities. A party of the Duke’s household—and no less the birthday party of Young Master Young-sik, who might become the next head of household—would surely have been common gossip in the Capital long ago.
Besides, there was no better day to flee than a birthday party. The Duke’s Mansion would be loud with all manner of guests, and Lucian’s disappearance would go unnoticed.
‘As long as I can slip away from the surveillance…’
“Focus on the music!”
Following the dance instructor’s lesson, Lucian and Eloïse danced in parallel lines. Lucian managed to keep up with the movements.
‘Act normal, just like always.’
While his body danced, Lucian’s mind replayed the failure of his last escape.
Back then, he’d been too giddy at the thought of freedom. One mistake might be survivable, but not two.
‘This time… I might have to risk death itself…’
It was then that Lucian unconsciously bit his lower lip.
“Ow!!!”
Eloïse’s heel came down directly on his instep.
“I said to focus.”
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped Lucian’s lips. Before he could even check his hurt foot, Eloïse clasped her fingers with his right hand.
“What, what is it?”
“Young Master. Please hold the lady’s waist.”
“What?”
“Your hand on her waist.”
Eloïse had suddenly drawn close to his face. The piano stopped. The dance instructor approached with a stern expression.
“Now!”
Lucian began to reach out his other free hand but hesitated. Why was he hesitating over this?
“!!!”
Unable to bear it, the dance instructor took Lucian’s hand and guided it to rest on Eloïse’s waist—though it felt less like grasping her waist and more like his hand was barely resting there.
‘This is so awkward.’
Unlike him, Eloïse stood naturally, as if this sort of thing happened to her all the time. Meanwhile, Lucian alone felt the heat rise to the tips of his ears and found himself feeling oddly defeated.
“Good. Now just follow the beat and take your steps accordingly. Normally Young Master would lead, but since we’re still learning, follow the lady’s lead.”
An elegant, romantic melody began to flow through the silent salon once more.
The two of them danced to the slow beat. Or rather, Lucian was being pulled along in whatever direction Eloïse led.
“Good. You’re doing well.”
Perhaps it was the warmth where they touched, but Lucian finally managed to concentrate on the dance lesson.
‘Is she really this small?’
Lucian glanced at Eloïse.
She fit snugly within his arms. Her pointed, cat-like face was turned elsewhere, not toward him.
Her small, pale face and the especially prominent thick lashes made her look almost like a doll. He could feel her slender waist distinctly.
‘So a noble lady is indeed a noble lady.’
Suddenly Lucian’s mind drifted to the first time he’d met Eloïse. She had been haloed by light then, just as she was now.
“Your steps are too hurried.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Work on your gaze!”
“Yes, yes.”
Before long, Lucian was wholly focused on the dance. His feet, which had been busy following Eloïse, began to sync gradually with the music.
The salon, bathed in warm sunlight. The dreamy melody. In those fleeting moments when he and Eloïse moved in perfect rhythm, he felt a strange exhilaration.
‘I feel like I’ll never forget this moment, no matter how long I live.’
To Lucian, this moment felt like a distant dream glimpsed from some far future.
“Let go.”
“Hm?”
“Release your hand. It’s over.”
As if waking from a dream, Lucian realized the music had ended. Eloïse was staring at him with sharp, piercing eyes.
“Oh…”
Eloïse’s hand, held by Lucian, wriggled. The ticklish sensation made him loosen his grip, and immediately she stepped away.
“Everything is fine, but Young Master, your body is still quite stiff. With continued practice, it will improve.”
The dance instructor corrected Lucian’s posture with measured praise.
“Yes, thank you…”
“Shall we try that last piece again?”
“Again?”
That day, Lucian repeated the practice without rest.
“Sigh, it’s harder than I thought.”
When the sun had set and the last lesson was over, Lucian’s knees gave way and buckled to the floor. Per the dance instructor’s unyielding direction to keep smiling, his mouth was locked in a cramped grin.
“Still, you’ve improved much from the start. You won’t embarrass yourself.”
Unlike him, Eloïse remained fresh as ever, twisting one corner of her mouth up into a smirk.
“That’s a compliment, yes?”
“Of course. Much better than your dreadful piano playing.”
Lucian barely lifted his head to glance at Eloïse. Her smile looked wicked.
“Miss! The clothes have arrived!”
Just then, Mary appeared dragging a trail of people behind her. So many large and small boxes flowed in, as if she’d transported the entire Costume Room.
“Finally. Should we try them on now?”
“Yes, let’s!”
Eloïse and Mary laughed like children playing with dolls, examining the clothes. Lucian, his face draining white, quickly scrambled to his feet.
“Let’s start with this one.”
Eloïse approached with a smile, holding a flowing shirt. The wardrobe attendants trailed behind her. Lucian instinctively stepped backward.
“No, I’ll, I’ll dress myself. I will!”
Lucian quickly hid his body behind the partition the attendants had set up. The attendants withdrew with expressions of regret.
“…I’m dressed now, ma’am.”
Eloïse, who had been sitting on the sofa waiting leisurely, slowly turned her head. Her large eyes widened briefly, then returned to their normal size. Lucian couldn’t help but watch her reaction.
“Something wrong?”
Eloïse came up to him and skillfully grabbed his collar, pulling his unguarded head toward her.
“Mm!”
“You always do this, don’t you?”
“Do what?”
“You should button it all the way to the neck, not leave the front half-open. It should be neat.”
‘Did I do that?’
At Eloïse’s perceptiveness, Lucian tilted his head in confusion.
In the meantime, Eloïse released his collar and fastened the topmost button that had been undone. Though no skin had actually touched, Lucian felt heat bloom near his collarbone.
“It feels suffocating.”
“Fine. It looks very good on you.”
Eloïse led Lucian to stand before the full-length mirror.
In the mirror stood a refined, handsome man. The ornate clothes, which should have looked ostentatious, seemed as though they were meant for him from the start.
“It looks so good on you!”
“There are very few people in the Capital who could wear such clothes so perfectly.”
As the attendants expressed their genuine admiration, Lucian’s face flushed. Eloïse watched him in silence. It felt as though all preparations were nearly complete.
“Did you hear? Always dress neatly. It suits you.”
With that, Eloïse extended her hand toward him.
“This is…”
A lustrous button gleamed in her palm. It was the one that had fallen off the day George had struck Lucian.
“Mary, I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to me.”
Eloïse handed the button to Mary.
The doll-playing continued after that. Lucian ended up trying on every single outfit, while Eloïse watched with delight and debated with Mary over which clothes suited him better.
‘Still, at least I get to see her smile before I leave…’
Lucian was startled by the thought that had surfaced in his mind, then composed himself. After changing into the last outfit, he shook his head alone.
‘It’s only because I saw her cry before.’
In any case, I’ll be able to leave with a somewhat lighter heart. That’s what Lucian told himself.
Not imagining for a moment what would unfold on the day of George’s birthday party.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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