The Slave Is Too Handsome - Chapter 30

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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!
030.
Splash!
Everything happened in an instant. Before I could even grasp the situation, the sky inverted, and a bitter cold seized my entire body. The sea swallowed me in a heartbeat, and I sank rapidly into the depths.
Eloise’s unconscious mind descended into the conversation she’d had with Brick the day before.
The tea Brick had offered smelled rich and fragrant. As the aroma spread across her palate, her mood lifted.
Eloise set down her teacup as though preparing for the conversation ahead.
“The crew told me you helped them out.”
He’d said he wanted to talk about Lucian, but instead veered into something entirely unexpected.
“They said I should earn my keep. I just did what I could.”
“Thank you.”
Eloise’s eyes narrowed.
Wait—did I just hear that correctly?
Despite his words, Brick’s face showed no gratitude whatsoever.
“It was something I’d been worried about myself. I thought you were just some noble girl obsessed with finery, but you surprised me.”
“If you’re truly grateful, give Lucian to me.”
“That’s absurd!”
Their words volleyed back and forth like a ping-pong match. Brick’s gaze sharpened.
“And it’s Lucian, not some name you’ve made up. Don’t go carelessly changing someone’s precious name.”
He dropped onto the bed with a heavy thud. His eyes, cold and settled, never left Eloise.
She met his stare without flinching.
“I know you’ve fallen for Lucian, but I have no intention of letting him go—not a chance. So go back and either marry someone else or don’t.”
Though Brick made an effort to maintain some civility, his restraint fell short as Eloise’s eyebrows shot upward.
‘What do they all think is between us?’
Both the young cabin boy and the man before her were barking up the wrong tree entirely.
Though she couldn’t fault them for thinking as much, given how often a young man and woman found themselves together.
“Lucian and I are not like that. I need Lucian for my work—”
“He pulled me out of hell. He’s my benefactor.”
Eloise’s protest didn’t reach Brick. He was already absorbed in his own narrative.
‘Hell? What on earth is he talking about?’
Determined to hear him out, Eloise folded her arms.
“Lucian and I grew up together at the Monastery.”
“Blood brothers?”
Brick shook his head immediately. Eloise shifted her chair closer to him.
“Lucian was abandoned in our village when he was very young. The people took pity on him and left him with the Monastery. From then on, we were like brothers.”
Brick gazed into empty space as though remembering those days.
“As it happens, my father—the monastery abbot—is the one who fathered me with some noblewoman who came to pray. I’m the bastard child of a supposed man of God.”
Though Eloise hadn’t wanted to know such details, she nodded along to show she was listening.
“Being the same age, Lucian and I got along well. The abbot—my father—beat us and starved us often enough, but we were happy just being together.”
……
“Then, when we were fourteen—or was it fifteen?—I learned the damned abbot was planning to sell Lucian off as a slave to some elderly noblewoman.”
In that instant, Brick’s eyes bulged wide as he fixed a burning stare on the noble lady before him. It was then that Eloise finally understood why he hated her with such vehemence.
“If you’d look closely, you’d see Lucian’s always been handsome—exceptionally so. Then and now.”
That much was indisputable; her head nodded of its own accord.
“For some reason, my father beat me far more savagely than his own flesh and blood. That’s because the boy was merchandise to be kept in good condition and sold at a high price.”
As Brick recounted Lucian’s bleak childhood, Eloise’s complexion grew steadily darker.
“In any case, we decided to run away. I told him we’d go out into the wider world and make real money, and he readily agreed.”
“So that’s how you came to establish the trading company.”
Brick shook his head—with a look that suggested she understood nothing of the world’s workings. Eloise let out an incredulous laugh.
“We had to earn money first before we could establish anything. I wanted to make serious money quickly, so I became a mercenary.”
“A mercenary?”
As the story took an unexpected turn, Eloise raised her voice. Her hand clenched the fabric of her dress.
For reasons she couldn’t quite name, every time Eloise realized how little she knew about Lucian, her mood darkened considerably.
Unaware of Eloise’s inner turmoil, Brick continued recounting Lucian’s past.
“We worked as mercenaries in Kallaum. The days were short, bitter cold, and food was scarce. You’d wake up to find men dead from Hypothermia more often than not. Still, the pay was generous enough to make it worthwhile.”
Though Eloise had never set foot in Kallaum, she knew its fearsome reputation well.
Without any explanation from Brick, she could picture the frozen wastelands and snow-choked mountain ranges of that cursed place.
“I have to admit, even I found Lucian remarkable. He was quite skilled as a mercenary. Our commander, a man with years ahead of him, tried several times to convince him to stay.”
Eloise understood the mercenary commander’s feelings perfectly.
After speaking at length, Brick crossed his legs.
“I’ve wondered about it more than once—whether Lucian might have been born as an illegitimate child of some noble house and cast away.”
……
“Though the truth remains unknowable.”
Brick spoke lightly, but Eloise stiffened. His speculation didn’t sound entirely baseless.
‘It’s not impossible. He said even his parents don’t know.’
After turning the thought over in her mind, Eloise regarded Brick intently.
“How old was Lucian when he first appeared in your village?”
Irritated, Brick scowled. He corrected her.
“Lucian.”
“Lucian.”
“Lucian.”
“Lucian.”
On this point, Eloise refused to yield. The name Lucian had to remain—it belonged to the present, not the past.
In the end, it was Brick who backed down first.
“Fine, you’re stubborn. I’m not entirely certain, but probably five or six years old.”
Eloise’s gaze wavered momentarily.
The crown prince disappeared at age five, after all……
But she herself was entertaining an absurd notion. It couldn’t possibly be.
“Why? Do you know of some young noble who vanished in childhood?”
Brick’s tone dripped with mockery.
“Continue with your story.”
“You command things with such natural aristocratic ease it’s almost offputting.”
“Hurry!”
“We’re nearly finished. With the money we earned then, we established the Corinthos Trading Company. Before that, though, we spent a year learning the trade from another merchant house.”
Brick shrugged.
“Lucian is a good man. He hired deserters from the mercenary corps, unfortunate souls from the village where we grew up. He never lorded his position as captain over anyone and worked tirelessly for all of us without a word of complaint.”
The bridge of Brick’s nose flushed red. He looked like a younger brother moved to tears remembering an older brother he admired. At least, that’s how Eloise saw it.
“Lucian and I would die for this company. We’re like family. So I’m asking you to leave now, uninvited guest.”
Brick laughed roughly and issued his warning.
“This is what Lucian wants, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“The company—that’s your dream, not his. It seems like Lucian never wanted it.”
……
Her words struck home; the man’s face flushed and paled in real time.
He bit his lower lip hard, then sighed with his head bowed.
“You’re right. Looking back, he’s always put others first. I don’t think he’s ever done anything purely for himself.”
Brick’s lament cut Eloise’s conscience like a knife—for she was no different from him in using Lucian for her own desires. If anything, perhaps worse.
“I’m the heir to a ducal house, and I’m pursuing a grand ambition. Lucian is essential to that work. Moving in greater waters—surely that’s better for him too.”
……
“I’m not talking about romantic nonsense.”
Eloise spoke with resolve, her true feelings carefully concealed.
“Damn it, I know! The man’s too good for this place.”
The tension returned to Brick’s eyes, which had briefly softened.
“But so what? Does Lucian even want this opportunity?”
The confident bearing Eloise had maintained moments before abruptly stiffened. Brick smiled with the air of victory, his eyes carrying the message: we’re no different, you and I. Eloise’s insides twisted.
“Here’s what we’ll do: we’ll follow Lucian’s choice. If he wants to leave the company, I’ll accept it.”
Eloise nodded in agreement. For now, this was the best option available.
‘This time, I won’t drag him along by force. I need to make him follow me of his own will.’
The two exchanged a silent understanding. Brick’s expression grew visibly more relaxed.
“I wonder why I already sense the outcome.”
He seemed to anticipate his own victory. Eloise let out a bitter laugh, though she couldn’t fully let her guard down.
‘Is this Brick’s victory?’
Just as consciousness was beginning to slip away, strong arms wrapped around Eloise’s shoulders. She forced her eyes open to see golden hair and blazing blue eyes filled with fury.
That was the last thing she saw.
***
“Gasp!”
As Lucian broke the surface with the unconscious Eloise, the crew threw ropes down to them.
“Captain!”
The two were quickly hauled back onto the ship.
Lucian laid Eloise on the deck and, with no time for anger, immediately checked her condition. Her eyes were closed as though in deep sleep.
Lucian grasped her shoulders and shook her.
“Eloise? Eloise!”
No response. There was no pulse, no sign of breath.
Lucian gripped Eloise’s ice-cold chin and, without hesitation, pressed his lips to hers.

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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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