The Slave Is Too Handsome - Chapter 4

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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!
004.
“Ha.”
Camilo let out a low laugh.
The more he watched Eloise toss off remarks that could easily be mistaken for lèse-majesté or even treason without a care in the world, the more he found himself drawn to her. A hunger stirred in his chest—the conquest of bending that proud, upturned nose of hers to his will.
While Camilo entertained such dark thoughts, Eloise gathered the hem of her dress and curtsied with perfect grace, then swept past the prince and out of the mansion.
“Leaving so soon?”
Frederick glanced back into the mansion with mild surprise. Music still drifted from within, so the ball didn’t seem to be over yet.
Eloise brushed past Frederick and made her way toward the carriage.
“I’ve shown my face. That’s all that matters.”
Eloise stifled a yawn as she climbed into the carriage. Frederick followed and shut the door behind him, and the carriage rolled smoothly forward.
“I’m going to catch some sleep until we get home.”
Eloise leaned back against the wall and let her eyes drift closed.
Frederick watched the flutter of her long lashes in the dim light. He’d always wondered where such boundless energy and charisma came from in so small a frame.
Despite her words about resting, Eloise’s mind was working furiously. The greatest prize of the evening had been information about the Emperor.
The Grand Empire of Finestra, heir to a long and storied history. The current Emperor had one Empress, two Imperial Concubines, four Crown Princes, and three Crown Princesses.
In truth, there should have been five Crown Princes—had the First Prince, born of the Empress, not been kidnapped when he was only five years old.
The vanished First Prince: Valencio Seth Florin.
Despite having so many children, so many grown sons, the throne had stood empty without a Crown Prince—all because of him.
‘I could die of boredom hearing about the First Prince all the time.’
The Emperor had still not abandoned hope of finding him. Understandably so. The First Prince, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the Emperor from birth, had not only been beautiful but brilliant as well—he had learned to read with remarkable speed. Or so the stories went.
And that wasn’t all. People said the child had been so magnanimous that he would smile and forgive even when servants made mistakes. It was little wonder that he had captured the hearts of everyone in the Imperial Palace.
‘Now that I think about it, Nora was suspected of being behind the kidnapping.’
Nora, the Imperial Concubine, was the birth mother of Camilo, the Second Prince. Whether by chance or by cruel fate, she had become pregnant in the same year as the Empress. What’s more, Camilo had been born exactly thirty minutes after Valencio.
The two children, born in the same year, had been constantly compared in every possible way. Valencio invariably received the affection, while Camilo bore the brunt of ridicule.
So when Valencio vanished, it was only natural that Nora would fall under the heaviest suspicion first. With Valencio gone, Camilo had become the strongest contender for the throne—which only deepened her predicament.
No evidence ever surfaced against Nora, and the hunt for the kidnapper had petered out. Yet people still harbored doubts about her.
Fifteen years had passed since the First Prince disappeared.
‘If the First Prince were alive, he’d be about that age by now.’
Eloise’s thoughts turned to the golden-haired slave she’d brought home hours earlier. Nineteen, perhaps twenty years old.
His appearance was acceptable, at least. Tall, with a good frame. He was on the lean side, but that could be remedied with proper nutrition. And from what little she’d observed, his bearing showed considerable polish. Most importantly….
‘He’s devastatingly beautiful.’
He aligned well with her tastes, too. With proper cultivation, he could claim the title of the most handsome man in the empire. Or perhaps—the most beautiful emperor in all of imperial history.
‘And I’ll be the one to make it so.’
The corners of Eloise’s mouth curved upward in a satisfied smile.
‘I should have asked his name.’
Just then, the carriage carrying Eloise came to a halt before the Duke’s Estate.
As Eloise descended from the carriage and turned toward the Annex, she changed course and headed instead toward the Knights’ Quarters behind it.
She’d instructed them to house the slaves she’d brought in the quarters there, so they should be present. She found herself wanting to see the young man again.
‘It’s late. He’s probably asleep.’
But contrary to her expectations, the lights were still on despite the hour. It seemed the steward Arthur had crowded all four of them into a corner room on the ground floor.
Eloise rapped lightly on the door and opened it. A platinum-blond man cried out.
“My lady!”
At his shout, they all turned toward her. The small room held two bunk beds.
“So none of you are asleep.”
Before Eloise had even finished speaking, three men rushed forward and dropped to their knees, bowing their heads deeply. Then, as if on cue, they called out in unison.
“We pledge our loyalty to you!”
The sight of them—like newborn puppies brimming with curiosity—brought an approving smile to Eloise’s face.
But while those three had rushed to her, the golden-haired problem remained sprawled across the bed.
“Hey!”
At the platinum-blond’s call, the golden-haired youth finally stirred, rising slowly and awkwardly dropping to one knee. When Eloise waved her hand dismissively, all four rose.
One of them quickly brought over a chair. As Eloise settled into it comfortably, the men sat at ease on the floor around her.
Eloise cast her eyes over the faces of the slaves she’d brought.
“I still don’t know your names.”
The platinum-blond with freckles dotting his face raised his hand first. He seemed the most eager of the bunch.
“Call me Ned, my lady.”
Ned grinned broadly.
“I’m Fin. I’ve just turned seventeen this year.”
“My name is Gabe.”
A man with hair of mingled brown and gold spoke next. Then came a man with a deep voice, his hair a rose-tinted gold.
Ned, Fin, Gabe.
Finally, Eloise’s gaze settled on the one with the most brilliant golden hair.
“And what’s your name?”
“…….”
The golden-haired youth merely stared at Eloise, saying nothing.
His lips remained sealed, but the other three were watching intently. Eventually, Ned slapped him on the back.
“What are you doing? My lady’s asking you.”
The golden-haired youth glared at Ned before answering.
“I don’t have one.”
“You don’t? Then I’ll have to give you one.”
The youth scoffed, but Eloise fixed him with an unwavering stare, lost in thought.
“Lucian. I think Lucian suits you.”
“…….”
“How does it feel? Do you like it?”
Instead of answering, Lucian buried his face between his knees. Beside him, Fin’s face drained of color.
“Wow, how enviable! My lady has even bestowed a name upon you with her own hand.”
Ned spoke in an artificially bright tone, trying to dissolve the tension. Fin and Gabe chimed in as well, but Lucian’s closed lips showed no sign of opening.
Eloise added a remark.
“Whether you like it or not makes no difference. I’ve decided I like the name, and that’s what matters.”
“A truly excellent choice of name, my lady! This one was like this even in the slave market. Don’t worry—I’ll train him properly.”
Ned, watching Eloise’s reactions carefully, added this last comment. At his words, Eloise gave a soft chuckle and rose from her seat. It was time to return.
“Sleep well!”
As she left the quarters, hearing the three men’s enthusiastic farewells, Eloise made her way back to the Annex.
“…….”
Though Eloise finally lay down on the bed she’d been longing for, sleep eluded her. She’d thought she’d found the perfect man to serve as a substitute, but there was something about his temperament that was far from ordinary.
‘When in the world will I transform him into a proper person and present him to the world?’
Of course, a difficult temperament was far preferable to weakness. There was a certain satisfaction in molding such a man.
As Eloise pondered how to train Lucian, she drifted into a light doze without realizing it.
Perhaps because she was utterly exhausted, her eyes suddenly snapped open from her shallow sleep. The dim, blue-tinged light flooding the room told her it was still before dawn.
“!”
Through the fluttering curtains, she saw the silhouette of a man.
‘Is it a dream… or not?’
Eloise blinked her drowsy eyes again. She thought she might be seeing things in her sleep, but it was undeniably real.
A man stood by the window, his face obscured by the moonlight at his back.
Eloise pretended to stir restlessly, stretching her arm toward a drawer and drawing out a short dagger.
In that moment, the man stepped closer to her bed.
“Don’t come any closer.”
Eloise quickly sat up and leveled the blade at him. The finely honed edge gleamed in the darkness.
The man chuckled softly.
“Quite a dangerous item for a young noblewoman to be carrying, isn’t it?”
His voice carried a mocking edge. The man before her was….
“Lucian?”
In the darkness, his pale face emerged, his blue eyes becoming visible. The intruder who had stolen in through the window by moonlight was Lucian himself.
“!”
In the moment Eloise’s gaze wavered, Lucian smoothly disarmed her, plucking the short dagger from her hand with ease. Then, as if that weren’t enough, he twirled the blade in one hand, showing off.
Eloise wrapped her arms around herself, her voice trembling slightly.
“I’m frightened. Give it back.”
Lucian let out a scoffing laugh as if he found it absurd.
“Sorry, but that kind of act won’t work on me.”
The moment he finished speaking, Eloise’s expression shifted, her composed, calculating expression returning.
“Fine, you saw through that. I figured you would. Just thought I’d try.”
“…….”
“But the way you talk—it’s as if you know me well.”
“I can tell just by looking.”
His confident tone drew a smirk from Eloise. So this was his true nature.
Eloise lowered her legs from the bed and crossed one over the other as she asked.
“So then—what brings you to be so brazenly disrespectful as to enter your master’s chambers in the dead of night?”
The smile vanished from Lucian’s face.
“Unfortunately for you, I don’t have time to play along with some naive noblewoman. Since you’ve gone to the trouble of pulling me from the slave market, I thought I owed you the courtesy of saying goodbye.”

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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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