The Slave Is Too Handsome - Chapter 45

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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!
045.
Bang!
The moment Lucian followed Camillo into a nearby reception room, the heavy door slammed shut behind them.
Ugh!
Camillo shoved Lucian, and his back crashed against the door with a thud.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Freed from prying eyes, Camillo’s murderous intent flared anew. With teeth clenched, he glared at Lucian with lethal precision.
“Who sent you? Count Monter? Or Duke Renard?”
All names Lucian had heard before—the so-called anti-Camillo faction.
‘At least he won’t entertain the thought that Eloise is behind this.’
Lucian, his expression blank, regarded the Second Prince and answered calmly.
“That’s not it. It’s all because of His Majesty—”
“Shut up!”
A sharp voice cut through the reception room. Camillo seized Lucian by the collar again.
“This is your last chance. Leave the Imperial Palace at once. And live as quietly as a mouse. Then I’ll spare your life.”
“I refuse.”
“What? You refuse?”
Lucian brushed away the hand gripping his collar with ease. Camillo’s eyes narrowed at this unexpected defiance.
Except for Simon, the foreign prince, everyone trembled before him and hid their fear.
Yet this man showed not the slightest fear—only unmistakable displeasure. A mere commoner!
Scrape!
“Then you’ll die here instead. We cannot allow lowborn blood of unknown origin to taint the Imperial House.”
“Your Highness, wait!”
Without hesitation, Camillo drew a blade from the scabbard at his attendant’s waist. His eyes gleamed with madness.
……
Lucian’s hand instinctively reached for his own waist, though he found nothing there. Within the Imperial Palace, weapons were strictly forbidden except under extraordinary circumstances.
‘If I had a blade, this Second Prince would be nothing. Should I run?’
Despite his impassive face, Lucian’s mind raced.
Reason told him that flight was the wisest choice, but stubborn pride kept his feet rooted to the ground.
A part of him wanted nothing more than to land a blow on Camillo before this was over.
Lucian’s eyes flashed. All he needed was to disarm him. Then a mere Second Prince would be nothing—
“Your Highness, please!”
The attendant’s cry had barely left his lips when Camillo gripped the blade properly and took his stance. Yet Lucian’s gaze remained unwavering, steady as stone.
He would gouge out those insufferable eyes. That was Camillo’s resolve as he advanced—when—
“Stop this!”
The two men’s locked gazes wavered. A magnificent dress stepped between Lucian and danger.
“The Lady?”
“Eloise!”
Camillo quickly withdrew the blade he’d been wielding menacingly, while Lucian wrapped his arms tightly around Eloise.
By the barest margin, the Second Prince’s sword passed harmlessly by Eloise. Only dress ornaments scattered to the floor with a soft clink.
Haah… hah…
Ragged breathing filled the spacious reception room. The shocked attendant collapsed to his knees, rooted to the spot.
“Are you hurt?”
It was not a question Lucian had asked. Eloise, who had frantically torn herself from his embrace, asked it instead, her pale face searching his for injuries.
Eh? I…
Once she’d confirmed with her own eyes that he was unharmed, Eloise spun around to face the Second Prince with a withering glare.
‘Hold on. Hold on, Eloise.’
Part of her wanted to drive a dagger through him, but he remained Second in line for the throne—wielding power second only to the Emperor himself.
Eloise forced her anger down, though her voice trembled. “Your Highness, this man is the Distinguished Guest of His Majesty and may well become your brother. I ask that you show him proper courtesy.”

“My Lady…”
The concern in his gaze hardened in an instant.
Camillo tossed the blade to the floor without a second thought and sauntered toward Eloise.
Lucian tried to step in front of her, but Eloise held her ground.
“So that’s what it was. All of this—your scheme, my Lady.”
……
Eloise did not flinch from Camillo’s bewildered gaze. Her silence was answer enough.
“Go ahead and try. As it stands, both the throne and you belong to me.”
Camillo smiled coldly, opened the door, and swept past them both. His attendant hastily gathered the blade and followed the prince.
“How entertaining.”
With Camillo’s murmur, the door closed.
“Eloise!”
The tension drained from Eloise, and she crumpled where she stood. Alarmed, Lucian quickly steadied her shoulders.
“What were you thinking?”
His touch was gentle, but his eyes were reproachful.
“What possessed you to charge in without understanding the situation?”
“I had no choice.”
“No choice? What kind of person runs toward a sword blade?”
Eloise, at a loss for words, jutted her lower lip and avoided his gaze. But his lecture was far from over.
“Promise me, Eloise.”
“Promise what?”
“That you’ll never be so reckless again.”
Each word fell from Lucian’s lips with deliberate weight, charged with suppressed fury.
The moment Eloise threw herself before that gleaming blade, Lucian’s heart had plummeted—and his breath had stopped altogether.
……
She understood his concern, but she couldn’t fathom his anger. Without her intervention, someone would surely have bled out.
So Eloise bit her lip and said nothing.
“You’re really not going to answer?”
“If I could do it again, my choice would be the same.”
Finally, Eloise pulled herself from his embrace. Despite her determined tone, her legs trembled beneath her.
Sigh.
Lucian exhaled deeply and knelt, offering her his back.
“What are you doing?”
“Get on my back.”
“What?”
“I said, get on. You can barely stand as it is.”
“Did you forget this is the Imperial Palace? There are eyes everywhere.”
Is that really what matters right now? The thin thread of his composure snapped at her continued obstinacy.
When Eloise refused, Lucian rose abruptly and strode toward the window.
“Lucian?”
Whoosh. He ripped down the heavy curtain covering the window without hesitation. Eloise’s eyes widened at his sudden action.
The torn curtain descended over her head. Lucian wrapped it around her body like a cloak, concealing her completely.
“There. Will this do?”
“Why would you go this far—”
“If you don’t get on, I’m telling the Emperor everything. That you coerced me into this performance, and that I’m no First Prince or anything else.”
Their eyes met in a tense stand-off.
‘Is he really threatening me right now?’
Eloise glared at him sharply, but he showed no sign of backing down.
“Fine. I’ll get on your back.”
Finally, Eloise conceded. Lucian knelt again. Eloise hesitated for a moment, staring at his broad back.
“Eloise.”
His urging voice was answer enough. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and climbed onto his back.
“Hold tight.”
!!!
When Lucian straightened his legs and stood, Eloise gasped in surprise and instinctively tightened her grip. The arms encircling his shoulders tensed naturally.
He opened the door and stepped into the corridor, and Eloise buried her face against his broad back—lest anyone recognize her.
By the warmth of their contact, her racing heart finally began to calm. She felt safe.
Unlike her, Lucian remained tightly wound. Against his ears and neck, he could feel Eloise’s soft, warm breath.
‘Breathe…’
He focused ahead and walked on, determined not to let his mind wander.
Fortunately, they encountered no one on their way back to Eloise’s chamber, where they began their second battle of wills.
“Put me down now.”
“Promise me you won’t be reckless again. Then I’ll let you down.”
Though Eloise struggled against his back, Lucian held firm. His hands gripping her legs tightened.
This time too, Eloise was defeated.
“Fine, I understand. Now put me down.”
“Understand what, exactly?”
Lucian was determined to extract a specific promise from her own lips.
Eloise’s eyes fixed on the back of his head with barely concealed fury.
“Are you really going to do this?”
“Do as you wish. I’m perfectly capable of standing here all night.”
Eloise sighed deeply. Lucian had won again.
“I promise. From now on, I won’t do reckless things anymore.”
Only then did Lucian set her down on the bed.
“Unless you’re in danger. Then all bets are off.”
The moment her feet touched the ground, Eloise added that caveat. The satisfied smile that had crossed Lucian’s face crumbled in an instant.
“Eloise, you really—”
He lay forward on the bed, looking up at her with an exasperated expression. That mischievous smile of hers was infuriating.
Still, for all his victories today, had Lucian ever truly broken Eloise’s stubborn will?
Lines creased his handsome brow. His face was heavy with worry.
Now he could not see what thorns lay ahead for them both. This was the price of making an enemy of the Second Prince.
“Brighten up, Lucian.”
Eloise snapped her fingers with a sharp crack.
And before them, figures who should never have appeared in the Imperial Palace revealed themselves.
Hah…
Lucian had no strength left to be surprised.

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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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