The Slave Is Too Handsome - Chapter 48

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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!
048.
“You don’t know about the 3rd Stage……?”
Elowise narrowed her eyes as she asked. Danae’s cheeks had flushed crimson, and the color was spreading across her entire face.
Come to think of it, when they first corresponded by letter, when she’d met Danae’s subordinate at George’s birthday party, and even when they’d first met here in the Library—Danae had remained silent on the subject of the 3rd Stage exam.
‘I thought she was holding back because she didn’t trust me yet, but she simply didn’t know. That’s why she couldn’t speak of it.’
While Elowise nodded slowly to herself, Danae—her short hair clutched in both fists as though she might tear it out—launched into protest.
“There’s a good reason for that…… No one has ever passed the 2nd Stage until now! Most candidates don’t even make it past the 1st!”
Embarrassed, Danae only raised her voice louder and stamped her foot. Having to admit there was something she didn’t know wounded her pride terribly.
An awkward silence fell over her hideaway.
It was Lucian who broke it.
“To have discovered this much is truly remarkable. We owe everything to you, Your Highness. Both I and the Princess are deeply grateful.”
Lucian smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. His tone was smooth as cream atop a sugared cake. The tips of Danae’s ears flushed at the sight of his face.
‘He really is handsome…….’
Danae stared fixedly at Lucian’s face through the thick lenses of her spectacles.
‘Have you seen Lord Astener? He was truly like a beautiful god painted in a sacred portrait. The sort of deity a court painter would render with meticulous brushstrokes, every detail precise.’
‘Oh, I was so nervous I could barely look at him properly.’
Words she’d grown tired of hearing whenever she eavesdropped on others. What she had understood only in her head until now finally reached her heart.
Lucian was not merely strikingly beautiful—his nature was genuinely gentle. His presence alone seemed to bring spring into this dark Library.
“We can’t rely on your help forever, Your Highness. The Princess and I will do whatever we can to manage the 3rd Stage, so please don’t be too disheartened…….”
“No! There’s still time before the 3rd Stage. By then, I’ll have found every scrap of information I can.”
“You truly mean it?”
“I’m someone who keeps her word once she’s spoken it. So go now and rest.”
When Danae made shooing motions for him to leave, Lucian smiled even more widely and bowed with proper courtesy.
“Thank you, Your Highness. I won’t forget this kindness.”
At the sight of him, Danae’s pulse quickened further.
“Save your thanks for after all the procedures are complete and you’re recognized as the 1st Prince.”
“Of course. You may look forward to it.”
Lucian signaled to Elowise that it was time to go. The two of them, carrying a Lantern, gradually receded from Danae’s hideaway.
…
Once Danae had composed herself, she collapsed onto the empty sofa. Only after the handsome man had completely vanished from her sight did cool reason return.
Could that beautiful man truly be the disappeared Valencio?
It was impossible—Danae had been certain that Valencio was already dead.
Yet the more she saw him, the more an absurd thought bloomed within her: perhaps Lucian really was the true Valencio.
‘Isn’t it remarkable? How could he avoid Tomatoes—something so common—and then select from all those Musical Scores the very piece the 1st Prince treasures most?’
A conversation from the Special Commission suddenly came to mind, one that had taken place after the 2nd Stage concluded.
‘That level of information could be uncovered with enough effort. But what truly gave me chills was this: how did the Prince make the exact same mistakes that Valencio used to make?’
Danae herself had been the one to teach him the piece, but there was no way she could have known where Valencio habitually went wrong.
Was it mere coincidence?
Danae began to calculate the odds that Valencio and Lucian would stumble at the same point among so many measures, then abandoned the thought.
Ha. Ha-ha, ha-ha-ha!!!
Lying fully across the sofa, Danae kicked her feet and laughed wildly. Her heart raced as she thought of what was to come.
On the path back to their lodgings after leaving the Library, Elowise—who had been silent until now—chuckled softly.
“Quite impressive, really.”
“Hmm? What is?”
“That you’ve enchanted even Princess Danae, who showed no interest in men or anyone else. I really did bring back quite the remarkable person.”
“What are you talking about? When did I ever—”
Elowise walked ahead with a snort, and Lucian hurried after her in bewilderment.
***
The next day held no appointments. So Lucian’s plan was to sleep in deeply until lunch and thoroughly savor the rare gift of leisure time.
“Get up already!”
That plan came to nothing when Elowise stormed into his bedroom at dawn.
“There’s no schedule today anyway. Please, just let me sleep a bit more…….”
“Is this really the time to take it easy?”
Elowise yanked the blanket away. Lucian, suddenly hit by the cold, reluctantly pushed himself upright.
The two of them shared a light breakfast together, then sat in the reception hall sipping warm tea. Unlike the relaxed Lucian, Elowise seemed rather anxious—strangely different from her usual bearing.
“Congratulations. Lord Lucian Astener has successfully completed the 2nd Stage procedure.”
Before long, an official from the Special Commission arrived and formally announced the results in a businesslike tone.
Joy bloomed across the faces of Elowise and Lucian as they met each other’s eyes.
“The final procedure will take place four days hence. Until then, please rest at your leisure.”
The official withdrew smoothly, and Elowise let out a childlike cry of delight, embracing Lucian.
“I knew you could do it!”
Lucian was the first person in all of the Empire’s history to have passed the absurd Prince Verification Process through the 2nd Stage.
But when she glimpsed the shocked look on Lucian’s face, Elowise faltered.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got so excited I just…….”
“It’s fine.”
Lucian replied quietly, eyes averted, and Elowise quickly stepped back from his embrace.
“…… Now let’s prepare for the final test.”
Elowise cleared her throat to change the mood and wore a resolute expression.
“But we still don’t know what the 3rd Stage is.”
“I’m not certain, but I do have information.”
“What?”
As Elowise settled onto the sofa, Lucian scooted close beside her.
“Did Princess Danae manage to get intel that quickly?”
“No, this is from a different source.”
At Elowise’s sinister smile, Lucian’s expression grew uncertain.
“You know, Elowise, I think it would just be fastest if you took the Imperial Throne yourself.”
“I hate it. The Imperial Palace doesn’t suit me.”
“…… So what’s next?”
“Actually, it’s not entirely reliable information, but…….”
Elowise’s eyes gleamed as she explained what would come next.
***
“Mmm.”
In the drowsy afternoon, Lucian let out a low, drowsy sigh.
Having been granted free time by Elowise, he was taking shallow sleep with a book resting against his face, ostensibly reading.
When he sensed someone’s presence, he set the book aside and lifted his head.
“Oh, forgive me. I was trying to move quietly, but I……. Did I wake you?”
Hugo flushed awkwardly, rubbing his neck. He had been clearing away the refreshments from the tea table.
“Don’t worry about it. Just go on with what you were doing.”
Hugo nodded in acknowledgment and finished tidying the table.
Lying languidly across the single-seat sofa, Lucian watched Hugo’s faint reflection in the window glass while pretending to look outside.
In truth, he had spent the whole afternoon waiting for Hugo. Some baseless certainty told him that Hugo might know something.
He wanted to ask Hugo various things, but now that they were face to face, the words wouldn’t come.
While Lucian was still deliberating, Hugo picked up the tray holding the empty teacup, saucer, and knife.
“Um…….”
At Lucian’s call, Hugo—just as he was reaching for the door handle—turned back.
“Did you call for me?”
“Are you busy right now?”
“If there’s anything you need, just say the word. I’ll take care of it at once.”
Hugo smiled, and dimples appeared in his cheeks. Lucian’s gaze instinctively drifted to those dimples.
“If you have a moment to spare, I’d like to ask you something.”
“Yes? A moment?”
“Would you talk with me for a bit? I have some questions about life in the Imperial Palace.”
Hugo scratched his head in thought, then set the tray back down on the table and approached Lucian.
Meanwhile, Elowise was crossing the Rose Garden after spending a pleasant hour with the 1st Princess.
She was in high spirits. Everything was unfolding exactly as planned, and such things justified good humor.
“Duchess Elowise!”
That is, until the 1st Princess’s maid called her to a halt.
A maid approached Elowise, who had stopped in the middle of the garden, and handed her a letter, saying that an urgent message had come from the Duke’s Residence.
“An urgent message?”
It was a letter from Maery. As Elowise read it, her face flushed as deeply as the red roses blooming abundantly in the garden.

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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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