The Slave Is Too Handsome - Chapter 60

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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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That slave is far too handsome!
060.
The moment Lucian left the Salon, servants filed in carrying lavishly wrapped gift boxes.
One corner of the Salon filled with glittering boxes stacked neatly. Eloïse watched the scene unfold, her eyes wide with surprise.
“What is all this?”
Mary appeared late, pushing the breakfast cart, and smiled brightly.
“Happy birthday, Miss! How was the cake?”
“Oh? Yes, it was very delicious. Thank you, Mary. But what is going on here?”
“His Highness prepared birthday gifts for you, Miss!”
“Lucian did?”
Mary seized Eloïse’s hand as she stood uncertainly, leading her toward the mountain of boxes.
“Not just one—this many?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed generous. Won’t you open them? I’m so curious too.”
“Why not.”
Eloïse unwrapped the nearest box, and a luminous green Dress emerged. It was precisely the shade of her own eyes.
“Goodness, I’ve never seen a Dress like this. Such a radiant colour.”
Mary gasped with wonder, her eyes wide, while Eloïse remained composed.
They opened the remaining boxes. Accessories, Jewels, Hats, and gowns tumbled forth one after another.
“A Teddy Bear? Does he think she’s a child?”
Mary laughed as she pulled the stuffed animal from a small box.
Then, when a bow, Arrows, and a Quiver appeared, Eloïse laughed aloud.
The day he’d tried to escape her room suddenly came to mind. She’d pointed the bow at him without hesitation back then.
‘How far we’ve come.’
Caught in reverie, Eloïse heard Mary’s voice draw near.
“Miss, I should go downstairs. Do look at everything.”
Once Mary departed, Eloïse alone unfolded the card.

Eloïse’s shoulders trembled as she read. Had she ever shared this kind of bond with anyone? The unfamiliar emotion left her disoriented.
Lucian’s piano melody still seemed to linger in her ears.
Years later, she would learn that the piece Lucian had played for her was one written for a beloved.
***
Meanwhile, Klaus stood before the Annex Building, his face registering considerable shock and anxiety.
Two ornate carriages were parked in front of him. Klaus watched from start to finish as the attendants transferred their glittering cargo into the building.
Even a country boy like Klaus could recognize the Imperial seal embroidered on the carriage curtains.
“Are all the gifts brought up?”
Mary appeared, eyeing the carriages with a murmur. Klaus approached her and asked.
“Gifts?”
“The Imperial Palace sent them for Miss’s birthday.”
Mary’s proud tone made Klaus’s jaw drop. His suspicion had become reality.
“For Eloïse…?”
“Who are you?”
A firm voice made Klaus and Mary turn. Lucian approached with his Aide, his bearing regal and composed.
His golden hair caught the sunlight brilliantly, and his finely sculpted features left Klaus speechless.
Klaus straightened his posture, unsteady though he’d been on one leg. Whoever this man was, his instincts screamed that this was someone of great consequence.
“I asked who you are.”
Lucian stopped before Klaus, whose head had bowed reflexively.
Should he simply give his name? His old ambition to make an impression on the Imperial Palace had long since faded.
‘What if Eloïse has said something unfavourable about me?’
Thinking he might be in trouble, Klaus reluctantly spoke.
“I… I’m Klaus, someone who’s been close to Eloïse since childhood…”
“You need to leave now.”
The Aide cut Klaus off, and Lucian nodded in agreement.
‘Not worth my time.’
Lucian watched Klaus tremble pathetically, then turned his head away.
With a silent “Take care,” Lucian boarded the carriage.
Mary bowed respectfully as well.
‘He really has become a Crown Prince.’
Where before she’d seen only a handsome man, Lucian now embodied the full majesty and bearing of Imperial royalty.
‘What in the world happened in the meantime?’
Moved by an indescribable emotion, Mary stood rooted to the spot until Lucian’s carriage had disappeared.
From that day forward, Klaus’s petty interference diminished dramatically, and Mary found herself supporting Lucian even more.
***
That evening, having returned to the Imperial Palace, Lucian made his way to the main residence for the formal family banquet.
He adjusted his appearance one last time before the Dining Hall entrance, then stepped inside. The Imperial family, already assembled, turned their curious gazes upon him.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
The Emperor, whose eyes met his first, smiled broadly. Lucian quickly moved to stand beside the Emperor at the head of the table.
“Let me introduce him formally. This is my son, whom I lost in childhood—Valensio Seth Florin. Everyone, welcome your brother.”
“I am Valensio. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
His stiff greeting was met with cool silence. Lucian’s face remained expressionless as he studied the Imperial faces before him.
There was the Empress, who wouldn’t even glance his way, beside her the First Princess wearing an awkward smile, and the Fourth Prince merely observing. The twin siblings offered a brief introduction.
“You must have endured so much hardship, yet you’ve grown so well. Let’s get along from now on.”
At this unexpected warmth, Lucian’s head turned to the right. It was Nora, the Imperial Consort and Camilo’s mother.
Her voice was gentle, and her eyes held the same kindness. That a ruffian like Camilo could emerge from under such a nurturing gaze was a mystery indeed.
“Thank you very much.”
Lucian replied with a sincere smile, and the younger Third Prince and Third Princess beside Nora bowed to him as well.
“Where is Camilo?”
At the Emperor’s displeased tone, Nora flinched to speak, but the Empress was quicker.
“I believe it was mentioned that he had urgent business and sends his regrets.”
Her mildly reproachful tone made the Emperor’s jaw tighten.
“His brother, whom we thought dead, has returned—what could possibly be more pressing? That scoundrel…”
“I will speak with him.”
The subtle tension between Emperor and Empress ended as Nora interjected diplomatically.
Finally, Lucian exchanged greetings with the youngest Imperial Consort, Greta, and her children—the Princess Danae, the Fifth Prince, and others.
Danae appeared amused by the whole affair, her lips curling in a smile.
The fact that there was at least one ally in this suffocating place was a genuine relief to Lucian.
Only after all introductions were complete did the actual meal begin.
“When did you join the merchant company?”
“You must have traveled to many foreign lands. Do you speak foreign languages?”
“Where did you grow up, you said?”
The Emperor deliberately asked questions he already knew the answers to, ensuring the rest of the family would hear. Lucian found himself drowning in the barrage.
He scrutinized every response, anxious not to misspeak, even for casual inquiries.
“Your Majesty, shouldn’t Prince Valensio be given time to eat as well?”
At Nora’s words, the Emperor’s gaze finally fell on Lucian’s barely-touched plate.
“Yes, eat.”
“There’s no need to worry. I’m eating well enough.”
Lucian brought a spoonful to his mouth to prove the point. Naturally, he tasted nothing. He only wished this formal gathering would end.
“Tell me, Empress—have you truly nothing to say to your son?”
The Emperor turned to the Empress, who had been quietly eating throughout.
She set down her silver utensil and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“There is but one thing I must impress upon him.”
Her commanding voice made Lucian set down his own utensils and wait for her words.
“Don’t make any trouble. Keep a quiet, orderly existence.”
The Empress spoke directly to Lucian, her words weighted with hostility—or perhaps merely pressure. Either way, Lucian listened attentively.
He was even somewhat relieved that she hadn’t said, as before, that she wouldn’t acknowledge him as her son.
“Empress!”
Bang! The Emperor brought his fist down on the table, his displeasure evident, but the Empress remained unmoved.
“Whether you’ve accomplished great deeds abroad, this is the Imperial Palace. The Palace has its protocols, its order. Right now, you fall short even of Theodore, the youngest here.”
Every eye turned to the Fifth Prince, Theodore, who sat beside Danae. He was the Imperial household’s youngest, having just turned seven.
“Learn what you lack by observing your siblings. Camilo, in particular, will serve as your example.”
The moment Camilo’s name left the Empress’s lips, the hall fell silent, as if doused with cold water.

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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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