The Slave Is Too Handsome - Chapter 72

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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 too handsome!
072.
Eloïse sat on a bench beneath drooping purple wisteria blossoms. A delicate fragrance tickled her nose.
She had only just escaped a cluster of young noblewomen bent on attacking her from every angle.
It was Sienna, the Crown Princess, who had shielded her from their subtle, relentless pressure.
‘Why is everyone wearing such angry faces on a beautiful day like this?’
Sienna had appeared late, humming cheerfully, her mood far brighter than usual.
For good reason. Not only had her brother—thought dead—returned alive, but he’d arrived in splendid fashion and crushed Camilo’s arrogant pride.
‘Come now, everyone. Raise your glasses. Let’s celebrate today.’
Brimming with delight, she’d filled every young noblewoman’s glass with sweet Champagne.
Eloïse, who ordinarily wouldn’t touch alcohol, found herself unable to refuse the Crown Princess’s offer in that moment.
And so now she bore a faint buzz of intoxication.
The lightheaded feeling wasn’t entirely unpleasant. It eased the knots of confusion that had tangled her thoughts for days.
“…… There you are.”
At that familiar voice, Eloïse lifted her head slightly.
Lucian stood before her, breathing hard as though he’d run—which he clearly had.
“Your Highness.”
Even alone, Eloïse rose from the bench, lowered her head respectfully, and sat back down. Lucian’s eyes grew taut for a moment.
“May I sit for a moment?”
“You wish to sit for a moment?”
Their gazes crossed briefly as they spoke simultaneously.
When Eloïse looked away first, Lucian slowly settled beside her.
An awkward silence wrapped around them both.
For some reason, Eloïse couldn’t meet his eyes directly. The man who had always felt most comfortable to her—she no longer knew how to face him.
What baffled her most was her own heart. She’d urged him to kiss Monica, and yet when Lucian won and came rushing toward her, her heart had leapt entirely of its own accord.
‘I must be going mad……’
And so, ever since that kiss to her hand in the Equestrian Competition, Eloïse had deliberately avoided Lucian.
Even at the evening banquet, she’d tried her best not to look his way. She couldn’t avoid him entirely, but at least for today she wanted to keep some distance.
Fortunately, Lucian himself had refrained from approaching her. Until they met like this.
“…….”
“…….”
It was Lucian who broke the silence first.
“Eloïse.”
The moment he spoke her name, she stiffened. It felt as if her hair were standing on end.
“You lied to me, didn’t you?”
Eloïse turned to face him, though she’d been sitting with her back to him.
“Me?”
A lie? Eloïse’s expression was bewildered, but Lucian’s was deadly serious.
“The tradition of the Equestrian Competition victor isn’t a hand kiss.”
“…….”
Her indignant eyes, which had risen in protest, fell back to normal.
He was right. Someone must have given him the correct information.
“That was…….”
“Deceiving Royalty—isn’t that the charge?”
Despite his grave expression, his voice couldn’t hide a playful undercurrent.
Eloïse, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke with a pout.
“So? Will you punish me?”
“Hmm, indeed. How shall I?”
Lucian smiled smugly, as if he’d caught her red-handed. Eloïse’s eyes widened.
“Then, perhaps you should do it properly now…….”
The rest of her words were swallowed. Warm lips met hers. Her eyes, widened in surprise, fluttered closed.
Unlike the sudden touch, he explored her lips with surprising care. The tension melted from her body, and a drowsy warmth spread through her.
After a long exchange of breath, Eloïse pushed gently at his shoulder, and he slowly withdrew.
“…….”
Lucian’s vision filled with Eloïse’s deeply flushed cheeks.
Embarrassed, she cast her gaze downward, her thick lashes suddenly visible.
Below, the lips he’d just held gleamed a soft red. That sight struck him as more beautiful than any rose blooming behind them or any other flower in the garden.
Just as he thought he wanted to kiss her again, Eloïse slowly raised her head and looked at him.
“Why do you…….”
“……?”
“Never fail at anything?”
A soft laugh escaped Lucian at her unexpected words. He tilted his head slightly and claimed her lips again.
Eloïse, surprised for only a moment, surrendered to him gently.
Lucian extended his arms and drew her close by the waist. As the distance between them narrowed, Eloïse wrapped her arms around his neck.
The two lingered over each other’s lips for some time before slowly parting. An awkward silence followed.
“I should……go.”
Eloïse suddenly stood. Lucian rose with her.
“I’ll walk you back.”
“It’s fine.”
“Please, let me do this. I’m asking.”
When Lucian regarded her steadily and asked for permission, Eloïse reluctantly nodded.
The two walked side by side with a slight distance between them, and quite slowly at that.
“Eloïse, may I ask you something?”
Lucian broke the silence again. Eloïse gave a small nod.
“Why did you wear that dress today?”
At his unexpected question, Eloïse’s gaze fell to her gown.
‘Ah……’
The shimmering Emerald Green Dress—the one all the young noblewomen had praised—caught her eye.
It was the dress Lucian had given her on her birthday.
“…… Mary insisted I wear it.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
Though not the answer he’d hoped for, the fact that she was wearing the dress he’d given her was enough to fill Lucian’s heart to bursting.
“Truly. There’s no deeper meaning.”
As if reading his feelings, Eloïse drove the nail home once more. But Lucian was already smiling widely.
“I know. It suits you beautifully.”
“There’s no outfit that doesn’t suit me.”
At her impudent riposte, Lucian let out a laugh. She wasn’t wrong. He distinctly remembered Eloïse looking graceful even in an oversized, shapeless ship’s coat.
Eloïse’s eyes narrowed like a cat’s as she glared at him.
“Why are you laughing like that?”
“Just……it feels like I finally have the real Eloïse back.”
Lucian led her toward a nearby palace. Eloïse accepted his escort and entered a secret passage.
Lucian, who had long since memorized every hidden corridor within the Imperial Palace, expertly guided her through.
The two walked slowly through quiet, shadowed hallways.
“I was troubled thinking that my actions had driven us apart.”
At Lucian’s confession, Eloïse faltered slightly.
She knew well that she bore some responsibility too. The subtle pressure from those around her to become Crown Princess had made her so sensitive that she’d vented her emotions on him.
“Driven apart? That can’t be. We’re Companions in the Same Boat, after all.”
Eloïse spoke calmly, earnestly, but at those words, Lucian felt an unexpected bitterness rise in his chest.
“Then, I ask this of you—when we’re alone, treat me as Lucian.”
“…….”
“Not as Prince Valensio.”
Lucian looked directly at her as he spoke. Today, he’d used the word “ask” often, and it made her heart waver.
“…… Is that asking too much?”
Anxious now, he gently pressed for an answer, his gaze fixed on her lips and unwilling to look away.
Eloïse shook her head.
“I will.”
Only then did the tension in Lucian’s face gradually ease.
“And you have always been Lucian to me, before ever you were Valensio.”
At her soft smile, Lucian’s steps grew lighter. The two walked on in silence toward their destination.
Before long, they had reached Dana’s palace. As the door connecting to Eloïse’s bedroom opened, Lucian caught her hand.
“Why didn’t you come to see the City Streets procession?”
“Hm?”
Eloïse turned back from where she’d just entered the bedroom.
“The truth is, I wandered around looking for you the whole time.”
“…….”
“I was just like that. Sleep well, Eloïse.”
Just as Lucian, trying to suppress his bittersweet expression, disappeared into the secret passage—
“I did go.”
“…… What?”
Lucian reappeared, stepping back into view.
“Not to the palace, but outside to the City Streets. I hid and watched you. I followed you the whole time.”
“…….”
“It was a moment I’d been waiting for so long.”
Lucian stood silently, his expression asking for more. Sensing his desire to hear the rest, Eloïse continued.
“You were far more impressive than I’d imagined. It was……overwhelming. I felt as though meeting you was an act of fortune.”
“…….”
“It’s late. Go now.”
Eloïse grumbled with an embarrassed expression.
“Sleep well, Eloïse.”
“You too, sle…….”
Lucian stepped close to her face and whispered softly against her ear.
“You were beautiful today. You always are, but especially today.”
With those final words, he vanished like a fugitive into the secret passage.
Left alone, Eloïse’s face flushed before she composed herself.
It had been a confusing night—not entirely unwelcome, but unsettling all the same.

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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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