A Slave Of Rubelfast – R15 - Chapter 30

The guards hurriedly grabbed Ellier by the collar and dragged him out of Eden’s room, fearing that Eden’s mood would be further twisted.

 

Ellier tried to explain something, but the grip on her collar was so violent that all she could do was cough.

 

She was dragged by the guards to the waiting area of the sl*ves, even getting beaten several times for wiggling.

 

In the brightly lit sl*ve waiting area, not only the sl*ves who had finished their meals but also the servants and knights, who would take them back to the mansion in advance, were gathered.

 

The guards shouted with a somewhat mean-looking smile.

 

“Who is the owner of this sl*ve?”

 

With Ellier hanging limply, almost like a puppet, her back held by the guards, all attention was focused on her.

 

It was quite an embarrassing appearance, intending to shame the owner of the sl*ve.

 

After a while, amidst the hushed crowd, a knight from the Ventiark family stepped forward.

 

“The child is a sl*ve to the Ventiark family. What is the matter?”

 

Although the guards seemed taken aback by the fact that she was the Ventiark family’s sl*ve, they soon shouted with feigned dignity.

 

“This sl*ve has trespassed into the Imperial Palace! She said she fell in love with Her Highness Princess Iris’ sl*ve and hid in his room! What are you going to do with this?”

 

“Trespassed into the Imperial Palace…?”

 

The knight’s gaze, disapproving of Ellier, became menacing. Ellier hurriedly waved her hands.

 

“I-I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to enter the sl*ve quarters! I was just going to, uh, just look at his face and return…”

 

“His Excellency allowed you to come and go freely. You even went out of the mansion without anyone noticing. And now you entered the palace without permission? Into the sl*ve’s quarters? As a sl*ve? Did you even consider how much trouble this could cause His Excellency? Did you think about any of this, or do you not have any brain?”

 

The knight’s attitude was more savage than the guards, so the guards secretly let go of Ellier’s back.

 

“Oh, no, well, you see, this sl*ve who is said to have caught her eye does indeed seem to have caught some attention before. It’s happened to him once before…”

 

The guards strangely tried to defend Ellier, but the knight borrowed a horsewhip from a nearby servant and made a request similar to threatening the guards.

 

“There is no need for the Imperial Palace guards to exert themselves. I will punish this girl myself. So please let her go.”

 

“What?”

 

“You’re not suggesting we apologise on behalf of the sl*ve for intruding into the sl*ve quarters, right? I believe you intend to discipline this girl appropriately and end the matter here and now.”

 

“No, no matter how stupid it is to go in like that…”

 

The guards frowned as if they thought the knight was taking care of his own sl*ve.

 

However, when the knight swung the horsewhip and struck Ellier in the back, the guards were silent.

 

Jab-!

 

“Ahh!”

 

“What’s the drama you caused?”

 

Jab-!

 

“Ugh!”

 

“You need to realise that you are a sl*ve!”

 

Jab-!

 

“Ouch!”

 

“Remember what could have happened because of you!”

 

After that, the sharp whip continued to hit Ellier for quite some time.

 

The whip wielded by the knight was almost like a weapon, so Ellier burst into tears.

 

She couldn’t hold back the tears. Excruciating pain spread all over her body.

 

Her breath was choking, and her whole back was hot and blistered as if she had been set on fire. Blood was oozing from the burning wounds.

 

“That’s enough!”

 

“No! We should definitely teach her a lesson!”

 

“No, it’s okay! We have to do more patrols, so let’s go!”

 

The guards left as if they were running away, fearing that something serious would happen if they offended Duke Ventiark for no reason, and the knight stopped whipping Ellier.

 

The face of the servant who had returned the whip from him was also pale.

 

“Stop acting and get up.”

 

At the knight’s cold command, Ellier staggered to her feet, holding onto the floor with trembling hands.

 

“If this happens again, it won’t end like this. Follow me.”

 

The knight made his way through the hushed crowd to the exit, and Ellier took off slowly, one step at a time, wiping her face with her sleeve.

 

‘You filthy b*st*rd. What are you? My master is Slarhan, not you.’

 

No matter how often Ellier thought about it, the punishment carried personal feelings.

 

But anyway, it was also not a bad situation.

 

It was because the guards quietly withdrew without making a big deal out of it, thanks to this knight terrifyingly punishing her.

 

When Ellier was caught by the guards, she was nervous that Iris would be the first to talk about it, but at least this seemed like a good ending.

 

Her back still hurt like it was on fire, but it felt like blood was running down her back.

 

***

 

The morning after the hunting competition, Slarhan got up early, dressed comfortably and sat on the bed.

 

He looked down at the shabby bracelet on her wrist.

 

‘How did I think of consuming it without even knowing if it’s poisonous…?’

 

Ellier’s identity had not yet been revealed. So he couldn’t believe everything she gave him. However, Slarhan did not even worry about taking out and chewing the seeds that Ellier had given him.

 

‘Still, I’d better find out exactly.’

 

Being betrayed by someone he trusted had become all too common for him.

 

For Slarhan, doubt was ‘like a good habit.’ The habit of always trying not to forget and doing it consciously every time. However, even if he was so careful, he couldn’t weed out all the people he didn’t trust.

 

After such a process of doubt, he quietly called one of the servants he had recently come to trust.

 

“Did you call, Master?”

 

“By any chance, do you know any talented apothecaries?”

 

“Apothecaries? Yes, there is a place I know of, but my lord, for what purpose…”

 

“Go and find out exactly what this is.”

 

The man politely accepted the small pouch Slarhan handed over.

 

“Would you like to find out about the efficacy and side effects of this?”

 

“Where to get it, which area it’s primarily known from, and how much does it cost to buy it?”

 

“Yes, understood.”

 

“Don’t let anyone know about this, Vedell.”

 

“Yes.”

 

With a composed face, Vedell lowered his back and greeted before quietly disappearing.

 

The day seemed no different from usual, but it was strangely unusual today.

 

As always, Slarhan checked the piles of paperwork, approved the documents, had a quiet meal, and had a few discussions with Tariq.

 

When he was busy, he was busy, and when he was free, he was spending a leisurely day. For some reason, Slarhan felt a sense of incongruity. But he couldn’t immediately figure out what it was.

 

Then, around dusk, Vedell returned.

 

Slarhan asked in a slightly nervous mood.

 

“What did the apothecary say?”

 

“This is the seed of the horned thornbush, which is said to be a high-quality medicinal material often used in stimulants and rejuvenating agents. However, this tree grows in overgrown places, so it is hard to find unless you are a professional, and it is not common. So this seed is said to be a fairly expensive medicine.”

 

“I see… Are there any side effects?”

 

“It is not very harmful to the body, but if you take a large amount for a long time, you may develop a tolerance to all substances. They even say that you develop a tolerance to poison, but considering one consumes more medicine than poison, it’s advised not to overconsume.”

 

“Speaking of large amount, how much do you mean?”

 

“Eating three or four times a day is overuse, but taking one or two times a day, five days a week, is said to be harmless.”

 

Slarhan was relieved that the seeds had no major side effects.

 

He wasn’t worried about his body.

 

He was fortunate that he did not yet have to give up his trust in Ellier.

 

“I ask for a little more while you are working at it. Go to the storeroom and get a bundle of black silk and a string of onyx beads.”

 

Vedell thought the amount of thread Slarhan was talking about was quite large. A single bundle of silk would be worth 20,000 Persos. Adding onyx beads would add more value.

 

However, the ‘quick-witted and adept at handling situations,’ Vedell didn’t react to Slarhan’s words but instead immediately carried out his orders.

 

Having received the threads and beads Vedell had brought, Slarhan looked out of the darkened sky out the window.

 

He tapped the box and suddenly realised that he hadn’t seen Ellier’s face today.

 

So, that was the source of the strange feeling he felt today…

 

‘She must have been pretty tired yesterday. Well, it must have been the first time she has been to such an event.’

 

‘She seemed pretty smart for an event she had been to for the first time, but she was still a seventeen-year-old kid. She may have been nervous without realising it.’

 

‘I’m sure I could have found her share of meal in the dining hall.’

 

Slarhan smiled as he imagined Ellier mumbling with meat stuffed into her mouth until her cheeks puffed up.

 

‘Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if she seemed like a sl*ve who didn’t get ged at the Ventiark’s mansion?’

 

It was quiet outside as if the evening time had passed.

 

Slarhan took the silk thread and the box containing the onyx beads, opened his study door, and left.

 

In the dim hallway, oil lamps were burning with a faint light, and silence was everywhere.

 

The sound of the servants’ busily moving to finish their day could be faintly heard from far away, but not a single ant strayed near Ellier’s room in the far corner of the second floor.

 

He didn’t know how much Tariq must’ve grumbled when he gave Ellier that room.

 

However, the servants’ rooms in the mansion were already full.

 

That said, no servant would want to use a room with a sl*ve, and since Ellier was Slarhan’s errand girl, it was good to be near him.

 

She probably waited, smiling awkwardly, for his decision.

 

‘Even though she might seem fearless, it’s obvious that she grew up being loved at times like that.’

 

Those who grew up receiving love would have eyes filled with hopeful expectations in situations like this. They knew that something good could potentially come their way.

 

But Ellier wasn’t like that.

 

She was first surprised when she was given something good. Then she waved her hand and declined, later reluctantly accepting. Even as she accepted, she looked at Tariq and the people around her.

 

Thinking of Ellier, Slarhan looked down at the box he held in his hand and felt a little embarrassed.

 

‘I don’t think this will pay off, but…’

 

The bracelet made of silk thread would quickly get old and worn out, so he couldn’t wear it for a long time. So, he planned to ask for a new bracelet with red seeds using these threads.

 

Considering the amount of thread needed to make a bracelet, it wouldn’t be much, so she might as well keep the remaining threads and onyx beads. With that, she could sell them somewhere and at least have some pocket money.

 

‘Maybe she won’t feel too burdened to accept that either.’

 

With that thought in mind, Slarhan lightly knocked on Ellier’s door.

 

But there was no answer from inside. It seemed that only the faint sound of a cat crying could be heard.

 

It was clear that Ellier was in her room, but when he knocked on the door again, her voice was not heard.

 

‘She can’t be sleeping already.’

 

It was getting dark outside, but it was not yet nine o’clock.