The Tyrant Covets The Slave -R19 - Chapter 7

Lucai came back to his room, relying on the fire of the lamp, and inhaled the wine roughly. The excitement hadn’t cooled down yet, and his whole body felt hot and was going crazy.

Phew….

It was bewildering, even for him, because this rarely happened.

He wanted to devour all of the eyes staring at him, soaking in the purity of them.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have experience with women, but it wasn’t often that he had a day like today. Lucai thought of Beher again. A strong obsession rose as she pushed him away as if she hated it.

‘Like a rat.’

Why was he holding onto a woman who was anxious to run away somehow? The answer was simple. All of this, it was just a play.

A play designed to give utmost consideration to His Majesty so that he can close his eyes comfortably. Lucai quietly closed his eyes.

The Emperor, the person who allowed him to punish his traitorous parents, and his benefactor, was the lord he had to serve for the rest of his life. Lucai drew the blood-stained situation in his head.

He felt a little more at ease at the sight of his parents who closed their eyes comfortably without saying a single word asking for help.

“… I’m annoyed.”

Lucai took another gulp of wine and sighed deeply. He was very young, but he remembered exactly what happened. His parents were brought to the brink of death by someone.

He had been trying to find out who did it, but he hadn’t found any evidence.

It was as if it was thoroughly planned. The only evidence that came out was .. It was deeply related to the investigation of the temple.

Lucai tilted his head back as if he had a headache. His black hair fluttered down helplessly. He gently fluttered his eyes, which he’d tried to close for the woman he’d been reminded of again.

He quite liked the way she stood up to him with her cute face and fearlessness. He honestly wondered how long he would be able to keep up with all this nonsense, but surprisingly he thought he could go on longer.

***

As soon as dawn broke, Beher quickly got up and walked around the garden. Lucy hadn’t woken up yet, but she felt stuffy from all the sitting and studying.

A quick run seemed to help her clear her head, so she decided to go outside. Flower petals rustled in the slightly bright sunshine. Dewdrops dangling from the leaves of the grass fell in a trickle.

A cold wind blew gently. The sight of flowers and green grass fixed by magic wasn’t so bad.

Beher began to walk alone in the spacious garden. For the first time in her life, flowers caught her eye.

In fact, the flowers and plants scattered around the area were common in the Vitan Empire. However, she was not familiar with the living petals because she had always seen them burned up, leaving only ashes.

The small pond was beautifully covered with mist. It was like silk swaying in the air. A smile spread across Beher’s lips. She couldn’t remember when was the last time she had smiled so languidly.

“I hope this peace lasts for a long time.”

Beher walked slowly, and soon began to run at full speed. No one was watching, so now was the perfect time.

Gasp.

How far did she run? She found a place that looked like a training field in the distance. Beher slowed down and could almost smell the sweat on the neatly organized stage.

Beher picked up a dagger that had fallen in the area. She held the rusty dagger and swung it with ease.

Because of her weakness in strength and muscle power, Beher learned how to wield a dagger rather than long swords. When she thought of her father, who made her train constantly to build up her strength, the palm of her hand that held the dagger tingled.

On the other hand, she felt lucky to have learned such a feeble art. The thought of killing her father with this short blade, what she had learned was not in vain.

Rustle.

While she was pondering, she heard someone appear behind her. Beher turned around to see who it was. It was the knight who took her to the Grand Ducal Palace.

“…Ben.”

She said the name she vaguely remembered, and he nodded and answered.

“I’m honored that you remember me.”

Honor…

Beher’s lips lifted at the pompous word. When she was an imperial Princess, she had to keep her head down just to keep herself alive, but now that her status had disappeared into the earth, his words made her feel good. She never thought she would be told that he was honored even though she had the status of a slave.

‘By the way… what’s going on here so early in the morning?’

“…You know how to talk with your eyes, young lady.”

Ben was someone who served beside the Knight Commander (Lucai), so he was a witty person. Beher withdrew her gaze.

“There is no need to be alarmed. I’m just protecting the young lady, as His Highness ordered.”

Oh, so Ben was the knight Lucai mentioned. Beher relieved the tension in his shoulders and looked at him.

She could tell at a glance just from his strong physique how talented he was. Beher flinched as Ben’s gaze went to her hand. Perhaps he saw her wielding the dagger.

“Can you sword fight?”

“A little bit….”

She was here because of the contract, so she didn’t want to tell them everything about herself. What if he became her enemy…. Beher didn’t let go of her tension.

“If you need me, I can teach you.”

Beher was flabbergasted by his suggestion. Even though it seemed like a good idea, she had a feeling that he suggested it to test her abilities.

‘’If it is uncomfortable for you, young lady, you may refuse. But please keep this one thing in mind. As long as you are with His Highness, I will not frighten you. So please lower your guard a little bit. We’re going to have to do this together in front of a lot of people, and this might be a bit of a problem.”

Ben said, his brown hair fluttered. Beher opened her eyes awkwardly.

She also knew that she was exceptionally wary of people. It was a habit that arose from the fact that there was always danger lurking in the vicinity and no one to trust.

How can you trust someone you’ve just met, even for a moment? Even though her head told her not to, Beher let her guard down a little.

“I’d be happy to learn, if you teach me.”

When Beher smiled and answered, Ben replied with a big smile like a child.

“Yes!”

An early morning walk turned into sword training. The attendants and maids at the Grand Ducal Palace glanced at the young lady, who was wearing a dress and wielding a dagger amazingly.

“Stab the neck. Don’t hesitate and do it in an instant.”

It wasn’t bad, though it was what she knew. Rather, she felt refreshed as she was sweating and moving. The other knights looked on in bewilderment at the situation where the Deputy Knight Commander was directly teaching the Lady one-on-one.

“Sir Ben, what’s going on today? Who is that young lady?”

“She must be his hidden lover.”

Beher thought it would be better if she spoke openly. She could hear the knights whispering. Ben didn’t let this get to him and only focused on his movements. She couldn’t believe he was this unconcerned with his surroundings.

Beher felt like she was watching a strange animal. Or maybe it was a situation where he was too focused to see what was going on around him. Thanks to that, Beher was able to focus only on sword techniques. How much time had passed?

While she was resting for a while, sand dust began to rise from afar.The wind had died down, so why? When she wondered if it was a flock of sheep, she saw a shadow that looked like she had seen a lot somewhere, running toward her.

Beher’s lips opened as the figure appeared in the dust. A look of utter annoyance was evident.

She had a feeling that she was the one who had made her like that. It may not be a big deal, but she was scared for some reason. Beher unknowingly stepped back.

“Lucy.”

When Lucy was close to Beher, she flashed her eyes and made eye contact with Beher.  Her yellow hair, tied in a single strand, came undone.

“Lady! What on earth are you doing in a dress? At the very least, you should have put on the training clothes I’ve prepared for you and move!”

‘Was that the problem?’

Lucy grumbled as if she didn’t like the dress Beher was wearing.

“I stayed up all night making training clothes for you, young lady, and you went out without me..!”

Beher had no idea how to soothe her, because no one was interested in what she wore.

“Look at this! This is the training suit I made for you, young lady! I put a lot of lace on it, because it’s been selling well lately. What do you think?”

“….”

Beher wanted to say that it was beautiful, even if it was a lie. But when she saw the lace hanging busily, her words couldn’t come out.

When Beher couldn’t speak easily, Lucy was disappointed.

“Why don’t you take off the lace?”

“What?”

Ben spat out with an exasperated pout.

Lucy was furious at his words and glared at him, but it was no use, the two of them were having a war of nerves, as if they were about to fight. They seemed to know each other very well in general.

It had to be, the two of them were the ones who were trusted by the Grand Duke.

It was for the first time today that she realized the fact that the way they bickered seemed to make her happy. She wondered if she could have a friend like that by her side.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t wish for it.’

She wasn’t sure if the deal with the Grand Duke Lucai was good. But if this routine continued, she could praise herself for making the right choice.

“Oh, by the way, young lady. His Highness has summoned you to dine with him.”

Lucy said as she left her training clothes with Ben.

“This is not the time. Let’s get ready quickly!”

‘Get ready?’

Lucy grabbed Beher’s hand and started running while Beher pondered. It wasn’t until later that she noticed that her dress had become very dirty.