Aila gritted her molars.

“Do it and then say you can’t.”

“Such trivial work is not my job.”

Only after Aila slapped Tael’s back several times did he obediently stand in front of the wall.

But moments later, Aila closed her eyes tightly and held her forehead. Tael had secretly run away while fixing the wall.

“How on earth did Tael become an emperor? How did this lazy man who only likes to play around become an emperor?”

How could this guy who tries to escape work at every opportunity possibly have become an emperor?

“Did he just inherit the position?”

If not that, how else could his lack of diligence be explained? Aila’s concerns deepened.

“Did he just have such a nasty personality that he went around waging wars as soon as he inherited the throne?”

If the landslide hadn’t happened then, Aila’s village would have been reduced to ruins.

Fortunately, the village wasn’t destroyed, but Aila’s heart was being devastated.

The money from selling the wild boar meat wasn’t much. Most of it had been eaten by Tael. The food expenses were too high.

“How am I supposed to get any value out of him?”

The wall he had partially fixed was a mess. He had fixed just a little bit, and even that wasn’t done properly, so Aila had to redo the work from the beginning.

“He must be good at something.”

At that moment, Tael was leisurely exploring Jeffrey’s house as if it were his own.

“Ha. To think that man lives in such a shabby house.”

Tael was mocking Jeffrey, then remembered Aila’s house. Compared to Aila’s house, this place was a castle.

Yet strangely, it still seemed unimpressive to him.

It would look somewhat decent only if it had a castle rising high into the sky on vast grounds with hundreds of servants.

“Not much to see.”

He was exploring the rooms one by one with his hands behind his back when he stopped in front of a particular room.

There was a piano in that room. He tapped the piano with his fingers, tok, tok, tok, then sat down on the bench.

Just by moving his fingers, perfect melodies flowed out. It was as natural and skilled as if he had been playing since he was very young.

His long fingers moved between the white and black keys, completing a perfect piece. He rested his chin on his hand and muttered:

“This is too easy as well.”

He looked down at the keys with suspicious eyes.

“Boringly easy.”

He can’t cook, can’t clean. He’s good at archery and skilled with a sword. He can’t fix walls, but he can play the piano well.

“Why is this easy for me?”

Just then, Aila opened the door and peeked her face in.

“Found you!”

Tael stood up in surprise.

“You couldn’t resist coming to see my face. Yes. Not only is my body perfect, but my face is not to be ignored either. Don’t get too attached. I’m already tired of it.”

“What?!”

Aila was momentarily speechless at his outrageous words. Then her eyes fell on the piano.

“Wait.”

“?”

“Don’t tell me that was you?”

“?”

“I’m asking if that was you playing the piano just now.”

“What if it was?”

He was on guard.

“You’ve fallen for me again.”

He covered his body with both arms.

“Not here. Calm yourself. Even if I am a slave, I have my dignity.”

Despite his words, Aila raised the corners of her mouth widely and smiled with eyes full of schemes.

“Horse dung. I think I need to get some value out of you after all.”

Tael became even more wary of Aila than before.

“Haven’t you already done so?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Just watch. See how much more value I can extract from you.”

“!”

Tael’s mouth gradually opened in shock.

“Surely not…”

“Yes. You can make money.”

Tael spoke clearly in a trembling voice, as if ashamed:

“I will not sell my body. I’ve already lost my memory due to your evil deeds.”

“?”

“Just because it’s easy with you doesn’t mean it will be easy with others. Besides, I’ve already endured unspeakable things from you on countless nights.”

It was a statement difficult to ignore.

Aila turned bright red and looked around in embarrassment. Fortunately, no one had heard.

“What on earth are you saying…!”

“How far do you intend to exploit someone who has no memories?”

“Won’t you shut your mouth?”

“Is it not enough that you alone take advantage of me? How cruel.”

As he covered his body and fluttered his eyelashes as if he were a tragic heroine, Aila shouted with a bright red face:

“It’s not like that! Jeffrey’s family loves piano performances, that’s why I said it! I think they’ll pay if you play the piano for them! It’s hard to find someone who plays better than Jeffrey!”

Tael didn’t believe her and glared with suspicious eyes.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s true! Jeffrey said so. He said they want to hear a truly skilled pianist play!”

Tael narrowed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.

“It’s true! He told me while playing the piano for me!”

Tael’s expression subtly changed.

“…He played the piano for you?”

“Yes!”

“Does he play for you often?”

“Not often, just sometimes when I come to this house! Really! Believe me!”

“Here?”

Aila nodded.

“Sitting side by side?”

When she nodded again, Tael’s face turned sulky.

“…I don’t like being a mistress.”

“?”

“I don’t like dirt or potatoes.”

“So what?”

“I don’t like walls or dung.”

“What’s your point?”

“Among them all, I dislike being a mistress the most.”

He turned his body.

“Fine. I’ll show you mercy.”

“?”

“Let’s do it.”

“?!”

As he approached with large strides and began to take off his top, Aila’s mouth gradually fell open.

“No…”

Before she could finish saying “No,” he smiled mischievously.

“Is it so good that your mouth falls open?”

He shook his index finger as if she were ridiculous.

“Huh. Sorry, but I was lying.”

With the expression of an incredibly seductive man using his handsome charm, he said arrogantly:

“I’ll say it again, if you want my body, get rid of that man.”

“……”

“Then I’ll properly consider it. After all, what you like isn’t him but my body, right? Don’t make unnecessary mistakes.”

“……”

“But I still can’t sell my body, so don’t hope for that.”

Tael made incomprehensible remarks and left. Aila, who had been dumbfounded, finally shouted after a long while:

“He ran away again! Again! Come back and work! You lazy emperor!”

–

Tael muttered as he slowly walked down the corridor:

“He’s only worth horse dung.”

As he thoroughly examined Jeffrey’s house, he paused.

“No, that’s not right. Horse dung is better.”

He corrected himself:

“He’s only worth rat droppings.”

After saying this, he stopped walking again.

“Still, a place like this could pay off that ill-tempered girl’s debts.”

Tael looked down at his worn clothes.

“…He’s certainly different from me.”

Tael recalled Jeffrey’s appearance. He looked like the well-fed, well-raised son of a wealthy family. Compared to him, Tael was…

“More handsome.”

He raised his head high.

“I am better.”

He looked at his reflection in a picture frame. He was extremely handsome.

“People would believe I’m a prince.”

Though his clothes were worn, his face exuded nobility. He narrowed his eyes.

“So she was planning to become very rich.”

He thought of Aila.

“She must have planned to sell me and live in luxury. She would have made an enormous amount of money. People from all continents would surely have brought vast fortunes asking for me. They would have poured out their wealth until they went bankrupt.”

He fluttered his eyelashes.

“How shameful.”

He clenched his fist.

“She will never become that wealthy.”

Even if he had been taken advantage of by Aila before losing his memory, he had no intention of moving according to her wishes now.

With that firm resolve, he raised his head. Just then, something very familiar was reflected in the frame. In the room behind him, there was a painting covered with cloth, and a small part of the painting was visible beneath the cloth.

Tael turned around and stood in front of the painting. After looking down at it with a cold gaze, he swiftly removed the cloth, and as expected, there was something familiar.

It was his painting. A painting depicting Aila’s face smiling beautifully.

Jeffrey, who happened to be passing by that room, hurriedly came in and covered the painting with cloth again. Jeffrey stared at Tael in confusion.

“T-Tael?”

“This is a painting I drew.”

“You drew it?”

“Yes.”

Jeffrey looked up at Tael, then averted his eyes.

“Why do you have a painting of Aila?”

Jeffrey looked uncomfortable, then carefully asked:

“Could you keep this a secret?”

Jeffrey lowered his gaze mournfully.

“Aila shouldn’t know.”

“Why is that?”

“My parents won’t approve of our relationship anyway. My mother wants me to marry a gentle young lady from a good family.”

He exhaled softly with dissatisfaction.

“Aila is gentle too.”

Jeffrey seemed sorry for having to reject Aila.

“She’s been such a good person to me for so long…”

Tael looked at Jeffrey with distaste.

“So you think Aila likes you.”

“That’s right. Aila has liked me since we were children.”

“Let me tell you for certain. That’s a misunderstanding.”

“…?”

“That ill-tempered woman likes me.”

“?”

“Ah, yes. To be precise, she likes my body.”

“!”

“That woman secretly takes me to the forest and peeks at me while I’m bathing.”