“!”

“I nearly died countless times.”

Aila’s fingertips trembled slightly.

“R-really…?”

Tael gazed sharply into the void, just like his past self in his memories.

The memories that suddenly flooded back were all similar scenes.

Bodies strewn about, enemies advancing, and himself having to wield a sword countless times on numerous battlefields.

He had clearly been living a rock-bottom life filled with pain and misfortune.

“It seems I was a war slave before coming to you. Is that right?”

“…?”

“I was endlessly injured and cut.”

Tael picked up some wild strawberries that were set aside and chewed them slowly.

“They were very painful and distressing memories.”

“……”

“Lonely and painful.”

Aila looked at him with a relieved yet awkward expression, then picked up a strawberry and held it out to his mouth.

Tael ate it as if it were only natural. His attitude suggested that being served was completely normal for him.

“D-delicious?”

“Yes. Eating after regaining even a little memory makes it taste better.”

After eating several, he paused to think, then picked up a strawberry and fed it to Aila.

“I am grateful to you.”

He set aside some strawberries. He wanted to give some to Melia and Serna too.

“This place is better than the battlefield.”

Even if poor, being a slave in this house was better than being a war slave.

“Compared to that place, this place is…”

Peaceful and enjoyable.

Tael couldn’t help but smile. The occasional memories that surfaced showed a comfortable smile that was unimaginable in his past self.

–

A great commotion arose at the Arniel Imperial Palace. Nobles gathered in the great hall, speaking seriously.

“It was definitely His Majesty!”

“That’s impossible! How could a thief who stole the knights’ ornaments be His Majesty?”

“According to the knights, it was definitely His Majesty. They all unanimously say so!”

“Well, if that’s the case, why would His Majesty knock out our knights and steal their belongings?! It must be a thief who looks similar! Or perhaps a real slave.”

It was an absurd notion. The Emperor of Arniel stealing? When this enormous palace, overflowing jewels, mines, vast lands, and all sorts of rarities already belonged to the emperor.

In fact, even the clothes and jewels stolen from the knights were all issued by the imperial palace, so they were essentially the emperor’s property anyway.

Who would steal their own possessions?

“If it’s really a thief, we can’t just let that slide either.”

“That’s right. Knocking out Arniel’s knights and stealing! If we don’t deal with this firmly, people will start taking Arniel lightly.”

“Then how should we catch him? He’s a bold one, so we need to be even bolder.”

After pondering, one of them spoke up:

“What about holding a tournament with a prize? Since he has good sword skills and is greedy, he’ll surely participate to win the prize money. Then, we can confirm his face and catch him on the spot.”

The nobles nodded. It was a good method to draw out a hiding thief.

–

Aila was extremely anxious.

“I need to hide Tael for a while.”

Since that incident, Aila hadn’t let Tael go outside. She hadn’t sold any of the jewels Tael had brought back either.

Fearing someone might notice Tael was here, she had hidden him securely in the underground storage.

“But why isn’t he asking to go out?”

Since that day, Tael had been very obedient to Aila’s words.

“What! Are you really doing this because you’re genuinely grateful?!”

Aila clutched her hair with both hands.

“That’s troublesome too!”

She wished his memories wouldn’t return, but she kept imagining the situation when they did.

For an emperor obsessed with war, cutting off Aila’s head would be nothing.

“I should have treated him better.”

She regretted what she had done so far.

“I should treat him well…”

Aila bit her lip hard.

“He’s so annoying.”

Tael called out to Aila from a distance, looking at the pot.

“The potato soup is insufficient. How lazy.”

Aila gritted her teeth.

“Move your dull fingers. Isn’t it your duty to feed a slave when you keep one?”

She cursed softly.

“Ugh, that guy. If only he wasn’t the emperor.”

Aila bit her lip hard, barely suppressing the urge to hit the back of his head, and reluctantly moved her hands to make the potato soup as he wanted.

After all, it was commendable that he had brought jewels to help with the household. Besides, it hadn’t even been a day since she decided to treat him well, so she decided to endure.

She stood at the cutting board to feed Tael plenty of potato soup as he wanted.

‘Be patient. I should feed him well. Treat him well. He’s the emperor, right?’

But Tael didn’t let Aila remain calm. He approached her side.

“I like my potatoes cut in big chunks. Cut them large.”

He stood with his hands behind his back, giving instructions.

“You must have made this many times before, yet your knife skills are slow. Are you naturally sluggish?”

Aila’s hand gripping the knife tensed.

“I like thin soup, so add plenty of water. No, today I prefer it thick, so take some out again.”

Aila kept thinking to herself, ‘Don’t hit him. Don’t curse at him. That bastard… no, that person is the emperor,’ and ended up adding only the standard amount of water.

“Tsk tsk. Not only lazy but also not very bright.”

Her patience seemed to snap. Just as she was about to turn around with the knife and say ‘Don’t eat!’, Tael spoke first:

“Despite all your shortcomings, I like it here. It’s peaceful.”

“……”

“I’ve been thinking deeply for days. The more my memories return, the more I feel you’re doing something significant for me.”

“!”

“Although your face isn’t my type and your personality is even worse, I’m impressed by what you’ve done so far, so I’m going to properly accept your desires from now on.”

Tael spoke as if bestowing a favor:

“I’ll marry you.”

“!”

As he extended both arms to grip the kitchen shelf, Aila was trapped within his embrace, still holding the knife.

“You may even bear my children.”

“?!”

“Just get rid of that Jeffrey fellow.”

Aila couldn’t hold back and headbutted him hard.

“Urgh! What are you doing?!”

She was so surprised that she forcefully stabbed the knife she was holding into the wooden cutting board.

“What nonsense are you spouting so early in the morning?!”

Tael rubbed his forehead and said seriously:

“Is this what life as your husband would be like? Hmm.”

Looking at his contemplative face, Aila desperately pleaded inside:

‘Reject it! Hate it! It hurts!’

“Fine. Living as a slave hasn’t been bad. So I’ll accept this too.”

“?!”

Aila’s breath caught. What was this man saying when he didn’t even know what he really was?

Suddenly frightened, Aila tried to avoid eye contact and attempted to pull out the knife stuck in the cutting board, but it was embedded too deeply to come out easily.

“Can’t you do it?”

Tael placed his hand over the back of Aila’s hand, pulled out the knife smoothly, and placed it back in her hand.

As he looked down at Aila, his body was pressed against her back.

Aila stared up at him blankly.

Again. They were too close again.

As if they were really close to each other. She shouldn’t make him have such an illusion.

Aila forced an awkward smile.

“W-what slave marries their owner?”

“It’s okay with Jeffrey, but not with me?”

“Y-yes. Haha, now you’re talking sense.”

“Then what if I’m not a slave?”

“!”

Aila felt like she couldn’t breathe. Had he figured something out?

“As of today, I’m no longer your slave. Anyway, I’ve disliked being a slave since regaining my memories yesterday. I don’t like being called that anymore. And…”

“…?”

“I’ll keep all the money I earn.”

Aila’s mouth fell open. Most of their improved living conditions were thanks to what Tael had earned.

“Will you still not marry me?”

“!”

Did she need to marry him to survive? It suddenly felt like their positions had switched.

“Wait. So you knew you couldn’t marry me, yet you did such things?”

Tael clenched his fist.

“How humiliating. It was purely out of l*st. My body was sacrificed to dirty desires.”

Aila jumped in surprise and covered Tael’s mouth. Melia was playing outside.

“I, I…”

Aila’s mind raced quickly. Even if she denied it, Tael wouldn’t believe her. After all, she had seen him bathing.

‘Oh, whatever.’

“…I”

“?”

“I want to meet other men too. Men who aren’t you or Jeffrey!”

Tael’s mouth fell open. He trembled and wrapped his arms around himself, then slowly lowered Aila’s hand that was covering his mouth.