My first thought upon seeing the Imperial Princess was that she seemed rude. At the same time, I envied her boldness. Come to think of it, when I first set foot in Belial Duchy, I had dreamed of being like her.

A confident and self-assured royal. In reality, I was a powerless sacrifice, and now overnight I had become a slave.

“Hmm, your face is somewhat pretty.”

The Imperial Princess’s slender, soft index finger slightly lifted my chin. Then she turned my face this way and that, like someone examining vegetables at a market.

“A commoner with such a pretty female slave. So, did you sleep with him?”

My face burned hot at her blunt words. The Imperial Princess’s gaze instantly turned sharp. So sharp that I wondered if I had committed some terrible offense against her.

Perhaps, stealing someone else’s fiancé.

“Haha, right. A commoner orphan knight suits a slave better than an Imperial Princess. Don’t you agree?”

The Imperial Princess turned toward Lucifer.

“What brings you here without notice?”

“Why, are you angry at me because you got caught officially receiving permission from Father to keep a mistress?”

“I’ve never been angry.”

“Before marriage, you dare to keep a mistress by your side and look up at my position?”

“That’s also untrue. How could His Imperial Majesty give his precious daughter to someone like me with unknown origins?”

I felt somewhat sorry for Lucifer.

So he was an orphan from Solanie like me… Though I still couldn’t understand how there was another gray-eyed friend besides Carden.

Lately, I had been trying to convince myself that I might have lost my memories due to the abuse I suffered for ten years.

“How fortunate. At least you know your place.”

“Yes, so don’t worry. Even if His Majesty brings up the matter, I will reject it myself.”

At those words, the Imperial Princess’s face crumpled. Her angry face turned toward me. The clear, beautiful blue eyes had transformed into those of a somewhat fierce cat. And this cat raised its claws not toward Lucifer, but toward me.

“But… this slave is quite impudent.”

Suddenly confronted with those sharp claws pointed at me, I blinked in confusion, unable to say anything.

“You might have been a tribute maiden two months ago, but you’re not one now. Even as a tribute maiden, you should have shown proper respect to me, an Imperial Princess. How dare a mere slave stare at an Imperial Princess without even greeting?”

In the blink of an eye, a burning sensation struck my cheek. The slap was so powerful I wondered how such strength came from the delicate princess’s body. It hurt so much that tears welled up in my eyes.

But since the Imperial Princess was right, I immediately knelt down.

“I apologize. I’m still not accustomed to my position and made a mistake. Please forgive me.”

As I bowed my head to the floor, I heard a scornful sound from above.

“Teach your slave proper manners.”

The high-heeled shoes clicked away nervously, moving away from me. Soon, with a “bang,” the door closed.

Not knowing whether I could raise my head or not, I just remained kneeling in place.

“Get up.”

At Lucifer’s irritated voice, I raised my head. His face had grown darker and colder than when the Imperial Princess had appeared. He looked like he was suppressing his anger, which made me slightly afraid.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you getting up?”

“I’m sorry.”

As I hurriedly tried to stand, my legs were numb, and I stumbled. With my hands bound by shackles, I couldn’t balance myself and fell back to the floor.

Then I heard a clicking tongue.

“I’m sorry. The Imperial Princess became angrier because of me…”

My words seemed to provoke Lucifer’s anger further. His brows drew even closer together.

“Right. The Princess’s anger at the end was entirely your fault.”

I knelt again while sitting on the floor. Lucifer’s brow twitched again.

“I shouldn’t have let Terseon treat you comfortably. That’s why you’ve forgotten your place as a slave and acted so thoughtlessly.”

“It’s my fault. Please don’t blame Terseon.”

Suddenly Lucifer strode toward me. Then he forcibly pulled me to my feet.

His clouded gray eyes came right up close to me. I stared at his eyes, somewhat entranced by their proximity after so long.

Eyes resembling Carden’s, no matter how many times I saw them. They looked somewhat languid.

“Who is your master?”

“Lord Croisen.”

“You know well. Then who takes responsibility for your mistakes?”

“…If there’s a problem between you and the Imperial Princess because of me, please punish me.”

My downcast eyes suddenly opened wide. The ashen gray eyes that always hid his emotions flickered momentarily while looking at me.

A somewhat long sigh escaped his lips.

“You completely misunderstood me.”

“What…?”

“I’m saying you don’t need to apologize or kneel to anyone except your master.”

“But before royalty…”

“Apologizing for your mistakes to the Imperial Princess is also my responsibility.”

For a moment, I couldn’t understand his meaning. Still, I tried my best to grasp what he was saying before answering.

“From now on, I’ll act more perceptively to avoid having to ask forgiveness from others. So I won’t cause trouble for you, Lord Croisen.”

Was this the right answer? My shoulders hunched with uncertainty. It was because Lucifer was glaring at me like I was pathetic.

At times like this, I keenly felt that Lucifer wasn’t Carden. Carden’s eyes were the same colorless gray, but they were never this cold or frightening.

“I won’t disgrace my master’s face again. I’m sorry.”

Lucifer’s face frowned slightly. He simply turned away. The way he clenched and unclenched his trembling fist suggested he was trying to suppress his anger.

“Don’t take anyone’s side but your master’s in front of me.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll do as you say.”

My heart grew heavy at his gruff voice.

Despite harboring resentment and grudges against me, he hadn’t tormented me much. Though he could have treated me roughly and harshly, he barely touched me, which I was grateful for.

Above all, though his methods were rough, he had helped me come to my senses… What if his marriage talks with the Imperial Princess fell apart because of me?

I couldn’t even repay his kindness…

“We’ll reach the Imperial Palace tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

“As soon as we arrive, you’ll go to the purification room separately to pray to the deity and undergo the purification ritual.”

“I know.”

“If you truly want to escape from the Dark Clan, stay here quietly without causing trouble.”

The shadow incident wasn’t my fault…

I felt somewhat wronged, but I thought I should obediently answer him. Otherwise, he might get angry again.

“Yes…”

* * *

That night, I prepared the bed for Lucifer to sleep comfortably. This was supposed to be the castle maid’s job, but since Lucifer had forbidden anyone from entering this room, I had to do it.

Thanks to Lucifer attending the lord’s banquet, I had time to myself for the first time in a while.

These past few days, I had been confined near Lucifer because of the knights enchanted by shadows, so being alone felt somewhat empty.

“This should do.”

After finishing tidying the room, I went to the sofa in one corner of the bedroom. This was where I slept. On the table in front of the sofa was the dinner Lucifer had prepared in advance.

Well-cooked meat and soft bread. It was somewhat luxurious for a slave’s dinner.

“Ouch…”

But I couldn’t chew the meat. The inside of my cheek, where the Imperial Princess had slapped me, had burst, making it difficult to open my mouth.

I had no choice but to tear small pieces of soft bread and push them into my mouth, almost letting them dissolve. I placed my hand on my cheek, which still stung and burned. My cheek was still swollen and felt hot from how hard I’d been hit.

“They’ll end up engaged, won’t they?”

Although the Imperial Princess seemed disgusted… I heard the Emperor had his eye on Lucifer as a son-in-law.

From what I saw earlier, they seemed close. Now that Lucifer had achieved merit, he would receive a title too.

“Then will the Imperial Princess become my master too…?”

My heart throbbed sharply. Though I had no choice in the matter…

“I don’t want that.”

My honest feelings escaped my lips.

The Imperial Princess’s first impression must have been quite bad. The painful slap had left quite a mark too.

I took out the ointment Aunt Ann had given me and gently applied it to my painful cheek. The ointment was remarkably effective. It had even helped heal my damaged fingernails significantly.

“Ugh, it’s getting hotter.”

The downside was that it temporarily made my skin burn more.

Wondering if cool air might help, I went to the window. Since the lord had given Lucifer a room with a good view, I could see the castle grounds. The brightly lit banquet hall was particularly visible.

It was too far to see faces. But I could imagine Lucifer’s expression from the way the lord’s bottom fidgeted nervously beside him.

He would probably have his eyes stiffly stretched left and right with that expressionless face again.

I was relieved that he didn’t just show that scary face to me—he had the same face for everyone. My Carden would have always smiled kindly.

Shaking my head at the meaningless imagination, I opened the window slightly.

“Huh? That’s…”

I paused when I saw a group of women entering the banquet hall. They scurried to the knights’ sides at the lord’s call.

My brow furrowed at the sight.

The lord making grand gestures to appeal to Lucifer. It was obvious. He was trying to flatter Lucifer, who had returned after achieving great merit.

Lucifer didn’t stop the lord’s behavior but sat silently.

“How disappointing…”

That tingling sensation circled around my heart again.

The Imperial Princess had just left after discussing marriage, and he was behaving like this. I thought he was a good person, but I was wrong. He looked just like those enchanted by shadows.

After watching for a while, I slammed the window shut. The longer I looked, the more my heart kept tingling, and I didn’t want to see anymore.

Was disappointment supposed to feel like this?

“Fine. It’s none of my business.”

As I turned to go back to the sofa, my eyes caught his sword, which he never removed from his body. Strangely, today even the sword seemed hateful to me.

While glaring at it, I noticed something dangling from the handle. Something he protected from blood splatters during fights. I suddenly became curious about it, which I hadn’t cared about before. This was my chance to be alone.

Carefully approaching, I confirmed what was dangling.

“A ring? Did he make it himself? It’s crude.”

But a stone ring that had been caressed so preciously that its surface had become smooth…

Why did even this resemble him? Carden also often carved wood to make rings.

Smiling unconsciously, I touched the ring. I examined the ring that hadn’t been stained with even a drop of blood during all those battles. But then my body froze when I discovered the engraved letters.

“L & C?”