I had to face the Imperial Princess before even making it halfway down the stairs. Sure enough, she stood at the bottom with her arms crossed, glaring at me.

I need to hurry down and greet the Imperial Princess.

Despite my urgency, my legs refused to move quickly. Yet I couldn’t possibly greet a member of the royal family while looking down at her from the stairs.

I gritted my teeth.

“Who is your master?”

Lucifer’s voice echoed in my mind. If I made another mistake with the Imperial Princess, he would never forgive me.

In my haste to descend the stairs with trembling legs, I misstepped several times. My ankle twisted, sending a flash of pain through me, but I had no time to stop.

The Imperial Princess’s face showed her patience wearing thin. She would be truly beautiful if only she didn’t wear such a hostile expression.

“I… I pay my respects to Your Imperial Highness.”

Finally reaching the bottom, I prostrated myself on the floor. Unable to lift my head, I breathed heavily while sweat beaded on my forehead.

Instead of a response, I heard only the tapping of elaborate shoes on marble.

“Hey, steward.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Steward? Who was that? A man wearing highly polished shoes positioned himself close beside the princess.

“Must I stand here waiting so long just to receive a greeting from a slave?”

The princess predictably found fault with me. Though she had seen my struggle coming down, she had no intention of showing any consideration.

Of course. When in her life had the Imperial Princess ever waited for anyone besides the Emperor?

“I deeply apologize, Your Imperial Highness. I will punish her later. I’ve already prepared the whip.”

My shoulders flinched at the mention of a whip. The princess, however, seemed pleased and made a small snorting sound.

“Good. Tell the Duke too. How many times must I say that slaves need proper training?”

“The slave has been nearly unconscious since returning from the Imperial Palace, so we haven’t been able to train her properly. Moreover, since the Duke has forgotten about the slave’s existence, I forgot about her too. It’s entirely my fault.”

“Is everything in the Duke’s household this disorganized and chaotic? Am I expected to become the mistress of this house and fix everything? How dreadful. This marriage should definitely be called off.”

I could only tremble at their conversation, especially after hearing about the whip.

Being a slave who hadn’t been beaten until now was mere luck. Lucifer had truly been a kind master.

But if this princess became the mistress of the Duke’s household, abuse might become my daily reality. As my fear grew, so did the sweat beading on my forehead.

Drip, drip. The overflowing sweat finally caused trouble.

“What! You! Did you just drip sweat on my shoes? Do you know how much these cost?”

When the princess erupted in anger, the steward beside her quickly called for a maid. Kelly rushed to my side and wiped away the sweat that had fallen on the princess’s shoes with a clean cloth.

But that wouldn’t be enough to appease the princess.

“These black pearls are such rare treasures! You were once a tribute maiden, so you must know how vulnerable pearls are to sweat!”

“Ugh!”

The heel of her shoe, as angry as its owner, stomped on the back of my hand. Still not satisfied, she ground her heel into my hand while breathing heavily.

“I’m… I’m sorry. Please… forgive me.”

It was difficult to force out words through the pain. But the princess showed no intention of lifting her foot until my hand broke. The steward beside her made no move to stop her either.

“Hey, Mr. Steward, a moment please.”

Just then, Grandmother Fabella’s voice came from beyond the door. At her call, the steward stepped away briefly. When he returned, he addressed the princess respectfully.

“Your Imperial Highness, the premium black tea and vanilla tart that the Duke instructed us to prepare for you are ready in the garden.”

“How did he know my preferences?”

The princess’s voice softened slightly, but she didn’t release the pressure on my hand.

I couldn’t even cry out, just trembling while enduring the pain.

“It shows how much His Grace thinks about you.”

“Would such a person keep a concubine hidden here in the annex?”

“I… I’m not a con… concubine. I was… huff… just going to… clean the stables.”

I weakly protested through the pain, my jaw trembling. But hearing my voice only made her press her heel down harder.

“Steward. Why is she alone in this annex if she’s not a concubine?”

“I believe His Grace is following His Majesty the Emperor’s instructions.”

“Father?”

“Yes. Apparently this woman, influenced by the dark clan, instinctively seduces men with her body, corrupts them, and makes them her own. In the Belial Duchy, she reportedly survived as a tribute maiden by offering her body to the dark clan and begging for her life.”

This was beyond absurd. What possible basis could the Emperor have for saying such things?

And Lucifer believed it? That was somewhat shocking. But I recall him saying something similar shortly after we met. So that’s why he always looked at me with such disgust.

“How disgusting. Why keep something like this in the Duke’s household?”

The princess’s heel pressed down again. This time I thought I heard a slight cracking sound.

“That’s why she’s isolated from the knights. Though she’s been purified, we don’t know when those tendencies might resurface.”

I felt utterly miserable, unable to protest such lies. I wasn’t that kind of person…

But my mouth wouldn’t open, paralyzed by the hopeless feeling that no one would believe me anyway.

“Then she should be killed. What if she bewitches the Duke?”

“He is the Knight of Light, isn’t he? Don’t worry. Besides, she needs to be kept alive for a while longer to influence public opinion when fully incorporating the duchy into the empire.”

“Really, politics seems to make only foolish choices. I don’t like this, neither the Duke nor Father.”

Fortunately, the princess seemed to accept this explanation and removed her foot.

“I will finish educating this slave and punish her, so please enjoy the spring sunshine in the garden for a moment.”

“Fine, I’ll be back.”

The clicking sound of the princess’s shoes faded away. I pulled my right hand, now turning blue with bruises, to my chest. The pain from my swollen hand wouldn’t stop my trembling.

The trembling was also caused by the unfamiliar man before me.

“What will happen if you cause Her Imperial Highness to completely reject marriage with the Duke?”

Looking up, I saw the man holding a thin handle with a long leather strap attached.

“I… I…”

“Because of your inability to properly greet someone, you’ve brought shame to the Duke’s household.”

The man’s blue eyes and blonde hair, looking ready to whip me at any moment, were enough to remind me of Kires. When those terrible memories overlapped, my trembling intensified.

“How should you take responsibility?”

The steward’s formal speech somehow made my skin crawl.

I tightly shut my eyes the moment I saw the leather strap rise high in his hand.

* * *

Lucifer passed through the main gate of the mansion on horseback. Beside him, Terseon rode with a pigeon perched on his shoulder.

“Your Grace.”

Though Terseon called urgently, Lucifer’s gaze remained fixed on one spot. Seeing Lucifer maintain his speed even after entering the garden, Terseon felt a moment of regret.

Would this cause unnecessary conflict? But no matter how he thought about it, Lucifer was the only answer.

Terseon was then gripped by a strange feeling. So this was why he was so excited? While pleased, he also felt bitter.

The powerless, pitiful princess of a fallen nation. Could she protect herself while dealing with Lucifer and the Imperial Princess? It seemed her heart would only be further damaged…

“Whoa!”

As they approached the garden near the annex, Lucifer’s horse suddenly stopped.

What halted him was someone Terseon disliked.

“My, you’re back already?”

How could she speak so disrespectfully to an Imperial Duke, princess or not?

Even while dismounting with Lucifer, Terseon couldn’t hide his disgruntled expression. Nevertheless, he concealed his true feelings and greeted the princess alongside his master.

“It’s been a while.”

“Terseon Lynen, Commander of the Croisen Knights, pays his respects to Your Imperial Highness.”

Predictably, the princess didn’t even glance at Terseon. With a haughty face, she approached Lucifer.

“I heard you were summoned by Father. What happened?”

“It didn’t seem urgent, so I asked for his understanding and returned.”

“Oh? Father allowed that?”

“He granted permission when I said it would be disrespectful to Your Highness. I had already conveyed my intentions regarding the Belial situation.”

The Emperor’s motives for sending Lucifer back were transparent, including why he had summoned him in the first place.

Whether sincere or not, she didn’t mind seeing the man who had returned from the palace using her as an excuse. After all, he was the youngest Duke and the Emperor’s closest confidant.

“Well, that’s good. I thought I’d have to drink tea alone, which would have been annoying, but now we can enjoy it together.”

Lucifer briefly frowned when he didn’t see the steward he had assigned to the princess.

“Well, I’ll eat with you since you had the sense to prepare my favorite dessert. But the tea set isn’t as old-fashioned as this mansion, is it?”

Terseon, who was about to head to the stables after tending to Lucifer’s horse, frowned deeply.

Such arrogance and rudeness seemed impossible from someone sharing blood with the Emperor, who possessed holy power and was known for his benevolence. To think this woman, who conspired with the steward to torment poor Leitria, would be the future Duchess.

Terseon resolved to resign if the princess became the Duchess. He would save money diligently until then and retire to the countryside with his grandmother.

“Terseon, take Snow to the stable and tell the slave cleaning there to wash him thoroughly.”

“Ah, yes, I will.”

The princess opened her eyes wide at their exchange. She seemed somewhat less sharp now.

“Oh my, were you really going to make the slave clean the stables?”

“Isn’t that what slaves are for?”

“Ah, I see. But what a shame. That slave probably can’t handle such rough work anymore.”

Terseon interrupted at the princess’s words.

“Has something happened to the princess?”

The princess’s face filled with displeasure.

Who is this insignificant person to interrupt? Her face conveyed her thoughts clearly.

“Well, you see…”

Just as Terseon hesitated in confusion, a loud noise came from not far away.

Whoosh, the sound of something cutting through the air. It came from the open door of the annex.

As Lucifer turned his gaze toward the sound, the princess, forgetting her anger, flinched and trembled.