The blue eyes of Damon, now called Theo, blinked.

Theo.

When he regained consciousness after blacking out, he found himself inside a prison cell, being taken to a sl*ve auction.

He remembered nothing—neither who he was nor where he had come from.

All he knew was that he had been shackled and dragged toward a nameless auction house, where he was simply called the blue-eyed sl*ve.

—Rustle.

The three branded lines etched into the back of Damon’s hand glowed red in the darkness.

They were the merciless mark of a sl*ve who already had an owner.

He had survived one brush with hell after another not because he had been lucky, but because others had judged him unworthy even of killing.

Every one of his attempts to escape had ended in failure. Each time, sl*ve hunters had captured Damon like prey and delivered him back to the sl*ve trader.

And now, the path opening before him was his final chance.

There was nowhere left to return to and nowhere left to retreat.

It seemed he would have to play the part of this noble young lady’s toy for the time being.

An inexplicable headache throbbed through Damon’s skull.

Until he recovered his memories, he would have to survive here.

Damon began unfastening the buttons of his shirt.

His firm chest was exposed, and Yvette recoiled in shock.

“What are you doing?”

Yvette’s shriek filled the room.

“S-stop! What do you think you’re doing?”

Her honey-blond hair fluttered up like a startled bird.

Her face turning as red as an apple, Yvette spun around. She covered both cheeks with her hands and trembled.

At the sight, Damon stopped blankly, his fingertips still hovering near the fastening of his trousers.

“…Isn’t this what you wanted?”

Damon’s voice was calm, but inwardly, he had already finished assessing the situation.

He had seen it countless times while held captive as a sl*ve.

The reason noblewomen purchased male sl*ves.

Most bought them as a diversion, then used them as bed partners afterward.

He had seen them sent away in lavish clothes, only to return after the night in a miserable state.

Dark bruises, vacant eyes, even their pride shattered.

‘I suppose I’ll end up the same way.’

But Yvette’s reaction was entirely unexpected.

For an instant, the imposing sight between Damon’s legs flashed into her vision like lightning.

Yvette’s face flushed crimson with heat.

“Put your clothes back on properly, right now! Who told you to do s-something like that?”

“Didn’t you bring me here for that purpose?”

“No! I don’t know what you mean by that, but taking off your clothes and exposing yourself without permission is not gentlemanly behavior. Get dressed at once!”

Yvette’s green eyes widened angrily.

With her back still turned, the tips of her ears and the nape of her neck burned hot.

It was her first time seeing a n*ked man.

And even the sight between his thighs.

Having lived a chaste and innocent life, Yvette hesitated over whether she should turn around again.

Only after she heard the sound of his trousers being fastened and his clothes being buttoned did she finally look back.

Gazing at Damon’s wounded body with pity, Yvette rang the bell.

“You need to eat something. After that, we can decide what you’ll do from now on.”

“What I’ll do…? You’re not planning to use me as a bed partner?”

“What are you talking about? It broke my heart to see that sl*ve trader whipping you, so I bought you to give you your freedom. I also reported the auction house to the guards. Until today, I had completely misunderstood what that sl*ve market was. I had no idea those sl*ves were being sold for such paltry sums or subjected to such humiliating treatment.”

Yvette rang the bell resting on the mahogany desk.

A servant knocked before entering, and Yvette folded her arms.

“Prepare some roasted bacon and warm soup. And bring sweet strawberry cake and milk as well.”

“Yes, Lady Yvette.”

Watching the servant bow politely before leaving, Damon tilted his head.

‘She’s going to give me my freedom?’

‘She doesn’t intend to make me her toy and use me as a bed partner?’

Even if she freed him, a man with no memories had no way to survive as a former sl*ve in this country.

Now that Damon knew this naive Grand Princess did not intend to use him as a sl*ve skilled in bed, he needed to hold on to this innocent patron until he recovered his memories.

Recalling the servant’s respectful greeting, Damon dropped to his knees.

Startled, Yvette rushed over and pulled him up by the arm.

“Don’t kneel. What are you doing? You’re someone who was abused by that sl*ve trader. You mustn’t kneel carelessly on a cold floor!”

“…Please do not send me away, Master.”

“Master…? What? You don’t want your freedom?”

Yvette lifted her shoulders, unable to understand.

‘Ah, that’s right. He said he had no memories.’

‘He must mean that he wants me to let him stay here and make a living.’

“Don’t worry. I’ll arrange for you to work somewhere respectable—”

“I want to stay by your side, Master.”

“What?”

“…If you permit it, please allow me to remain beside you and repay the kindness you have shown me.”

Those blue eyes, as though they had swallowed the sea, were beginning to shake Yvette’s entire life.

Whenever she looked into eyes that resembled the vivid blue ocean, she found it difficult to breathe.

Her cheeks reddening, Yvette pressed her teeth gently into her dry lower lip.

“Fine. But when it’s just the two of us, don’t speak so formally. Only when we’re alone. I’ll be your friend.”

* * *

“Let Theo join the guard. There are plenty of guards from commoner backgrounds, aren’t there? Edwin, assess him so that, if he has the ability, he can serve as my personal knight.”

It was Yvette’s order.

Edwin swept back his hair.

Despite Felix’s fierce objections, he had no choice but to grant Yvette’s request.

There was no legal problem.

In the Kingdoms of Vendels and Conwell, only nobles were permitted to join the royal guard. But the independent Grand Duchy of Conrad had a small population, so commoners could become guards as well.

Grand Duke Denerion made no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate birth when appointing people to office.

There were even more administrative officials drawn from the Commoners’ Assembly than there were members of the House of Nobles.

The guard led by Deputy Captain Felix also included no small number of common-born soldiers.

Edwin, Daniel’s chief aide, summoned Damon to his office and warned him in a chilling voice.

“You’ll begin with an interview to determine whether you’re qualified to join the guard. I’ll write you a letter of recommendation, but from that point on, your abilities will be put to the test. Most importantly, your life is in my hands, so don’t try anything reckless. Let me ask you one thing. Why did you insist on joining the guard? I understand the Grand Princess granted you your freedom. If you have nowhere suitable to work, I can arrange another respectable position for you—”

“Because I want to remain by the young lady’s side.”

The deep voice cut through Edwin’s explanation.

When those blue eyes flashed, Edwin unconsciously clenched his fist.

No matter how he looked at him, that proud, intimidating bearing did not belong to a sl*ve.

“Why? Why do you want to remain beside Lady Yvette?”

Every hair on Edwin’s body stood on end.

This inscrutable man was far too dangerous for Yvette, who was so innocent and pure.

Edwin and Felix soon regretted recommending Damon to the guard.

They had assumed that a former sl*ve with nothing but an impressive build would be unable to wield a sword, much less endure the hellish training.

They had been gravely mistaken.

He placed first in the interview and even passed the notoriously difficult written examination.

‘He clearly didn’t know the Vendels language before…’

The sheer pressure of Damon’s presence made Edwin’s head throb.

It took less than two weeks for Damon to pass every stage of training flawlessly and establish himself as the ace of the guard.

His goal was clear.

To become one of Yvette’s guards.

Being entrusted with the protection of a royal was something no one had managed so soon after joining.

Yet only two weeks after entering the guard, Damon defeated every renowned ace in the sparring tournament.

Unlike the soldiers slumped on the ground and panting in frustration, Damon merely had a fine sheen of sweat across his forehead.

He had not suffered so much as a scratch, nor had his breathing faltered even once.

A monster.

Standing at the entrance to the training grounds with his mouth hanging open, Felix erupted.

“How does that make any sense?!”

“It does. We only recommended him and gave him the opportunity to interview. Everything after that was his own ability.”

“It makes no sense. It’s impossible. What kind of sl*ve defeats every elite guard and takes first place? This has to be a fraud!”

Felix’s face burned red with agitation.

Beside him, Edwin pressed his fingers to his temple as his silver-gray hair fluttered in the wind.

His own expression was equally dark with wariness and unease.

A man possessed of far more brutal endurance than they had imagined.

What made him even more frightening was that he did not know his own identity.

And a man like that was now beside Yvette.

Edwin was uneasy, wondering how he might lure the innocent Yvette into his grasp.

It had been one thing for Yvette to be horrified by the cruelty of the sl*ve market and set the man free.

But that man wanted to remain by her side.

Why?

Edwin’s mouth went dry.

What would Damon want once he regained his memories?

Felix, watching Edwin conceal his dark thoughts, planted a hand on his hip as though he could not tolerate any of it.

“You bought that man on purpose so you could curry favor with Yvette, didn’t you?”

“How did you know? Now that he’s even succeeded in the sparring match, the next step is—”

“Not a chance.”

“Are you opposing him becoming a guard because he was once a sl*ve and comes from a lowly background, just like the other soldiers?”

Edwin had struck directly at the heart of the matter.

But Felix steadied his breathing as he watched Damon defeat the soldiers in a single blow with those clear, piercing eyes.

“No. I don’t like that there’s no life in his eyes.”

“……”

“Those eyes that reveal nothing of what he’s thinking.”

“…!”

“Why does he want to remain beside Yvette? Until I know the answer, he can never stay in our guard.”

Felix adjusted the white glove over his hand and bit down on his lower lip.

‘I will uncover your true identity.’

‘Theo.’