Prologue

Today was another boring match.

The opponent, dressed in splendid knight attire, dropped his sword the moment it clashed with Braden’s. In response, Braden also threw away his sword and swung his fist, but the opponent was knocked out after just two punches. His skill was a waste of that knight attire.

“Yes, it’s the Emperor of Consecutive Wins, Braden! As expected, another victory today.”

At the announcer’s words, the Colosseum was filled with cheers, and flowers thrown from all sides rained down like a shower. Braden nodded his head perfunctorily to greet the audience.

“Braden, the lover of all, greets the ladies.”

At the announcer’s words, the female audience screamed in unison. Braden felt a surge of annoyance.

‘Lover of all, my as$.’

They say all sorts of things just to sell tickets.

“Kyaa! Braden, I love you!”

“Braden, please look over here!”

Every time Braden passed by, the women screamed. It was enough to make his ears hurt.

After returning to his quarters inside the Colosseum and washing up, Shutal came in carrying a huge pile of letters.

“Fan letters.”

“Some dignity you’ve got as a Duke—reduced to carrying fan mail for a slave.”

Braden curled his lips cynically without even glancing at the letters. Not the kind of attitude a slave should have toward his master, the Duke.

“Says the one who calls himself a slave. How about freeing me from this job, huh? Or maybe tone down that charm of yours.”

Shutal looked at Braden, who was one year younger than himself at 27, with a dissatisfied expression.

Even with just that sardonic smile, he was fatally alluring—irresistible even to another man’s eyes.

No wonder women go crazy for him.

‘Lucky bastard!’

His smile was probably a weapon scarier than any sword.

If he ever smiled sweetly instead of always crookedly, there would be plenty of women collapsing from heart attacks.

His platinum hair seemed to glow with a halo, and his teal eyes, reminiscent of a mystical forest lake, were dizzyingly captivating at a glance.

His sharply defined, statue-like face was beautifully handsome, and his tall, perfectly proportioned body was like a sleek, beautiful beast.

But one must not be fooled by his looks. Though his frame was rather slender, his body was packed with solid muscle, making him stronger than any gladiator.

No, stronger still—he sliced through giant beasts many times his size as if they were cheese. Comparing him to an ordinary human was absurd.

Just standing still, he exuded an overwhelming aura, and that wild energy seemed to be perceived as sexy masculinity by women, making his popularity sky high.

Thanks to that, the seats were always full on the days of his matches. He was a cash cow for entrance fees.

“Throw them away.”

“I’m exhausted lately. Women begging me to let them become your patrons are driving me insane.”

Shutal’s voice was full of exhaustion.

“Not my problem.”

“Why not just pick one of them—beautiful, from a fine family—and make her your patron? Then you wouldn’t have to deal with requests anymore.”

“Are you crazy?”

Braden’s thick eyebrows arched sharply.

“You’re the crazy one, Braden. If you hate women so much, then stop being so damn good-looking. How do you keep getting better-looking every day? What are you, a blooming flower?”

Shutal snapped irritably.

Even when he came back filthy from hunting beasts, Braden’s beauty was unmatched. Now that he lived somewhere he could bathe daily, the man became devastatingly handsome with nothing more than a washed face.

“Bring me a woman who can make my d*ck hard. Then I’ll think about it.”

Braden pointed at his groin.

“Argh! Please, Braden, stop using such vulgar language. This isn’t a monster hunting ground.”

Shutal shuddered.

“After rolling around there for ten years, I’ve forgotten all the elegant words.”

“Your words are full of contradictions. So is your d*ck. How would you even know if it works unless you meet a woman?”

“Save your whining for your wife. Get lost.”

At that, Shutal trembled with irritation.

“Hey! I’m a Duke of the Sovaro Empire, you know. I’m not someone to be treated so carelessly.”

At that moment, something whizzed past Shutal and stuck in the wall. Realizing it was a fork, Shutal froze stiff.

“Get lost!”

“Fine.”

Shutal immediately backed down.

“Take those scraps of paper with you, too.”

“Alright, rest well.”

Grumbling under his breath—’What a temper’—Shutal hugged the letters to his chest for dear life and bolted, choosing survival over dignity.