Tamed A Blackened Slave Man -
Chapter 49: You Dare Laugh At Me?
A bottle containing red fluid and a collection of a monocle’s shattered pieces that could be barely recognized.
Damian, who had been quietly staring at the objects placed on the table, pulled out the longsword that he had hidden under the sofa.
Light reflected off its sharp metallic surface.
And Damian, who looked just as sharp as the blade he was holding, set that blade against Cassadin’s throat and spoke,
“…You dare try to threaten me?”
“I do believe that I said this was a deal, not a threat.”
Even with a blade up against his throat, Cassadin looked calm.
His voice was low and quiet, with no changes in pitch.
But that only made Damian angrier. At some point, deep creases had formed in between his dark eyebrows.
“I knew you weren’t just a normal slave from the beginning.”
“…”
“Just what makes you so confident? Considering that it was out of pure luck that you were accepted into that Earl’s family. Don’t tell me that you think your luck will last forever, do you?”
Cassadin laughed silently at Damian’s remark. With his black hood wrapped over his head, Cassadin’s laugh was clearly a mockery of him.
Seeing that, something within Damian went thump, and dropped inside of him. It was the sound of Damian’s patience being torn to pieces.
“You, a mere damned slave, laugh at me?”
His patience was no longer present. Damian was unable to withstand his attitude any longer and swung the sword in his hand.
He was sure that what he swung at was a human, but he felt the blade only slice through the air.
When Damian looked around a bit too late to see what had happened, Cassadin was already a long distance away from his seat on the sofa.
The movement had been so abrupt and fast that the black robe that was covering his face flung back to reveal Cassadin’s complete face.
His purple eyes, which could be seen under the silver locks of his hair, held no emotion. They only held an endless pit of darkness.
Did the man just move all the way there in that split second? But there couldn’t be any way he wouldn’t have seen it had Cassadin moved.
There was surely some trick to this. Believing that to have been what happened, Damian switched his gaze between the sword in his hand and Cassadin as he muttered darkly,
“I see you use tricks like the dirty bastard you are.”
Answering him, Cassadin said calmly,
“Think whatever you wish to believe.”
Not only did he sound confident, but he almost seemed bored. Hearing that tone, his flaming anger died into a still silence.
‘…Right. This man was able to infiltrate the palace at will, and even poison the Crown Prince in that way.’
He believed that no one was a match for him in this world. But the man in front of him was the opponent that he had been seeking for so long.
If he could manipulate this man somehow and make him his own, then couldn’t he become a pawn that he could use for his wants?
If only that could happen, then there would be no one in the world who could dare oppose him, and the crown he had wanted so much would easily become his.
Completing his calculations in that fraction of a moment, Damian put the sword in his hand on the floor.
The sharp clattering of the metal carelessly against the ground filled the room.
Sitting back down on the sofa, Damian rested his arm on one of the armrests and spoke,
“…So, let me hear that marvelous deal of yours.”
In response to Damian’s request, Cassadin moved his long, slender legs back to the sofa facing him and sat down.
“I will keep quiet about all of the secrets Your Grace has been hiding.”
How boldly the man acted for a slave. His declaration made Damian laugh. Just as he thought, this man was too valuable to kill right now.
“I will also return Your Grace’s butler back to their master’s side.”
Sending a sharp gaze at Cassadin, Damian pressed him to continue.
“And so, what is it that you want?”
“It’s not much that I’m asking for, really.”
“…Not much you say?”
“Yes. I wish for Your Grace to have a duel with me.”
This man just really came all this way, threatening him, only to ask him for a duel? What sort of joke was this?
Seeing Damian’s brows furrow, Cassadin added on,
“The Founding Day Festival is coming soon.”
“…And?”
“On the day of the Founding Festival, may you hold a sword-fighting duel with me?”
The Founding Day Festival was an event that opened every year on the 20th day of the 10th month, the anniversary of the founding of the empire.
Unlike the Swordsmanship Competition, the Founding Day Festival held an event where all forms of weapons were permitted for the fights, and the Emperor himself came to watch.
It was also an event that anyone, regardless of status or race, could participate in. However, because all weapons were allowed, countless people lost their lives during the event.
But violent events like these always attract a crowd. So, the event was held every year under the watchful eye of the Emperor.
Because of the fierce competition, the rewards for the winner were also generous. There was news that the winner of last year’s event, who was a commoner, received a large sum of money and the rank of a knight.
Of course, Damian hadn’t participated in the event a single time because he did not want to mingle with the lowly things that also participated in it. He believed it was more than enough for him to remain victorious in the annual Swordsmanship Competition.
“What are you saying? Are you referring to the competition that is held on the Founding Day?”
“Yes.”
To Damian, there couldn’t be anyone stranger in the world than Cassadin. He scanned the man with a suspicious gaze. Then Cassadin opened his mouth,
“You do not have to go easy on me.”
“…”
“No. Please try your hardest when fighting me.”
Don’t go easy on him? The contents of Cassadin’s deal only became stranger. What did he have to gain if Damian ended up killing him? He would just lose his life and everything else with it.
Of course, Damian had no intention of killing Cassadin until he claimed the throne by using the man.
“…Does it not matter if you lose?”
Cassadin smiled thinly as he nodded to Damian’s question.
“Yes. It doesn’t matter if I lose. On the day of the competition, Your Grace will be dueling me. And that will be more than enough.”
When we arrived in the northern region where Damian resided, the rain had stopped completely.
The sun that had been hidden behind the ashen clouds was now setting over the ridges of the mountains in the distance.
Though we notified them of our visit, the large gates to enter the duchy didn’t open for a long while. It was only after thirty minutes that the gates finally opened.
Soon after, Damian revealed himself with an arrogant expression. There was resentment directed at me inside his sharp green eyes.
It must have been quite humiliating for his heart condition, which he wanted to hide so much, to be revealed to the public. Not only that, but I had also exposed his secret intent to overthrow the current Emperor.
I was rather surprised he did open the doors.
“What brings you all the way here?”
Damian’s eyes narrowed after meeting eyes with me, and he was unable to hide his shock when he saw Tuule standing behind me.
Pretending not to know anything, I patted Tuule’s back and said calmly.
“Tuule, say hello. Do you remember him? This is the person that sent you to me, Grand Duke Damian.”
Tuule bowed his head and spoke to Damian,
“Good evening, Sir.”
“…!”
When Tuule opened his mouth and spoke, Damian didn’t just seem surprised—he seemed shocked as he switched his glance between me and Tuule. His expression looked so ridiculous that I struggled to hold back the burst of laughter that swelled up inside of me.
“…Why don’t we go in first? With that slave you have brought as well.”
But Damian mentioned that Sasha may not come with us. He must have judged that it wouldn’t be wise to have more listening ears than necessary.
Sasha didn’t know that I had healing abilities. She was pacing around, glancing at me with a worried expression. So assuring her that I would be alright, I told Sasha to return to the carriage,
“Miss, if anything happens in there, scream as loud as you can. Alright?”
Sasha was kind. And to reassure her, I smiled brightly.
“Don’t worry, Sasha. I’ll be back soon.”
She nodded her head at my answer. I hugged the teary-eyed girl one last time, then turned to walk into Damian’s duchy.
Damian was personally leading us to the living room when he suddenly stopped and said to me,
“You must be quite close.”
“Pardon?”
“Seeing how your maid is that concerned.”
When I was young, I took in a child who was left out on the streets after they lost their parents. That was Sasha.
I recalled young Sasha’s thin figure as she clenched her growling stomach. I had given her one of the best herbs that I had at the time.
To me, who only had Father to consider my family, Sasha was a loyal maid and a good friend.
“It’s natural to have close relations if I consider them my people, is it not?”
“Ah, so was that why you were so close with your younger brother?”
Damian prodded at my nerves as if trying to read my thoughts. He curled up the corner of his mouth, smiling meaningfully. Instead of slapping his arrogant face, I replied with the following instead,
“Your Grace, is that heart disease all better now? I was so worried when I saw you collapse like that in front of me.”
“…”
When I switched the topic to his heart condition, Damian shut his blabbering mouth. Instead, he responded in a cold voice,
“I ask you not to pretend to be concerned after all that’s happened.”
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