‘You’re saying you’re my master?’

Raoul looked down at the girl with cold eyes.

White face, small hands, thin wrists. There was nothing about her that looked strong or agile.

Before he lost consciousness, it was this girl who had stood in front of him to protect him.

‘She was a completely different person from that day.’

The child who had claimed ownership of a slave in front of the duke was not the innocent and cute girl he had met in the forest.

‘As expected, you were just another noble after all.’

How could even such a young girl think of treating life like an object?

Raoul thought humans were truly a despicable species.

The temperature of the hand holding his was so warm, yet in the end it was all just hypocrisy. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Even at the dinner table, while clearly stating her own name and status, she didn’t ask anything about Raoul.

‘I guess she plans to name me herself?’

What did the past of a pet slave matter anyway? All that mattered was fattening him up nicely and making him obedient.

Diana stumbled over her words, unable to even make proper eye contact as she made excuses.

She kept apologizing after every sentence, but Raoul didn’t feel much sympathy.

The fight with the dwarf and the sparring match had nothing to do with Diana.

To think that she blamed herself even for things that happened to others.

She was no different from other princesses who believed the world revolved around them.

Still, he was curious.

Unlike most nobles, Diana was overly desperate towards a slave.

Normally she should be barking orders, telling him to do as she says because he’s her slave. But instead she tried to persuade him with conditions that held no benefit for herself.

Why?

Wondering about her lack of forcefulness, he asked:

“Why are you going to such lengths?”

“Actually, it’s because I fell for you at first sight…”

“…What?”

Raoul frowned at her flippant words. Every human he met was the worst, but this was truly too much.

For lycans, love held a sacred meaning.

Because they only serve one lover for life, they were always careful in choosing a mate.

But to say she fell for a man she’d only seen a few times? Her thinking was terribly shallow.

“But don’t worry. I have no intention of asking you to like me back.”

“…What do you gain from that?”

“…Is that what unrequited love is like…? Continuing to be good to someone even when there’s nothing to gain…”

Wanting nothing in return? That was nonsense. Would people who buy and sell lives think differently about hearts? It wasn’t even funny.

“…I don’t understand.”

Diana smiled sheepishly, and Raoul narrowed his eyes.

Let’s see how long this lasts. That was his only thought.

As expected, potions and weapons were piled up in front of the slave quarters.

‘Is it starting already?’

Seeing the full boxes, their future was clearly laid out before him.

Raoul would get sick of refusing, and Diana would persistently court him before finally showing her true colors.

He refused to accept anything she offered.

He was confident he could win with his bare hands, and more than anything, he didn’t want to give her even the slightest opening.

That Ellen guy was strong, but compared to the duke, he seemed like an opponent worth taking on.

He had intended to fight till the end, but it was clear the duke never had any intention of sending him to the imperial family.

He handed Raoul over as a gift to his precious daughter, and Diana was overjoyed.

Watching that scene left him feeling empty and his chest tight.

The outcome was already decided, and whether he won or lost, Raoul was fated to live as her slave by her side.

The nape of her neck walking ahead gleamed white. If he sank his teeth in there, blood would pour out.

Would hurting you ease my heart a little?

Resentment welled up inside him.

The two walked in silence, and they arrived at the end room on the second floor.

She excitedly introduced the room, but soon became gloomy and apologized for not being able to stop the lessons.

That damned apology, over and over.

While inside she only thought of subduing him, why did she put on such a hypocritical act? Did she think he would like her if she did that?

He wanted to snap at her, but kept his mouth shut.

Humans usually get more excited when you react. He had no intention of giving her anything she wanted.

She told him to let the maids know if there was anything uncomfortable, but Raoul didn’t believe that either.

Lies. She would pretend not to care with words, but at the slightest opening she’d come running.

As Diana was about to leave the room, she turned back with a shy smile.

“Oh, right. We’re on the same second floor, but the hallway curves so we probably won’t run into each other much.”

Why go to such trouble when there’s no way he’d ever genuinely like her no matter what?

It would be much simpler to just order him to flatter her.

“…You’re really strange.”

The face of the girl smiling awkwardly without replying lingered unpleasantly in his mind for a long time.

For several days after that, Diana was quiet.

What was she thinking? Even during sparring disguised as lessons in the training grounds, he remained vigilant, wondering if she was watching from somewhere.

A week passed like that, then two weeks, then a month.

The quiet Diana bothered him more than Ellan’s vicious lessons.

He suspected she might be plotting some evil scheme somewhere. But his worries seemed unfounded, as Diana was nowhere to be seen.

Didn’t she say she fell for him at first sight? Was she really planning to become like dust to him?

Maybe she had become interested in a new slave by now, or perhaps her feelings had cooled.

That thought should have made him feel relieved, but for some reason it left him feeling upset.

‘Just how fickle is the human heart?’

“There’s an opponent in front of you, yet you’re thinking of other things. Your arrogance knows no bounds!”

As his gaze briefly wandered towards the corridor, Ellan struck him in the side.

To go this far against someone younger than himself – this was truly the exact image of humans as Raoul knew them, without any deviation.

It wasn’t even surprising. Right now, all of Raoul’s attention was focused on Diana, who pretended to be pure while putting on airs.

Perhaps because he had so many other thoughts, Raoul’s body was left with far more injuries than usual.

Too annoyed to deal with him anymore, Raoul collapsed. Thinking he had won, Ellan strode out of the training grounds with an arrogant gait.

What a ridiculous man. Shaking off his tired body and returning to his bedroom, Raoul’s entire body was covered in dark bruises and wounds.

Though lycans heal much faster than others, lately the accumulated fatigue had been severe.

Laying his trembling body down on the bed, his eyes closed immediately.

How nice it would be if this were all just a nightmare, and when he opened his eyes again he’d be back in the cabin on the snowy mountain.

Raoul fell into a much deeper sleep than usual.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Just how badly did they beat this child? Where did they think they were hitting!”

In his sleep, Raoul felt the coldness disappear. The fabric touching his body was soft, and the air on his right cheek was warm.

A gentle hand like cotton wool wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled the blanket up to his neck.

“Miss, I’m truly sorry. I have no words.”

“The other servants too. How could no one have known the child was in this state… Does that make any sense?”

“With Ellan making such a fuss, I think everyone was too scared and only came and went when he wasn’t around…”

“Ah, Ellan… Ellan…!”

Diana’s eyes burned as if she would tear Ellan to pieces right then and there.

Angela fidgeted with her fingers, not knowing what to do.

That bastard should die in a cesspool and it still wouldn’t be enough! How dare he lay hands on Raoul? As his former unrequited love, I can’t stand for this! Diana bared her white teeth like an angry Maltese.

Even the meekest person will stir when their favorite is touched.

Diana had been trying her best to live like dust for Raoul’s sake, but to think this would lead to neglect.

After patting Raoul’s chest a few times, Diana turned around and said coldly:

“I need to have a talk with the soldiers who worked with Ellan.”

Her voice and gaze were cold enough to freeze. It felt like her brain was turning to ice.

[This is the timeline separator]

Recently, Diana had been very busy.

To demand Ellan’s justified resignation, she needed to gather witnesses.

‘My baby getting beaten up makes my blood boil, but this is a society where human rights sensitivity is completely missing. The situation of a loyal subject being driven out because of a slave could even provoke backlash from the soldiers.’

Well then, why not prove that he’s not a loyal subject?

“Angela, no one came again today?”

“No… it seems not.”

Angela replied in a somewhat timid voice.

Lately, Angela had been excessively mindful of Diana’s mood. Though love was no sin, Angela was deflated by the fact that she had disappointed the young miss.

“Angela, do you truly love Ellan?”

“W-Why so suddenly?”

Diana was genuinely curious.

She had noticed from the time Angela thought of Diana, who everyone else avoided, as a great beauty, but Angela’s standards for external appearance were quite different from others.

“His personality isn’t great, but honestly he’s handsome…”

Ugh. Are you serious, Angela? Diana looked at Angela with eyes full of pity for a poor soul.

If it was just a matter of not meeting external standards she could let it slide, but Ellan had a twisted personality and was even a scoundrel who looked down on women.

“Angela, a person’s looks aren’t what’s important. You need to look at their personality.”

It wasn’t really for Diana, who was devoted to Raoul, to say, but Angela seemed to need to come to her senses even more than Diana did.

“That may be true.”

“There are plenty of men with good personalities around. For example, Vincent. Isn’t he so nice? Vincent is the type of man who would carry Angela over snowy mountains if you asked him to.”

“…Vincent… Hmm… He is a good person.”

Isn’t his face too handsome at that point…? As Diana examined her own face, deeply doubting Angela’s taste, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock knock.

“Miss, a guest has arrived.”

A guest?

“Who is it?”

“It’s Lord Vincent.”

Diana and Angela’s eyes widened together at the unexpected name. Vincent?

[This is the timeline separator]

“Is he sleeping soundly?”

“Yes. He’s practically unconscious.”

Diana, who had come to check on Raoul’s sleep, hummed a tune.

Vincent wasn’t just a man with a kind face, but a person with a wonderful heart as well.

Having worked under Ellan for several years, he spoke up on behalf of his frightened colleagues about the misdeeds of Ellan, who had until now been called a loyal subject.

He had been selling perfectly good swords as used goods and pocketing the weapons budget of the duke’s household.

Since this came from someone trusted enough to be appointed as a unit commander, her father would surely listen carefully.

Feeling relieved of one worry, Diana intended to check Raoul’s face one last time before leaving.

But, good heavens, what was this?

“What are you doing?”

Raoul, who she thought was asleep, suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed her wrist.

Startled as she sat down at the bedside, Diana stammered:

“Oh? Um, I was just going to change the wet cloth and leave. I’m sorry! I said I’d live like cosmic dust, I absolutely won’t come again from tomorrow…!”

What kind of expression was that? After staring intently at her face for a while, Raoul loosened his grip on her wrist slightly and moved his lips.

“You can come.”

Diana rolled her eyes with an incomprehensible expression.

Huh? Has something gone wrong with my ears just now? Am I hearing things?

When there was no response, Raoul lowered his gaze and said once more.

“I said you can come again…”

Somehow, Raoul’s ears seemed a bit red as he said those words. What kind of change of heart was this when she hadn’t done anything?

Diana opened her mouth in surprise.

“What…?”