The ropes binding her body were untied, but instead, shackles were placed on her ankles and wrists as she was locked in the cargo hold.

There was no light at all here, it was too dark and cold.

Being at the bottom of the ship, the sound of the water parting was so clear that it felt like water would rush in at any moment, which was also frightening.

Did she take the entire situation too lightly and optimistically?

She thought she had grown up without being cared for by her family. However, having been born into a noble family and living as royalty, she had never experienced a situation like this before.

She was being treated like a piece of luggage. As if even a shred of light was a luxury for her, not even a small lamp was placed nearby.

Moreover, whenever footsteps thudded above the cargo hold, it felt like dust was falling from above.

At one point, she coughed while breathing.

She thought it would be better to just fall asleep so she wouldn’t have to care about all of this, but strangely, her mind was clear.

So she just leaned against a nearby chest and spent quite a long time.

It was a time when she had no idea how many hours had passed and roughly what time it was now.

Creak, the sound of a door opening cut through her ears. Soon, a small light illuminated the front.

As the bright light suddenly poured over her face, Layla, who had been lying down, opened her eyes narrowly and looked at the other person. The approaching silhouette was that of a familiar woman.

Recognizing her, Layla softly called out her name.

“Maeve…?”

Seeing that Layla was awake, she let out a sigh of relief and bowed her waist in front of Layla. Maeve’s friendly face became more distinct.

“Yes, it’s me. You’re awake. I was worried you might be asleep….”

Maeve still spoke to her respectfully. It was an attitude far too good for a slave loaded in the cargo hold.

Seeing her, Layla felt like crying again for no reason, but she pressed her lips tightly to hold it back. Instead of speaking, when she asked with her eyes why she had come here, Maeve grabbed Layla’s arm and pulled her up.

“Follow me.”

“Where… are we going?”

Layla asked as she got up unsteadily, but Maeve just glossed it over with a smile.

As they left the cargo hold, the chains connecting the shackles on Layla’s wrists and ankles made an unpleasant clanking sound.

Layla flinched and shrank every time she moved and that sound rang out. But she endured the misery and followed Maeve up.

Outside, the deep night was already reigning.

On the vast sea where the black water absorbed the darkness rippled, the sound of parting the waves rang out refreshingly, and a blade-like wind much colder than the sea breeze she had faced on land brushed past Layla’s face.

Maeve quickly took Layla, who was shivering from the cold, and opened the door to the deckhouse and entered. Layla soon realized in front of whom she was trying to bring her.

Knock knock. After two knocks, an answer came from inside.

“Come in.”

As expected, it was Adrian’s voice. As soon as she realized that fact, Layla’s heart pounded.

Why did she bring me here?

Did Adrian tell her to bring me?

‘Why…’

While pondering the question in her mind, the door opened, and Maeve ushered the hesitating Layla inside. Then she closed the door behind her.

As Layla blankly stared at the door that had closed in an instant, she felt a gaze fixed on her.

Eventually, Layla faced the owner of that gaze. As if to prove that he had been looking at her continuously, their eyes met immediately.

Adrian was sitting on a sofa in front of a table placed roughly in the middle of one side of the spacious cabin. In other words, it was a spot where he could clearly see the door.

He had taken off the suit he had worn during the day and was wearing only a white dress shirt. The buttons were slightly undone and a bit disheveled, but the reason he still looked stylish was probably due to his broad shoulders and firm body.

Feeling somehow suffocated by his eyes that seemed to tighten around her, Layla waited for him to speak first.

“Come closer.”

Was there anyone on this ship who could refuse the crown prince’s orders?

Knowing this fact better than anyone else, Layla carefully moved her steps. Still, the sound of the chains dragging on the floor was so embarrassing that her legs trembled as if she would collapse at any moment.

Eventually, Layla, who stopped walking under his gaze staring at her like that, bowed her head deeply.

“For what reason… did you call me?”

However, Adrian rebuked the question asked in a creeping voice.

“I guess you still don’t know that slaves shouldn’t ask questions first.”

Layla tightly grasped the hem of her clothes. Fortunately, what followed was not a reprimand.

“I’m probably the only one who will go easy on you.”

Did it mean he would continue to go easy on her in the future?

She thought she might be overanalyzing, but Adrian’s words pointed in that direction.

“If you want to survive in the imperial palace of Harken from now on, keep that in mind.”

“…Yes.”

Layla nodded slightly once. The atmosphere was much more lenient than she had thought before the door opened, but she still couldn’t let her guard down.

Why on earth did he let her into the room to say something? As she thought about it, she remembered that it was late at night.

Perhaps he didn’t call her just to talk.

However, the next moment, upon hearing what was said, Layla was slightly relieved.

“From now on, I will erase the Wessex surname from you, but I’m thinking of leaving the name Layla.”

Was he asking for her opinion?

In fact, now that she had become a slave, what did a name matter? Slaves usually don’t have names attached to them. Maybe a number tag, but.

Moreover, Adrian was someone who could control everything about Layla as he pleased. She was confused as to whether it was really kindness for him to confirm with her something he could just do as he liked.

An ominous thought occurred to her that it might be intended to mock her miserable situation.

However, since she couldn’t ask if that was really the case, Layla obediently nodded and answered.

“I would gladly accept it if you do that for me.”

Then a strange silence lingered.

Looking at the shrinking Layla, Adrian sighed deeply while making a dry smile for a moment. Then he suddenly changed the subject and blurted out.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“What do you mean…”

“I’m asking what the hell was the reason you took it upon yourself to be dragged to Fitzroy, even sending Mason away.”

At that, Layla just slightly raised her eyes and glanced at Adrian.

It was still hard to believe that he was the Duke of Millay who had been so kind to her, but upon hearing this question, she finally felt it.

In addition, the brief time she had spent with him passed through her mind like a panorama.

He encouraged her to run away from Reynold, then took Layla to his mansion and showed her a lot of kindness.

But among them, what stuck in her memory the most was, of course.

〈Do you like me, Your Highness?〉

The moment she asked him such a question. And the short moment of kissing that followed, which made her mistakenly believe.

〈From the moment I first saw you, I thought I wanted to protect you.〉

Even though she thought he was a liar, her heart was swayed then.

〈I will go to Princess Wessex and propose to her on the day I set foot on Wessex’s land.〉

But as expected, she had been tricked.

The moment Duke Millay returned to being Adrian Raines, she had become a fool.

But it was very nasty of him to ask why she didn’t wait, even though he showed up so late.

He had no obligation to help her, but Layla felt unreasonably resentful.

Taking a deep breath, Layla said.

“I thought you wouldn’t come. You didn’t show up even on the day I boarded the ship.”

“That’s…”

Adrian seemed to want to make some excuse, but Layla continued what she had to say firmly.

“I also thought it was the end. I was afraid that Duke Brian or Duke Millay would also be in danger. …So please don’t blame Duke Brian.”

“You’re saying in a roundabout and lengthy way that you couldn’t trust me.”

Layla neither affirmed nor denied and looked down at the floor again. Then Adrian frowned, got up from his seat, and strode over to Layla. He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

Coming close to face her, Adrian lifted her chin with one hand.

“So what were you going to do by going to Fitzroy?”

Layla just looked at him, wondering why this man was acting like this.

‘The reason for trying to go to Fitzroy?’

Wasn’t there only one?

He was probably sufficiently predicting the answer to the question. Because there was no one who knew Layla’s current situation better than him.

But as if he had to hear that obvious answer from her, Adrian fiercely pressed her.

“Answer me. Did you think you could endure life as a slave there?”