Black hair swayed in the breeze. But the golden eyes within remained steady.

A much taller stature than Sesenia. His beauty, unnoticed when trapped in the slave market, now seemed to shine brilliantly under the sunlight. He opened his mouth as if to finally ask a question.

“And… earlier too. Why didn’t you use the ring? When I tried to kill that merchant… You could have easily subdued me with it.”

“You’re not an animal. Even if you were, using such a ring wouldn’t be right.”

“……”

“I’d like to throw it away, but I can’t because you might run away. So don’t run away and stay here, okay? Rohan will come by occasionally to bring food. If you need anything or want something, tell him then. I’ll support you.”

He bowed his head deeply. Somehow resembling a rain-soaked puppy, Sesenia stroked his head.

“You’ll be good, won’t you? That’s how I’ll let you go, right?”

“Please tell me exactly. Please tell me honestly.”

That gaze was truly heartbreaking.

“What are you so curious about?”

“My lady… why did you buy me?”

“To beat cotton?”

With those words, he slowly raised his head.

“The real reason.”

‘How can I tell you the real reason? That you’re the emperor’s hidden child. Something only I know.’

A member of the imperial family unknown to all.

His appearance was quite novel, given how rare that bloodline was among the imperial family.

There was no one openly supporting him from behind, and he had no education, but he possessed a strength more formidable than any prince.

So he quickly became enough of a threat to the throne. He was an object of awe. Someone born with the power of the imperial family stronger than anyone.

‘That’s why I chose you.’

At least until then, until his imperial lineage was revealed, Sesenia wanted to give him a whole life instead of letting him experience the excessively sad future that an unsupported member of the imperial family would face.

‘I’m not sure if even this is right. In the end, the choice will be yours. It doesn’t matter if you don’t become emperor. Your existence alone will threaten them. But, you’ll end up choosing to become emperor.’

Sesenia’s expression subtly changed.

In reality, Sesenia didn’t know everything about him perfectly either. From when he came to the imperial palace, he didn’t know who he was or why he became a slave despite being a citizen of the empire.

Since he appeared as a prince a week before Sesenia experienced that incident, not much information about him was known.

There were just words that he was kidnapped from his mother because some people feared his birth, and words that his ill-natured mother had diverted the precious imperial bloodline.

Almost nothing was revealed about his mother either.

‘I don’t know if anything was revealed after I died.’

In the end, Sesenia had brought this person to raise him into an emperor candidate. There was no benevolent intent. She did rescue him quickly from the slave traders, but in reality, it wasn’t out of kindness or affection.

‘I’m not a kind or good person. It’s just for my own benefit.’

Therefore, Sesenia hardened her expression even more.

“Just think of it as hypocrisy from someone with too much money.”

“……”

“I intend to support whatever path you choose. That’s why I bought you.”

“……”

“Hmm… if even that doesn’t answer it, just think that I bought your future.”

Though his eyes were golden, their depths were as deep and intense as if containing the universe. A face that, with just a bit of grooming, could rival any prince or even the emperor in dignity.

“A name……”

“Hm?”

“I won’t run away. I’ll gratefully accept even that hypocrisy. Because you freed me. So… please give me a name.”

“Ah.”

He didn’t have a name? But surely there was something he had been called.

“Wasn’t there any name you were called by?”

“Emers.”

“Huh?”

“It means one who must travel a very long road. They say… my mother gave me that name before selling me.”

Emers. Not a name one would ever give a child. But through that name, Sesenia could be certain. That this person was that prince.

Members of the imperial family were very precious beings. So even if one became emperor, they wouldn’t kill their own siblings.

Therefore, even the children of the previous emperor, the siblings of the current emperor, could freely come and go from the imperial palace. This was a law established because of the past incident where the imperial family was massacred.

All members of the imperial family must be protected by the imperial household.

Unless committing the grave crime of rebellion, an imperial family member maintains their dignity.

Even the emperor cannot treat his siblings, those of imperial blood, carelessly.

That’s why Sesenia’s execution was carried out so easily just for trying to kill the child Elzere brought. Because imperial family members were precious and valuable.

‘That’s why all information about new princes was reported to the emperor and empress.’

Sesenia knew the general story about the new prince discovered a week before that incident. He had a name, Emers, but didn’t want to be called by it.

He had lived in slave caravans and barely escaped after meeting a sponsor. Though it wasn’t revealed who that sponsor was or what their intentions were, there was one thing Sesenia could know.

‘It’s definitely that person.’

She had some doubts because of the black hair. But this man she brought was indeed that prince who had been imprisoned by slave traders from a very young age.

“I always thought I was abandoned by God, but it feels like God has extended His final mercy to me. So I’ll beat the cotton well as you said, my lady. So please… give me a name.”

“Even though you have a name your mother gave you?”

His expression hardened.

“It’s not difficult. How about Tedel? What do you think of Tedel?”

“……”

“The nickname is Teddy.”

Is it not good? She had suddenly blurted out a name that came to mind, but his expression darkened even more than before.

“If I’m not good at naming……”

“No. It’s very good. Tedel… Teddy… Thank you. The name you gave me… thank you.”

She couldn’t say she knew what his life had been like. How could she know better than the person who experienced it? But she knew well that that life was certainly not comfortable.

Tedel, who had lived his entire life in a slave caravan prison where no light entered. So Sesenia wondered if he might run away from here. Because it was the first freedom he had gained.

Even so, it didn’t really matter. Eventually, he would appear as he had in the original timeline.

‘If that happens… I’ll really have done nothing more than show the hypocrisy of someone with too much money……’

Whatever happens, the future will change. Because Sesenia will be betting on Tedel as a chess piece.

“There’s no need to thank me.”

What could she say when she couldn’t speak the truth?

At that moment, Tedel, after murmuring his name several times, knelt on the floor and kissed Sesenia’s hand.

“If you don’t want it, my lady… I won’t do it.”

“No, you should show your loyalty. I bought you, after all.”

“Yes.”

“Live comfortably here.”

“I will follow your will, my lady.”

There probably had never been any salvation in his life. The only salvation might have been coming to the imperial palace thanks to a sponsor and being recognized as a prince.

The last she had heard of his life before dying was that it had been miserable. He said that when he was very young, he was abused by people whose faces he didn’t even know, and after he grew a little, he entered the slave market and lived like an animal.

Whether he was checked because he inherited the emperor’s blood, or whether his mother did such a thing. Or if there was another force involved, she didn’t know. Nevertheless, Sesenia wanted to be his savior.

Sesenia felt sorry for him, who was about the same age as her, who was unusually thin.

She gently stroked his head. Tedel quietly closed his eyes, as if he liked it.

After stroking his head for a long while, Sesenia took a step back.

“Well, I should go now. Teddy. Take good care of the cotton.”

“Yes.”

That was all. Having said everything she needed to say, Sesenia headed towards the carriage she had come in with Lizbeth and Rohan.

“Ah, young lady. Is it alright to leave him like that? We should have someone watching in case he tries to run away or something……”

“It’s fine if he runs away. No, he won’t run away. Teddy won’t.”

“Why do you trust that guy so much?”

“Just because.”

Rohan still wore an expression of incomprehension, but Sesenia got into the carriage and looked at him through the window.

“If he really runs away, you’ll have wasted money.”

“Didn’t you hear me? If that happens, just think that the hypocrisy of someone with too much money was in vain. So let this be.”

Only after hearing those words did Rohan nod with a deep sigh.

“Hah… Since you say so, young lady… I have nothing more to say. I understand. Let’s go back now. As for that guy… I’ll keep coming to check on him.”

“Okay.”

Like a puppy watching its owner leave, Teddy didn’t take his eyes off the departing carriage. I’m not really sure what emotions had settled in him. Whether he was happy now, or if his pride was hurt at being sold to such a young lady. Whether he was plotting to run away. I couldn’t tell any of it.

But Sesenia’s heart felt a little lighter. At least it seemed he would be able to live like a human now.

It felt like the future was changing little by little, which eased her mind.

**

Another ten days passed from that day.

It seemed a little over two weeks had passed since Sesenia had returned in time. The winter cold wave was expected to hit in about two weeks, and there were no problems with Sesenia’s business.

She also kept checking on Teddy through Rohan, who reported that he was diligently beating the cotton.

Apparently he beat it so meticulously that the cotton’s condition had become even higher grade than when they first received it. Though Rohan still didn’t like Teddy, he conveyed that Teddy’s body was not ordinary.

‘It’s as if all his muscles are well-developed, like someone born to wield a sword from birth. You can see it well because he’s thin.’

Though he didn’t like Teddy, it seemed Rohan had developed a desire to teach Teddy swordsmanship. In the meantime, Teddy had gained some weight, and with his quick learning ability, he had already read all the few books in the warehouse keeper’s quarters.

‘Very satisfactory indeed.’