You Were My Sl*ve - Chapter 100

“It’s still early…”

“Then, should we go late into the night?”

Elona couldn’t help but laugh at his relentless teasing. Her bright laughter echoed through the crimson-lit bedroom, only to be swallowed between his lips as he leaned in again.

Their neatly arranged bed became disheveled as their bodies pressed against it.

His hands moved slowly yet skillfully, removing her clothes. Kazan gazed down at her, lying beneath him in the bright daylight, half-bared. He closed his eyes briefly, feeling as if he might lose control if he kept looking. Instead, he pressed his lips against the softness of her chest.

“Ah… Kazan…”

Elona shivered at his sweet touch but clung tightly to his robes, pulling at them insistently. Her gestures, as if urging him to undress as well, made Kazan chuckle. He straightened up and quickly removed his clothes without hesitation, standing bare before her in an instant.

“T-that’s not what I meant…”

Elona stammered, her face turning a deep shade of red. Kazan leaned over her with a teasing, seductive smile. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. Her eyes lingered, mesmerized, on his strong neck, his broad shoulders, his firm chest. Each place her gaze landed made his smile grow wider.

She wants me.

Realizing that fact, in any moment, was always exhilarating.

Whether when he was twenty or now, only she had ever made his heart race this way.

“I love you, Elona… I love you.”

Countless words of love were exchanged in their bedroom that night, their emotions overflowing as if they were falling for each other for the very first time.

*

The next day, the royal couple and Prince Ashad set out on their journey eastward. Their first destination was Luka, the old capital, which was undergoing extensive restoration.

“Mother, there’s so much sand!”

“Ashad, that’s the desert. Didn’t Father tell you about it yesterday?”

“It’s all sparkly!”

Under the morning sunlight, the golden sand dunes shimmered, completely captivating young Ashad. His blue eyes sparkled with awe, like someone seeing the ocean for the first time. At the same moment, both Kazan and Elona thought that one day, they should take Ashad to the southern shores of Ashatra.

“Speaking of which, Kazan, have you finished all your discussions with Zachary? He was following you around even up until this morning before we left.”

Chancellor Zachary Horta had been deeply concerned about the king and queen leaving Ferma for more than two months on this extended journey. However, since Kazan and Elona had complete trust in him, they had no worries of their own.

Holding onto Ashad, who was now glued to the carriage window, Kazan answered, “I wrapped up everything important yesterday. What we talked about today was Aslan. Since the High Priest has been away for half a year, it’s about time he settled back at the palace.”

Aslan had eagerly taken charge of Luka’s restoration project. There was no one who knew the old capital better than him, and thanks to his efforts, the city was steadily regaining its former glory. However, the followers of Lu in Ferma were anxious for their High Priest to return to his rightful place.

“So, will you pass along Zachary’s suggestion to Aslan? To return fully to Ferma now?”

“I’ll bring it up, but the decision will be his. He seems… to be enjoying the work far too much to leave.”

Ultimately, Kazan had decided to support Aslan. It was unfortunate for Zachary, but Elona shared Kazan’s stance.

She understood why Aslan was so devoted to Luka’s restoration. It was not just a city dedicated to the god Lu; it was also the resting place of Lu’s sacred relic.

The Ever-Flowing Water. The relic that Aslan treasured above all else, the one that Rite had sought but ultimately failed to find.

“Once Luka is fully restored and the relic is recovered, Aslan will be overjoyed.”

Elona smiled at the thought of Aslan’s bright, friendly expression. It had been over half a year since she had last seen him, and she truly missed him.

It seemed Aslan had missed her just as much.

“Elona! No, I mean, Your Majesty!”

“Aslan!”

The moment they arrived at their destination, Elona spotted Aslan waiting to greet them. Without hesitation, she jumped out of the carriage. The two embraced warmly, laughing like close siblings reunited.

“Aslan, have you been well? Your hair has grown so much! It’s almost as long as mine now.”

“Oh dear. As soon as I return to Ferma, I’ll have to ask Sister Urt to take care of it. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my hair.”

“She must be quite talented—not just in cooking, but in hair-cutting too!”

“Haha, well, any surviving priest of Lu has to be capable of such things. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have made it through Prince Sindar’s harsh winters…”

“Aslaaan!”

At that moment, Ashad called out loudly and ran toward him. When Aslan’s eyes met the boy’s, his face broke into a wide smile.

“Well, well, Your Highness! Already traveling through the desert at your age? Oh—!”

Ashad had playfully latched onto Aslan’s leg, making him quickly scoop the child up into his arms. As Ashad giggled and played in his embrace, Kazan approached them with a soft smile.

“Aslan, you should take a look in the mirror sometime.”

At Kazan’s teasing remark, Aslan simply shrugged.

“It’s been a while since we last met, Your Highness, and yet the first thing you say is a curse? What’s wrong with how I look?”

“Your hair is unkempt, you’re covered in dust from head to toe, and you have small cuts all over. It’s not like you’re the one digging the ground yourself, so why do you look like this?”

“I’m digging it myself.”

“…What? Why?”

Caught off guard, Kazan furrowed his brows. Aslan answered proudly.

“It gets boring just standing around giving orders. Besides, this is the city of Lu we’re rebuilding—how could I, as the High Priest, simply watch from the sidelines? Rather than idling, I’d rather pick up a shovel and do something useful.”

“Aslan, you’re truly amazing!”

Elona looked at him with eyes full of admiration, leaving Kazan at a loss for words. It was, indeed, an admirable decision. The fact that the esteemed High Priest of Ashatra was shoveling alongside laborers was almost surreal.

“Are you actually using the budget I allocated? It’s not that you’re short on workers, is it?”

“The funds are more than sufficient. We have everything we need in this desert, and all the workers are in good health. That said… you’ll give me more, won’t you? We’re about to speed things up.”

“Zachary already drafted a budget plan. Want to take a look at it?”

“That sounds good.”

Aslan set Ashad down and walked off with Kazan to discuss matters. Meanwhile, Elona took Ashad’s hand and strolled through the reconstruction camp near Luka. The people involved in the city’s restoration had formed a small community there.

“Mother, there’s a hole over there.”

Ashad pointed toward a distant excavation site. A wide trench had been dug, revealing the faint outlines of the ancient city buried deep beneath the sand.

Elona tightened her grip on Ashad’s hand as a memory surfaced—the moment she encountered the god Lu. It was in that very place that Lu had made a promise to her. In exchange for saving Kazan’s life…

“I want your firstborn child. So, raise the child in your womb well and give them to me.”

Elona quietly gazed down at Ashad, who remained blissfully unaware. The more she watched him grow, the more doubts gnawed at her.

‘What would Ashad think if he learned about the promise I made to Lu?’

Would he accept it? Would he reject it? Would he resent her for it?

‘Lu seemed to want to be with Ashad… but in what way?’

As Elona wrestled with these thoughts, a voice called out to her.

“Your Majesty, come this way! Let’s go see Luka together.”

Aslan stood beside Kazan, beckoning her over. It seemed their discussion had concluded. Setting aside the worries she had no answers for, Elona turned back and walked toward them.

*

“It hasn’t been fully restored yet, so it hasn’t regained its former appearance. But Your Majesty should still recognize this place.”

Following Aslan’s guidance, the royal family stepped foot in Luka for the first time. Most of the buildings were still buried under the sand, their shapes resembling rough, uncarved stone.

“For now, we’ve only mapped out the general locations of buildings and cleared pathways. But… there are a few structures that have been restored.”

Aslan turned to Elona with a knowing smile. She realized where he was leading them and held her breath.

“The First Temple.”

Among the fossil-like dunes of sand, a structure adorned with marble and lapis lazuli emerged intact. It was the Temple of Lu, built over a thousand years ago.

Elona recalled the vision she had seen three years ago. Unlike the pristine temple from that illusion, the real one before her was aged and worn. Perhaps she had witnessed it as it had been a thousand years ago.

“Would you like to go inside? It won’t collapse.”

Aslan led the way, with Elona, Ashad, and Kazan following. The interior of the temple was exactly as she remembered it.

“That statue…”

Elona halted in front of a stone figure of a woman at the temple’s center.

In her vision, a clear spring had gushed forth from the statue’s base. But now, it was bone-dry. The vessel that had once continuously poured water—the sacred relic of Lu—was nowhere to be seen.