You Were My Sl*ve - Chapter 78

When his plan fell apart, Prince Antonio flew into a rage. His original intention had been to kill both of you quietly in the secluded hunting grounds. Having only Samira wasn’t enough for him. After all, his true target had always been you, Kazan.

“What a hassle… Hey, Sir Xerox.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Take the keys from this wench. Go fetch that slave from the dungeon and bring him here so we can finish this together.”

I glanced at Samira in discomfort. She glared back at me with wild, defiant eyes. I had no choice but to reach for her cloak—only for her to snap.

“I don’t have the keys. I threw them away in the forest on my way here.”

It was true. She had no keys on her. Prince Antonio, frustrated that nothing was going his way, lost the last of his patience.

“…Fine. You, go to the cabin over there and bring back some firewood and oil. Sir Xerox, head to the dungeon and retrieve him. The guard should have returned by now. Get the keys from him.”

I had no choice but to leave Samira behind. As I walked away, I could hear her sobbing quietly. I wanted to go back… but there was nothing I could do for her. Nothing would change even if I did.

So, I headed to find you, Kazan. Prince Antonio had no idea how close we were, which is why he entrusted me with this task.

When I reached the dungeon, I found it eerily empty. No guard in sight. Perhaps the guard, ordered by the prince, was lazy—or simply absent-minded. Either way, I didn’t hesitate. I went straight down to find you.

You were clinging to the bars like a man desperate for freedom. When our eyes met, you asked,

“Sir Xerox? What are you doing here?”

“…I came to see your face one last time before you die, you fool.”

But seeing you locked up like that, I couldn’t bring myself to carry out Prince Antonio’s orders. The thought of handing you over to him and watching you die under his torture was unbearable. All I could think about was how to delay your death, to make up some excuse that might buy you time.

While I was pondering my next move, you suddenly asked,

“Sir Xerox, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“At today’s trial… did Princess Elona really say those things about me?”

What could I have said? I hadn’t been present at the trial. All I knew were the words I had heard from Prince Antonio.

“In the end, she confessed. She claimed Kazan seduced her and tried to force himself on her. She begged Father to punish that slave bastard.”

“Did she accuse me? Did she say she didn’t want me anymore?”

“…That’s what I was told,” I said reluctantly, scratching the bridge of my nose.

I didn’t want to lie to a man who was going to die the next day. But judging by the look on your face, I wondered if lying might have been kinder. You looked utterly crushed.

“So it’s true… it really happened.”

I couldn’t even offer words of comfort. I only knew then, with absolute certainty, that I wouldn’t take you to Prince Antonio. Now I just had to figure out how to deal with the missing guard and buy more time.

“Sir Xerox, there’s a set of keys in the far corner over there,” you said.

“Huh?”

You were right. In the dark corner of the cell, just barely visible, lay a bundle of keys.

Before I could even decide what to do, you pleaded,

“Please, set me free, Sir Xerox. I can’t die here—not for a crime I didn’t commit, not with hatred for Elona in my heart. I have to survive.”

“That was the first time you called her by name. The way you said it… at that moment, I became sure there was truly something between you and the princess. After all, I hadn’t heard her testimony with my own ears.”

“If I free you, will you run straight back to Ashatra?”

“Yes. I’ll return and choose a different path than the one I’ve walked until now.”

Back then, I didn’t understand what you meant by that. I never imagined that you were a prince or that you’d become involved in a civil war. At the time, I thought you meant you’d live as a free man. That seemed like a pretty good plan, too.

“…Yes, this feels like the right thing to do.”

So, I picked up the keys and unlocked your chains. Once freed, you rushed up the stairs ahead of me. I remember how determined you looked, your steps strong and steady.

“Are you heading west?”

“Yes.”

“Then take the northern path through the woods to get out of the castle. Prince Antonio and his knights are waiting in the western hunting grounds.”

Luckily, security around the castle was lax that night. Prince Antonio had arranged it that way to cover up his crimes.

Before you disappeared into the darkness, I gave you one last piece of advice.

“Forget everything about Princess Elona! The more you think of her, the more it’ll hurt you.”

You paused and looked back at me. I couldn’t see your face clearly in the dark, but I’ll never forget the words you said.

“I won’t forget. Even if Elona forgets me, I’ll always remember her.”

And with that, you vanished completely. Watching your retreating figure, I had a strange chill run down my spine. It felt like I had unleashed a wild beast into the world.

In the end… I was right.

After you escaped, I went to find the prison guard, but he was passed out drunk in his quarters. I stalled for as long as I could before eventually returning to the western hunting grounds. By then, the only thing left was the smoldering remains of a fire. There wasn’t a soul in sight.

I wandered the hunting grounds for a while before giving up and returning to the knights’ barracks. The next morning, chaos erupted in the palace when it was discovered that the slave sentenced to execution had vanished.

Prince Antonio declared before the court,

“There’s no need to worry about the escaped slave. I caught him myself in the northern woods and killed him with my own hands.”

He brandished his bloodied sword, and my fellow knights backed up his claim with their testimony. Naturally, I believed him.

I thought you had been killed that night.

I thought Kazan had died… as nothing more than a slave.

*

“That’s everything I remember about that night.”

Sir Xerox finished his long story, coughing heavily as he drank what little water remained in the pitcher. Out of breath, he glanced at Kazan with a faint smile.

“I thought you were dead… but seeing you alive brings me more joy than you could imagine. Freeing you that night was the most rewarding decision of my life.”

Kazan gazed at his ailing savior, his expression complicated. He hesitated, not wanting to make the sick man talk any longer, but he couldn’t stop the conversation. This might be their last chance to speak.

“I’ve always wondered… why were you so kind to me and Samira back then? It never felt like simple sympathy.”

“There were many reasons,” Sir Xerox admitted. “I admired your pride, how different you were from other slaves. It wasn’t just pity—although that was part of it. But most of all…”

He chuckled softly, his eyes distant as if recalling a fond memory.

“Because of you two, I believe Princess Elona survived those difficult times. I wanted to give her strength in my own way.”

“But the royal knights served Antonio, didn’t they?”

“Yes, most of them did. But I wasn’t one of them. I was loyal to Queen Veronica, Princess Elona’s mother. I used to work as a stable boy in the royal palace until she took me in and raised me as a knight. By the time I was old enough to repay her kindness… she had already passed. So, I dedicated myself to helping her daughter, Princess Elona—especially in places beyond Prince Antonio’s reach.”

Kazan nodded thoughtfully, recalling the stories Elona had shared about her childhood. Like him, she had lost her mother at a young age. From that point on, she had grown up without a single ally, enduring her half-brother Antonio’s cruelty alone.

“Why did Antonio hate her so much?” Kazan asked, his voice tinged with frustration. “Even if they were half-siblings, his hatred was… abnormal.”

Whenever Kazan had pressed Elona on this, she would always hesitate and avoid giving a clear answer. He suspected even she didn’t fully understand the reason.

But Sir Xerox’s response was decisive.

“Prince Antonio had an overwhelming sense of inferiority toward Princess Elona.”

“Inferiority? Why?”

“Because… Prince Antonio isn’t a true descendant of the Parsion royal bloodline.”

Kazan’s eyes widened in shock, his lips parting slightly. Sir Xerox leaned forward and continued cautiously.

“The king’s first wife, before Queen Veronica, had black hair and blue eyes. As you know, the late king had brown hair and blue eyes. But when Prince Antonio was born, he had golden-blond hair and green eyes—completely different from either parent.”

“But that alone doesn’t prove he wasn’t their child,” Kazan pointed out.

“Of course not. Fortunately, there were distant relatives in the queen’s family with similar features, so the matter was never pursued. But Prince Antonio never fully believed in his own legitimacy.”

Sir Xerox sighed deeply, his gaze heavy with old memories.

“About a year after Princess Elona was locked in the west tower, I had a rare opportunity to drink with the prince alone. He was completely drunk… and he said something he should never have said.”

“Before she died, Mother told me something.” Prince Antonio had slurred. “‘My dear Antonio, you look so much like your father.’ When I was young, I didn’t understand what she meant… but as I grew older, those words haunted me.”

“In truth, the first queen had several lovers before her marriage to the king. She cut ties with them after becoming queen… but who knows for certain? Either way, that parting phrase from his mother destroyed Prince Antonio’s mind.”