You Were My Sl*ve - Chapter 99

After the joyful luncheon, the royal palace had quieted down.

Kazan and Elona strolled through the gardens with Ashad in tow, eventually making their way to Mano Palace.

The beautiful queen’s residence now belonged entirely to Elona.

Decorated to her liking, the palace was filled with lush green foliage and delicate white flowers, exuding an atmosphere of freshness and vitality.

“Father, up there!”

Ashad, nestled in Kazan’s arms, pointed excitedly toward the treetops.

Normally, Ashad was a calm and quiet child, but when he was with his father, his energy emerged—just like any lively little boy.

Grinning, Kazan lifted his son onto his shoulders.

“Hold on tight, Ashad. If you pretend to fall again, your mother will scold me.”

“Okay!”

Perched on his father’s broad shoulders, Ashad swung his legs excitedly.

Kazan, of course, showed no signs of strain—but Elona was beginning to think it was time to give him a break.

No matter how gentle Ashad was, playing with an energetic little boy was no easy task.

“Ashad, do you want to get down and walk while holding hands? You’ve been carried by Father all day today.”

“It’s okay, Elona. This much is nothing.”

With Ashad still on his shoulders, he walked lightly toward the palace entrance. Seeing his dependable back, Elona couldn’t help but smile.

Kazan has really started to look like a father now. At first, he was so flustered in front of the child, not knowing what to do.

To Kazan, Ashad had been an unfamiliar being for quite some time. Having grown up as the youngest without any younger siblings, he was truly clumsy when it came to handling children.

As a newborn, Ashad would cry the moment Kazan awkwardly held him. Kazan, lacking experience, tried his best to soothe him, but in the end, Ashad would only stop crying after being handed back to Elona.

Kazan was clumsy, but he always wanted to hold Ashad. He would wonder when Ashad would cry less and think about it often.

His efforts were finally rewarded around Ashad’s first birthday. The first word Ashad ever spoke was “Dad.”

After Ashad learned to talk, Kazan made sure to find time every day to talk with his son. At first, he focused on teaching him words, but now he simply shared whatever stories he wanted to tell.

“Ashad, look over there.”

The three of them stood on the balcony attached to their chambers on the second floor of the Mano Palace. Kazan lifted Ashad from his shoulders into his arms and pointed toward the distant desert.

“By tomorrow, we’ll be far away. We’re going to the desert.”

“The desert?”

Ashad had never once left the palace since birth. Tomorrow would be the first time their little family of three traveled far together.

As Ashad’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, Kazan began to speak in a soft voice, telling stories about the desert and Ashatra. Elona stood beside him, listening happily. She loved the gentle tone he used when speaking to their son.

“…Elona.”

In the middle of his story, Kazan called her name quietly. Elona stepped closer and then held her breath. She whispered back just as softly.

“Ashad is asleep.”

“Really? Was I that boring?”

“No, it’s just about time for his nap.”

Carrying their sleeping child, they returned to the bedroom. Kazan carefully laid Ashad down on the bed and sat beside him. His gaze, as he looked at his son, was filled with warmth. Elona sat down next to him and spoke gently.

“You even know how to put him to sleep now. You’re getting better and better.”

“I have to improve if I want to be a better father.”

“You’re already a wonderful father.”

Elona spoke brightly, but Kazan only gave a faint smile. He seemed lost in thought, so Elona quietly took his hand.

“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

“When I was little…”

Kazan spoke in a low voice, his eyes still fixed on their sleeping child.

“I hardly ever received Father’s attention. He didn’t dote on me as the youngest, nor did he see me as anything special—just one of his many sons. To him, I was nothing more than a means to keep my mother bound to the palace.”

Elona listened silently. It was the first time she had ever heard him speak about his childhood. Kazan continued, gently stroking Ashad’s soft hair.

“When I saw my older brothers talking with Father and receiving his praise, I felt envious as a child. I wanted to grow up quickly, to be acknowledged by him, to become a prince who mattered.”

Elona could understand his restlessness. She, too, had been isolated in Parsion’s royal castle, always longing for the same thing.

She had wished for time to pass quickly, for the day she would be recognized and acknowledged. For someone to truly see her. To love her.

“But as I grew older and came to understand my place in the palace, I realized just how impossible it was to gain Father’s attention or affection. From the start, I was too far removed from the throne—it was never an option for me. Father never had any expectations for me. How many times in my entire life did he even call my name? I could probably count them on one hand.”

Elona gripped his hand tightly, unable to say anything. It pained her to see the bitterness on his face. Knowing what he had endured made her heart ache even more.

Swept into a civil war at the age of twelve, losing his mother to the curse of the gods, sold into slavery in a foreign land, then thrown back into another war—throughout his harsh journey, his father had never been there for him.

“I will never become a father like that.”

Kazan spoke with firm resolve, looking directly at her as if he were making a solemn vow. Elona slowly wrapped her arms around him, careful not to wake Ashad. She held him for a while, soothing him with gentle pats before cautiously asking,

“Then… for Ashad, would it be better if he didn’t have too many siblings?”

Kazan paused at the unexpected question. Pulling back slightly, he smiled, looking a bit flustered.

“Elona, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m not like Father. No matter how many children we have, I’ll make sure the succession issue is handled properly.”

“But if too many of them want the throne, then in the end…”

“Don’t worry. I have a plan for that.”

Kazan cupped her cheek, as if touched by her concern. Seeing her still uneasy, he spoke with determination.

“I will never let Ashad go through what I did. Never. That’s what a good father should do.”

Elona wondered what kind of plan he had for their children. But before she could ask, Kazan leaned in and whispered,

“And besides… having more children is something we can decide together, isn’t it?”

His voice dropped to a suggestive murmur, and Elona’s face turned red. His gaze held an unmistakable desire, a hint of frustration from what had been left unfinished that morning. She glanced at the sleeping Ashad and quickly shook her head.

“N-not here! The baby is sleeping!”

The moment he heard her response, Kazan got up without hesitation. He strode toward the door and gave orders to a maid in the hallway.

As Elona had expected, Ashad’s nanny soon arrived.

Kazan instructed her, “Ashad is asleep. Take him to the prince’s quarters. And make sure everything is ready for tomorrow’s journey.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Once the nanny carried the sleeping Ashad away, only the two of them remained in the chamber. Kazan returned to the bed and sat beside her.

“Now, where were we?”

He reached out, gently running his fingers along the collar of her robe as he whispered,

“I’d like to have at least one more child. Or maybe even more than that.”

His gaze was serious, searching her expression for an answer. Then, as if trying to ease any tension, he let out a small chuckle.

“Ashad is mature for his age. He’d be a great older brother. Our children will have a much happier life than I did. So…”

“Right now?”

Elona suddenly held his hand tightly. Looking into his eyes, which seemed lost in thought, she asked once again.

“Kazan, you’re happy now too, right? Compared to before… compared to your childhood?”

Kazan quickly realized why she was anxious. It seemed that the shadows of his past, which he had never revealed before, had made her worry. He smiled as he gazed at his beloved wife.

“If I were to compare, it’s true that I’m happier now than I was in the past. But, Elona, my childhood wasn’t entirely unhappy either.”

He pulled her into his arms and whispered gently.

“Because I met you.”

His warm breath was followed by soft lips pressing against her cheek. After holding the kiss there for a moment, he pulled back slightly and looked at her from up close. His eyes glowed with heat.

“Elona, it’s okay now, right? It’s just the two of us.”