You Were My Sl*ve - Side Story Chapter 5 (END)

Ashad knew he was about to be scolded, but he walked toward his mother with the calmest expression he could muster.

“Good morning, Mother. Did you sleep well?”

“You little troublemaker! What were you thinking, disappearing without a word? If it weren’t for your sisters, we wouldn’t have even known where to look for you!”

Elona firmly reprimanded him, her voice filled with concern rather than anger.

But Ashad showed no sign of remorse.

Kazan, watching quietly, approached without a word and lifted his son effortlessly into his arms.

“Ashad, how about we take a walk together?”

“…Yes, Father.”

Though he clearly wanted to protest and ask to be put down, even Ashad—stubborn as he was—found his father an imposing figure.

As Kazan took charge of disciplining their son, Elona turned her attention to Aslan.

“High Priest Aslan, I apologize for the trouble we’ve caused. Our sudden arrival must have disrupted the morning prayers.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. In fact, I just had a most valuable conversation with the Crown Prince.”

Aslan smiled knowingly as he glanced at Ashad, still held securely in Kazan’s arms. The boy, suddenly self-conscious, scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

Kazan pressed a gentle kiss to his son’s forehead before turning to leave.

“Let’s go, Ashad. The Bahalen delegation will be arriving today—you should prepare properly so you don’t embarrass yourself in front of your siblings.”

“But, Father…”

“Elona, we’ll go ahead.”

Despite his earlier composure, Ashad couldn’t help but whine a little in front of his father—something Elona found rather endearing.

Just as she watched Kazan handling their son with quiet authority, a voice called out to her.

“Your Majesty, may I have a word with you?”

Aslan’s tone carried weight, as if he had something important to discuss.

Elona sat down calmly by the spring, facing the High Priest of Lu.

He gave her a thoughtful smile, his gaze filled with an almost knowing warmth.

It was reminiscent of the past—of the time when he had seated her here and foretold the future that awaited her.

As before, Aslan’s low voice carried through the stillness, whispering of things yet to come.

***

The Princess of Bahalen, Henrietta, who had arrived at the Ashatra Imperial Palace as part of the diplomatic delegation, was four years older than six-year-old Ashad.

She had light brown hair neatly braided and pinned up in an elegant style, making her look more like an adult than a child. Her teal-colored eyes held a sharp and slightly aloof gaze.

“What? He’s just a little kid.”

It was hardly a respectful way to describe the Crown Prince of a great empire, but Henrietta wasn’t entirely wrong. Ashad was still small, young, and—objectively speaking—adorable.

However, inheriting his father’s depth, Ashad simply looked up at her with an unreadable expression.

“How old are you, princess?”

“Ten.”

“That makes you much older than me.”

“Hmph, then call me ‘sister’!”

“Why should I? You’re not my sister.”

“What do you mean why? I’m older, so you should call me that!”

“No. I’m not going to be friends with you.”

“As if I came all this way because I wanted to be friends with you!”

Henrietta, who had been speaking confidently, turned redder with every word Ashad said.

Still, as a princess of Bahalen, she knew how to maintain a certain level of decorum.

“Since I came here first, next time, you should come to Bahalen. I’ll welcome you as my fiancé.”

Henrietta had already realized that Ashad wasn’t an ordinary child, but to her, he was still just six years old.

Feeling quite pleased with herself for being the more mature one, she was caught off guard when Ashad calmly responded:

“I won’t marry you.”

Then, he added another statement just as nonchalantly.

“I already have someone I love.”

“W-what?!”

Henrietta was so shocked that she forgot all royal etiquette and gaped openly.

“Are you insane? You’re just a kid! What do you mean you’re in love? You’re smaller than me!”

“That’s none of your business.”

“So you’re saying you won’t get engaged to me?”

Watching the two children bicker, Kazan and Elona smiled knowingly.

The proposed betrothal between Ashad and Henrietta wasn’t a finalized arrangement yet, but both of them found the Bahalen princess rather endearing.

Seeing how Henrietta persistently followed Ashad around, Elona chuckled.

“This is the first time I’ve seen Ashad act like this. It feels like he’s finally found a friend his age.”

“There was no one here who treated him as an equal. If Bahalen agrees, I wouldn’t mind letting her stay in Ashatra for a while.”

Whether the two children would fall in love someday was uncertain, but the lively princess from Bahalen seemed to bring new energy into the calm and introspective world of Ashad.

“By the way, what did you and Aslan talk about this morning?”

Kazan asked as he poured tea into Elona’s cup, a habit that defied imperial etiquette. Unlike when she had once been a slave serving drinks for King Sindar, Kazan—now Emperor Sindar—always tended to his wife himself.

Elona gazed down at the clear tea and relayed Aslan’s words.

“According to Aslan, Ashad seems to be encountering the god Lu in his dreams. He’s still too young to describe the place clearly, but Aslan believes it may be a prophetic vision.”

Kazan’s brow furrowed slightly.

“A prophetic dream… You don’t think Ashad is seeing future deaths like Aslan does, do you?”

Elona shook her head.

“No. In his dream, it was raining in Ashatra. He saw an endless expanse of water and flower fields.”

Kazan fell into deep thought, then after a pause, murmured quietly.

“I think I know where that is.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Last year, Torthan reported something unusual to me. He said there was a strange phenomenon in the south—at the edge of the barren desert, a new land of greenery had appeared.”

Recalling the report he had received from his Grand General, Kazan stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Elona, sensing the certainty in his voice, leaned forward with excitement.

“Then, if we take Ashad there…”

“We might find what he’s looking for. Just as you once did—when you encountered the god of water and life.”

That had been long ago, before the buried city of Luka had been unearthed, back when Kazan and Elona were still struggling with misunderstandings and conflict.

Elona squeezed her husband’s hand tightly as she looked at their firstborn son.

In exchange for the one she had saved, the gods were now calling for the child they had promised her.

***

The flowers on the coastal cliffs bloomed in a shade of crimson, reminiscent of the setting sun.

Unlike their regal attire in the imperial palace, Kazan and Elona walked leisurely through the flower fields, dressed in simple, comfortable clothing. Their young son, Ashad, held tightly onto his mother’s hand, taking quick steps to keep up while curiously looking around.

“Mother, is this still the desert?”

“We’re at the edge of the desert, Ashad. Look down there.”

Stopping at the cliff’s edge, the three gazed down at the vast expanse of the sea.

Listening to the rhythmic crash of the waves, Ashad’s blue eyes widened in wonder.

The clear, pristine ocean shimmered beneath the sunset, reflecting hues of crimson, gold, and deep violet. The brilliant interplay of sunlight, water, earth, and wind made the surface gleam like a scattering of precious jewels.

Ashad was utterly mesmerized.

But suddenly, as if hearing something, he turned his head sharply.

There was nothing behind him—only the sea breeze and swaying blossoms—yet, without hesitation, he let go of his mother’s hand and stepped forward, walking toward the heart of the flower field.

“Could it be… has He come for Ashad?”

At Elona’s whispered question, Kazan did not answer. Instead, he simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

The child whom Lu had longed for stood still in the midst of the vast earth, like a lone blossom, gazing at something unseen.

“Elona… if my life was spared at the cost of Ashad’s fate…”

Kazan’s voice trembled ever so slightly as he pulled his wife closer.

But Elona, resting against him, murmured softly in reassurance.

“That will never happen. Our child is young, but he is strong. Just as we have never fallen to despair, Ashad will find his own path as well. Because the gods…”

A breeze, damp with moisture and salt, ruffled Ashad’s dark hair.

The boy stretched out his hand as if trying to grasp something before him, but in the end, his fingers closed around nothing. He simply lifted his gaze toward the distant sky.

Above them, a great cloud drifted slowly overhead, casting a cool, gentle shade upon the land.

In the heart of the desert, such clouds were rare—so vast that one could almost believe it might float all the way to Parsion.

Under its shadow, Elona lifted her hand, mirroring her son’s gesture.

As the first raindrop landed softly against her palm, she felt its familiar touch—a gentle answer from Lu.

She turned to Kazan and whispered,

“Because the god of water and life will love Ashad’s land, Ashatra, forever.”

At her words, Kazan looked up.

The sight of storm clouds in the desert was more astonishing than any sandstorm.

What they had witnessed today was nothing short of a miracle—and yet, their future held legends far greater than miracles.

One day, their son would leave the throne of sand, wandering the world until he reached its very edge.

One day, their radiant Lamia would ascend as the great Zahira Empress, blessed by fire and wisdom.

One day, their bold and untamed Dina would restore Parsion from its decline, rebuilding it into a great kingdom once more.

But for now, they left those countless possibilities to the joys of the future, embracing the blessing of the gods falling softly from the sky.

As the waves rolled endlessly against the barren shore, they stood together, listening to the sound of the ocean of jewels.

<Special Epilogue – The End>