Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Gift from the Slaves and Esili's Visit
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Baynan stood there awkwardly for a moment before heading to the back and mounting his horse.
“Hyah!”
Kicking the horse’s flank, Baynan rode off into the forest with skillful horsemanship.
Watching his retreating figure, I broke into a wicked grin.
I had no idea what the elf had done to Leviham, but thanks to that, Leviham must have realized the elf was the root of all evil.
That was probably why he’d apologized to me for the misunderstanding. So there was no need to keep Leviham at the mansion any longer.
‘As expected. Just hold on a little longer, and the knight order will be dispatched.’
Heh heh. You foolish elf.
The Bishop now knows you’re the root of all evil, so it’s only a matter of time before you’re subjugated.
Go ahead and enjoy this peace while it lasts. The day the knight order arrives at the mansion will be your last.
“Mastewr...”
Whether the elf knew my thoughts or not, she approached me with tears welling up in her eyes and hugged me tight.
The soft sensation of her breasts pressing against my body felt quite burdensome.
“I knew if it was you, Master, you’d come to save me...”
“You filthy pest. I wasn’t worried about you—I was worried about the Bishop.”
“Eek... You say that, but I know you were worried about me too...”
Sorry, but I wasn’t worried about you at all.
I mean it.
*
The next day.
After sending the Bishop off, the elf’s attitude had become much more docile for some reason, so I no longer had to watch out for her at the mansion.
And so, I arrived at one of the slave workshops run by our family... otherwise known as the spice farm.
‘They’re growing nicely.’
Rows of pepper trees stretched across a moderately spacious field, laden with fruit.
Thanks to generations of selective breeding starting from my father’s time, we could now grow these pepper trees—which were said to only thrive in the southern kingdom of Agella—without issue even in the empire’s central region.
We’d begin full-scale harvesting this year, and my expectations were high. It wasn’t just about the profits.
Up until now, the empire had imported peppers from the Agella Kingdom, making them outrageously expensive.
By the time they crossed the border, transportation costs and tariffs had piled up, and then the wholesalers hoarded them domestically. Naturally, peppers became the exclusive domain of the nobility.
With prices skyrocketing, commoners couldn’t afford them even if they wanted to.
But if our family succeeded in pepper farming and sold them at far below market price, even commoners would be able to use spices.
‘That’ll make the county even more prosperous than it is now.’
Smiling contentedly as I rode along the farm’s outskirts, a man in a neat tunic came running from the distance.
Wondering who it was, I looked closer and saw it was Hedian, one of the workshop’s slaves. The young man with sun-bronzed skin flashed a grin, revealing his yellowed teeth.
“Family Head! You should’ve told us if you were coming here.”
“I didn’t want to burden you all. I was just out for a stroll.”
“Even so. Oh! We’re truly grateful for that expensive meat and liquor you sent last time. There was so much we had to stack it in the warehouse.”
“I thought it’d be just enough, but it’s good you can enjoy it over time. If you need anything else, let the steward know anytime. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
“No, no. We’re already blessed beyond measure—what more could we want? Oh, right. We had something we wanted to give you, and you’re here at just the right time.”
Something for me? Blinking in surprise, Hedian pulled a small box from his pocket.
It had a rather antique look.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a bracelet we slaves pooled our wages to buy from a luxury goods shop. We picked the most elegant one to suit your stature.”
“No, your wages can’t amount to much...”
“Other nobles don’t even pay slaves wages, so what’s a little? And compared to the grace you show us, this is nothing. I hope you like it.”
I nodded as I accepted the box.
Emotion welled up, making my eyes sting for no reason.
I hadn’t done anything special for them, yet here they were, scraping together their meager wages out of gratitude to give me a gift.
It felt like a blessing that such kind people were my slaves. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I tucked the box into my pocket.
“Thank you. I’ll treasure this gift from you all for the rest of my life. Even if the heavens split in two, I won’t lose it.”
“We’re just grateful for your words. From now on, we’ll...”
“Family Head! Family Heeead—!”
Hedian’s words were cut off by an urgent shout.
Turning toward the voice, I saw Maltaro, one of the mansion’s servants, stumbling toward us, gasping for breath.
“Huff, huff... Oh man... You should’ve said you were coming to the farm. I’ve been searching everywhere.”
“Me? Is something happening at the mansion?”
“Nothing’s happened, per se. Lady Esili from the county came to the mansion, and she asked me to pass on a message.”
“Esili?”
It was a bit out of the blue, but we hadn’t seen each other in a while, so it made sense for her to visit.
If anything, it was welcome. Seeing Esili was one of the joys of my life, so I immediately turned my horse around.
“I need to head back right—wait.”
Hold on.
If Esili was at the mansion, the elf would surely be clinging to her.
And I had once lied to the elf, telling her the engagement ring was a decorative ring.
If the elf saw the engagement ring on Esili’s finger, my lie would be exposed.
“Damn it!”
At this point, I had to get back to the mansion as fast as possible!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, I whipped the reins like a lash.
Neigh! The horse kicked off the ground with a whinny and galloped toward the mansion at full speed.
*
Deharm Mansion, drawing room.
Seated across from the elf at an elegant table, Esili gazed at her with feigned innocence.
The elf fidgeted as if unaccustomed to facing a noble lady, but Esili knew it was all an act.
Moreover, when she’d arrived at the mansion, she’d caught the elf unconsciously glancing at her left ring finger. It was clear what kind of mess Theoraad was in.
‘Good thing I took the ring off before getting out of the carriage.’
If she hadn’t, out of caution, and left it in her handbag instead, Theoraad might have faced disaster. Letting out a sigh of relief, Esili put on a bright expression and spoke.
“Go ahead, it’s fine. I asked for us to dine together, so no need to worry about the servants.”
“B-But... Master will definitely hate it...”
“Sir Theoraad? No way. He’d overlook something this trivial.”
“No. You don’t know Master well, Lady Esili. He once tried to ravish me just for breaking a plate...”
Who was telling whom they didn’t know Theoraad?
Feeling anger rise within, Esili maintained her composure and put on a shocked expression.
“Really? Sir Theoraad tried to assault you over a broken plate?”
“Y-Yes... He said it was my fault for being born pretty and just... groped my breasts...”
“I see. Sir Theoraad really is a terrible person.”
Esili sipped her black tea delicately from the cup before setting it down.
“Arbitrarily ‘enslaving’ and ‘forcing’ others shows a real problem with one’s character.”
The elf’s teary expression froze. It sounded like criticism of Theoraad, yet it felt aimed at her somehow.
After a moment of silence, the elf forced an awkward smile.
“Still, I understand Master. It’s only natural to want to touch a beautiful woman right in front of you.”
“No. Even if you say that, I just can’t understand it at all. What matters more than looks is what’s inside, right? There’s a saying like...”
Hmm. Resting her finger on her chin, Esili continued innocently.
“Better to drink water from a silver cup than poison from a golden one. That’s not wrong, is it?”
“Heh... You’re truly wise, Lady Esili.”
A shadow fell over the elf’s face.
She wanted to snap back, but Esili skillfully dodged any suspicion, leaving the elf with an indescribable feeling.
Esili felt the same. She harbored disgust toward the elf for toying with Theoraad as she pleased.
‘Arrogant short-lived race...’
‘Don’t get the wrong idea. Theoraad isn’t yours.’
But since they couldn’t be honest with each other, they merely sipped their tea with friendly smiles.
A brutally heavy silence stretched on.
To the servants watching from afar, the elf and Esili appeared relaxed with smiles on their faces, but in reality, they were merely suppressing their negative feelings toward one another.
“By the way, Lady Esili...”
The elf was the one to break the ice-like silence.
Hiding her hostility toward Esili perfectly, she blinked with innocent eyes.
“Have you ever been intimate with Master?”
“...Pardon?”
Flustered, a crack appeared in Esili’s calm demeanor. Noticing this, the elf subtly lifted the corner of her mouth.
“I heard you’ve known Master for a long time and are even engaged. If it’s rude to ask, I’m truly sorry...”
Esili caught her breath and glanced around at the servants.
She wished one of them, offended by the elf’s overstep, would intervene.
But the one who had insisted on dining together with a slave elf was none other than Esili herself.
The daughter of Count Leo Berk—who even His Majesty the Emperor couldn’t touch—and lady of the Pelgaroin County that ruled the empire’s central region had made the request personally.
No one there had the guts to interrupt the tea time of a lady backed by such immense family prestige.
‘My own trap...’
Since Esili had proposed sharing the table with the elf, there was no room for outsiders to step in unless the elf went too far with her rudeness.
The elf was exploiting that fact to subtly attack.
She’d been had. Esili hadn’t expected her to exploit the opening like this.
Letting out a low groan, Esili bought time by sipping her tea.
‘What should I do...’
Should she lie and say they had been intimate?