* * *
Tucked away in the noisy banquet hall, Sia stood quietly in a corner, taking advantage of the moment when no one was watching to let out a long yawn.
He opened his mouth wide and wiped away the tears that pooled in the corners of his eyes.
“I’m sleepy…”
He hadn’t been sleeping properly these past few days, and it seemed he was finally reaching his limit.
Waking up at 6 AM after going to bed at 1 AM to prepare for the Duke’s birthday banquet had left his mind feeling light and dazed.
‘Seriously. He’s such a useless human being.’
Sia knew the reason he was still a slave was all because of that damn Duke.
He didn’t know the exact details, but even as a child, he wasn’t ignorant enough to be unaware that his freedom had been denied because of adult affairs.
“I heard Count De Winter wanted to grant him his freedom, but the Duke refused.”
“Poor kid, he just happened to show up while those two were fighting. If it weren’t for that, he’d probably be free and living well by now.”
“But with a face that pretty, wouldn’t he just get sold off again even if he was freed?”
Since it wasn’t their problem, the servants had laughed as they gossiped about Sia’s misfortune.
It was unbearably cruel to say such things in front of a child, yet no one spared him any consideration.
Recalling their conversation, Sia bit his lip hard.
The Duke treated him like an object, as if proving those servants right.
Like a rebellious teenager expressing his emotions in all the wrong ways.
Just remembering that twisted gaze of his made Sia’s expression darken.
“It pisses me off.”
Muttering gloomily, Sia rubbed his slightly reddened eyes.
Vivi, being one of the servants, also seemed tired lately, so they hadn’t talked much, which made him feel even worse.
Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, even though he didn’t even know what Vivi looked like, Sia couldn’t stop himself from growing attached to him.
The day his parents died and he was sold into slavery overnight, Sia had struggled to accept his reality, eventually falling into a fever.
And the slave trader who had been watching him the whole time had said—
“Becoming a slave was inevitable, kid. Nothing’s going to change, so don’t waste your energy. Just keep your head down and behave.”
But to Sia, the word inevitable seemed more fitting for his encounter with Vivi than for his fate as a slave.
His feet, sore from standing in one place for so long, shifted slightly in his shoes as he lost himself in thought.
‘I wonder what Vivi looks like? Just average? Considering how he never shows his face, maybe he has a huge scar or something. But honestly… someone as kind as Vivi would be fine no matter what he looked like.’
Trying to distract himself from reality, Sia let his mind wander.
That was when a long shadow suddenly fell over him.
Had his short break already ended?
Assuming as much, Sia looked up—only to meet eyes with a woman staring at him with a dazed expression.
She quickly schooled her features so no one around them would notice, but Sia had seen it clearly.
The moment their eyes met, her face had twisted as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.
Frowning slightly, Sia hesitantly lifted a hand to wipe his cheek.
Did he have something on his face? But of course, nothing came off.
The woman, staring down at him in silence, gripped her fan so tightly that it made an audible crack.
As their tense standoff stretched on, the commotion in the banquet hall caught the attention of Letiyan, who was laughing and chatting in the center of the room.
Noticing them, he approached with an easy smile.
Assuming Sia had done something rude, Letiyan first shot him a cold look before turning back to the woman with a friendly grin.
“Mujin? Did this child do something wrong? He’s still young and doesn’t have a proper guardian, so he’s being raised in the castle for now. He’s an unfortunate boy who lost his parents and was sold into slavery. If he made a mistake, please be generous and forgive him.”
“…A slave?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes. He’s a slave. I plan to free him once he comes of age, so for now, he’s being raised here.”
Slavery was illegal in the Duchy of Teian, but dukes often placed themselves above the law.
So it wasn’t particularly unusual for him to own a slave.
Letiyan had spoken lightly, expecting no issue, but Mujin’s expression darkened at his words.
Sensing this, Letiyan quickly added—
Mujin had once been the heir of a high-ranking noble family in the Empire, but she had abandoned her title of her own volition.
She was also a renowned painter, famous for her wanderlust.
Who knew when she’d return again?
If he left a bad impression now, she might refuse to paint his portrait—or even refuse to sell him any of her works. That would be a loss.
So, Letiyan was being particularly cautious in his approach.
But whether she was aware of his intentions or not, Mujin remained silent, studying Sia with a thoughtful gaze.
Then, finally breaking the long silence, she spoke—
“Your Grace, I don’t think I’ll be able to paint your portrait due to my schedule… But I can send you three paintings later. In return, would you be willing to give me this child?”
“Three paintings?”
Mujin’s unexpected proposal made Letiyan visibly startled.
Even obtaining one of her paintings was difficult, yet here she was offering three.
She had even refused the emperor’s request for a portrait and never sold paintings to those she disliked.
Was that boy really worth that much?
For a moment, Letiyan hesitated.
The only reason he had kept Sia around was to spite a certain someone.
Keeping him any longer would only hurt his reputation.
Maybe it was better to get rid of him now.
Just remembering how that person’s face had hardened when he refused to free Sia almost made him want to laugh.
That alone made the boy worth keeping.
Letiyan had already decided to hand Sia over.
But seeing Mujin so eager, he hesitated—perhaps he could squeeze even more out of this deal.
And just as she was contemplating how to maximize her gain, Mujin, still staring intently at Sia, spoke again—without even sparing Letiyan a glance.
“If you’re willing to wait, I’ll give you two more paintings. So hand the child over to me right now.”
“…Hmm. Well… If you’re asking so earnestly, Mujin, it’s not a difficult request. Besides, for a growing child, following you around the world would be far better than staying cooped up in a castle.”
The way they added that last part, as if they were thinking of Sia’s best interest, made Mujin let out a breath—half a laugh, half a scoff.
Before Letiyan could say anything, Mujin reached for Sia’s wrist, gripping it gently.
The boy still stood there blankly, unable to process what was happening to him.
“So, does this mean I can take the child with me?”
“Ah, well, the child’s opinion matters too. If they agree, you can take them. That much is reasonable, isn’t it?”
“…Very well. Then, I should talk to them first. I’ll be heading to the guest room.”
With those parting words, Mujin led the still-dazed Sia out of the banquet hall.
Only when the echoes of laughter and music had completely faded did Sia finally come to his senses.
As they walked down the hallway, Sia abruptly stopped in his tracks.
He had braced himself, expecting Mujin to yank him along forcefully, but Mujin simply stopped as well, letting him set the pace.
“What the hell are you doing? What do you want from me? If you’re planning to do something disgusting, don’t expect me to just go along with it. You might as well kill me right here.”
His voice rang out sharply, filled with hostility.
Eyes glowing in the dim light, Sia glared up at Mujin, who met his gaze without flinching.
Lowering himself slightly to meet the boy’s eye level, Mujin spoke in a calm, measured tone.
“I have no intention of harming you.”
“…‘No intention’?”
“Yes, none at all.”
As if to make it clear there was no room for misunderstanding, Mujin repeated the words firmly but did not elaborate further.
“This isn’t the best place to talk. Let’s go to the room first. I swear I won’t lay a finger on you. I just… there’s something I need to tell you.”
With that, Mujin turned and started walking ahead.
This time, they didn’t take Sia’s wrist, leaving it entirely up to him whether to follow or not.
After hesitating for a moment, Sia eventually trailed behind.
The hallway, empty except for the two of them, echoed softly with their footsteps.
* * *
