Chapter 97
“Rion. You’re mine.”
The Empire’s First Princess, Aurora Argenvalt.
A character whose existence I only knew about, and who almost never appears in the game.
And yet she suddenly appeared in front of me, saying incomprehensible things.
“Um, I’m not quite sure what you mean?”
“Literally. You’re a slave, aren’t you? Your master, Lady Edelheid, is missing.”
“Well, yes.”
“Under imperial law, slaves are treated as property. If there’s no owner, wouldn’t it be strange if someone picked you up?”
She wasn’t wrong.
But being so blunt about it made me feel a little annoyed.
“Why are you trying to become my master, even going so far as to protect a criminal like me? Is it for power? I’m already sick of people like that, so I’d rather refuse.”
“What would I do with power anyway? The next emperor will be Aither, after all. I’m not interested in politics at all.”
“Then why, exactly?”
“Well...”
Aurora, who had been speaking so fluently, suddenly wore a shy expression.
“I’m actually your biggest fan. I fell for you at first sight.”
“......?”
I tilted my head at the sudden confession.
“Aren’t we meeting for the first time?”
“It’s the first time we’ve spoken properly. But it’s not the first time I’ve seen you.”
“When did you see me?”
“At Aither’s coming-of-age ceremony.”
Aither’s coming-of-age ceremony meant the imperial banquet.
I had definitely come to the imperial palace with Renoa then.
But.
“I don’t remember seeing Your Highness then, either.”
“Yep. I watched you from afar.”
“Pardon?”
“I was too embarrassed to talk to you. And the young lady beside you was terrifying too. I’d never seen anyone that scary before.”
Do princesses simply not know what embarrassment is?
She boldly made remarks that would normally be embarrassing, saying things like she’d fallen for me and liked me.
Because of that, I couldn’t feel the least bit of sincerity from her.
Was this some sort of honeytrap? A warning bell rang that one wrong move would send my life into the gutter.
“May I refuse? I was taught not to follow strangers carelessly.”
“Puhuhu. You’re going to refuse the princess’s courtship? You’re really not ordinary, are you?”
“I know my place very well. People who overstep it don’t get away with it.”
“That’s right. But you need to understand that. If you keep going like this, you’ll end up dead anyway.”
“Does that mean Your Highness is going to protect me, even though I defied the imperial decree and protected the witch?”
Aurora nodded.
“My father absolutely dotes on his daughter. If I throw a fit, he won’t be able to refuse me.”
“If it isn’t rude, may I ask how old you are this year?”
“Twenty-one.”
Twenty-one.
In Korean age, that would make her about twenty-two or twenty-three.
Considering that coming-of-age ceremonies are early in this world too, she’s definitely an adult.
“And yet you’re throwing a tantrum?”
“Since you don’t seem to know, let big sis teach you something. Acting spoiled is a woman’s privilege—a beauty’s privilege. Age means nothing at all.”
Was this self-confidence that didn’t even fear the heavens coming from her looks too?
If so, I have nothing to say.
She really was absurdly beautiful.
“That’s all I have to say. Now only your choice remains. What will you do?”
I still don’t know what Aurora is plotting.
I know that goodwill with no clear reason should be treated with caution.
She might act like nothing’s wrong in front of me, then suddenly change after the contract.
“But was I really in a position to be picky?”
If I did nothing, I was as good as dead. I should grab onto even a rotten lifeline.
“Please take care of me from now on, Master.”
“What’s with the cringe-inducing ‘Master’? You’re the same age as Aither, aren’t you? Just call me big sister.”
***
The moment Rion said he’d follow Aurora, she immediately ran to the Emperor and reported it.
Naturally, the Emperor shot it down.
The other party was a slave of uncertain origin.
A traitor guilty of defying the imperial decree.
No matter how capable Aurora was, if the princess became the master of a traitor, it was obvious the imperial family’s authority and prestige would take a hit.
But.
“Papa, when have I ever asked you for something like this? Never, right? Just this once, please?”
“Even if it’s Aurora’s request...”
“Papa~ Papa~ Daddy? Really? It won’t work? Really? Hm? Even when your adorable daughter is asking?”
No matter how old they get, to a father his daughter is such a precious, lovable thing he could never bear to hurt.
The Emperor was no different.
“Haah... Fine. Who in the world could possibly break your stubbornness?”
“You’re the best, Papa.”
In the end, he raised the white flag before his daughter’s whining as she clung to his sleeve.
After that, everything went smoothly.
Aurora went to the underground prison with the court mage. It was to renew the master-slave contract.
The mage fiddled with the restraint collar around Rion’s neck. A red magic circle rose up.
After spending a little time analyzing the magic circle,
“Hmm...”
the mage let out a troubled murmur, looking awkward.
“Why? Is it not working?”
“The existing slave mark is absurdly strong. If we forcibly remove it, there’s a risk of problems.”
“Is there no way?”
“It seems possible if we overlay a new contract on top of the existing one.”
“Then please do that.”
The mage nodded.
“Your Highness, could you extend your hand for a moment?”
Aurora extended her hand without hesitation. The mage drew a small amount of mana from her fingertips.
He drew it over and used Aurora’s mana to form a new contract on top of the magic circle, layering it over the old one.
At that moment, a notification appeared before Rion’s eyes.
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Notification : The owner has been updated.
■ New owner : Aurora Argenvalt
======
“It’s done, Your Highness. From now on, this one’s owner is Your Highness. He won’t be able to harm you, and he’ll obey any command.”
“Hmm, so this is what it feels like.”
The sensation of being connected to Rion by an invisible thread.
It was awkward, but not bad.
“Then will you release him now?”
The guards approached and removed the chains bound to Rion’s arms and legs.
Rion rotated his stiff wrists to loosen them.
“How does it feel?”
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Hmm...”
Aurora stared at Rion for a moment.
Then she lowered her finger.
“Sit.”
Rion’s body sank down at once.
“Stand.”
This time, he sprang to his feet.
Aurora looked back and forth between Rion and her own finger with fascinated eyes.
“Wow, it really works.”
“......”
“Don’t look at me like that. I just tried it to see whether it works or not. It’d be troublesome if you suddenly started acting up, wouldn’t it?”
“...I understand.”
The sensation of his body moving on its own was quite unpleasant, but he reluctantly let it slide.
After all, when you get something new, it’s normal to try out its functions and see what it can do.
“You should wash up first.”
After finally leaving the prison and heading back aboveground, Rion received help from the palace attendants to scrub off the grime and change into fresh clothes.
“Hmm, you looked good tied up too, but this is much cleaner and nicer to look at.”
Aurora voiced her impressions with a satisfied expression.
Rion, now neatly dressed, looked so much like a noble that no one would have found it strange.
“Hmm...”
Aurora stared at Rion intently for a while. Rion felt a bad premonition.
“Why now?”
“Rion, you’re my slave, right?”
“Yes.”
“That means I can do whatever I want with you, right?”
“...For now, I suppose?”
Aurora let out a sly smile.
“Rion. Arms out to the sides.”
At his master’s command, Rion’s arms rose to either side.
Aurora came closer and began feeling Rion’s arms.
Her touch was incredibly shy and careful.
“Oh... your arms are like rocks. Is that because you’re a man? Or because you swing a sword?”
“Your Highness...?”
“Quiet.”
Having silenced Rion’s flustered protest, Aurora resumed examining his body with intense concentration.
She touched his arms, brushed his back, and even poked at his waist.
Aurora had grown up like a flower in a greenhouse.
She had often seen knights sweating on the training grounds, but this was the first time she’d ever touched a man’s body directly.
As a princess of noble birth, she couldn’t even imagine carelessly touching another man’s body.
But Rion was different.
Rion was a slave absolutely obedient to her commands, and he couldn’t even tell anyone outside about this secret little inspection.
It meant she could satisfy her private curiosity to her heart’s content without worrying about anyone’s gaze.
“Men really should be knights, not mages. Look at Aither—he’s so skinny and frail.”
Aurora nodded to herself and wrote her impressions down on paper.
Her seriously focused expression was like that of a scholar exploring the unknown.
Of course, the one left embarrassed by her unreserved hands was none other than Rion.
“How long were you by the young lady’s side?”
“A little over three years.”
“Before that?”
“I was either scraping by as a gladiator slave or working in a mine.”
“So you only started living like a human after meeting the young lady?”
“You could say that, more or less.”
Aurora nodded as if she understood. Soon, a playful smile appeared on her lips.
“So that means I gobbled up something the young lady had cherished and cared for? What am I supposed to do about feeling sorry for her?”
She said she was sorry, but there wasn’t even a speck of remorse on Aurora’s face.
“Will you finally tell me the real reason you took me in?”
“Shall I?”
After finishing her inspection, Aurora turned around and sat down in a chair.
“It’s nothing much. I’ve actually been writing a novel.”
“A novel?”
“Yep. A romance novel about a heartbreaking, sweet love story between a man and a woman.”
“Your Highness is writing a romance novel?”
“Why? Is there some rule that says a princess can’t write one?”
Aurora rested her chin on the table and pouted in displeasure.
“Not at all. If even a slave can work as a knight, then a princess can write a romance novel.”
“Right?”
Satisfied with the answer, a smile returned to Aurora’s lips.
“Your role is simple. Based on your experience, I want you to help me write my novel.”
-Ding
It was then.
Another notification window appeared in Rion’s field of vision.
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『Master’s Command』
The first imperial princess of the Empire, Aurora Argenvalt. She is a 'romance writer' who knows nothing of love.
Turn the master, who has zero dating experience, into the continent’s greatest romance novelist.
Reward : Random S-rank skill
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