Chapter 11
The black hair swayed with the wind. But the golden eyes within remained still.
He was much taller than Cecenia. When he was trapped in the slave market, she hadn’t realized how handsome he was. But now, under the sunlight, his beauty shone brilliantly. He finally opened his mouth as if he were about to ask a question.
“And… earlier. Why didn’t you use the ring? When I tried to kill that merchant… You could have easily subdued me with it.”
“You’re not a beast. No, even if you were, I wouldn’t use a ring like this.”
“…”
“Honestly, I’d like to throw it away, but I’m afraid you’ll run away, so I can’t. So, don’t run away and stay here, okay? Rohan will bring you food from time to time. If you need anything or want something, tell him. I’ll provide it.”
He lowered his head deeply. Somehow, he looked like a rain-soaked puppy, and Cecenia reached out and patted his head.
“You have to listen well, okay? Only then will I let you go.”
“Please be precise. Be completely honest with me.”
His eyes were filled with deep yearning.
“What are you so curious about?”
“Why did you buy me, my lady?”
“To beat you up?”
At those words, he slowly lifted his head.
“The real reason.”
‘How could I tell you the real reason? That you’re the emperor’s hidden child. That I’m the only one who knows.’
A royal no one knew about.
His bloodline was already rare among the imperial family, so his existence was something entirely new.
No one openly backed him, and he had no education, yet he possessed strength greater than any prince.
Because of that, he immediately became a threat to the throne. He was an object of awe. A royal born with an unmatched power.
‘That’s why I chose you.’
At least until then, until his royal blood was revealed, Cecenia wanted to give him a proper life instead of the excessively tragic fate that awaited a royal without support.
‘I don’t even know if this is the right thing to do. In the end, the choice will be yours. Even if you don’t become emperor, your existence alone will be enough to threaten them. But in the end, you will choose to become emperor.’
Cecenia’s expression subtly shifted.
In truth, she didn’t know everything about him. Even when he arrived at the imperial palace, he didn’t know who he was or why he had become a slave despite being an imperial citizen.
He had appeared just a week before she was executed, so there wasn’t much information about him.
There were only rumors—that some feared his birth and kidnapped him from his mother, or that his cruel mother had hidden away a precious imperial bloodline.
Very little was known about his mother.
‘I don’t know if anything was revealed after I died.’
In the end, Cecenia had brought him in to raise him as an emperor candidate. There was no kindness in her actions. Maybe just a little—she had saved him from the slave traders quickly—but it wasn’t because she was kind or gentle.
‘I’m not a good or kind person. I’m doing this for my own benefit.’
Because of that, Cecenia hardened her expression even more.
“Just think of it as the hypocrisy of a wealthy person.”
“…”
“I simply intend to support you no matter what path you choose. That’s why I bought you.”
“…”
“Hmm… If that’s not a satisfying answer, just think of it as me buying your future.”
His golden eyes were deep, as if they held the entire universe. If he washed up and dressed properly, his noble demeanor would rival that of any prince, even the emperor himself.
“A name…”
“Hm?”
“I won’t run away. Even if it’s just hypocrisy, I will accept it gratefully. You freed me. So… please give me a name.”
“Ah.”
Did he not have a name? But surely, he had been called something before.
“Has no one ever called you by a name?”
“Emes.”
“Huh?”
“It means ‘one who must walk a long path.’ My mother gave it to me before she sold me off.”
Emes. It wasn’t a name you would normally give a child. But hearing it, Cecenia was sure—he was that prince.
The imperial family was incredibly rare. Even if someone became emperor, they never killed their siblings.
That was because, long ago, a law had been established after a massacre within the royal family.
All royals were to be protected by the imperial house.
Unless they committed high treason, they retained their status and dignity.
Even the emperor himself could not harm his siblings or any blood descendants of the imperial family.
That was why Cecenia’s execution had been carried out so easily—because she had attempted to kill Elzer’s child. The imperial family was precious.
‘All new imperial children were reported to the emperor and empress.’
Cecenia had heard rumors of a new prince discovered a week before her own death. Though he had the name Emes, he didn’t want to be called that.
He had lived in the slave market before finding a sponsor and escaping. The identity and intentions of that sponsor remained unknown, but Cecenia now understood one thing.
‘It’s definitely him.’
She had some doubts because of his black hair, but now she was certain—the man she had brought in was indeed the prince who had been locked away by slave traders since childhood.
“I always thought I was abandoned by the gods, but maybe the gods have given me one last mercy. So, as you said, I’ll beat the cotton well. So please, give me a name.”
“Even though your mother already gave you one?”
His expression stiffened.
“I don’t mind. How about Tedel?”
“…”
“A nickname could be Teddy.”
Did he dislike it? She had just spoken the name that came to mind, but his face darkened even more.
“Did I choose badly—”
“No. I love it. Tedel… Teddy… Thank you. Thank you for giving me a name.”
She couldn’t claim to understand his life. How could she know better than the person who had lived through it? But she knew it hadn’t been easy.
Tedel had spent his entire life in a prison beneath the slave market. That was why Cecenia wondered if he would run away—because he had gained his first taste of freedom.
But even if he did, it didn’t really matter. In the original timeline, he had reappeared regardless.
‘If that happens… then I really would be nothing more than a wealthy hypocrite.’
No matter what, the future was going to change. Because Cecenia had placed her bet on Tedel.
“There’s no need to thank me.”
She couldn’t tell him the truth. She had nothing else to say.
Then, Tedel whispered his name a few times before kneeling and kissing the back of her hand.
“If my lady does not wish it… I will not do it.”
“No, you must show your loyalty. I bought you, after all.”
“Yes.”
“Live comfortably here.”
“I will follow my lady’s will.”
