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Whoa, Julius just keeps surprising us! I wonder what's next?
Julius, who lost his parents at the age of fifteen and went to the battlefield, was indeed different from me.
I stopped eating, leaving the half-eaten bread on the plate.
My stomach was full, so I took a sip of water from my glass.
“...Was he really a traitor?”
I couldn’t quite understand why Duke Craft had to be linked to an enemy country.
Julius swirled the wine in his glass, tilting it.
“Just like your situation. They had no means to investigate, and I didn’t investigate as well. As the sole legitimate heir of the Craft ducal family, I was kept alive as an imperial slave. The Emperor instructed me not to betray the Empire, to work for the country. So I went to the battlefield, killing people as ordered. That was the role assigned to me.”
“Isn’t that too harsh for a fifteen-year-old child...?”
“We were lacking both soldiers and generals. Nobles who could afford an army generally detest fighting. So they hide in their territories, leaving the battlefield to be filled with penniless volunteers and former criminals.”
Julius’s slightly low and somewhat husky voice resonated in the quiet dining area.
In a few weeks, the temperature would drop, and snow would fall. In the cool air preceding winter, the distant hum of insects could be heard.
“...True. The war has been going on for a long time, and... my life has always been the same. Back in the Seigrit ducal house, I never really thought about the war.”
“That’s just how it goes. Once you distance yourself, it becomes a tale from a far-off world. Few notice the fire on the other side. Few feel the pain. ...I slaughtered enemies and allies alike, even women and children, if it was an order. I started being called the cruel and ruthless Black Prince a few years into my time on the battlefield. I fought in various places as ordered, and in the end, I was captured by the Emperor and sold to the Astoria Kingdom.”
“So, you survived in the slave arena for three years, and now you’ve become my slave.”
“That’s right. Looking back, I was always someone’s slave. I never chose my own position... That’s why we’re different. …In other words, I never tried to carve my own path or think about living like you. …I didn’t express myself well. I didn’t mean to belittle you with my words.”
As Julius spoke, seemingly lost in thought, he said things here and there.
It warmed my heart. Perhaps Julius had been concerned about my attitude today.
He seemed oddly kinder than usual. But come to think of it, despite his haughty and sarcastic demeanor, Julius had always been gentle. Though I’m not sure if ‘gentle’ was the right word, at least he never resorted to violence or shouting for no reason.
“...Don’t smirk; it’s disgusting.”
“Sorry, I can’t help it. ...Um, thank you. ...But, Julius-san, even though I’m now the popular, beautiful prodigy alchemist in town, it's not like I started this shop on my own. …Three years ago, after being imprisoned and dumped in an alley, my master helped me.”
“Master?”
“Yes, my alchemy master. I learned alchemy from her for about six months. This shop originally belonged to my master, but one day, she handed it over to me and just disappeared. After she was gone, I realized that my master wasn’t interested in running a business; the shop was drowning in debt, and the taxes were unpaid. It took a year to rebuild, and another year to make a profit. And now, here we are.”
“Why did she disappear?”
Julius asked with a puzzled expression.
I pictured my master’s face. Natalia Bartley, my alchemy master, was an ageless beauty.
Glossy black hair, enchanting red lips, and revealing clothes that exposed half of her chest along with her legs. It was my job to follow her and drape a robe over her to avoid catching the eye of young boys.
I had been on the verge of being assaulted in the alley before she saved me, and since then, I’ve been living with her in this alchemy shop.
My master relentlessly used and pushed me, fostering my self-independence. Ever since she disappeared, tax officials had visited multiple times, debt collectors dropped by, the house seemed on the brink of being seized, and being the hated daughter of Duke Seigrit, life had been tough.
“I don’t really know why she disappeared because I didn’t know much about my master... Natalia-san. But she saved me, and I owe her. Natalia-san said she would give me the shop, the alchemy cauldron, and the materials. And then, she disappeared without a trace. It’s as if she was never here in the first place, and there are no traces of Natalia-san in the shop or the city. Sometimes, I wonder if I was just imagining things.”
“Wasn’t she a famous alchemist?”
“No one knows much about Natalia Bartley. ...Natalia-san wasn’t interested in working and rarely left her room. And now that it’s Chloe-chan’s beautifully restored shop, it's hard to believe this place was once in ruins. It was like a mysterious ruin in the center of the capital. I think few people even knew that Natalia-san was actually inside.”
“...Getting picked up by that alchemist might have been a coincidence, but the success of this shop is due to your efforts. You’re doing well.”
“Julius-san, you’re unusually kind today... Is it going to snow tomorrow?”
I slid the plate with the half-eaten bread to the back of the counter.
It seemed like a waste, but I wasn’t going to eat it anymore, so I thought I might as well dispose of it.
“I’ve been thinking about what upset you when I was alone earlier. ...I’ve never been good at understanding other people’s feelings. Helios is about the only decent conversational partner I have. So… Chloe.”
I looked at Julius as he called my name. For some reason, he seemed a bit troubled.
“I think I’m glad you bought me. Being by your side is comfortable. The eye that was gouged out when I was handed over to the kingdom, and Helios, who was like my other half, I could regain them all because of you. I’m grateful. So, don’t hesitate. I’m by your side. As long as there’s a contract in this collar, I belong to you.”
“...Yes.”
Julius expressed his gratitude to me very sincerely.
His tone was different from the sweetly theatrical one he sometimes used, and I couldn’t help but blush, covering my face with both hands.
I probably turned bright red. I don’t want to be seen like this.
It almost seems like I like Julius.
Wait, no, that’s not what I meant; I need to calm down. I was just surprised because Julius showed a completely different sincerity than usual. I’ve had enough of men. I won’t fall in love, and the only thing I believe in is money.
I took several deep breaths in my mind.
“...Besides, that young lady we met today was unbearable. That perfume scent and heavy makeup, her voice was all high-pitched and annoying. If I had to be around such a person all the time, I’d rather die. I’m glad you bought me earlier than them. I shudder to think I might have ended up in that household if things had gone slightly differently.”
“Julius-san, even though you were kind to Eliza-san, were you really thinking such things?”
“They were your clients, right? So I tried to restrain myself somewhat. …When she treated me like some sort of pet, I felt the urge to strangle her.”
“Is that so? I thought maybe Julius-san would want to stay with the Coldman family.”
If what Julius said is true, then I must’ve looked foolish for getting anxious and sad.
Julius pulled the plate of my leftover dried meat sandwich toward himself.
“That’s why you’re a fool. There’s no way that would happen. If you were planning to release the collar contract and sell me to that house for money, I would have taken you with me, called for Helios, and fled immediately.”
“You were going to take me with you?”
“Of course. You bought me, so you have to take responsibility.”
Julius said that naturally and finished the remaining bread in one bite.
I was momentarily dumbfounded, but I felt a strange happiness and continued to gaze at Julius.
My lips relaxed. I expected him to scold me, but Julius didn’t say anything.