I Tamed the Slave Male Lead Chapter 24

“…!”

Silence briefly settled over the drawing room.

But more than anything, what bothered me was wondering what the man guarding my back was thinking right now.

‘I really shouldn’t have blurted it out like that.’

This was all because of the two shameless people standing before me. Yet they were brazenly pretending not to understand what I was talking about.

Greham glanced at Sota for a moment before suddenly raising his voice.

“You must truly have lost your senses today! To keep spouting such useless nonsense in front of an esteemed guest—”

“Lord Maiona, that’s enough.”

Sota leisurely cut Greham off.

“It seems Lady Arabella isn’t in a state to have a calm conversation today.”

His face, wearing an overly generous smile, was unbearably irritating.

“Lady Arabella is a delicate and fragile lady, so naturally, I ought to understand. Sometimes, when people are tired, they end up saying all sorts of things without even realizing what they’re saying.”

Sota seemed to have made up his mind to treat me like an idiot.

‘So you’re just going to pretend you didn’t hear anything about my limited lifespan? You’re simply going to play dumb whenever the subject becomes inconvenient for you.’

As though he were enjoying the way I glared at him, Sota slowly rose from his seat.

“Then shall we take our leave for today?”

“Will you be leaving, Your Highness?”

Greham hurriedly moved to Sota’s side as though he had been waiting for that very moment.

Just as I frowned at the sight, which felt like watching a pathetic play, Sota, who had just begun to walk, opened his mouth.

“But there’s something.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Hasn’t there been a rotten smell coming from somewhere for a while now?”

“Pardon? You said a rotten smell, Your Highness? I specifically instructed them to clean thoroughly before your arrival, but where could such a smell be coming from…? I sincerely apologize, Your Highness!”

Ignoring Greham’s flustered response, Sota spoke in an exaggerated tone, as though deliberately teasing us.

“Hmm. Could it be the smell of rats? Come to think of it, I believe I smelled the same kind of rat in the Imperial Palace library earlier.”

As he rambled on, Sota stared pointedly in our direction.

Only then did I realize that his business here wasn’t over yet.

‘He noticed that we sneaked into the library and looked at the secret sword manual. That’s why he came here in such a hurry.’

Ever since Yusiliph had used sword aura during the gladiatorial match, I had already prepared myself for the possibility that Sota would notice something.

‘Well, it’s not like this world has fingerprints or footprints to check, and there aren’t any CCTV cameras either. He may have suspicions, but there’s no evidence that we broke into the library. He’s probably just fishing for information.’

I steeled myself and met Sota’s gaze.

“Oh dear. It’s truly unfortunate that rats would sneak into the Imperial Palace, which ought to be the cleanest and most glorious place of all. You should be careful to check whether there are any things giving off a rotten smell lurking everywhere.”

“Ha.”

Sota scoffed at my words, twisting up one corner of his mouth.

“How amusing, Arabella. Why did I never realize before that you were such an interesting person?”

“Haha, I suppose so.”

I gave him an insincere laugh at his obviously sarcastic remark, when Sota’s gaze passed over me and landed somewhere else.

Following his disdainful gaze, I was slightly surprised.

‘Huh. He’s still wearing that.’

The white handkerchief wrapped around the hilt of Yusiliph’s sword.

It was undoubtedly the handkerchief I had given him before the match, wishing him good luck.

Sota stared intently at the handkerchief, which was unmistakably something given to him by a lady, before raising his head and looking at Yusiliph.

“How does it feel to be a free man, slave swordsman?”

Yusiliph stared straight back at Sota with an unreadable expression.

The two of them were nearly the same height and similarly built. Standing face-to-face like that, they even seemed alike in appearance.

Yusiliph calmly met Sota’s gaze and answered in a low voice.

“Not bad.”

“Hmm, I see. Regita must be rather upset.”

“Please give her my regards.”

At Yusiliph’s relaxed response, Sota scoffed as though he found it ridiculous.

“So, the first profession you chose after becoming a free man is being a count’s daughter’s bodyguard? A rather modest choice for the winner of His Majesty’s birthday tournament.”

Yusiliph simply stared at him as though to say, And what exactly do you want me to do about it?

“If you have any thoughts of changing your mind, come find me.”

“……”

“I’ll give you an opportunity to join the Golden Eagle Knights.”

Both Greham and I, who had been watching their exchange, were startled by Sota’s words.

The Golden Eagle Knights were an elite corps of knights directly under the Imperial Family and personally led by Sota. Membership was reserved exclusively for the sons of prestigious noble families, making them the Empire’s most elite military organization.

Offering such an opportunity to a swordsman who had once been a slave was an extraordinarily generous proposition.

But, of course, there had to be some dark intention hidden behind Sota’s offer.

He was probably planning to use the excuse of admitting Yusiliph into the Knights to send him into the labyrinth and exploit him to his heart’s content.

But Yusiliph didn’t know about the miserable future that awaited him in the original story.

He could probably guess from what he had overheard when we sneaked into the Imperial secret archives that Sota needed him.

But he couldn’t possibly know just how vile the intentions hidden behind that need really were.

Sota spoke again.

“Your swordsmanship during the gladiatorial match was quite impressive. It reminded me of someone I know.”

It was clearly a provocation referring to Angelton Silly, the author of the secret sword manual, but Yusiliph maintained his calm expression.

“Is that so? I don’t know who you mean, but I’m honored.”

At his nonchalant reply, Sota scoffed before adding meaningfully,

“But did you know? There comes a point where self-taught skills inevitably reach their limit.”

“……”

“I personally teach swordsmanship to the knights of the Golden Eagle Knights. I find it quite rewarding to nurture talented knights. If you join the Knights, you’ll have the opportunity to receive instruction directly from a genuine Swordmaster.”

I tensed at Sota’s sly words.

Being personally taught swordsmanship by a Swordmaster was something every swordsman dreamed of.

Although Yusiliph had entered into an employment contract with me, it was still only a verbal agreement for now.

If Yusiliph decided to leave me right now, there was nothing I could do to stop him.

A long, drawn-out silence followed.

Yusiliph slowly opened his mouth.

“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.”

Greham and Sota both let out incredulous laughs at the same time.

“…Decline? The opportunity to join the Golden Eagle Knights?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s something I don’t want.”

“You don’t want it. Ha.”

Sota burst into laughter.

“Hahahahaha!”

He laughed until tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, as though he found it incredibly amusing.

There was something downright chilling about the sight.

“Ridiculous. Rather than not wanting it, I suspect you simply don’t understand what my offer means. Perhaps you’ve never truly owned anything, so you’re incapable of judging what does and doesn’t have value.”

“That may be so.”

Yusiliph continued to answer Sota’s mockery with the same detached calmness.

And that indifferent reaction finally made Sota snap.

“How insolent.”

“……”

“You’re far too insolent. What exactly gives you the confidence to act so boldly? That laughable level of swordsmanship?”

Sota’s emotionless eyes gleamed.

The next moment, before I even had time to understand what was happening, he drew his sword.

“…!”

Clang!

What had happened?

In the blink of an eye, Yusiliph’s broad back completely filled my field of vision.

I didn’t even see when he had drawn his sword.

Yusiliph was already standing in front of me, his arm muscles swollen to the point of bursting as he blocked Sota’s attack.

“Y-Your Highness!”

Greham stumbled backward in terror.

I cautiously poked my head out from beside Yusiliph’s back to understand what was happening.

“Stay back. It’s dangerous.”

Yusiliph’s voice sounded strained, as though even speaking was difficult. The veins stood out prominently along the back of his solid neck.

“Ha. Anyone watching would think I was trying to attack Lady Arabella. I’m merely thinking of giving you a brief lesson.”

Sota’s mocking voice rang out.

Yet for someone who claimed he was only giving a lesson, the sword aura extending from his blade looked quite serious.

Crack—

Yusiliph stood firm without wavering, but I could see his feet gradually being pushed backward, causing the marble floor beneath him to crack and split.

‘What should I do? No matter how rapidly Yusiliph has improved, his opponent is a Swordmaster. This was an impossible fight from the start!’