BCPSM 05

Chapter 5: The Stone That Shines Within the Mud

That night, he did not wake even once.

Wrapped in a clean, soft blanket with a comforting texture, he sank into a sleep so deep it seemed like bliss itself had finally claimed him.

Even after lying down on the bed, I kept watching the newly acquired slave beside me.

If he was fed well and allowed proper rest, perhaps he would slowly regain weight… perhaps even recover his health bit by bit.

When I closed my eyes, his former image still surfaced without permission.

The beautiful young nobleman he once was.

So utterly different from the man lying here now.

The cold, distant prince I had once loved.

The man I had given my heart to.

After he broke off our engagement and falsely accused me of crimes I did not commit, I had no choice but to flee my homeland in haste.

Eight years had passed since then.

After I left, I heard my country fell into civil war. The royal family was wiped out.

Countless lives were lost. To restore order, neighboring nations intervened, and the demonic race that had ravaged the land was eventually purged.

Now, my homeland no longer existed—it had been absorbed into a neighboring kingdom.

The prince of that vanished country.

I knew well how much hardship he must have endured over those eight years.

They called him the crown prince who led his nation to ruin—the one who invited demons into the country.

The “holy maiden” who took my place, who he had chosen over me… was not human, but a demon wearing the skin of a gentle, saintly girl.

She burned down churches, imprisoned those who opposed her, slaughtered them mercilessly, and drank their blood.

By the time anyone realized something was wrong, it was already too late. The rot had already taken hold.

And you… you were deceived too.

So easily.

The soft arm of the woman who replaced me—when I saw it clearly, I understood.

It was pale and cold, like bone clicking against bone.

Not something living.

I wondered… did he kiss those lips? Did he hold that body and whisper words of love?

Those lips that had swallowed the blood of countless people.

The next morning, I returned to the town where my manor stood and had the carriage prepared at the inn brought out.

The newly acquired slave was lifted into the carriage by the sturdy Clump, while Mansel took the reins.

Barrels of food and water were loaded in.

The blind man sat silently in a corner of the carriage.

Mansel let out an exaggerated sigh when he looked at him.

“Hey, newbie—what was your name again?”

“You were told this morning, weren’t you? Seth.”

At my reply, Mansel spat out a dismissive “Tch.”

So I kicked him in the backside.

“Get the carriage moving.”

“Got it, Ave. But I wanted to confirm something.”

Without even turning around, he called back to me.

“You planning to make that your lover? Sure, he’s got a pretty face, but he looks useless. I think we’re better options than that guy, honestly.”

That earned him several more kicks. He yelped in pain.

The blind Seth listened to our exchange in a dazed silence.

That night, after we left the inn and set up camp, I sensed Seth quietly approaching while I was asleep.

When I asked what was wrong, he answered in a faint voice.

“Master… if you should desire me…”

I covered my face.

Eight years.

In eight years, that proud and beautiful prince had been forced to survive in the mud.

I understood it was necessary just to stay alive.

But I never wanted to know it.

“I don’t need you.”

At my cold words, he flinched and turned his face away.

I could almost hear the crack forming in what little pride he had left.

Whatever he could offer… whatever value he had to sell… that might have been all that remained.

I didn’t want to know that either.

“…Go to sleep. We leave early tomorrow.”

At my words, he slowly wrapped himself in the blanket provided and lay down.