Chapter 66 …
“Isaac, step back. I’ll handle this.”
Being surrounded by soldiers and doing nothing but receiving protection wasn’t an option.
She wanted to finish this quickly and go home for a deep, sweet sleep.
Elena waved the guards back and stepped forward.
“What is it that you want?”
“Hah, finally someone who understands words. Pretty face, and a sharp head too.”
The man smiled lightly and brushed aside Elena’s hair as it fluttered in the wind.
“How dare—!”
“Isaac.”
Elena raised her hand to stop them.
If they rushed in now, it would end in nothing but brute suppression.
“Shall we move somewhere else, my lady?”
Liandro bowed exaggeratedly, mimicking a noble in a ridiculous way.
Isaac snarled, spitting out curses.
But such provocation was no more than a child’s prank.
“On one condition. You come alone.”
Liandro grinned and beckoned to her.
“That’s far too dangerous—!”
“It’s fine. I’ll be back.”
Whether it turned into disaster or not, she would settle this herself.
She would make him clearly understand the consequences of daring to interrupt her precious sleep.
Grinding her teeth, Elena followed him toward the completely ruined farmhouse.
“It’s pretty cozy, isn’t it?”
“As if.”
Even in this situation, Liandro seemed oddly excited.
As he walked ahead, he kept glancing back and striking up conversation.
“Could you smile just once? I’d like to see you smiling too.”
“I didn’t come here to joke around with you. State your terms.”
“How prickly.”
The farmhouse was little more than a ruin.
The wooden structure had burned so thoroughly that its original shape was unrecognizable.
The scorched smell still lingered around the building.
“Sit.”
Liandro offered her a chair blackened by fire.
It was impossible to tell whether it had always been small or had shrunk from burning.
“Speak.”
“I’d like to have a slow conversation with you, my lady.”
“Stop stalling and get to the point.”
The man waved his hand as if he were tired of it all.
Then he let out a breath and, in an instant, his expression hardened.
“I lost my younger sister.”
“…What?”
If he lost her—did that mean she was dead?
Elena tilted her head, not quite understanding yet.
“The Ilots here have probably all lost at least one family member.”
He lowered his head, clenching his teeth.
“What are you talking about?”
“Delit. This place is hell. Those damned laws can go to hell. The Ilots here are beaten every single day.”
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing deep blue bruises.
Not only bruises, but dark, dried blood scabs were visible on his body.
“What is this…?”
Estelle’s slave system is slightly different from what we know.
Ilots—slaves—are considered the property of their masters and must fulfill their duties, but masters are also required to fulfill their obligations toward the Ilots.
Even if they are owned, inflicting violence or forcing excessive labor is illegal under imperial law.
“His precious Majesty the Emperor probably doesn’t even know about this. It’s all thoroughly hidden. The lord is in on it too. Just under that bastard alone, the number of slaves who’ve died is beyond counting.”
At Liandro’s words, Elena was left speechless.
Slaves being beaten.
Living here for so long, she had never even heard of such a thing.
She had never even seen it mentioned as a joke.
“I wasn’t born a slave either. I was an ordinary farmer. But I lost my parents in the Bateil War and crossed over here with my sister.”
“The Kingdom of Bateil…”
She had read about it once in a book.
The Bateil War was known for producing massive casualties.
With the introduction of hand cannons, it was recorded as one of the most destructive and chain-reaction-driven wars in history.
“At first, everyone treated us well. Maybe they pitied us. They fed us properly and gave us clean lodgings. But that was only until we signed the contract.”
“……”
“After that, it was the same every day. If you couldn’t work, you were beaten. Beaten until you died. As an example, they said. That’s how my little sister died.”
“How could they do something like that…?”
“So I gathered people and burned every farm in Delit. I wanted to tell the world about this injustice. It was an unavoidable choice.”
A riot born to expose the unjust deaths of family members and the cruelty inflicted on the Ilots.
No—this was not a riot. It was a revolution.
This wasn’t just a local issue; it was something that needed to be known nationwide.
Surely, similar things were happening secretly in other regions as well.
“Is all of that… true?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to go this far either. Damn it.”
He shrugged weakly.
His thin arms, visible outside his tunic, trembled like bare branches.
Her heart ached.
She couldn’t fully understand the pain of losing family, but his 모습 was unbearably pitiful.
“Get up. It’s time to teach the lord a lesson.”
Elena took the crying Liandro’s hand and led him out of the ruined house.
In the distance, Isaac, the guards, and the lord himself came into view.
The lord’s face went pale in shock when he saw them.
“A-Adjudicator. What on earth is this…?”
His facial muscles twisted as his gaze darted between the two of them.
“Say it yourself, Liandro.”
“The lord… stood by while violence was inflicted on the Ilots. We Ilots only wanted to bring these horrific crimes to light. We—we are innocent.”
“Y-you bastard, what nonsense are you spouting—!”
The lord cried out in outrage and raised his hand toward Liandro.
Smack—
Elena slapped his hand away, her eyes cold.
“So you really are used to raising your hand, my lord.”
“What—what are you talking about! This is just that Ilot scum—! You there, how dare you spew such lies!”
“It’s not a lie. If you go to the Orange Forest, you’ll find bodies buried together with the contracts. Go and see for yourself.”
Large tears fell from Liandro’s eyes.
The way he struggled to hold back his sobs was heartbreaking.
“Isaac, verify whether what he says is true and arrest the lord. The rest we’ll discuss after returning to the Grand Duke’s residence.”
“As you command.”
At her words, the guards surrounded the lord.
Others began digging beneath the orange trees.
“Th-thank you. Thank you, Adjudicator…”
Liandro dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead flat against the ground.
“Get up, Liandro. You still have something to do. Spread this news and disband your group. There will be those who resist, but that’s your responsibility as their leader. I trust you.”
“Yes. Yes. I’ll do as you say. Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
He rose and bowed repeatedly, bending low again and again.
“Here! There’s a body!”
At the shout coming from afar, Elena headed toward the orange tree.
The closer she got, the stronger a strange stench became.
“What is this…?”
The reality was even more horrific.
Pitch-blackened blood, still-unsullied hair, and chunks of flesh clung together on the corpse.
“Ugh….”
The grotesque sight made her feel sick.
“My lady, step back.”
With Isaac’s help, Elena barely managed to retreat into the carriage.
But even when she closed her eyes, the images of the bodies wouldn’t fade.
“We’ll arrest the lord. We’ll head back soon, so wait just a little longer.”
“Mm….”
Isaac gently patted her head once and left the carriage.
Countless thoughts tangled together in her mind.
How many more atrocities like this were happening in secret?
Who was responsible for the human rights of those abandoned in the shadows?
“Haah…”
Elena clenched her lips tightly, swallowing her anger.
Outside, the lord’s screams rang out.
They were as dreadful as the squeals of a pig being slaughtered.
“My lady, are you all right?”
“Y-yes. I’m fine…”
Isaac was standing there, his expression full of concern.
“Then let’s go. Home.”
Grand Duke’s residence, office.
As soon as everything was over, her feet naturally carried her to where Decarus was.
She didn’t know why.
Her body just moved toward him on its own.
“Should I just leave…?”
Hesitating in front of the door, Elena let out a deep sigh and raised her hand.
Knock, knock—
“Come in.”
A deep, dark, yet warm voice.
A voice that could lull anyone into a deep sleep.
Elena smiled softly and opened the door.
“Carus, I’m here.”
“You’re late.”
Decarus frowned slightly and tapped the side of the bed.
It was a signal to come over.
Holding back her overflowing smile, Elena walked toward him.
“Come here.”
Seeing her sit on the chair beside the bed, he frowned in displeasure.
“I haven’t even washed. I’m covered in dust from outside—”
“It’s fine. Come here. I want to hold you.”
As if she had no choice, Elena removed the thin cape draped around her neck and climbed onto the bed.
“Is this okay?”
“Yes.”
He immediately pulled her into his arms.
Wrapped in the warmth of the blankets and his body, the exhaustion in her heart seemed to melt away.
“It was so hard today.”
“It was hard?”
“Yes.”
He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.
Then slowly trailed down over her eyes, her nose, her cheeks.
“You did well.”
At his words, Elena smiled shyly.
Is this what it feels like to have a family?
In her past life, there was always no one at home when work ended.
No friend to comfort her, no pet.
But now, it felt like something was filling the emptiness inside her.
“Ah, the Ilots were just so—”
“Work talk later.”
His damp tongue slowly traced her lower lip.
Ticklish, she squeezed her eyes shut, and he went a little deeper.
Thick flesh slid stickily between her teeth and along her palate.
His saliva quickly moistened the corners of her mouth.
As her breathing grew ragged, he wrapped an arm around her nape and pulled her closer.
Between their pressed chests, she could hear his heart pounding.
He tugged the thin chemise down past her shoulders.
A chill ran over her bare collarbones, now fully exposed.
“Ha….”
He slowly undid the buttons along the back of the chemise.
Each time his slender fingers brushed her, a shiver ran down her spine.
“That’s enough. If your wound opens again—”
As if annoyed, he sealed her mouth with another kiss and lifted her dress.
Her bare white skin gleamed in the moonlight.
“Stop, Carus. Really, you shouldn’t.”
Elena gathered herself and got up from the bed.
He smacked his lips regretfully, blinking slowly.
“Once I’m fully healed. Then you’d better be prepared.”
