Chapter 06
“Yes. But I don’t want to die.”
At least, not me.
“In this country, slave trading is illegal.”
No matter the kind, slavery had been completely abolished. And the punishment for it was now much harsher — I’d heard that the responsible parties either had their wrists cut off and were exiled, or were executed.
In other words, if I wanted to truly take Xavier down, I’d have to expose the entire slave ring.
But that wasn’t something I could do alone.
“You… need help?”
“Yes, exactly.”
That was the reason I brought him here in the first place. So I spoke honestly, without adding any lies.
“The slave market — or rather, the place where you used to live, Matthias. I need to know everything about it. Every single detail.”
“……”
“If you help me, I’ll provide everything I promised earlier — food, shelter, clothes, and a proper reward.”
Matthias, who had been listening quietly, asked carefully,
“Other… things.”
“You don’t have to do anything else.”
I said it firmly, in case he misunderstood.
“All I need is information. Just tell me how many people there are, where they’re located, what they do — things like that.”
I thought for a bit and decided to organize the rest later.
“So, take your time and think about it. You can stay here comfortably as long as you need. And if you don’t want to help, that’s fine too — though, um… I’d really appreciate it if you did.”
“If I do…”
He murmured softly. I instinctively leaned closer to hear him.
“If I stay… here.”
Matthias glanced down at the piece of bread he was still holding.
“Together.”
He gripped the bread tightly.
“Can we… eat together?”
“Huh?”
I blinked in confusion, caught off guard by the question.
‘I didn’t think about that.’
“Well… hmm.”
Eating together? That wasn’t a hard request. Sharing a meal now and then — sure, why not?
“Alright. While you’re staying here, we can eat together.”
“I’ll do it.”
The moment I finished speaking, Matthias put down his bread.
“I’ll stay. Here.”
“O-okay…”
Was that it? Did that mean he agreed? I hadn’t expected him to accept so quickly.
‘You can’t just follow people because they give you food, you silly man!’
Granted, I was the one who used food as bait, but still — come on!
‘How are you going to survive in this cruel world like this?!’
But unlike Aria Renesti’s worried thoughts, Matthias wasn’t thinking about anything at all.
“Then, rest well.”
After the maid left the room, Matthias was left alone.
He sat quietly, looking around.
According to Aria, this room was his from now on — a place where he could eat, sleep, and rest freely.
Had he ever had a space like this before?
‘No.’
His life had always been the worst.
There had never been a single hopeful day.
He’d been abandoned on the streets at birth, not even knowing who his parents were, before being kidnapped by some organization.
Everything after that was brutal.
He was beaten constantly. When hungry, he caught and ate sewer rats.
And even those became scarce after a while. Fresh vegetables or meat — those were luxuries reserved for his tormentors, never for him.
For a slave, such things were unimaginable.
Still, he hadn’t really resented it. He’d been born into that life, after all.
He didn’t even know what “normal” was, or what kind of life people were supposed to live.
So, there was nothing to feel sorry about.
All Matthias knew about himself were his name and age — information that existed only so he could be used as property. If not for that, he was sure he’d have never known even those.
But for the first time, about a month ago, he’d felt anger.
It happened when he accidentally overheard something about his birth.
—“W-what? Frombell? You’re telling me that bastard’s from the Grand Duke’s family?! Are we all dead men walking or what? The boss said so himself?”
—“Yeah, so keep your mouth shut. And don’t worry — he won’t die easily, the coward.”
—“Coward?! If the Grand Duke finds out he’s still alive, they’ll kill us all!”
—“Idiot. Think about it. Why hasn’t the Grand Duke found him yet? Not because they can’t — because they won’t. He’s a bastard child. Obviously thrown away.”
The Grand Duke’s house. Abandoned child. Bastard.
For the first time in his life, Matthias felt true rage.
And that rage wasn’t directed at himself — but at everyone else.
Abandoned, used, and controlled — he’d never once made his own choices.
His life had always been dictated by others.
Just an hour ago, he’d been a man with no sense of self — someone who lived by obeying orders without question.
But once he realized that truth, uncontrollable anger flooded in.
‘Should I kill them all?’
But Matthias hadn’t killed the slavers.
No — he couldn’t.
Even if he was strong, they were many. Escaping alone had already been a miracle.
Taking them all down by himself was impossible.
So he decided to wait — to plan for the future.
He could never forgive the Frombell family that had thrown him away.
And then, at the edge of despair—
—“Would you like to come with me?”
He met Aria.
—“I-I’m not a suspicious person, okay? The guy who brought you here — he’s my enemy.”
—“Please help me punish him. I’ll provide you food, clothes, shelter — and even payment!”
‘A strange woman.’
That was his first thought when he saw her.
A woman who immediately insisted she wasn’t dangerous — someone unlike anyone he’d ever met.
—“I’ll go.”
Everyone else had either scorned him or used him, but not Aria.
She’d been kind. Even though they’d just met, she treated him gently.
And when he realized that she truly meant no harm, Matthias felt something unfamiliar for the first time — confusion.
‘What is she? Why is she being so kind to me?’
—“Shall we go home first?”
But Matthias wasn’t stupid.
He knew the moment he sensed no danger from her that pushing her away would be a foolish mistake.
The slavers were still nearby. Even if he ran, he could starve or get caught again.
Staying with her was safer.
Committing any crime now would only draw attention.
But more than that—
—“I… want to go.”
The warmth of her hand pulling him toward safety was too much to resist.
So Matthias chose to follow her.
And that turned out to be the right decision.
—“Mr. Matthias.”
—“Mr.? What does that mean?”
—“Ah, that’s a polite title! Hmm, calling you just by name feels a little awkward.”
—“Drop it. Just talk easy.”
—“You mean, just call you by name? Is that okay?”
—“Talk… simply.”
—“Then you can talk comfortably too. It’s not fair if only I do.”
‘She even gave me food.’
And not just food — clean clothes, a warm room, a soft bed, kind treatment.
Things he’d never once had in his entire life — all of them came from her.
Sitting on the edge of the soft bed, Matthias bit his lip until he tasted blood.
The pain proved this wasn’t a dream, but the feel of smooth fabric beneath his fingers still made him anxious.
What if this was all an illusion?
‘No.’
He shook his head firmly and opened his palm.
The spot that had brushed her hand during dinner was still warm.
That warmth couldn’t be a dream.
‘Warm.’
He clenched his fist.
He truly had nowhere else to go.
The Grand Duke Frombell’s family? He’d thought of them for a moment, but — no. Would they really take back the son they’d abandoned?
Matthias frowned.
“No.”
He was certain of it now.
The place that had cast him away meant nothing.
Here, where someone had chosen to accept him — that was safer, more real, and more meaningful.
So he would behave. For now.
At least until he learned exactly how that woman planned to use him.
“Aria Renesti…”
He smiled faintly in the dark.
‘She doesn’t know yet that I’ve got teeth of my own.’
