I Only Raised Men for Revenge - Chapter 34

A smile naturally spread across Sesenia’s face.

“Anyone watching would think Rohan is more worried about Teddy than me.”

“Pardon?”

“The way you’re looking.”

Belatedly, the two looked at each other and shook their heads as if on cue. The way they even waved their hands, like dolls only moving their necks, was quite a sight.

“No. I like women.”

“I like Master. I definitely don’t like Rohan.”

“…I don’t like you either.”

“Haha…”

“…You know you look even more suspicious when you do that, Teddy.”

Rohan looked at Teddy with a rather sulky expression, but Teddy only smiled. A very small smile. An expression he never thought he’d see. The Teddy he’d briefly met in the past was someone who seemed incapable of such a smile.

“Shall we go now, Teddy?”

“Ah, yes!”

As if he’d been waiting for Sesenia’s words, Teddy moved. Rohan, looking at them in disbelief, shook his head and followed them until they left the Merchant Guild.

As soon as they got into the carriage, Lizbeth, as if accustomed to it, told the coachman their destination, and the carriage slowly picked up speed towards the Magic Tower.

Lizbeth, as always, tilted her high ponytail from side to side, staring intently at Sesenia.

“You seem curious about why we’re going to the Magic Tower today, Lizbeth.”

“Ah! How did you know?”

“I just sensed you were curious. The reason we’re going is that I have a few things to ask about Teddy.”

“I see.”

As always, Lizbeth’s questions stopped there. As if not wanting to cross a line, Lizbeth only satisfied her one-dimensional curiosity. Where are we going today? Is there a reason for the destination?

There were no questions about why they were going there, or why she was curious.

Perhaps because she was a maid to Sesenia Bestel, not the Empress, Sesenia felt the heavy weight of being an Empress disappear when she was with her.

She even started to think that it wouldn’t be so bad to put aside her revenge for a while and enjoy this time. She was simply enjoying this time and was happy. As if Lizbeth was her only breathing hole, as if she, who had already died once in this timeline, had been placed here with that intention, Lizbeth was quite a significant presence for Sesenia.

“That young lady.”

It was then.

“Yes?”

“When Brother is with the young lady, he seems like the old Brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“Something happened. So, I was separated from Brother for a while. I eventually came back after some time, but the Brother I saw after a few years seemed like a different person. He was too busy hiding his emotions. But… when he’s with the young lady, when he’s at the Iar Merchant Guild, he’s like the playful Brother from the old days.”

Sesenia held Lizbeth’s hand tightly, who was sitting next to her.

“I’ll make sure that continues to happen. It’ll be tough since he’s in charge of the Merchant Guild, but still I want Rohan to live like Rohan. Lizbeth to live like Lizbeth. So, please take care of us.”

“Yes…!”

After saying that, she felt a little sorry for Teddy.

No matter what, Teddy wouldn’t be able to live like Teddy. The most peaceful and comfortable time in Teddy’s life was right now. Now, Teddy had to live as a royal, which was close to a form of punishment. So, Sesenia gazed at him with a sense of apology.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

“Will I be able to live as myself?”

“Teddy…”

What should she say? Should she tell him the truth about his bloodline? But it was too much to blurt out such words right now. Ultimately, confirming that he was indeed of royal blood was the priority.

So, Sesenia couldn’t say anything.

Then, Teddy smiled brightly.

“It’s okay, I’m fine.”

“Huh?”

“Even if there’s no peace in my life, it’s okay because I have this moment. You see, I’ve been trapped my whole life. Freedom has come to me. And I’ve gained people who care about me. I thought God hated me so much but I’m starting to think that maybe He was just pretending to hate me in order to give me this joy.”

Teddy fiddled with his neck.

She had tried to remove it several times, but Teddy had refused, so the restraint collar remained on his neck. The fact that he was wearing a restraint collar was proof that he was a slave. She had tried to use that as an excuse to remove it, but Teddy was adamant.

It was as if removing the restraint collar would erase his reason for existence, it was so heartbreaking.

Knowing that he just wanted to belong somewhere, Sesenia still couldn’t bring herself to remove the restraint collar from his neck.

“Teddy.”

“Yes.”

“What kind of life did you live? Do you remember anything?”

“Ah…”

“You don’t have to say anything if it’s too difficult.”

The memories Sesenia had of him. Emers, the name his mother had given him. And that mother had given her son that name before selling him.

Knowing that he was a precious child of the imperial family, a boy who could inherit the throne, she had sold her son to a slave trading company. And a patron had rescued the abandoned prince.

Lastly, she remembered that the patron wasn’t from a particularly noble family.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s strange.’

Sesenia knew everything, so she was able to find Teddy. His mother had abandoned him to a slave trading company, and he had grown up in the slave trading company since he was very young, having been beaten instead of receiving proper education. A small prison where he could barely lay his body was all he had.

When she was Empress, Sesenia had asked about him. At the time, Teddy had spoken on behalf of the patron who had saved him. He said that the patron had found him because the patron, who was displeased with the slave trading company, had happened to see him.

He had said that it was the largest and oldest of the few remaining slave trading companies, so Sesenia had found Teddy by matching all of that information.

‘But… finding him in a slave trading company and knowing that he’s a royal? That’s even stranger.’

In particular, the problem was that he didn’t look like a royal at all. The blonde hair and golden eyes that only those with royal blood possessed. There were definitely people with similar colors.

The golden eyes, like the noble eyes of a predator, containing the sparkling grains of sand of the desert, had a similar feel to yellow eyes.

The same was true of the noble golden hair. So, unless both appeared, no one would even suspect that he was a royal.

‘Tedel had black hair from the beginning. I wondered if it would change over time but it’s still black.’

That was why she was going to the Magic Tower today. Changing a person’s hair color was something that could only be done at the Magic Tower. So, simply seeing Tedel, who was trapped in a slave trading company, and knowing that he was a royal was absurd.

“What are you curious about?”

“Huh?”

“You seem very cautious about me. I thought it would be better if you just asked me what you’re curious about.”

“Okay. Then, Teddy. When did your hair color become black?”

“From a very young age. All the moments I remember, it was black. Is it bad if it’s black? Is there a bad meaning or something…?”

Sesenia quickly shook her head, afraid that he might suspect something.

“No. It’s nothing like that. I was just curious. Then, do you have any other memories? Your mother who gave you your name or other memories.”

“Would it be helpful to Master if I told you everything I know?”

“Yes. But you don’t have to say anything if it’s too difficult. If that’s the case, I can look into it separately. Even if it takes a long time. So, if it’s too difficult.”

“I want to say anything. But Master, I actually don’t have any memories. Not even about my mother. The person guarding the prison just told me. It was something I heard around the time I was imitating what others were saying. He said it was the only thing my mother left behind.”

“I see.”

Sesenia’s heart grew heavy. She wanted to reach out and stroke his hair. To tell him that he had grown up well. That he had grown up so well in that place, in that place that must have been so difficult.

“So, I’m actually scared.”

“Of what? Of being abandoned?”

“That too, but Master has been coming to me since that day as if it was a certainty. Like someone who knows me. Like the person you were looking for was me. So, I’m afraid that I might not be the person you were looking for. That I might become a useless person. So, please don’t abandon me.”

His eyes were shaking endlessly, as if he were about to cry at any moment.

“Teddy.”

“Yes.”

“Why do you follow me?”

“The reason I follow Master is… I don’t know.”

Teddy suddenly became dejected.

“You don’t know.”

“Will you abandon me if there’s no reason?”

“Are you afraid of being abandoned?”

“I’m not afraid of being abandoned. But I’m afraid of Master abandoning me.”

He was like a puppy. A puppy that had been waiting and waiting in the same spot, believing that its owner would come, until its body had weakened. Yet, it would wag its tail whenever it saw someone who resembled its owner, and it would fall in love with humans again.

“You’re quite beast-like.”

“I want to remain a beast. I feel like you’ll keep me by your side if I do.”

“I won’t abandon you. I told you, it’s hypocrisy. It’s just pretending to be good. So, I’ll keep pretending to be good until the day you refuse. I promise on my name. I will never abandon you first. So, don’t think too much. Okay?”

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