When You Started to Regret - Chapter 32

It was only then that Dominic truly looked at himself again.

Once a royal prince of Emilta, the boy had lost his identity now reeking like a beast, stripped of all dignity. He felt ashamed of what he had become. When it had been just him and Edmund, he hadn’t noticed. He had grown so used to the stench of his own body that it no longer bothered him.

“Tsk, that’s not very nice, Turner.”

Edmund gently scolded his youngest brother, glancing briefly in Dominic’s direction.

“If you say things like that, my dear Dominic will get embarrassed.”

At that, the two little guests turned to look at Dominic. Under the clean, innocent stares of those spotless children, Dominic wanted nothing more than to run away.

“Is that awful smell coming from him? He’s the ‘slave’ you brought, right?”

The boy, who resembled Edmund but had a softer gaze, looked at Dominic with no malice—just innocent curiosity. But his words stung all the same.

“Vanessa’s slave didn’t smell that bad,” the young prince added, lowering the hand that had been covering his nose and wrinkling it with distaste.

Dominic’s head snapped up.

But by then, the master of the garden had already lost interest in him. The children were chatting again, laughing about something new.

Vanessa…

The day Dominic had been brought here, Edmund had taken his one and only sister and sent her away. He had never said where. Instead, he would taunt Dominic endlessly, saying that if he ever disobeyed, he would drag her out and show her to him.

From those cruel threats, Dominic had realized—Liliana was close by. Not far. Still, it didn’t seem like Edmund kept her personally.

And now, the prince’s words gave him something new.

Many years ago, the Chancellor of the Empire of Carta had tried to abolish slavery. But the nobles resisted, and the effort failed. After many years of conflict and compromise, the continental laws were changed: existing slaves would remain as they were, but hereditary slavery—the passing down of that status through generations—was outlawed.

As time passed, slavery itself became almost a forgotten concept. Slaves were now relics of fallen nations, survivors of wars long ended.

So even if the chances were slim, there was a possibility. A possibility that his sister might be…

Vanessa…

Vanessa. Vanessa. Vanessa.

The name etched itself into Dominic’s mind.

Clatter!

A tray of dishes tipped over, crashing onto the table. A teacup spilled its warm contents over the hem of a young girl’s dress.

Dominic had made a mistake—too lost in thought, too fixated on that name.

“Elaine!”

The young prince beside her pushed back his chair, stood up, and glared at Dominic with fury.

“She could’ve been seriously hurt! And all because of that slave!”

“It’s okay. It’s just a little tea. It didn’t burn.”

Thankfully, the girl wasn’t injured. But she was no ordinary guest. She was a noble—important enough to be invited to the Crown Prince’s personal tea gathering. Just spilling tea on someone of her rank was already a grave offense.

“To think someone would dare harm the cherished daughter of House Aiola…”

Edmund stood, slowly approaching Dominic, who now stood frozen.

Dominic bowed his head low, eyes fixed on the ground. All he could see were Edmund’s polished shoes and long legs. He realized, far too late, that he had tripped over them. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed. He should’ve known Edmund wouldn’t have asked him to serve tea without a reason.

A cold crack sounded as Edmund rolled his neck.

“Chester.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

At Edmund’s call, a servant rushed over and handed him a long whip—the very same one that had torn Dominic’s skin the night before.

The little prince and the girl, who had just moments ago been laughing and teasing, jumped to their feet in alarm. They tried to stop Edmund, but he simply smiled kindly at them, as if nothing were wrong.

“Watch closely, children. This is how you discipline those beneath you.”

In the once peaceful and beautiful garden of the Crown Prince’s palace, a sharp crack sliced through the air.

Snap!

The whip tore into flesh, and blood sprayed.

Prince Turner burst into tears. The frightened girl hugged him tightly, pressing his face into her small chest as she bit her lower lip, trying to stay strong despite her trembling.

Her wide eyes filled with fear.

“Please stop, Your Highness!”

Just as Edmund raised the whip into the air again, the girl cried out.

When the palace knights began to step forward to restrain her for speaking out against the Crown Prince, Edmund turned and laughed heartily.

“My, my. Has the young Lady Aiola taken pity on this poor little slave?”

“…Turner is scared.”

The girl replied as she stared at Dominic, who lay crumpled on the ground behind Edmund.

Something about her answer must have amused him. Edmund chuckled and flung the whip aside.

“Very well. If the noble Lady Aiola finds this unsightly, then I shall stop.”

Under the excuse of “disciplining a rude slave,” Dominic was thrown into a cage—one normally used for animals, shackled by the neck.

Just before leaving, Edmund cast a cold glance toward the girl, his smile never fading.

A disrespectful, clever little brat.
If she hadn’t been one of those illustrious Aiolas, he would’ve gladly broken that arrogant little face of hers and tamed her like a beast—just like poor Dominic.

After Edmund and his servants had all left, the girl and the young prince approached the cage where Dominic was imprisoned.

She reached out her small, pale hand and gently asked if he was all right. But Dominic coldly slapped it away.

She flinched, visibly startled. He saw the pity in her green eyes and hated it. Turning his head, he refused to look at her.

Eventually, the girl left with the prince—and Dominic was finally alone.

His torn skin throbbed with pain. Without treatment, the wounds would surely fester. Cold sweat trickled down his face. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he wondered if this was how he’d die.

“No… I can’t die here.”

With gritted teeth, Dominic forced his eyes to stay open.

“Lili… ana…”

But he couldn’t fight the dizziness for long. His head slumped forward, and everything went dark.

Dominic drifted in and out of consciousness countless times, still bound inside that cage.

Edmund’s servants gave him just enough food and water to keep him alive—no more, no less.

Then one day, when he awoke again, a small note and a box of medicine lay in front of him.

Don’t die.

It was written in a young woman’s handwriting. And Dominic knew instantly—it belonged to someone educated, someone of high status.

“Who…?”

He narrowed his eyes, staring hard at the note.

Suddenly, the name of the woman who had taken Liliana—Vanessa—flashed through his mind.

He had to find her.

He had no idea then that meeting Vanessa would become both the greatest blessing and the gravest mistake of his life.

A full week passed before Dominic was released from the cage.

Ordinarily, he would have been sent straight back to his filthy little chamber beneath the Crown Prince’s palace. But while Edmund’s attendants were distracted, Dominic slipped away.

And he went straight to the one place he’d been turning over in his mind all week—the palace of that woman.

“Vanessa.”

Vanessa, the younger sister of Edmund and the only princess of Hermanda.

He’d heard her name a few times, but as a slave, he had never dared even glance at her from a distance—let alone approach her.

Now standing in front of her palace, he realized he had no idea how to get inside. As he lingered nervously outside, he ran into a girl around his age—dressed plainly, with rough brown hair tied back.

She was one of Vanessa’s maids. Her name was Bella.

“Who are you?”

Bella wrinkled her nose at Dominic’s disheveled, dirty appearance and eyed him warily.

“I’m looking for my sister.”

His voice was rough and sharp. Edmund had never taught his slaves palace etiquette. In fact, he had done the opposite—he’d broken Dominic down, stripped him of any sense of politeness or pride.

So Dominic had forgotten that he was supposed to speak with respect to everyone, even servants, especially nobles.

Bella kept her surprise hidden and responded calmly.

“Your sister?”

“A girl named… Liliana. She’s here, isn’t she?”

At that name, Bella started to understand who he might be.

A brother of that pretty little slave girl from fallen Emilta. That would make him just another war slave like her.

“Oh, you mean the cute slave girl His Highness gave as a gift? If you want to see her, you’ll need the princess’s permission.”

“Then let me see the princess.”

Bella looked him over again, eyes narrowing.

There was something desperate in those dark eyes, something stubborn and raw. And beneath the filth and bruises, he still had that rare, striking Emiltan appearance.

Otherwise, she might’ve ignored him completely.

Besides… the princess had grown quite fond of that slave girl.

Having decided, Bella nodded and led him inside.

“Wait here. Princess Vanessa is in the middle of etiquette training with Lady Aiola.”

Dominic sat in an unfamiliar parlor, waiting for over an hour before he was called.

A noblewoman with elegant platinum-blonde hair exited the room first. Only after she had passed did a girl with thick, flowing red hair appear.

Vanessa.

The beautiful princess stepped into the room.

She was three years older than Dominic—and a head taller. Standing this close to her, Dominic felt even smaller than he already was.

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