The moment the two of them arrived at the warehouse, he started sorting and carefully loading a wagon that was already there with his prototypes in a way that nothing would be harmed during transportation. Ariadne was simply keeping an eye on everything while cooling herself with a fan and drinking cold water inside the warehouse. Edmund noticed that she was not okay.
‘Are you okay?’ Edmund stopped in front of her.
‘Too much time without my medicine, you know how it is.’ She spoke while displaying a painful expression.
‘No,I don’t feel pain at all.’ He gave her a sarcastic smile.
‘Peasant, don’t test me; you have white hair. How can’t you feel pain?” Ariadne spoke angrily.
‘Sorry, your majesty, I am different from you; I used this to infuse magic into my body.’ He pointed at the nail on his arm.
‘What? I can only ease the pain with my medication; you are a box full of surprises’. She was intrigued.
‘If you want, we can try using a nail on you; i think you are just absorbing too much magic and that is what causes the pain.’ He took the nail out of his pocket and showed it to her.
‘I will trust you, peasant. Don’t try anything funny; remember that i’m in control.’ Ariadne looked at him with doubt.
‘Okay, let us get started.’ He smiled.
Ariadne pulled her sleeve up to reveal her arm, which was partially covered in white fur. Edmund just pressed the nail against her skin; it was like it had a life of its own. When the nail first pierced her skin, she felt a surge of pain, but it quickly subsided and vanished along with all the pain she had. For the first time in her life, there was no pain, nothing, like a new world opened up for her in an instant.
The young man thought it odd that Ariadne didn’t move at all, even after cleaning the blood on her arm. He was starting to worry because if something happened to her, he would be dead.
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‘Peasant, that crazy talk about the Demon lord, you will have my support on that.’ She clenched her fists.
‘You didn’t take me seriously? Well, a win is a win.’ Edmund continued to load the wagon.
Ariadne noticed a sword on the wall. It was interesting for her because it had a different design; it was much longer and wider than the swords her soldiers used. She picked it up, but the sword was heavy even for her.
‘How are you using such a sword, peasant? Even for me, it is heavy.’ Ariadne looked at him puzzled.
‘It is my training sword, a greatsword; It makes the most of my strength; I put runes in it to make it heavy; this one's the real one.’ He took a sword from under his bed.
The sword was similar in appearance but had a shining blade that reflected his face, which made him remember Ruppert.
‘Peasant, you are full of surprises. Let us go.’ She chuckled.
The two of them were outside, but Edmund turned to look at his home, remembering all the time he had spent alone there practicing with the sword or developing his prototypes. Maybe one day he will return, but as his gaze met Ariadne, he thought that it would be more than a visit; more like a conquest. For him, it made no difference; as long as the battle against the Demon Lord advanced, she could rule the known world for all he cared.
A carriage arrived, and Ariadne climbed aboard, followed by Edmund, but as he climbed inside, she gave him a sidelong glance.
‘Peasant, what do you think you are doing? Know your place.’ She closed the door.
Edmund remembered that now that he was a slave, only a few people had ever spoken to him throughout his life. That is why the young man had the wrong idea. He then proceeded to the wagon and climbed on the back with his things.
The movement in front of the warehouse where Edmund lived got a lot of attention. Ruppert was there too; he didn’t know what was happening; all he saw was Edmund jumping into the back of a wagon, looking his way, and waving as he went. Then he listened to the people talking about how the boy was now a slave of the Lavan princess, which puzzled him because the boy looked happy.
‘He sure is strange.’ The blacksmith sighed.
Everything was brand new and fantastic; there were new people and new faces. Edmund had never traveled outside of the Royal Smith District before. He did not know what was going to happen; worse, now he was a slave, but his face had a smile and a hopeful demeanor, looking at the blue sky.
‘I am going to sleep a little bit.’ Edmund closed his eyes.
In the castle, the king looked outside, contemplating the view as he listened to his assistant.
‘Your majesty, the Lavan princess got everything in the warehouse where the fourth prince lived.’ The man reported.
‘Humm. Strange, why was I so fixated on him? Maybe it's because of his hair.’ The king turned around,facing the assistant.
'Yesterday, she entered the warehouse and talked to him. It was like she knew he was there.’ He looked at the paper on his hand.
‘We need to monitor this situation; they refused one of the princes for Edmund, She refused.’ Rufus tapped his desk.
The king returned to his position,looking at the garden where the princes and princesses were playing. It was surprising what had happened because one of his two sons was to be a slave. But she intervened in the negotiations; that is what he believed, as the Archduke, out of nowhere, demanded Edmund be the one. Her eyes at the table were so fixated on him that for a moment he thought she was in love, but when she silenced him, caressed his cheek, and looked at the royal family, her eyes translated the words.
‘He is mine.’ The king whispered