The Tyrant's Happy Ending - Chapter 15.2

“Those damned imperial bastards, those scum. Can you imagine how humiliated they’ll be when they find out that the divine bl00d they revered is being used as a pleasure slave in the kingdom? And an omega at that. Looks like the kingdom will have more of the divine bl00d than the empire, though it will be in a very different form.”

The man’s face was a mixture of hostility toward the empire and cruel satisfaction.

“I’d like to put you up for auction and sell you off, but there are… circumstances. You’re going to be presented as a gift to an important figure. It’s better than being sold to scum and having litter after litter of offspring. So be grateful!”

With that, the slave trader released Yernen’s hair and threw him to the ground, mercilessly kicking his swollen ankle.

“Ugh…!”

Yernen’s whole body trembled from the excruciating pain shooting from his ankle.

“For someone as proud as you, having a broken leg is better. We’re close to the border now, so don’t even think about running!”

With those parting words, the trader left the carriage. The wooden door shut, followed by the clinking of chains. And then, all eyes inside the carriage turned toward Yernen.

“R-Royalty…”

“This is the end…! It’s over… We’re finished….”

Some muttered in shock, while others, as if resigning themselves to fate, let out weak sobs and wept in despair.

Amidst them, Yernen, unable to cradle his painful ankle, swallowed down the pain and called out to the girl next to him.

“You.”

“Y-Yes?!”

The girl, now with a stiff expression, responded to Yernen’s call.

“How many days has it been since I was brought here?”

“It’s been two days….”

Hearing that, Yernen began to piece the situation together.
It made sense why he felt so hungry. It seemed he had been captured by the slavers for two days now. And considering that he was still in the carriage after two days, neither Justin nor Tennes appeared to have realized he had been taken.

Those searching for him would likely end up asking Aaron or Lyle for help. If that happened, there would be a chance to escape.
The slave trader had mentioned that they were close to the border. Considering that and the two days that had passed since his capture, it was clear where they were headed.

The likely destination was Mason, a commercial city between the Parthasch territory and the northern Ronenfeld territory.
Mason had grown by trading plundered goods from border villages of the empire, and under the rule of Harriet, who showed no hesitation in selling off her own people, the city’s slave market thrived.

As emperor, Yernen had once tried to eliminate Mason, but the city’s defenses were so thorough that the empire, focused on the northern front, couldn’t spare the troops, so he had to leave it alone.

Although he hadn’t been able to destroy the city, Yernen knew it well from military research he had conducted.
According to his memory, Mason was about a week’s journey from the Parthasch territory by carriage.

‘Which means there are about five days left.’
The one fortunate thing was that the slave traders hadn’t figured out that Yernen was the empress of this land.

Judging by his hair color and appearance, they seemed to think he was a member of the royal family who had barely escaped the purge and was wandering in hiding.

That’s probably why they left it at this.

Of course… this situation was still far from ideal. Yernen knew better than anyone what awaited him if he were taken to the kingdom.

He had heard from Denver about his younger brother who had been dragged off and lived a miserable life before dying.

If things continued as they were, Yernen would indeed never set foot in the empire again and would lead a far more dreadful life than before.

However, even that was better than having his identity revealed.
Yernen was one of the only two remaining members of the imperial family and carried what could potentially be the next heir to the throne, an invaluable child.

If his identity were exposed, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Yernen’s personal suffering would only be the tip of the iceberg. The hatred between the two countries was beyond words, and war would undoubtedly break out.

And with Lyle unable to respond effectively after losing Yernen, the empire could fall into ruin, devastating the lives of all who lived within it.

This was something he could never allow to happen.

So Yernen was determined to escape before they crossed into the kingdom.

He scanned the group. None of them looked like they were informants for the slave trader. It seemed safe to ask what he needed to know.

Yernen asked the girl beside him another question.

“How long have you been here?”

“Huh? How long…? Um… about fifteen days, I think.”

“Then you must know quite a bit about this slave group.”

The girl looked sheepish and replied.

“Not much. They lock us up every day, and only open the door to bring in new people or give us food. But, over here…”

The girl shifted, showing a gap between the wooden boards behind her.

“This part of the wood is looser than the others, so I’ve been able to see outside sometimes…!”

“I see…”

It would be helpful to identify the leader who appeared earlier and figure out what his motives were, but that might be asking too much.

Still, if the girl had observed outside consistently, she would know the composition of the group, which could be useful.

“How many slave traders are there in total? Excluding the two we just saw.”

“There were originally ten, but now there are only seven. Two days ago, three of them packed up and left, saying they had to send a message to some important person.”

“Seven, huh.”

The number was higher than expected. But more important than the number was how many of them were capable of fighting. Yernen adjusted his question to match what the girl could understand.

“How many of them look strong?”

“Strong?”

“Like the big man who brought the basket earlier.”

“Oh!”

The girl’s eyes lit up as she nodded.

“Probably three! There are three carriages in total, but the drivers don’t look strong. And aside from the boss and the big guy we saw earlier, there are two others as big as the man who brought the basket!”

Yernen peered through the gap in the wood. The girl’s words seemed accurate. Seven people were outside having a meal, and there were two other carriages besides the one Yernen was in. Additionally, there was one more horse that seemed to belong to the group leader.

Escaping wouldn’t be easy. The enemy’s mobility was unexpectedly high.

Continuing to observe outside, Yernen asked another question.

“How long does the door stay open when they come in?”

“Today it was open longer than usual. Normally, they just put in the basket and leave right away…”

The girl was recalling her memories when an annoyed voice cut through.

“Are you thinking of escaping? Ha! Give it up. Once you’re caught, that’s it. No one’s ever gotten away from here!”

“……”

Yernen turned to look at the source of the voice.

The man was taller and bulkier than the others. Judging by the mixed pheromones in the air, he was probably an alpha.
In the Kingdom of Peinan, where even alpha males were captured as playthings for nobles with peculiar tastes, it seemed he had been taken for that very reason.

“Haven’t you heard? If the kingdom’s slave traders catch you, you’ll never set foot in the empire again, even in death! We’re done for! Completely finished!”

His voice grew more agitated, with despair and anger evident in his tone. The louder he shouted, the more the eyes of those huddled around turned toward them.

Their gazes weren’t exactly positive. They were silent, not because they lacked the will to shout like him, but because they, too, believed that everything was already over.

Yernen frowned as he looked at them and spoke.

“Caught by the kingdom’s slave traders, and there’s no escape?”
The man, eyes filled with rage, looked at Yernen and answered as if it were obvious.

“Yes!”

“Have you ever tried to escape?”

“…What?”

“I asked if you’ve ever tried to escape from here.”

The man, taken aback, spat out words in frustration at Yernen.

“I did want to run…! Damn it! I’m dying to run! But… our hands and feet are tied, the carriage is locked with chains! On top of that, there are men everywhere outside! Even if we somehow escape, there’s no way to shake them off, so how could we possibly run in this situation?”

The man spoke as if blaming Yernen.

“It’s all because of you people! The imperial family! You royal bastards who don’t care if imperial citizens get captured and turned into slaves in the kingdom! No! Not just ignoring it—you act like you’re selling us off yourselves! Damn it, even when we’re caught like this, no one comes to save us! We worshipped you as divine descendants, believed in you so much!”

“……”

Yernen didn’t think the man’s anger was misplaced. Indeed, this was partly his fault.

It was Harriet who had ignored the capture of imperial citizens as slaves, but it was Yernen’s fault for letting Harriet become emperor, and it was also his decision to focus on the north instead of Mason.

However, that didn’t mean everything the man said was correct. No matter how dire the circumstances, it didn’t justify sitting down and giving up without even thinking of escaping.

“So are you planning to cross the border and become a slave willingly?”

“What?”

“If no one comes to save you….”

Yernen felt a rush of heat rising from somewhere deep in his chest.

“Are you going to just sit there, not trying anything, and let it all happen?”

It was, perhaps, a message to himself as well.

“No. That’s not acceptable.”

Yernen spoke firmly.

“If you give up, resign yourself, and simply hope that someone will come to rescue you while letting things flow as they will… you must take full responsibility for what happens. No matter how painful it is.”

Looking around at everyone, Yernen continued.

“So, I intend to get out of here.”

“……”

“If no one comes to save us, I’m going to try to escape alone, at least.”

Yernen met the eyes of each person one by one. Some avoided his gaze, lowering their heads, while others looked conflicted. After observing them all, Yernen spoke in a resolute voice.
“Is there anyone here who will struggle alongside me?”

Despite his words, the people still remained silent. However, their eyes were distinctly different from before.

Instead of resignation and defeat, confusion now settled in their eyes.

They were wavering.

No one wanted to live as a slave sold to a foreign land. Yet, stepping forward and agreeing to join took courage. The fear that failure would bring even greater suffering kept their mouths shut.

Then, someone among the hesitant crowd raised their hand.

“Me!”

“……”

Yernen looked down at the owner of the hand. It was the girl who had stayed close to him and spoken to him earlier.

“I’m going with you, angel. We’re getting out of here!”

It was absurd.

Most of the people in this carriage were adults or about to reach adulthood. There were only two children. Yet, while even the adults hesitated, thinking escape was impossible, a child had stepped forward, saying she would escape. A child who looked utterly helpless.

It was simply the bravado of a child. But… sometimes, a child’s boldness could inspire courage in adults who lacked it.
Eventually, a woman sitting in the corner spoke up.

“I… I’ll join too. I don’t want to be dragged around resigned like this. I want to try something… anything…!”

And that was the start.

“I’ll come too.”

“Me too. They only give us boiled potatoes here, so it’ll be even worse in the kingdom! I can’t live like that.”

“Take me with you too…!”

One by one, the people started to express their willingness to join.