When a Corporate Slave Guy Reincarnated as a Mob Villain (Slave Trader), He Used His Knowledge of the Game to Raise the Heroines to Be the Strongest, Unintentionally Turning Them Into Yanderes, and Before He Knew It, He Was Completely Breaking the Story - Chapter 18-19

Chapter 18: Alice’s Side 01 – The Reason Princess Alice With Light Attributes Fell Into Darkness

When the royal capital was captured by the Empire, and my city and people were trampled underfoot…

All I could do was silently watch the devastation.

Even when my mother and father were humiliated and killed by the Empire’s lowly scum in the royal plaza, I…

I could only gaze up from the underground waterways, shedding tears, unable to do anything but watch.

To survive…to one day restore the Kingdom of Runehold, I vowed to keep this life going, even if I had to drink muddy water.

My life does not belong to me.

As a member of the royal family, carrying the blood of the royal line, my life is devoted to the kingdom.

So, I cannot just end my life on a whim.

But…in truth, my heart felt differently.

I didn’t want to see my people…my loyal attendants, who had been with me since birth…my royal guards, all die so brutally for my sake.

And at the same time, part of me had already given up.

I had accepted that resisting the Empire and restoring the kingdom was impossible.

I was being crushed by the weight and responsibility forced upon me.

Was my life really worth surviving, even at the cost of sacrificing everyone?

That’s why, when I was attacked by bandits in the forest…

When a bandit’s dagger sliced into my side, and sharp pain coursed through me…along with fear, I felt a strange sense of relief.

At last…I could go to my father and mother…and join everyone at the castle.

But even then, the goddess did not grant my wish.

I woke up…I couldn’t die.

When I regained consciousness, strangely enough, despite the severe wound, I felt no pain, and there wasn’t even a scar left behind.

The surroundings had also changed.

A large bed, lavish furnishings made of stone…

It looked like a room in some noble’s mansion, if not a royal palace.

I felt a mix of relief and regret.

But that feeling lasted only a moment.

When I examined my body, I found a strange mark.

It was unmistakable.

The cursed slave mark was engraved on my body.

It was then that I, for the first time in my life, cursed the goddess.

I must have been captured by the bandits after that.

Then, I was sold to a slave trader.

I don’t know how they healed what should have been a fatal wound, but…

In any case, I hadn’t been able to die.

And now, I would have to live the rest of my life as a slave.

For a royal…for a woman like me to become a slave…I knew exactly what fate awaited me.

I had seen what happened to the other royals of the fallen kingdom after the Empire invaded.

Was this the goddess’s punishment for me, who survived while abandoning my father, mother, people, and royal guards?

After a long cry, I managed to regain a bit of calmness.

And then, I made a decision.

The moment that wretched man who made me a slave appeared before me…

I would kill him.

And then, I would die too.

I can’t take my own life because of the slave mark.

But if the master dies, the slave also dies.

Even if I fail, I will still end up losing my life.

Attacking the master—let alone trying to take his life—would invoke severe punishment due to the effects of the slave mark.

I checked the clothes I was wearing.

Fortunately, I still had my equipment.

Even my dagger was there.

I tilted my head in slight confusion at this fact.

Normally, weapons would be confiscated immediately…

Perhaps my captor was a fool, or maybe he was underestimating me because I’m a woman…and still quite young.

It worked in my favor.

I may be a woman, but I know how to handle a sword.

Father and Mother were exasperated when I insisted on learning swordsmanship as a royal woman.

But in the end, they indulged my whims.

Who would have thought that it would come in handy here—at the very end of my life?

Father…Mother…everyone in the royal guard…please forgive me.

I wasn’t able to strike my blade into the Emperor for revenge.

But…as a princess of Runehold, I won’t live on in disgrace, stained with humiliation.

Here…is where I will fall.

—

Chapter 19: Alice’s Side 02 – The Reason Princess Alice With Light Attributes Fell Into Darkness

I held my dagger, silently waiting for the moment.

After about ten minutes, I sensed someone outside the room.

My heart began to race uncontrollably.

Then, I realized that my body was trembling.

I thought I was prepared, but maybe I’m still afraid of dying…

No, that’s not it. I—

The door opened.

In that instant, I leapt out with force.

Thankfully, my body moved as I wanted it to.

I couldn’t tell if the person was the man I was after—the slave trader.

But it would become clear soon enough.

The moment I saw the man’s face, an excruciating pain shot through my head.

Immediately, intense pain surged through my entire body.

It was a pain unlike anything I had ever felt before—even worse than when the bandit stabbed me.

It felt as though my heart, my soul, was being scraped away…

There’s no doubt. This unbearable pain is the result of the slave mark’s…magic.

Which means this man is my master…the wretched man who enslaved me.

And, it also means…I will soon die.

But still…this pain…is too much…

Please…quickly…take my life…

Or is this, after all, my punishment?

For sacrificing everyone but failing to take revenge on the Empire, dying miserably like this…

Is this the curse of those I’ve left behind, condemning me to die in agony…?

As my consciousness faded, images of my father, mother, and everyone at the castle appeared in my mind.

When I opened my eyes, what I saw…

If it had been a goddess—or even a demon—my heart might have felt a little lighter than it does now.

But what filled my vision was neither of those.

It was the slave trader’s sly face, looking down at me.

In my despair and confusion, I desperately tried to understand what had happened.

Why am I still alive…?

The answer came soon enough.

Because the slave trader explained it to me.

“…Good. You’re awake.”

His sinister eyes perfectly suited his detestable occupation as a slave trader…

His expression was hard to read, revealing nothing about what he might be thinking.

Yet, to my own surprise, I didn’t feel any strong disgust when I saw him.

In fact…for a moment, I felt a warm emotion rise within me.

Even though he was the slave trader, the man who had turned me into this cursed slave…

As a royal, I had interacted with many people from a young age.

Most of the people who came to the royal family had some ambition or hidden agenda.

Living in the court among these countless greedy individuals, I had developed a certain ability—at some point, I learned to read people’s emotions by looking at their expressions.

Of course, I couldn’t read the finer details of their feelings, and it wasn’t a magical ability.

But…I could sense whether someone had ill intentions or not…just that much.

Probably anyone raised in the complex, cutthroat world of the court would develop this ability.

And now, looking at this man’s face, I didn’t see any malice or hatred.

Incredibly…I sensed only concern for me.

It was unbelievable, but that was my conclusion.

At that moment, I doubted my own intuition.

I thought it must be because my mind was confused.

But in the end, my instincts were correct.

This was my fateful encounter with the master who would change my life forever…

However, it would take some time before I realized that.