<h4>Chapter 120: Do You Take Off Your Shoes in Public?</h4>
Seeing udius suddenly freeze in ce, Nia tilted her head slightly in confusion and asked softly, "Your Highness, is something wrong?"
"Wait a moment. I''m thinking," udius replied, his brows furrowed as he waved her off.
Nia nodded silently and stepped back, allowing udius the space he needed.
"Why does the name Ste sound so familiar?" udius muttered to himself.
After a few seconds, his eyes lit up, as if he''d stumbled upon something valuable. "If I remember correctly, isn''t Ste the ''goddess'' in Gild Tesoro''s life?" udius thought, piecing the memories together.
The memories took a moment to resurface. Ste hadn''t yed a significant role in the stories he knew, but the details were there. A stunning girl with golden hair and a warm smile who had once brought light into Tesoro''s dark world.
Before Tesoro became the notorious "Golden Emperor," he''d lived a life marked by suffering and misfortune. Born into a broken home, with a father who gambled their wealth away and died penniless, Tesoro''s mother was left deranged and abusive, taking out her anger on her son.
Eventually, she, too, passed away, leaving Tesoro to fend for himself. He survived through petty thefts and scams, scraping by in the underworld just to live another day. That was until he met Ste at the Sabaody Archipgo, where she was imprisoned as a ve, on disy like merchandise. Tesoro, with a passion for singing, would visit her and sing by her cage, bringing her moments of happiness amidst her captivity.
Their interactions grew into something deeper, and for the first time in his life, Tesoro found a reason to be better. He worked hard, enduring grueling jobs, all to save up enough money to buy Ste''s freedom. He dreamed of building a life where they could be together.
But fate, always cruel, had other ns. On the day Tesoro finally amassed the funds to free Ste, she was purchased by a Celestial Dragon, someone who could easily outbid anymoner without a second thought. Tesoro arrived just in time to see her being dragged away.
In a rage, blinded by despair, he tried to fight back against the Celestial Dragon. But it was a fight he couldn''t win. The guards made short work of him, and Tesoro was beaten down and captured, bing a ve himself.
During his years of servitude in Mariejois, Tesoro''s spirit was shattered piece by piece. The day he learned of Ste''s death, something in him broke beyond repair. He med himself, convinced that if he had only been wealthier, he could have bought her freedom and led a happy life with her. Instead, she died, and he was left a ve.
From that moment, Tesoro swore an oath—poverty was the original sin. He resolved to be the richest man in the world so that he would never be powerless again.
Tesoro''s escape came in the chaos when Fisher Tiger led the attack on Mariejois, liberating ves and setting the city ame. Tesoro, among the freed captives, took this as his second chance at life. In the years that followed, he wed his way up from nothing, bing the Golden Emperor and achieving his dream of wealth. Yet, the hole in his heart, left by Ste, could never be filled. That void, masked by riches and power, would ultimately lead to his downfall.
udius admired Tesoro. The man was talented and relentless, driven by a tragedy that shaped him. And while Tesoro eventually became a symbol of greed, his journey was born out of pain and loss. udius had always wanted someone like Tesoro on his side, someone who understood money and power. He''d thought about seeking him out in the future, but hadn''t made it a priority.
But now that fate had ced Ste right in front of him, udius knew he couldn''t let this opportunity slip by.
"Nia, organize the children and wait here for me," udius instructed.
Nia nodded briskly and set about her task. Meanwhile, udius turned on his heel and strode purposefully towards Ste.
If he wanted Tesoro''s loyalty, he''d need to offer something in return. Helping reunite him with Ste seemed the perfect way to do that. udius didn''t just see it as a strategic move; he found himself genuinely drawn to the idea of giving them the chance fate had cruelly stolen.
At that moment, Ste was chained by the neck, held by none other than Charlos, the future imbecile of the Celestial Dragons. The younger Charlos hadn''t yet be the balding, middle-aged degenerate ofter years, but the vacant, entitled look in his eyes was already the same.
He was known for snatching up beautiful women to serve as his "wives," only to discard or kill them when he tired of them. The scene udius stumbled upon perfectly fit that pattern.
Charlos stood in front of Tesoro''s cage, holding Ste''s chain tightly. His eyes sparkled with sadistic excitement.
"Take off my shoe and lick my toes in front of this man, or I''ll kill him," Charlos sneered, lifting one grimy foot.
"No! Ste, don''t do it!" Tesoro shouted, his hands gripping the cage bars so hard that his knuckles turned white. His eyes were wild with desperation.
Ste''s face was filled with sorrow as she nced at Tesoro. Just as he had once tried to save her, she would now do anything to keep him alive. Resigned to the humiliation, she knelt, reaching to remove Charlos''s shoe. A pungent odor hit her as she worked, making her stomach turn.
As she bent lower, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"What the hell? You''re taking off your shoes in public? And they reek too? You''re polluting the whole ce! Who do you think you are? I''ll teach you a lesson!"
Before Ste could process what was happening, Charlos''s foot suddenly lifted off the ground, and she watched as he was sent flying, the chain slipping from his grasp. She felt the cor around her neck tighten momentarily before going ck and dropping to the ground. When she looked up, Charlos was sprawled on the ground near Tesoro''s cage, his nose bent at an awkward angle, a distinct footprint imprinted on his face.
He groaned in pain, writhing helplessly.
***
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