Chapter 144
‘…I wonder if my sister will get angry again when she finds out about this.’
Hmm. I think she probably will…
This won’t work. I’ll have to say the Second Prince ordered it. He’s used me plenty, so he can serve as my shield this much. It’s not even a lie.
“Sigh. Anyway, I understand what you mean. You’re telling me not to make a fuss, right?”
“Yes.”
Rona looked at me with disapproving eyes before calling over Daphne and another person. Then, like a compassionate deity, she embraced them and patted their backs.
“Let’s observe the situation. Don’t resist and behave quietly as they tell you. You know I never give up, right? I’ll look for a chance to escape, so act submissive to avoid raising suspicion. Can you do that?”
The two nodded and cried. I thought Rona would get along well with my sister if I introduced them.
‘Should I really introduce them? If Rona became my sister’s physician, I think I could trust her completely.’
Since she wanted to open a clinic in her hometown, would she consider becoming my sister’s physician if the townspeople moved to the duke’s territory? If she studied under the Master alongside Irene until Irene became Empress, her skills would improve dramatically.
She was a talented individual I desired for many reasons, so I stared at her until our eyes met. Her gaze was more fierce than I expected, making me unconsciously turn away.
‘…I should make the proposal later.’
Not long after, the carriage stopped. The two people cowered in fear while Rona and I looked toward the carriage entrance. The thick curtain was pulled back, and a masked man entered.
“Each of you put one of these on.”
What he threw inside were black hoods. The sword hanging at the waist of the man guarding the entrance glinted in the moonlight.
After glancing at Rona, I picked up a hood and put it on my head. It came down to my neck, completely obscuring my vision.
As the rustling sounds subsided, someone grabbed my shoulders and pushed me down. They forcibly turned my arms behind me and tied my wrists. This also felt like cloth.
I stumbled out of the carriage in darkness. The air was filled with the scent of grass. Through the gaps in the hood, I could only see my feet. But soon I couldn’t see even that. They wrapped something around my neck, sealing the gaps in the previously loose hood.
Once all preparations were complete, they began walking with us. Unable to see ahead, I almost fell several times, but each time they caught my arm to help me maintain balance.
Creeeeak-
The sound of the door opening was quite heavy. It seemed we were entering a rather large building. Surprisingly well-maintained, it had a fragrant smell.
‘Where on earth is this?’
I thought we might be going to the Count’s territory, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Seeing that only people from the medical department were here, it indeed appeared to be a slave auction.
My continuous train of thought was interrupted. The air felt warm and sticky, and then-
Splash!
I fell into water.
“…!”
Warm water enveloped my entire body. Caught off guard, I flailed around, swallowing a lot of water.
“H-help, pwah! Please help me!”
Daphne splashed desperately.
“You idiots! Don’t you get it? It’s not deep enough to drown!”
A man shouted casually, pulling up our heads with the hoods still on.
“Cough, cough cough.”
As I coughed up the water I had swallowed, my upper body was straightened. Only then did I realize that from my sitting position on the floor, the water only reached my chest. While I calmed my panicked, racing heart, the hood was removed.
I squinted at the bright light, then blinked as I realized the interior was quite luxurious. The place we had been dunked into was a bathtub large enough to swim in.
‘No wonder the water was warm.’
Now I understood. The auction wasn’t held in just one place. There was an auction for lower nobles, and we had probably been brought to an auction house catering to high-ranking nobles.
‘Is this the Count’s villa?’
Or it could be a villa built specifically for auctions with no official owner. Or perhaps it belonged to “Doharr”—that Doharr who was presumed to be another name for the First Prince.
“Sniff, sob… Please send me home… I want to go home…”
Daphne pleaded, sobbing bitterly.
“Where did Rona and the other person go?”
I asked about the two people I couldn’t see. Although I didn’t expect an answer, I couldn’t help but ask out of concern.
“Even if you’re premium goods, we can’t bathe men and women together. You’ll meet them soon, so stop worrying and scrub yourselves clean.”
The man revealed his yellowed teeth in a grin. He untied the cloth around my wrists and wrapped it around his own wrist, then blocked the entrance.
Shortly after, several men entered without making footsteps. They began thoroughly washing Daphne and me. Since removing my hair dye would require herbal water, I wasn’t worried about losing my hair color and quietly submitted. Daphne, after reading the situation, also stopped resisting while sniffling.
After washing us completely, they even dried our wet bodies with towels. I could accept this much, but when I saw the clothes they gave us to wear, I couldn’t help but frown.
‘Why only a shirt?’
No pants, no underwear. Just a large white shirt. The soft fabric fluttered delicately. Whenever the fabric clung to the body, the skin tone was completely visible. It was extremely embarrassing.
‘Do I have to be rescued by the knights looking like this?’
Cursing the First Prince’s perverted tastes, I buttoned up the sparsely placed buttons diligently.
The large size of the shirt was both an advantage and a disadvantage. It was good that the hem covered below my buttocks, but since the buttons started from the chest area, it kept slipping to one side, which was uncomfortable.
But that wasn’t the end. The guys brought black leather chokers. The back part of the choker had a hook, making its purpose very suspicious.
To make matters worse, leather anklets with bells were attached to our ankles. They tied them meticulously so we couldn’t remove them ourselves, even testing by pulling to check. The knots were obviously difficult to untie. Unless we cut the leather.
Along with Daphne, who was dressed identically to me, I left the bathroom. Under the watchful eye of the man who had brought us, we followed the servants who led the way. We walked through a corridor with carpeted flooring and stopped in front of what looked like a banquet hall door.
The weather was already chilly, and standing in the cold corridor made my body shiver involuntarily. It would have been better if they had given us proper clothes.
“Walk faster!”
I turned around at the sharp, irritable voice. Between the serving women, Rona and another person whose name I didn’t know were walking toward us, dressed the same way we were.
For a moment, my eyes met Rona’s. Her gaze seemed to ask when the rescue would come.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure either. I couldn’t even be certain if one of Linder’s planted agents was among them. They might be waiting until they secured decisive evidence.
‘Will they raid when the auction starts?’
The auction would likely begin once we entered what appeared to be the banquet hall. I smiled at Rona with confidence that we would be rescued soon.
Eventually, they approached where we were standing. Daphne called to Rona in a fragile voice.
“Vice President…”
“It’s okay. Trust me.”
Though it must have seemed groundless to Daphne, her breathing became much more stable after those words. The other woman also clung tightly to one of Rona’s arms as if depending on her.
‘She’s definitely desirable.’
A person who has earned such trust, enough to reassure others in this situation. Didn’t I also think I could trust the Vice President?
‘I want to keep her closer to my sister.’
It seemed I would need to bring this up after this matter was resolved.
Setting aside my inappropriate greed for the current situation, I looked at the windows that filled the corridor. The moon was already quite high. Though it was difficult to check the exact time, it was clear that I wouldn’t make it back in time for the end of Luwen’s exam.
‘He’ll be worried…’
Luwen gets anxious when he can’t see me. That’s why I deliberately set the date for today and planned to return before his exam ended.
I was swallowing a sigh over the disrupted plans when the door opened. It seemed they had been waiting for all four of us to gather. Bright light illuminated the relatively dark corridor. Those who had guided us merely pushed us inside without entering themselves.
Creeeeak- SLAM!
The door closed behind us. Startled, Daphne screamed “Eek!” in a shrill voice. Regardless, I quickly scanned the interior to form a plan for what would follow.
As expected, it was a massive space that could be used as a banquet hall. However, unlike a typical banquet hall, the area where dancing would normally take place was filled with water. It looked to be about knee-deep, resembling a children’s pool.
Beyond the pool, I could see a man being attended to by several people. He was arrogantly reclining on a long red sofa, accepting and eating fruit handed to him by a servant. Though he covered half his face with a golden mask, anyone could tell he was the First Prince.
It seems he had at least thought to dye his hair. Well, judging by the attitude of those around him, they all seemed to know his identity anyway.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
