“Stop! Stop!”

“Wow, haha, this is the best…”

The slave trader didn’t seem to have thought that he bought a defective item. Adrian, having lost his original faculties, mumbled incomprehensible words with his eyes unfocused as he squeezed my chest painfully.

“It hurts!” I cried at the unexpected pain.

“Hey, you punk! The customer doesn’t like it! What are you doing?”

The slave trader who returned with the Brignac terrified Adrian and separated from me.

Fuck!

The man kicked Adrian and he was pushed with a thump to the wall. He looked back at me, rubbing his palms courteously.

“Oh, I’m so sorry about this! As I said before, he’s not good at his job at all.”

The slave trader opened his mouth, then glanced at Adrian with an uneasy look. He must fear that I might complain.

“You must’ve been very flustered, right? I’ll quickly get back to you with a better man.”

Adrian, who was beaten again moments ago, was coughing blood on the floor. The tips of his fingers, which fell on the floor like broken branches, trembled.

It was a hard sight to watch.

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, so I licked my lips and approached the slave trader.

“How much is that child?”

“What?”

“I want to buy it, so tell me the price.”

Perhaps because he didn’t expect it, the man’s jaw dropped with a bewildered face.

“That guy? As you can see, he’s not functioning right in his own job…”

But then the slave trader changed his attitude in an instant, flicking his tongue like a tentacle.

“Oh, but this one’s appearance is amazing. He is quite popular if you only focus on his face.”

I frowned at the man’s quick change in demeanor.

“How much will you sell it for? Just answer that.”

“Store slaves are not for sale.”

I laughed in amazement at his words. Lies. The man must be desperate to sell Adrian.

“Really? Then it can’t be helped.”

“But!” he suddenly said as he reached out to me in urgency as I stepped back, “This is not the case! I will give it to you at a special price.”

The slave trader laughed a little and then added, “Give me 10,000 resos.”

Ten thousand…

It was money that I didn’t have as a beggar. But I confidently rummaged through my pockets, pretending to have money in the first place, then took out a checkbook.

“I don’t have cash, so I’ll write you a check. Bring me a pen.”

The slave trader scratched his chin as if he was embarrassed by my request.

“I’m sorry, but we only accept cash.”

“I didn’t bring that much today.”

“Then I’m afraid you can’t buy this guy today.”

I raised my chin indignantly, showing that I was offended by the man’s firm words.

“It’s a chance to create debt for the Marquis of Abina, but you’re really stupid.”

“Ah, the Marquis of Abina?”

“Yes. Marquis Abina.”

When I said Abina’s name, the man’s eyes widened. The Marquis of Abina was one of only three marquises in the empire. Moreover, although his recent series of business failures have reduced his popularity, the family was famous for its wealth.

“Haven’t you heard that Marquis Abina’s daughter had silver hair that seemed to have been woven by grinding the moon, and the self-confidence that smelled like the scent of violets?”

It was a very brazen remark, but it wasn’t a lie. I whipped off the hood that I was wearing to prove my words.

I wondered if Edith Abina’s beauty was astonishing, but the man facing me lowered his head as if surprised.

“Being lowly, I dare not recognize the Young Lady of Abina! I apologize!”

He politely bowed his head in a completely different manner from when I encountered him in the alley. I looked down the top of the man’s head, and opened my arrogant mouth again.

“Are you still not going to accept the check?”

“If you are indeed the Young Lady Abina, you may only fill out a form.”

“All right. I’ll take this kid right now, so get ready.”

I nodded at the man who rubbed his hands like a fly.

“You can fill out the form for me, Lirina Abina.”