“There are lots of freckles on both cheeks…”
“You don’t have to put your personal feelings into it.” he pointed out with a sober voice. Evely said yes, and replied quietly. The eyes that were drawing a strong angle stared down at her. He spoke again in a broken voice. It felt like she was getting filthy somehow.
“His eyes were stretched horizontally and there were freckles on his upper cheek. His hair is green like a leaf. His build is… moderately chubby?” Even though he’s on the chubby side, he was still pretty quick.”
“What else?”
“Oh, I think his voice was a little peculiar. His tone was high, but his voice was slightly wizened like an old man.”
“Okay. You can stop for now. I will call you again if necessary.”
“Yes, Master.”
Evely, who bowed her head politely, hesitated as though she was thinking about something, then glanced at him carefully.
“Perhaps… Master is going to punish him?”
He looked at Evely. Ever since they entered the office, Alec’s eyes had been only facing the desk, but now, his gaze was directed at her for the first time.
His eyes were cold and was, as if, he could see through her very being. Evely squeezed her toes. His stare was as if she was being weighed like a product on a balance.
“How is your life here?”
Ignoring her question, he asked in a slow voice.
Is there any need to answer the words of a maid like me?
Evely deliberately replied more cheerfully, “Good. Really good.”
It was a lie, but not exactly. It was overwhelming and difficult for her to bear the burden, but it was better than living miserably with a perverted old man.
“Good.”
He said so, but it was an insensitive tone, that didn’t make her feel any better.
“I bought you for 60,000. How much do you think the vase was worth?”
She paused at his question of unknown intention, and began to look back on the past.
She worked day and night without sleeping for a few hours for days. She was diligent and looked for things to do, so she earned enough money to live by running errands even when she was living with her mother. It meant that, although she couldn’t do as much work as she did before because of her wounded leg now, it wasn’t that she was useless.
“A-About 23,000?”
“You have no conscience.”
The firm reply, as if her answer was absurd, struck her hard.
“That’s not right.”
“Then…?”
“The price of the vase you broke is 70,000.”
Alec’s eyebrows furrowed. Evely shut her mouth in anger. The business was over, so I could just let it go, but I didn’t know why such a nasty conversation was going on. Whether it was 60,000 or 70,000 if it helped me with my job, it wasn’t that important.
The illegal slave market was gaining in size and power so quickly that there was a gang to operate systematically. In order to provide slaves in good condition, not only the commoners, but also the poor and inferior nobles were turned into slaves, and when the problems arose, the emperor, who could not be seen anymore, gave a secret name to Alec.
It was not difficult to sneak into the most covert and largest slave market. However, the reality of those who move in secret were hidden more carefully than expected. As far as I know, the moderator of the auction was also hired from outside, and the expenses changed every time. It was then that Evely came into his eyes as he was looking around the auction house wearing a mask like other nobles. A slave who ran away from his master.
It was different from other slaves in the light of familiar resignation. Hopefully, he thought he could find out the identity of the middleman through the girl, and he took off the mask on purpose to prevent situations from getting bigger. At least in the capital, there were no big nobles who could go against him.
He picked up some suspected middlemen, and there was also an impression that Evely remembered, so it was only a matter of time before we could get into that gang. But even though everything was going well, if there was one thing that took her…
‘Shall I help? Or shall I not?’
Alec thought a bit, then cleared his throat as if trying to empty his head.
“As soon as things get done, I will go to war sooner or later.”
“War?”
“Yes. So, in the meantime, be worthy of the money I spent on you. If you don’t like it, I’ll sell you back to the market.”
“Yes.”
Evelly, afraid of being sold again to the market, replied with a strong voice, as if she was making a pledge.
“Stop. Leave now.”
Bowing deeply, she carefully stepped out of the office. Her footsteps were serene, wondering if it would obstruct him.
When the door closed, Alec’s hand that was holding the pen stopped.
Perhaps because the sound of chattering around the room disappeared, it felt like the inside of the office was more subdued.
“The hell is chewed grass?”
He laughed as if what he heard was absurd. He thought it was funny only from the way it sounded, but it was also funny to say.
The girl’s clear eyes looking at him with her chest openly passed through his head again.
Only then was she a young and humble slave girl.