Kiandria
"The slave will now be led to her new owner." The auctioneer's voice rang in my ear, followed by a painful grip around my neck.
But just as I felt myself being pulled away, someone sucked in his teeth, tutting.
"Eh, forget it. I won't have time to inspect her properly when I get home. Keep her on the stage and take off her clothes to make it easier for me."
As his words landed, a hard push sent me tumbling to the ground, and before I knew it, the auctioneer was tearing my clothes apart.
I was restrained, so all I could do was clench my jaw and watch as the pieces of clothing fell off. Then another man stepped forward.
I clenched my teeth and winced as he placed a hand on my hair and pulled me up by it.
Immediately, I heard it.
The sound of heavy footsteps.
It was too dark to see anyone in the audience, but the more he walked, the closer his thumps sounded, and I couldn't help my brows furrowing when his shadow fell over me.
A giant?
He was tall and burly, with thick, bushy stubble. On his ear was a long gash that almost took it off, and his face was scrunched up in what seemed to be annoyance.
He stopped before me and bent over, moving his nose closer to sniff me.
"Stop!"
The voice came out of nowhere, but my new master naturally stopped and glanced around, a heavy, frightening frown settling on his face.
"I want her." The same voice murmured, followed by a petite figure stepping into the light.
It was a woman. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and she clasped both hands inside her gown.
She walked unhurriedly, ignoring the seething eyes pinned on her.
She was petite, and he was tall, burly, and terrifying—but she stopped just inches away from him and looked straight into his eyes.
"Ten thousand. That's ten times what you bought her for. You're making a profit before you even take her back to your brothel. Isn't that just wonderful?"
However, the frown on his face only deepened. He closed the distance between them, reaching out to poke her provocatively in the chest.
"Do I look poor to you?"
Despite this, the smile didn't leave her face. "McPherson, your brothel shelters about three hundred girls who work for you around the clock."
"You already have that many. What will selling her to me and pocketing something as huge as ten thousand gold coins do to you? Imagine the more beautiful woman you can get with that much money."
"Anoi, you may be a learned woman, but when you come against a man like me? You leave me no choice but to use my fist!" McPherson hissed, waving his clenched fist in her face.
I sucked in a deep breath and looked around.
A man threatening a woman in broad daylight, and no one was batting an eye?
What kind of place is this?
"If ten thousand is beneath you, I'm more than willing to bump it up to twelve thousand."
"Keep talking down to me and I'll crush your windpipe!"
I gulped and looked around again.
Still no reaction?
My eyes then landed on the auctioneer.
He stood meters away, biting his lower lip regretfully. He hadn't even done anything worth regretting, so why did he look so…
I paused, the answer filtering into my mind when he suddenly tilted his head toward me.
Right. When the bidding wasn't happening like he wanted, he got worried and hurriedly sold me off to McPherson.
But now this woman came out of nowhere and was suddenly offering twelve thousand for a worthless slave like me.
"Lady Anoi, the number of girls we have for auction is still quite large. I'm sure if you wait a few more minutes, you'll see numerous girls worthy of your twelve thousand gold coins."
Anoi was still smiling when her eyes shifted toward him, and so did mine.
"But I want this one."
"Beat it, old hag. I'd lose a hand before I let you take her." McPherson hissed, waving his fist in her face.
Thud.
One minute, McPherson was standing there, the next, a still black figure appeared in front of him, and a soft sound of something falling filled the air.
Tap. Tap.
Then it came—a faint sound, like someone lightly tapping the floor with their foot.
That was when I looked down and gasped, stumbling backward at the sight of McPherson's cleanly severed wrist.
The black figure picked up the severed hand from the floor and handed it to Anoi with both hands.
She took it, gestured for him to walk with me, and waved at McPherson as she turned away.
"And before you think of raiding me in my sleep, remember—I work for the alphas. You take my head, and another will grow in my place to take yours."
I blinked.
The alpha triplets? This whole spectacle was so they could get me back?
Did that mean the previous triplets who bought me were in trouble?
"L-Lady Anoi, may I know where I'm being taken to?" I asked nervously as I was pushed out by the black figure.
She didn't stop walking.
"Where else but to your new owners?"
I was pushed into a cart before I could say anything else.
The ride was long, quiet, and dragging. I couldn't help replaying the few hours I spent with the noble triplets.
They were strange, but they saved me from those evil men who were betting on me. Then they gave me a room better than anything I could have imagined, and I spent over an hour bathing in their amazing bathroom.
Sure, they were cold to me. But they didn't deserve to die like chickens just because of Erlion and his foolish decision to send me to the underground auction.
I was dragged out of my thoughts when the chariot came to a halt.
Lowering my head, I gripped my gown tightly as I was led into a garden.
I was still gathering my thoughts when I heard shuffling behind me and turned to see..
"Alton? W-what are you doing here?"
His eyes were closed, but hearing me, he slowly pried them open.
The fierceness I saw a few hours ago was gone, replaced by a chilling calmness.
It was almost as though he was a different person.
He stared at me, his brows knitting slightly.
"What?"
I grit my teeth. "I see you managed to get out, but following me all the way here is just insane."
"I don't care that you want to apologize for sending me away, if the demon triplets see you, they'll rip you and your brothers to shreds!"
On a normal day, I wouldn't speak to him this way, but he and his brothers were the first to give me a real roof over my head.
The least I could do was make sure he kept his.
So I looked around and grabbed the piece of wrapper lying around. After tying it on myself, I looked down to see if it covered me from my waist down to my feet.
Relieved that it did, I grabbed and shoved him to the ground, lifting the wrapper for him to go in, "The demon triplets will be here any minute, so scoot inside me."