Aura stood in front of the inn.
The air in the night felt… different.
Cool. Still.
For the first time in months, there were no chains around her limbs – no faint clinking when she moved, no invisible pressure dragging her down. Even the air felt lighter, as if something that had been pressing against her chest had finally lifted.
She inhaled slowly.
It didn't hurt.
She lifted her hand slightly, and mana pooled around it. It gathered instinctively, obediently, swirling around her fingers like a familiar companion.
It was lighter than she remembered.
Her control was impeccable – it was something she had been praised for ever since she was a child.
But what she really focused on wasn't the control.
It was the absence of resistance.
No suppression. No foreign force choking it down.
The mana responded to her alone.
"Am I actually free?" Aura asked herself quietly.
The words felt strange in her mouth.
She had fully expected herself to remain in that place for far longer – weeks, months… maybe years.
She would rather die than become a slave, after all.
Many people had tried to buy her. She made sure each of them regretted it. Every look, every word, every act – she made it clear she would make their lives hell.
She knew her blood could resist the slave contracts.
But how long would that take? Weeks? Months?
Months of letting a dirty human do whatever he liked with her.
Her fingers twitched.
No.
A cold sneer formed on her lips.
I would rather die.
I would rather be chained like a dog than that.
…Yet she wasn't.
That reality lingered, heavier than she expected.
Her mind drifted to the man who had freed her. The one who had given her an opportunity.
Ronan Ashbourne.
Aura's eyes narrowed.
"You're hiding something," she muttered under her breath.
That much was obvious.He knew too much. Far too much.
The way he spoke, never hesitating. The way he looked at her – not as something to own, but as something already understood.
It made no sense. He was a human.
And yet…
He had given her a choice. .
Her fingers curled slightly.
For a brief moment, her thoughts overlapped with a distant memory – words she had held onto for far too long.
A man with kindness that the world will try to break… yet never will.
Her expression hardened.
No.
There was nothing kind about that gaze.
He smiled, yes – but she had seen through it. The same smile he used when speaking to Green Goblin and that man, Combo.
It wasn't kindness.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Annoying," she muttered.
The word came out sharper than intended, but it grounded her. Pulled her away from the lingering weight of that memory.
Aura exhaled slowly.
The night air brushed against her skin again, cool and real, dragging her thoughts back to the present.
She stepped forward and entered the inn.
She was greeted by a kind looking, circle-shaped woman.
"Hello dear, what brings you here?"
"I would like a room," Aura replied simply.
"Of course, dear, that will be 5 silver coins."
Aura nodded and took out the bag Ronan had given her. It was heavier than it should've been. More than enough silver – and gold mixed within.
Her grip tightened around it for a brief moment.
Then she loosened it.
Taking out the desired amount, she handed it to the woman.
The woman smiled warmly and led Aura to her room.
It was a nice room.
Aura paused at the doorway for a second.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
No shouting, no footsteps outside a cage, and most importantly, no eyes watching her every movement.
Nothing like what she had in the Northern Continent, of course.
But it was nice.
Cozy.
She stepped inside.
Aura sat on the bed – and immediately sank into it.
Her body stilled.
The softness was unfamiliar.
That's how long it had been.
Slowly, she lowered herself further until she was lying down completely. The bed seemed to swallow her whole, the tension in her body easing without her permission.
It was warm, comfortable – safe.
Her fingers curled into the sheets.
For the first time in months – maybe even years – tears gathered in Aura's eyes.
She was free.
The realization hit her again. Not as a thought, but as something heavier.
Her breathing faltered slightly.
Then she abruptly raised her arm and wiped the tears away.
No. Not now.
Her expression hardened as she forced herself upright.
Her thoughts shifted – deliberately.
Back to him.
Ronan Ashbourne.
Although she didn't like him… she was grateful.
That much she could admit.
Without him, she would still be in that place.
Chained, suppressed.
Her jaw tightened.
Grateful… and yet–
A memory surfaced.
"You're right, you don't look like you crawled out of a gutter… Somehow, you look worse."
Aura's eyes twitched.
The lingering weight in her chest snapped – replaced instantly by irritation.
"That bastard."
Her voice came out sharper this time.
Who did he think he was talking to?
Did he even know who she was?
A highblood, daughter of a duke.
Her irritation burned hotter, pushing everything else aside–
And she welcomed it.
She instantly stood up and walked towards the bathroom, swinging the door open with more force than necessary.
Aura started muttering to herself.
"'You look worse,' he says. There is no way–"
Then she saw it.
Her own reflection.
She froze.
Her hair fell messily over her shoulders. Dirt and grime clung to her face. Her clothes were dirty, torn, and completely unbefitting of someone of her status.
Silence filled the room.
Aura stared at herself.
Her expression slowly shifted into a grimace.
"…I see."