“… Hnn.”

But then, she heard a strange man’s laugh in her ear.

At the moment, Evely’s body flinched. The man’s laughter rang louder as if he had seen something funny. When she opened one of her eyes, she saw a toe covered by a fancy shoe.

“To bare your chest and lie on the floor… Is this a new kind of entertainment?” The man’s voice fell into her ears, amusement was evident.

The girl with her chest exposed wriggled like a caterpillar.

“So petty.”

She was so desperate, but the man was laughing. She looked ridiculous, crawling on the floor to live.

Evely managed to raise her head. And her eyes widened in surprise.

… That man wasn’t wearing a mask.

It was the first time she saw a person without a mask except for the host and the attendants. His outfit and graceful appearance were not of a host or attendant either.

Didn’t he participate in the auction?

Dark blue eyes with raven black hair. His eyes were cool, like ice. It wasn’t shiny eyes from eye slits staring at her, but eyes cold like a winter night. His eyes were strangely overbearing, so even though her body froze, she felt an unknown sense of relief.

For the first time, she saw someone who she could discern.

“May I help you?”

“Or maybe not.” The man took back his words before she said, “Please.” The eyes of the two met each other. The heat in Evely’s eyes grew.

“The girl is…!” Then an angry voice sounded from behind.

She turned her head and saw the nobleman and guards rushing in. But the moment he found the man in front of Evely, the old nobleman bowed his head and opened his mouth with a different soft voice.

“Count Bernhard? How can you be in such a place…”

“Sir James. I thought you were living in peace while raising a younger student in the countryside, but what may you be doing here?”

The old nobleman responded with a confused face at his words.

“I had some work here and by chance, I bought a slave. But I didn’t expect the foolish slave to run away, haha.”

“This… I feel sorry for her.”

The more the conversation continued, the more the old nobles bowed down and became tame.

“So, how much is she?”

“Yes? what… ?”

He glanced at the woman wriggling under his feet with an expressionless face.

“This stupid slave.”

“I bought he-.”

However, James couldn’t speak anymore. This was because the sword on the Count’s waist was aiming precisely at the tip of his chin. He held his breath.

In an instant, the face of the old nobleman turned blue, but the Count was bored. However, there was a pressure that could not be ignored at the end of the words.

“I guess my question wasn’t who bought this slave, but how much did she cost? Isn’t that right?”

“Well, that, I bought her for 30,000.”

Lie..

Evely said in her mind, but the words couldn’t come out.

“I’ll give you six. Sell this girl to me.”

Even if he didn’t like it, he couldn’t help it. The man’s voice was insensitive, but the tip of the sword was very threatening.

“Oh, no. I agree.”

“I will send someone to pay the amount sooner or later. And it’s especially surprising to see that Sir James was here. Your Majesty is very sensitive to illegally operated markets these days.”

He laughed. The laugh was beautiful, but he looked so cruel. While threatening with a sword on the old man’s neck, the sword didn’t shake even a bit.

“T-thank you!”

As soon as he lowered the sword in slow motion, James screamed thanks and turned around. Evely, who was watching until he disappeared, finally opened her mouth.

“T-thank you. I’m really glad.”

She kept mumbling. Tears filled her eyes, flowing down her cheeks. Words came out mixed with her irregular breaths. At first glance, she looked really beautiful.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much…”

… What else should I say…

“Why are you thankful?

Evely’s eyes were puzzled by that voice.

“Maybe because I’m more rich?”

“How do you know that I am better than that old man?”

The voice as light as a feather could not easily be read. The only thing that can be detected is a bit of interest.

At that instant, she felt choked, and she stared at the man with wide eyes.

“You are naive.”

Tsk. A sound of him clicking his tongue rang out. Evely’s face grew white, her body shriveling up.

* * *

Evely thought it was probably not the man who bought her, but the women of this mansion.

Charlotte wiped her damp hands on the apron, looking at Evely. Charlotte, who has been working with this family for generations, had disapproved of Evely ever since she first entered the house.

“Where are you going to be of use?”

Evely bent her back at the cold voice that reprimanded her. As she lowered her head and looked down, the tips of the maid’s clunky shoes came in sight. Her toes were tapping dissatisfied on the smooth floor.

“Why did he buy a kid like this?” Charlotte mumbled to herself.

Even with her unconventional tone, Evely simply said sorry for her.

In fact, she wanted to ask why they bought her too. Because 60,000 gold was too much money for this kind of chore.

The man who bought her at the slave market told someone to bring Evely to his mansion. Then he handed it to the maid telling her to use Evely wherever she wanted.

“Her body is too weak and frail…”

The man who bought her was named Alec Bernhard, who is considered one of the most powerful and outstanding knights in this empire. In the center of the capital, almost everyone knows him, but Evely, who helped in farming in someone else’s field in a quiet rural village, had not heard of this strange name.

“Bring the vase to the warehouse. It’s on the far right of the second floor. Can you at least do that?” Charlotte said with a helpless face.

Evely replied quickly, afraid that she would garner more anger. Her gaze, as if she was still mad, glanced over her, but Evely held up the vase pretending not to know.