The man who introduced himself as Marker Patru greeted everyone in a comically exaggerated manner. Laughter that was almost like mocking erupted from the audience, but Marker seemed not to care at all.
On the contrary, as if he had aimed for it, he continued with a very satisfied expression on his face.
“Today, we have prepared a total of twenty items. The quality today is very good.”
By “good quality”, he meant that the slaves’ appearances were exceptionally outstanding, my lady. Thanks to Ruth’s additional explanation on the side, I could follow Marker’s proceedings without any issue.
So, I gave Ruth a grateful look, and he lifted the corners of his mouth as if it was nothing.
“Let’s start by revealing the first item. Please, bring out the first item.”
At Marker’s gesture towards the back of the stage, two or three men came out dragging a silver-haired woman tied with a rope.
Despite her face being riddled with scars, it was clear that the woman was exceptionally beautiful.
It was strange how her eyes were so swollen.
There was not a single glimmer of the light of life that a person should have in her pitch-black irises, which made one feel empty-handed just by looking.
While I was scrutinizing the woman, Marker made her kneel down and then smirked.
“Oh my, one of our highlighted items prepared for today has appeared right from the start. What was her name again? Ah! The name of this item is Cayena. Being from the poor, she doesn’t have a surname.”
The way Marker talked to her, treating her like a commodity, made my stomach turn, but I held it together. I continued to watch the auction, feeling sorry for Ruth, who must have seen this scene over and over again.
“The starting bid is 300 gold. If you’re wondering why a girl from the slums is so expensive, just take a look at this product’s face. It’s simply breathtaking.”
“…….”
His lips, lost for words, closed on their own.
She regretted not refusing when Ruth first suggested they go to a slave auction together. It was the worst experience she had ever had at a slave auction for the first time in his life.
Her trembling hands, from being too tense, suddenly warmed up. It didn’t take long to realize that Ruth was the source of the warmth covering the back of his hand.
Looking up to follow his hand and staring at Ruth, he was focused on the stage. Yet, he muttered softly, as if he sensed my gaze.
“Bear it.”
“…….”
“Even if it’s filthy and cowardly, bear it, my lady.”
Even though I knew he was speaking to me, it somehow felt like a promise to himself, which resonated much more deeply than any light advice.
As I clenched my slightly parted lips, trying to suppress something welling up from within, Ruth continued to speak.
“At the casino, you said not to be too hard on yourself. Because if we do, we’ll all be too sad. Instead, let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“I did… yes.”
“So, let’s think that way this time too. We can’t stop the present as it passes, but we can change the approaching future.”
“…Okay. I’ll think that way.”
“You can’t stop the passing present, but you can change the coming future,” I recite to myself, a phrase striking my heart like the petals falling in the late spring, battling the urge to let my lips curl upwards in a secret smile.
It was then, amidst this contemplation, that people began to shout their bids for an item called ‘Cayena’.
“600 gold. 750 gold. 900 gold. 930 gold. 1,050 gold! We have 1,050 gold! If no one will bid higher, it will go to customer number 76…”
“1,500 gold.”
The bidding, which had seemed to be climaxing at 1,050 gold to the auctioneer, was about to be concluded there.
So, had Ruth not seized the silent moment in the room to shout an astonishing amount, the first auction would have immediately ended.
…Wait, 1,500 gold?
The amount she mentioned made my jaw drop.
From the perspective of the nobility, especially the high nobility, 1,500 gold was undoubtedly not a large amount. This is because 1,500 gold could, for example, cover the cost of building a three-story villa near a resort.
However, at the same time, it was not a small amount of money either. Therefore, it was difficult to see it as an amount that could be spent in an instant without even a little hesitation. Quite the opposite, perhaps.
Others seemed to share my thoughts as the silence inside the room grew even denser than before.
The moment all eyes in Chamber 2 were on Ruth, Marker burst out laughing. For some reason, he acted as if he had known all along that Ruth would do this.
“Guest number 101 has offered 1,500 gold. Is there anyone who would like to purchase the item for a higher price?”
No one answered Marker’s question. Naturally.
After a few seconds of silence, Marker, as if he had been waiting, tapped the wooden gavel three or four times.
“Then, the first item goes to guest number 101. Now, onto the second item!”
With that, he announced the item had been acquired by Ruth and, just like the beginning, signaled to the staff behind the stage. This time, a sturdy man with black hair, wearing a collar around his neck, walked out.
Since it was mentioned at the beginning of the auction that twenty items were prepared, it seems roughly eighteen items are left.
I looked at the man with jet-black hair, boasting well-defined muscles, and calculated in my head how much longer this despicable auction would continue, sighing. It was at least three hours.
During that time, I hoped I could just stay still. After whispering a wish to no one in particular, I pressed my body, which seemed ready to jump out at any moment, against the back of the chair.
Even as I did this, the auction continued without a pause.
***
The slave auction ended about an hour later than I had anticipated. Because of that, my legs became numb, but fortunately, the long dress I wore prevented it from showing.
Ruth bought ten more slaves after the first slave, Cayena, all at a high price, just like with Cayena. So today, Ruth spent a little over 100 million gold from his personal assets.
Based on what he said at the casino, it seemed he was very frugal with his money. However, seeing this made him seem far from frugal. Moreover, it appeared that his personal assets were far from small.
Curious why he showed a different course of action only at the slave auction compared to other situations, when the auction ended and I asked him the reason for spending so much –
“The value of a human cannot be measured with money, but if it must be measured, I wanted it to be as high as possible,” was the answer I received.
It was an answer that made me feel ashamed for wondering why he spent so much money, especially since the Duke of Hazel, who backed the slave auction, could have used the bare minimum.
Leaving that conversation behind and going to the basement of the opera house to receive the slaves, I saw the slaves, with Cayena in the lead, standing in line. Precisely, the slaves were tied in a line with a rope.
The sight of them being treated like livestock made my brow furrow involuntarily. The fact that these people were once ordinary commoners and poor citizens pricked my conscience like a needle.
Meanwhile, Ruth was talking to Marker without showing any change in expression, unlike me.
“Looks like you’re buying a lot today too, sir.”
“I have some uses for them.”
“Ah, yes. After all, slaves can be very versatile and quite convenient. Oh, and the Cayena you bought today has been well-trained by me…”
“Stop with the unnecessary remarks. Do I look like someone who has time to waste?”
“…I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry.”
Right before Marker could continue his unsavory talk, Ruth cut him off with a frosty expression.
Marker, taken aback, bowed and apologized. The arrogance he had just before was nowhere to be seen.
It was clear that Marker was the type of man who was weak to the strong but tough on the weak.
While I was coldly evaluating Marker, Ruth took a blank check from his pocket and elegantly wrote down the amount he owed. Then, he tossed the check like dropping it on the floor to Marker.
“It’s exactly 120,000 gold.”
“Thank you, sir. Will you be taking it with you yourself this time?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Then, I’ll leave it for you.”
As Ruth responded with a brief nod to Marker’s question, implying he should leave quickly without further ado, Marker disappeared with his workers as if collecting the money was his only role.
It was only after the sounds of people leaving the basement faded into the distance that Ruth relaxed his lips, which had been tightly sealed with coldness.
“Finally gone.”
“I never imagined Your Majesty could act so well.”
“It’s not that I’m particularly good at it; I’ve just gotten used to it over time.”
“Th-that noble sir…”
“Hm?”
“?”
Just as we relaxed and began to chat casually, someone suddenly interrupted.
Who is it?
Unable to suppress my curiosity, I followed the direction of the slender voice and swallowed a sigh. There was Cayena, with a face full of fear.
After looking back and forth between me and Ruth, Cayena clenched her fists and spoke in a trembling voice.
“I can clean well. And I know how to cook. Also, also…”
“So? Why are you suddenly talking about this?”
“So, I will work hard… Could you please at least let my younger sibling go? Please…”
“Younger sibling?”
At Ruth’s question, Cayena slowly nodded and stretched her arm backward. Following her gesture, a small girl who had been among the slaves came forward.
