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Chapter 4
10,000 gold.
That was my price.
Not that it really mattered—slaves don’t actually get that money.
“You hit the jackpot, miss!”
The slave trader beamed, offering some empty words as he pocketed the fortune from selling Bellaxina.
He claimed that someone who pays such a high price would never damage their property—
That even if she were to become a plaything, she likely wouldn’t be harmed or killed.
That, considering her situation, this was the best outcome she could hope for.
“What utter nonsense.”
Of course, Bellaxina had no interest in the opinions of someone who’d never lived a day as a noble.
Still, she had to admit—
Being a 10,000-gold slave was better than being worth a measly 200.
It was still cheap for someone like her, but not many people could casually spend that much gold on a slave.
“Why did he buy me?”
Bellaxina stood in front of a dusty mirror in a clothing shop, silently studying her reflection.
Her wild curls hung down to her waist, jet-black like a raven’s feathers.
Her red eyes, which flatterers called ruby and critics called bloodstained, gleamed sharply.
Her raised eyebrows and hawk-like gaze looked as if she’d just heard something offensive.
It was hard to deny she was beautiful—
But it wasn’t a gentle beauty. It was the kind that made people whisper,
“Are you sure you meant ‘beauty’ and not ‘witch’?”
In short, she looked like a slave who definitely wouldn’t obey orders.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t have bought it.”
Who pays to bring home trouble?
Bellaxina glanced out the window and spotted Avalkin preparing a carriage.
He wasn’t sitting inside, but standing in front of it—
Waiting to open the door for her.
That wasn’t how people treated slaves.
Not at all.
“Maybe… he’s liked me since our society days?”
It seemed like a reasonable guess.
Bellaxina had been engaged to Emperor Rudiger from a young age.
No other noblemen dared express interest in the future empress.
Even if Avalkin had feelings, he wouldn’t have been able to show them.
If that were true, then it wouldn’t be so strange for him to bid a huge sum when he saw her on the auction block.
Bellaxina smirked with satisfaction, her confidence rising.
“Well, of course. I am who I am.”
She gently dusted off her worn black dress, turning slightly left and right in the mirror to check her silhouette.
Then she reached both arms behind her back—
“…? Ah!”
The shop assistant stood dazed for a moment, unsure what Bellaxina was doing. Then, snapping back to her senses, she brought over the deep navy fur coat Avalkin had already paid for and helped Bellaxina put it on.
“You’re awfully slow.”
“I’m s-sorry…”
The assistant was clearly flustered by Bellaxina’s attitude, which went beyond haughty and bordered on outright rudeness.
In a luxury tailor shop for nobles, it was expected that attendants helped with every outfit change—but in a secondhand dress shop like this, Bellaxina was the first to demand that kind of service.
“I’ll let it go since I’m in a good mood. But don’t expect a tip.”
Bellaxina said coolly, then walked out of the shop.
With proud, confident steps, she approached Avalkin, who stood in front of the carriage.
He gave her a once-over and said simply,
“It suits you.”
“Don’t insult me.”
Her sharp reply made Avalkin blink in surprise, clearly not expecting that reaction.
“You don’t like the clothes?”
“If you want the truth, no.”
Crossing her arms, Bellaxina lifted her chin and continued.
“It’s warm, sure, but the style is twenty years out of date, the color is drab, and if you look closely, it’s stained. It’s a secondhand dress, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
Avalkin responded flatly, as if it were no big deal.
Bellaxina, hands on her hips, stared at him in disbelief.
“Ha! I knew it. How could you make me wear a used dress?”
“Then go back to what you were wearing before.”
Bellaxina flinched.
She knew exactly what he meant: that revealing outfit the slave trader had forced her into for the auction.
“How dare you say that!”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Avalkin frowned, clearly irritated.
“Whether the clothes are old or ripped, what a slave wears is up to the master.”
“…!”
“If you don’t like it, go ahead and take it all off. I don’t care.”
Bellaxina bit her lip and glared at him.
The cold attitude didn’t match the man who had just spent 10,000 gold at the slave market to buy her. It was hard to believe he was the same person.
“Get in. We’ve got a long way to go.”
Avalkin opened the carriage door and even offered his hand to help her in—but it was clear he was doing it out of obligation, not kindness.
Bellaxina pretended not to see his hand and stepped into the carriage on her own, head held high.
‘I thought he spent all that money because he was in love with me… Did I get it wrong?’
Bellaxina slowly recalled the moment Avalkin had won her at the auction.
When he outbid the banker’s wife by thousands of gold coins at a time and finally said the unbelievable number—10,000 gold—the most shocked person wasn’t the crowd.
It was Countess Castiglione, the woman who had accompanied him.
She had said something to Avalkin, clearly upset. Though Bellaxina couldn’t hear the conversation, it wasn’t hard to imagine what was said:
“Are you insane? Spending 10,000 gold on a slave?”
“Yes. Love makes a man do crazy things.”
“Excuse me?”
*[SLAP]
‘No, no, definitely not.’
Bellaxina shook her head.
She didn’t know Avalkin very well, but she could tell he wasn’t the type to say something that ridiculous.
So why had he spent 10,000 gold to buy her?
‘The Yeshken territory isn’t even that wealthy…’
In the empire, ruling lords like Avalkin didn’t receive noble stipends from the crown—they were treated as sovereign rulers of their region instead.
They had the right to collect taxes from their people, keeping most of it while sending a portion to the imperial family.
That meant the lord’s income depended heavily on how prosperous their land was.
And Yeshken was…
‘A barren, undeveloped land with barely enough to live on.’
Sure, they had some magic stones and monster parts, but that was just local trade—not nearly enough to build real wealth.
So for a lord from such a place to spend 10,000 gold on a single slave—it made no logical sense.
“What exactly do you plan to use me for?”
In the end, Bellaxina spoke up, using polite language out of respect for the man who had paid such a large sum for her.
Avalkin, sitting across from her in the carriage, turned his pale blue eyes toward her. His gaze, until now lost in thought, suddenly focused.
“Curious about what you’re for, are you?”
Bellaxina nodded.
Her hands, clenched tightly on her lap, showed she was bracing herself—ready to hear anything without flinching.
Seeing her determined expression, Avalkin found it easier to speak plainly.
“To sleep with me, get pregnant, and have my child. That is your purpose.”
“…!”
“Oh—of course, I meant after marriage. Forgot to mention that part.”
She thought she was ready for anything, but Bellaxina froze like a porcelain doll. Her lips parted and closed again as she struggled to find the right words. And then…
“Is he insane?”
She spoke her honest thoughts aloud.
Avalkin looked at her, confused and slightly annoyed by her reaction. He raised his chin a little and asked,
“What’s your problem now?”
“Now? You’re seriously asking that? Wow.”
Bellaxina leaned back in the seat, crossed her arms defensively, and replied coldly.
“First of all, don’t say ‘now.’ This is the first time I’m complaining.”
“You said you didn’t like the clothes.”
“That was a complaint, not a problem.”
Avalkin blinked.
He couldn’t quite understand the difference, but decided to let it go.
“Fine. I take back the ‘now.’”
“That’s not the point! You basically talked about me like I’m some breeding animal, and now you ask what’s wrong?”
“Are you saying you’re not female?”
“No! I’m saying I’m not a cow, you idiot!”
“Phew, you almost gave me a heart attack.”
Bellaxina’s jaw dropped.
She couldn’t believe someone could be this impossible to talk to—while technically speaking the same language. She was too exhausted even to stay angry.
Sighing, she uncrossed her arms and asked:
“How long until we reach Yeshken?”
“A month and a half if we’re fast. Two months if we’re not.”
It felt like an eternity.
Bellaxina looked out the small carriage window at the capital, Ricressa, slowly fading into the distance—wondering if she’d ever return again.
