When Sian saw the old man trembling so much that he nearly fell, he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He was determined to avoid violence as the first option to resolve the situation, as he was attempting to change his life philosophy.
Clearing his throat, Sian said, "Never mind what I said earlier. Since she's a noble's daughter, she might know a thing or two about running a business. Just tell me your price."
"A-Are you s-sure?" The old man kept shaking, struggling to maintain his composure.
"Yeah, I'm not a Poutis noble, so I don't want to cause trouble here," Sian replied, glancing at the young woman.
Like the other women from earlier, she was also naked, radiating a captivating beauty that left Sian mesmerized. Just looking at her, he felt captivated and couldn't take his eyes off her.
The old man warned anxiously, trying to compose himself, "Since Your Lordship is willing to buy her, I must tell you she's a troublesome person. She doesn't submit to anyone. No matter how much I try to teach her the basics of being a slave, she says she'd rather die than let someone else control her. Even after using force, she remains defiant and gives me a real headache."
"I understand," Sian nodded, carefully observing the young woman's body, noticing some bruises scattered across her skin. It was clear from her expression that she didn't want to be there.
The old man continued, "But as you can see, she's an unparalleled beauty, with skin as smooth, clear, and soft as a child's. Besides having a good aptitude for light magic, I can assure you that her chastity is still intact."
Despite what the old man said, Sian knew he couldn't let this opportunity slip away, even if they were enemies.
"Do you know how to run an inn?" Sian asked.
Ignoring the question, she gave Sian a dismissive look and turned away.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. Even though I'm interested in you, I'm not someone who forces women," Sian said. "My goal is simple, and if you do well, I might even set you free from slavery."
"Words are just words, especially from someone like you," she replied.
"Although I'm a little offended by the 'someone like you' part, I'll pretend I didn't hear it and give you one more chance," Sian said. "And because I'm in a good mood, if you can manage well, I'll pay you a good salary."
"I'll believe those words if you sign a magic contract with me," she said indifferently.
"No problem," Sian replied. "But do you have the skills I need?"
"I can run a kingdom, so managing a simple inn is child's play," she confidently claimed.
At that moment, the old man intervened, raising his hand and pointing at the young woman. "I forbid you to tell any lies."
A purple mark from the slave contract immediately appeared on her forehead.
"Humph, like I need to lie," she said, looking confidently at Sian. "Just give me a day, and you'll see how amazing I am."
"Alright, I hope you don't disappoint me," Sian said.
Within minutes, they concluded the magic contract, with the young woman imposing some conditions. Then, the old man canceled the old contract and made a new one with Sian becoming her new owner.
Similar to what happened with Ophilia, the young woman felt pain and discomfort when the blue mist entered her head. But unlike Ophilia, Sian didn't show any concern for her suffering.
After the slavery contract was completed, the old man prepared a simple but sexy change of clothes for the young woman. Sian was expecting regular clothes, but it was to be expected from a sex slave tent.
As Sian enjoyed the young woman's tiny top and short skirt, the old man interrupted nervously. "N-Now that Your Lordship has made the master and slave contract with her, can we talk about the payment?"
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Just tell me the price," Sian replied.
"As Your Lordship can see, her physical qualities alone make her worth an exorbitant price, and the fact that she's an ex-noble who can read and write-"
"No need to stall, just tell me the price right away," Sian cut in.
"In-in that case, consider her a gift from me for offending you," the old man said nervously.
"Are you sure?"
"O-Of course, she's all yours."
"In that case, I'll gladly accept her."
As they left, Sian placed his hand on the young woman's shoulder and looked at her menacingly. "Don't try to deceive me, or you'll regret it."
She smiled confidently. "As long as I want to, there's nothing I can't do."
Sian was momentarily perplexed by her beauty. Her smile and face seemed perfect, as if she were a goddess among mortals. Despite her questionable personality, he couldn't deny her unparalleled beauty.
"Admiring my beauty?" she asked with a hint of arrogance. "Living with someone as beautiful and talented as me won't be easy. Even my brothers desire me, but you'll have to get used to it. We have a contract, and you can't back out now."
"Well, to be honest, you are very beautiful, and anyone would be lucky to have you as a wife."
"I'm too perfect for anyone. While I don't expect to find someone as perfect as me, I'm still saving myself for someone who can meet my requirements."
"Sure, Miss Perfection," Sian rolled his eyes. "But before going back to the inn, we need to buy you some proper clothes. You have less clothes than a prostitute, I don't want you to be a bad influence on my Emily."
"I don't know who Emily is, but the same goes for you," she retorted.
"Me? What do you mean?"
"Even if you ignore how notorious you are, just by looking at your face and the way you talk, people get intimidated. You don't even have to use magic pressure. If she went around with you, I'm sure she'll learn about extorting the merchants to make them sell luxury goods at dirt cheap."
"I never extort anyone... At least not recently."
"You don't have to extort directly. Your face and demeanor are enough to scare people."
"What do you mean by my face? Take a look, I'm handsome! People don't get scared of handsome guys."
"Alright, Mr. Handsome," she said with a smirk. "You may be handsome, but you also look at everyone with contempt, use magic pressure, and speak rudely."
"Ahem," Sian cleared his throat. "If you ignore the pressure, I acted as normally as possible."
"I gotta admit, your normal behavior saved you some gold coins. That old man bought me for 25 coins, but I'm sure he planned to sell me for at least 50."
"Fifty gold coins? Are you sure?" Sian looked at her skeptically.
"I don't get it either." She shook her head, appearing dissatisfied. "My value is inestimable. I have unlimited potential and excel at anything I want. But here I am, a gift to an extortionist."
At that moment, Sian started to question internally if 'buying' her was a mistake or not.
"Your expression right now, it's like you're looking at a bug. With your reputation, that old man must have been afraid you'd rip his liver out for dinner."
"But I didn't reveal my identity."
"And you didn't have to; being the Duke of the place he took me from was enough."
"Whatever." Sian shrugged. "But changing the subject, aren't you surprisingly friendly to someone who killed your father? Don't you hold a grudge?"
Hearing Sian's question, the young woman just sneered.