It was a different world when they went inside. The young noblewomen, dressed up splendidly like peacocks, were walking and giggling in a group. They had a seemingly endless chatter, talking so fast that no one could even understand what their conversation was about.
"Oh no."
Konny mumbled.
When Lara turned back, looking as though she was asking Konny what's the matter, Konny whispered to her with a sullen look.
"We should have come with a group too! The other ladies have at least three or four maids following them. They even have a personal escort. Milady is probably the only young noblewoman…who wore casual clothes with only one maid."
"Is that so?"
Lara looked around to check the fact.
When she looked closely, Konny was right. The number of maids serving the young noblewomen was a problem. Additionally, their dresses were more noticeable, too; fancy and luxurious banquet dresses embellished with jewels, laces, and ribbons showed off their glow here and there.
"You're right."
The dress Lara was wearing was only red in color, but it was actually more like a casual dress. There were barely any laces, let alone jewels. The design was simplified due to its intense color, making it more sophisticated rather than luxurious. The same went for her shoes. What Lara was wearing was loafers with low heels.
"Pfft."
A burst of laughter could be heard.
When Lara raised her head, among the young ladies who were gathering next to the central fountain, a girl with bright platinum blonde hair pointed to Lara with the tip of her fan.
Then, they whispered among themselves.
A high, loud laugh spread quickly and could be heard everywhere. Anyone could tell that they were mocking Lara. They wore the most luxurious and expensive dresses in this hall and sat over the central fountain as if to show off.
"Red dress?"
"Tacky. And what's wrong with her hair? I guess she just came after cutting firewood."
"I have never seen her before. Where did that bumpkin come from?"
Their glances resembled that of wolves that had found the prey that they liked. Lara realized that she was prey for those girls today.
"Milady… let's leave for today and come again next time."
Konny, who was always quick-witted, grabbed Lara's dress. The Lara that Konny knew was an innocent lady who was weak to this kind of teasing or bullying.
"I'm fine."
"I am not fine. Let's at least go out and buy a dress. You are rich, milady."
"It's okay."
Lara really did not care. To put it bluntly, even if those girls came in a group and grabbed Lara by her hair, she would not be scared.
"They were just cute."
"Pardon?"
"What can they even do to me? All they can do is just whisper from afar. That's just a cute temper. They have never done anything bad nor have they experienced it themselves."
"Milady…"
"Konny, don't worry too much."
"Still…"
"But I'm not even a kid anymore."
When Lara laughed it out like it was not a big deal, Konny replied with a serious look.
"You are a kid. You are only 19 years old. I don't know who decided the standard, but you don't automatically become an adult the day after the coming-of-age ceremony. And besides, no matter how old you are, you can still get hurt by what others say."
Oh yeah. I'm 19 years old.
When Lara was unfamiliar with her younger age, a host in a red suit appeared from inside the hall and spoke out.
"It is starting soon!"
Rumble
A heavy, huge door began to open behind him.
There were all kinds of young ladies there―the one who was at loss for what to do, the one who pulled her friend's arm with a shriek, the one who received her wallet from her maids, the one who pushed her way and arrogantly took the lead. Lara reached out to Konny as she saw the other girls entering the seats for the audience under the guidance of the host.'
"Let's go."
"Really? We're going in for real?"
"We have come all the way here. We can't just go back without doing anything."
Lara did not have a hobby of showing off her male slaves that were put in pretty armor. But that man―Demian Rhode Drake, it was a stroke of luck that Lara met him as soon as she came back in time. It was her opportunity to correct the biggest mistake she had made.
She would be his sponsor.
She would give him whatever he needs and she would do whatever she could to help him. She was scared of him but she would not avoid him. If she could relieve the guilt that strangled her every time she thought of him, any price that she had to pay was not a waste. Demian was Prince Sidhar's natural enemy, which meant that he was Lara's absolute ally.
The looks on her eyes became firm.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
"Can I have your attention, please?"
It was the host earlier.
Standing in the middle of the field, he gave an announcement to the audience with a megaphone in one hand.
"The new slaves are preparing to be shown to you. Don't go back right after the match. Show us your good discernment!"
The field heated up.
The young ladies who came in a group whispered among themselves while the young ladies who came alone had their maids check their wallets while covering their faces with fans.
Who will take over the most attractive slave?
Who will pay the highest price?
Who will be the most notable Master Lady in this arena?
"Let's start the first match! The mighty warriors of the best clients of our arena; Miss Swavy and Miss Dvonn, will compete in the honor of their Master Ladies!"
Wooaaaahhh.
A loud cheer erupted as if to shake the field. One would think that the ladies would be elegant and coy when they watched the battle, but they were surprisingly aggressive.
"Who will be the mighty warrior of this month? Master Lady's kiss for the winner and sharp whip for the loser!"
Soon after, the two mighty warriors stood facing each other in the middle of the field. Lara sat in a corner of the audience seat with her chin cupped in her hands. At her side, Konny clenched her fists and made a fuss on whose mighty warrior was more attractive.
The match was a fake.
Anyone could tell it. Maybe even the security guards who protected this field also already knew. The mighty warriors wore decorative armor over stylish suits and fought as if they were dancing with pretty and shiny fleuret. The attack was light and the defense was flashy. They seemed to just be researching how to show their Master Ladies a good look.
"It was rigged."
"Huh?"
"The mighty warrior of Miss Dvonn will win."
"How did you know?"
"Because he's wearing expensive clothes with an expensive sword."
It was as Lara said.
The match ended with the mighty warrior of Miss Swavy losing his sword and sinking to his knees. As if he was angry, he punched the floor of the field and deeply bowed toward the audience seat where his Master Lady was sitting. The same went for the winner. The mighty warrior of Miss Dvonn approached his Master Lady and knelt, offering the sword of the loser. Then, he gave a deep kiss to her skirt.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!"
"Konny."
"I don't know. What do I do? Oh my God! Milady, did you see that?"
The one that got the kiss was that lady, but why is my maid making a fuss?
Unlike Konny who was amused, Lara was not interested in the match at all. With a sullen face, she sat with her chin cupped in her hand and watched the match proceed without saying anything. After the game of the day was over, it was time for the last event.
The host made an announcement.
"Look here!"
It was the new slaves.
Four men wore the same clothes and were dragged out to the stage in the middle of the field. Lara slightly bit her lips.
It was him.
Demian Rhode Drake.
Standing together with the sturdily built slaves, his skinny body looked even smaller. He was tall and had long limbs, but his back was slouched, and his posture was unstable. Just washing out the blood and dust from him was not enough. His shaggy hair covered most of his face, making his cold eyes unable to be seen. So, he looked like a slave with a disease.
The other three slaves were all of sturdy build and energetic. They puffed their chest out and raised their chins to appeal their charms to the young ladies. On the contrary, Demian managed to balance himself after stumbling and looked around continuously in a slouchy position.
'Demian.'
Lara said his name once in her mind.
"Let's start the auction!"
Basically, the slaves would belong to the young ladies who paid the highest price. The contract was usually renewed in a six-month term. In the case of a popular slave, the young ladies who wanted to own him even offered a deal under the table. All three except Demian received similar prices. The ones who bought them were young ladies who had just become adults and were allowed to come to the arena, just like Lara.
The last one was Demian.
The host made an announcement.
"He's a man of extraordinary looks in Hautean! He may look worthless on the outside because he didn't eat much. But if you feed him well, he will be different! He's tall and even has big hands. Moreover, this black hair! Have you ever seen such black hair in Hautean?"
He was a good businessman.
But no matter how hard of an effort the host had made, the young ladies were indifferent.
"He's too thin."
"He's slouchy. What's wrong with his posture?"
"Did they really clean him up? Why is he so messy?"
"It was just a waste to give him good clothes."
Even Lara agreed with that to some extent.
Because Demian looked far from attractive at the moment.
"Konny."
"Y-yes? Why, milady?"
"Buy him."
Lara whispered.
Startled, Konny put her face close to Lara.
"Milady! Why him?"
"I want to get close to him."
Konny's expression grew strange. As if she had forgotten that she was grateful to Lara that she could finally fulfill her wish of coming to the arena, Konny made a fuss, putting her hands on Lara's forehead as if to take her temperature.
"Milady, no matter how curious you are about a man… a slave is a no-no. You should go to the Night Ball instead."
"Konny, do you even know what type of place the Night Ball is?"
"Of course. A place to find a sweetheart to heal your loneliness just for the…"
"Konny."
As Lara told her off sternly, Konny quickly apologized.
"How much should I buy him?"
"It doesn't matter. Just make sure you buy him."
"Just leave it to me!"
Konny took Lara's wallet and raised her nose, pretending to be haughty. Then, she opened only two fingers and smirked towards the host.
"Oh! We got 2 gold here!"
The problem was that no other young lady was trying to buy Demian after that.
The field was quiet.
"Sold for 2 gold!"
Konny managed to buy the man who would be the king of outlaws with just 2 gold.