The carriage stopped, and Fredrick handed Iris a piece of cloth.
"Cover your eyes. It will be a surprise, and make sure not to see a single thing, or else, you'll be spoiled," Fredrick stated gently.
Iris was confused, but she followed his command. She tightened the grip of the cloth with closed eyes. She waited for another order while increasing her sense of hearing.
Fredrick furrowed his eyebrow and made several gestures in front of Iris to ensure she saw nothing. Once he was satisfied, he opened the door and got out. He held Iris's hand and guided her outside.
"Careful, I don't want you to get hurt," Fredrick whispered playfully. He caressed Iris's hand gently while adding enough pressure to reassure her that everything would be alright.
Iris felt her heartbeat fastened by the gentle words she heard, especially from a different person. She liked the interaction between them and their physical contact.
"When we arrive at our destination, refrain from speaking and answer when you're told, okay?" Fredrick stated and stopped walking. They were in the back door of a mansion.
"Y-yes," Iris replied in a whisper. She was nervous and held tightly into Fredrick's hand. She found it funny how she survived a Dragon attack yet clung to a man for her life.
They were greeted by an old man in a suit and were led to a hidden room below the stairs; it was dark and narrow. At the bottom was another door, which opened to a room with a single throne in the middle.
The place was dim, and the only source of light was the two candles on each side.
"You've finally arrived," a man with a deep, harsh voice spoke. He was sitting on the throne with his legs crossed and blazing ruby eyes glaring at Fredrick. His face showed rage and irritation since Fredrick was late to their appointed time.
"Ah! My apologies. It took a long time for me to prepare the valued item for you," Fredrick replied with a lopsided smile. He stepped to the side to show Iris's figure, who immediately got the buyer's attention.
"Let me explain the qualities of this item. As you can see, she has radiant white, snow-colored hair that is already fairly unique, but that's not all," Fredrick stated with excitement in his voice. He removed the blindfold to show Iris's beauty. "Open your eyes," he whispered in Iris's ears, which she followed.
Iris fluttered her eyelids and looked up. Her eyes stared at the man before her, and she felt intimidated by his strong presence.
"Her name is Iris. Yes, like the Goddess of Rainbow! Haha!" Fredrick exclaimed with pride. His grin widened when he saw the man's great expression when he saw Iris's entire appearance.
"Tell me the price," the man stated seriously. He flicked his finger, and the butler immediately opened the boxes on the side that contained gold coins.
Fredrick grinned and shook his head. "You know she deserves more than that," he stated playfully. He looked down and saw Iris staring at him.
"A-are you… selling me—" Iris couldn't finish her sentence when Fredrick put his index finger over her lips.
"I'm giving you a new life. You'll be free after this," Fredrick whispered and smiled, showing his bright teeth.
Iris frowned since her gut feeling told her it wasn't right, but she decided to trust Fredrick.
"O-okay," Iris replied and looked down. She pursed her lips and became silent.
The man tapped his finger and liked how Iris was obedient. It was one of the qualities he was searching for. He flicked again, and the butler opened another two boxes of gold coins.
"Three boxes worth thirty million gold coins. That is my last offer," the man stated and stood up, ending the conversation.
"Hah! That's what I'm talking about! Haha! This item is yours," Fredrick exclaimed with delight and examined the gold coins.
The man grumbled and stared at Iris. He reached out his hand for her to take. "Let's go," he stated, but his voice was not as gentle as Fredrick's.
"Kyah!" Iris flinched since she didn't trust the man yet.
The man frowned and retreated his hand. He disliked how he was rejected, but he understood. He looked at his butler and left without a word.
The butler nodded and went to Iris.
"Miss, I am Ronald. Nice to meet you," Ronald stated and helped Iris stand up.
"R-ronald," Iris whispered while trying to pronounce his name. Her eyes glanced at Fredrick, who was gloating at the gold coins.
"I know His Grace is a bit scary, but don't judge him by his appearance," Ronald stated, patting Iris's head to comfort her. "Now, let's go, and I'll show you to your room," he added.
"F-fredrick," Iris called out. She didn't want to separate from him since he was the first person she met after escaping, and she showed her kindness on her own terms.
Fredrick slumped his shoulders and looked at Iris. He smiled and waved his hands goodbye. "Thank you, Iris. I hope you'll have a great time here," he chuckled.
Iris's eyes widened upon realizing that she would be disjoined from him. "N-no!" she exclaimed, but Ronald held her arm.
"Miss, you no longer belong to him," Ronald whispered, pulling Iris out of the room with force.
Iris was devastated and locked her eyes on Fredrick until he was no longer in sight. She felt heaviness in her chest, and she started hyperventilating.
Ronald noticed the increasing heat of Iris's body and became concerned about her well-being. "Miss… Miss Iris?" he asked and stopped walking.
Iris's vision got blurred as she became light-headed. She felt her body weakened and gave out, which made her fall to the cold floor.
"What is happening?" the same deep, harsh voice was heard, but Iris couldn't see his figure.
"Your Grace, Echeron. Miss Iris is losing consciousness!" Ronald stated in a panic.
Iris's eyelids became heavy and were closing. She felt her body lifted from the ground and in contact with a cold body. She used her last strength to glance up and saw a pair of ruby eyes staring down at her before losing consciousness.