Clip-clop. An unassuming carriage rolled quietly through the inky night.

"Teresia," Xinzel’s voice was flat, "your home isn’t that way."

Teresia peeked her head out of the carriage window, golden hair dancing in the night breeze.

"Uncle Xinzel, my house isn’t in that direction."

Xinzel’s expression remained impassive. "Young Master Derek instructed me to buy something first before taking you home."

"Oh."

Without a trace of suspicion, Teresia obediently slipped back inside.

Her unquestioning trust stirred a flicker of worry in Xinzel’s chest.

Teresia was far too naive. She’d never survive the viper’s nest of the Duke’s household. This path would only drag Young Master Derek down.

But that was a problem for another day.

First, he had to fulfill Derek’s request…

…

Jade Golden Phoenix Street, Royal Capital. The slave holding cells of Sterga Trading Company.

Flickering candlelight bled into the gloom, erasing all sense of time.

The stifling air carried a foul stench, thick with despair.

In a rusted iron cage, Sophia huddled in the corner.

She was young. Trapped in this cramped hell, she should have been terrified. Yet her heart was eerily calm.

Or rather—nearly dead.

Perhaps she’d simply grown used to her wretched fate.

Her name was Sophia.

Her surname?

She refused to remember it.

It only brought back the reeking stench of cheap liquor, the man who’d stagger home from the gambling dens, his rage always finding her.

The man who’d defiled the word "father."

Her mother had fled him long ago.

Sophia had dreamed of escaping too.

But her frail body had been no match for his grip.

She’d been locked in a dark room littered with empty bottles, his punching bag whenever luck turned against him.

Until the day he sold her—for fresh gambling coins. Their bond, such as it was, ended with coins clinking into his palm.

In that moment, Sophia felt a crushing sorrow—and a strange sense of relief.

She knew what becoming a slave meant. Yet a fragile hope lingered: *Surely life ahead could be just a little better. Just a little.*

And so, Sophia arrived at Sterga Trading Company, locked in an iron cage.

Today, a sliver of light pierced the gloom.

Sophia crawled from her corner, heavy shackles clinking, and pressed her face against the bars toward the glow.

*So handsome…*

The thought struck her unbidden.

Her heart fluttered like a trapped bird.

Sheltered all her life, Sophia’s world was small. In her mind, beautiful people belonged only in fairy tales—princes from storybooks.

But the boy standing in that light? He was handsomer than any fairy tale prince.

Yet his beauty wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t the kind from children’s stories.

Even from afar, Sophia felt the arrogance radiating from Derek, the icy, untouchable aura that warned others away.

Strangely, she felt no fear.

Only because of the girl standing behind him…

Though not yet polished into the perfect Holy Lady, Teresia’s natural grace still shone brilliantly beside Derek.

Sophia’s eyes followed Derek—and landed on Teresia.

Years of walking on eggshells had taught Sophia to read faces.

She saw the fear in Teresia’s eyes—the girl was terrified of this slave district.

And in her fear, Teresia instinctively sought someone to lean on.

Sophia noticed Teresia’s gaze fixed not on the stern-looking steward beside her, but on Derek.

*That cold boy… is someone she trusts completely.*

A pang of envy shot through Sophia.

She wanted to stand behind that noble boy too. To be shielded by him.

A desperate hope bloomed: *Let him choose me. Let him buy me.*

But of course…

It was foolish.

Even as she pressed closer to the bars, the boy didn’t glance her way.

The bright glow of the magic lantern faded. His silhouette vanished into the shadows.

*Of course. I’m filthy. Why would he ever look at me?*

*How greedy I am.*

Sophia dragged her shackles back to her corner, curling into an even tighter ball.

She bowed her head, as if trying to bury herself in the dark.

Her eyes dimmed.

In the unseen shadows, a single tear slipped down her cheek.

…

Time blurred in this wretched place. Sophia didn’t know how long she’d been lost in the haze when footsteps suddenly approached.

She lifted her head slowly. A sudden burst of light made her flinch…

When her vision cleared, she saw the man who’d finalized her sale with her father.

Sophia could usually read faces—but Pola’s smile held something she couldn’t decipher.

"Lucky girl," Pola murmured with genuine awe.

*Lucky?*

Was that the thing she’d begged for endlessly, yet never received even a crumb of?

Sophia didn’t understand.

But Pola’s men were already unlocking her shackles, leading her out.

She was ushered into a bright, clean room. Maids washed her in warm, fragrant water and dressed her in soft new clothes.

Dazed, Sophia let them guide her like a doll, until she stood before a stern-faced steward.

A flicker of recognition cut through her haze—she’d seen this man before…

Then she remembered. *Him?!* Disbelief flooded her.

Xinzel offered no explanation. Just a single word: "Come."

Confused but obedient, Sophia followed him out of the auction house.

At the carriage, Xinzel gestured for her to enter.

Sophia hesitated.

She’d ridden in carriages before—thrown in like cargo.

But now? Could she really…?

Xinzel’s sharp gaze tightened her chest with tension.

She swallowed hard and climbed in.

Inside, she saw the golden-haired girl—the one she’d envied that very day.

*This time… luck is finally turning my way.*

But then panic seized her.

Where should a slave sit?

She glanced around the small space.

Plenty of room beside Teresia—but a slave didn’t presume.

Stand? That felt wrong too.

Trapped in the cramped carriage, Sophia’s anxiety spiked.

As the carriage began to move, she dropped to the floor, crouching with her knees drawn tight to her chest—trying to make herself as small as possible.

Teresia, who’d been watching her curiously, gasped. "What are you doing? Come sit by me! There’s plenty of space!"

"May… may I?" Sophia whispered, lifting her head cautiously.

"Don’t be like that! If Young Master Derek sees you cowering, he’ll be furious! You know how terrible his temper is!"

"Derek…?"

Sophia breathed the name softly.

A warmth began to spread through her chest.