Chapter 2

“Please buy me.”

The man went silent, perhaps because it was such an unexpected request. Evelyn knew this was a bold demand.  

But to her, this was a heaven-sent opportunity.  

There was someone who might need her abilities, he seemed wealthy enough, and he was desperate enough to approach a slave. Her instincts told her she had to seize this chance.  

‘I’ll make this man my master!’  

Recalling her past-life interview experiences, Evelyn began to list all the reasons why she was the perfect slave.  

“I’ve been abused since I was young, so I’m quick to pick up on things. I eat very little, so I’m efficient. I’ve endured constant verbal abuse, which has made me mentally strong enough to overcome it. If you buy me, I’ll know my place, never rebel, and be a loyal employee—no, slave—who does ten tasks when asked to do one. I’m confident in living a soulless life without questioning any of the tasks I’m given…”  

The man, listening to her self-introduction, laughed. It was a chilling laugh, like that of a wolf.  

Seeing her involuntarily stop talking, the man spoke kindly.  

“Sorry, Miss, but I can’t buy you.”  

“Why not?”  

At her disgruntled question, the man replied.  

“Because slave trading is illegal. I’m actually considering burning this ship down right now.”  

“What?”  

“If both the slaves and the slave traders disappear, it’ll solve a lot of annoying problems, wouldn’t it?”  

“…”  

Why did the first potential master I encountered have to be a lunatic?

Evelyn cursed inwardly but kept her tone calm as she asked,  

“You’re not really going to burn it, are you? So why bother scaring me?”  

The man tilted his head and asked back.  

“Why do you think I won’t?”  

“Because you snuck in here looking for something. You haven’t found it yet. And you’re curious about whether this random slave you found might have any useful information, aren’t you?”  

At that, the man’s expression disappeared. His blank face seemed so natural that it made all the smiles he’d shown earlier feel like an act.  

“Well, you’re very clever.”  

The man spoke leisurely. His tone, as if praising a puppy, annoyed her, but she held it in.  

This man really might burn the ship down. It was probably his last resort, but still. While he was being lenient because he needed information, it wouldn’t be wise to push him too far.  

“I can give you the information you want. But of course, it won’t be for free.”  

“Do you want money?”  

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you gave me money, too.”  

Evelyn smiled brightly before adding,  

“But first, hire me. You can’t buy a slave, but hiring me as a subordinate should be fine, right?”  

“I don’t hire women as subordinates.”  

“Then start now. Is not hiring women something to brag about?”  

Her sharp retort made the man blink in surprise. Realizing she might have gone too far, Evelyn cleared her throat.  

“And please free my younger brother. He’s still young, so I’d like you to support him until he becomes an adult. It’d be even better if you could send him to an academy.”  

After setting high conditions, Evelyn glanced at the man to gauge his reaction. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the sharp atmosphere seemed to have softened a little.  

“I don’t think the information you have is worth that much.”  

At his words, Evelyn shrugged.  

“When did I say I was a one-time deal? I said I can provide you with the information you need. Anytime, anywhere.”  

His icy blue eyes stared at her. It was a color so cold it seemed like it belonged to a glacier. It was beautiful but frigid. Feeling as though she might get sucked into it, she looked away and added,  

“But the person with the information has to be in front of me.”  

“Are you planning to torture them?”  

“No. I can extract information without the other person even realizing it.”  

“How?”  

The man asked with interest. Evelyn raised her head confidently and replied,  

“If you’re curious, hire me. You have the means to do so, don’t you?”  

After a brief silence, the man spoke.  

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. If it turns out to be false, I was going to destroy everything anyway. Even if it’s a lie, it’ll only delay the burning by a little.”  

Destroy what? The ship?  

As Evelyn shivered, the man asked,  

“What’s your name?”  

“Evelyn.”  

“You seem to be of noble origin. Don’t you have a surname?”  

“Evelyn Gran. But it’s a ruined family, so it doesn’t really matter anymore.”  

She answered honestly. The man nodded with a satisfied expression.  

“Alright, Evelyn. I’ll accept your conditions, but only under the assumption that everything you’ve said is true.”  

Evelyn widened her eyes and stared at him. She had been making bold demands, but she hadn’t expected him to agree so readily.  

Seeing her reaction, the man smirked.  

“You got what you wanted, so why do you look like that?”  

“Well…”  

Just as she was about to say it was because she felt relieved, her legs suddenly gave out. She collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.  

The man reached out with a startled expression. Reflexively, Evelyn moved back to avoid him. Thankfully, the bars of the cage prevented him from coming any closer.  

“I-I’m fine. I just got dizzy from not eating enough.”  

“Not eating?”  

“For about three days. More importantly, could I have some water?”  

Her throat felt like it was tearing after talking so much. The man turned his head, and one of his subordinates handed him a jug.  

Hearing the sloshing sound, Evelyn weakly crawled toward it. But the man pulled the jug back.  

“On top of starving, it seems like you haven’t had proper water either.”  

“W-won’t you give it to me?”  

Evelyn looked at him with trembling eyes. 

Surely he wasn’t planning to torment me with water, was he?  

Seeing her unease, the man shook his head and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket.  

“If I give it to you like this, you’ll gulp it down and hurt yourself.”  

“…”  

It was a bit infuriating, but she couldn’t argue. The man soaked the handkerchief with the water and held it out.  

“Hold this in your mouth. It’ll help.”  

Evelyn hesitated, staring at the damp handkerchief. She wanted to grab it immediately.  

But both the man and Evelyn were barehanded. Her ability activated through physical contact, so it would be troublesome if his hand brushed hers.  

“Here, take it.”  

The man coaxed her as if trying to tempt her. Evelyn realized he was testing her. He must have suspected something after she avoided him earlier.  

‘What an unnecessarily sharp man.’  

Stretching her neck, Evelyn bit down on the handkerchief. The man’s eyes widened slightly.  

Evelyn clenched the handkerchief with her teeth and pulled it away. Instead of grabbing her face, the man simply let go of the handkerchief.  

“Very clever.”  

Ignoring his comment, Evelyn sucked the moisture from the handkerchief. Watching her, the man slowly stood up.  

Only then did Evelyn realize he had been kneeling on one knee. No wonder his subordinate had been glaring daggers at her.  

“I’ll return in an hour.”  

The man said lightly before turning around. Evelyn quickly removed the handkerchief from her mouth and shouted.  

“Master, your name!”  

The man paused and turned back to her. His cold gaze made her shrink back.  

With a chilling smile, the man replied,  

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t call me ‘Master.’”  

“You haven’t told me what else to call you.”  

She muttered timidly. After a moment of silence, the man answered.  

“Seth Elmaier.”  

The name felt oddly familiar. But she couldn’t recall where she had heard it before.  

“Then shall I call you Lord Elmaier?”  

“We’ll see.”  

Seth made an ambiguous expression. 

What kind of face was that?

She couldn’t tell if he liked it or not.  

“I doubt you’ll have many occasions to call me that.”  

“What?”  

Without answering, Seth smiled and left. His subordinate glared at her one last time before following him.  

Evelyn stared blankly at the door as it closed silently.  

***

The light left behind by Seth gradually dimmed and eventually disappeared.  

As darkness enveloped the surroundings, an uneasy feeling crept in.  

‘He’ll come back, right?’  

He didn’t seem like the type to leave just to avoid a situation with a lie. Still, people’s minds could change. Biting her lips nervously, Evelyn steadied herself.  

‘There’s no need to worry. If he doesn’t show up, I’ll just find someone else.’  

Unease stemmed from expectations. Evelyn knew how easily expectations could ruin a person. She didn’t want to rely on anyone.  

Just as she was forcing herself to calm down, the door suddenly burst open, and light poured in. The slave trader, holding a lamp, hurriedly stormed inside. His thick cheeks trembled as he asked,  

“Did you have a man hidden somewhere?”  

“If you’re sleepy, just go to bed instead of spouting nonsense.”  

Evelyn grumbled, but the trader shouted angrily at her.  

“Then why would a noble claiming to be your lover show up? He even mentioned your name and said he’d pay your ransom!”  

At those words, Evelyn immediately understood. It had to be Seth.  

If a noble suddenly appeared, asking to purchase a slave that had been illegally hidden, it would naturally raise suspicion.  

So Seth must have pretended to be her lover. If one’s lover had become a slave, it wouldn’t be strange to come all the way here to rescue them.  

‘If he just said we were family… Ah, that wouldn’t work. A ruined family, with both siblings sold off—who would believe someone came to save us?’  

In the end, pretending to be her lover was the best option.  

Even though it was a plausible scenario, the trader continued to scrutinize Evelyn with suspicious eyes.  

‘Uh-oh, if this goes wrong, I might not even get to meet Seth and just die here.’