Alice had no aversion to others selling their bodies for money. Female slaves were inevitably subordinated to their masters and had to give their bodies. Good-looking or handsome male slaves sometimes gave their bodies to noble ladies as well.

Mariam was a commoner, so she didn’t necessarily have to sell her body, but if she did, she would receive better payment than a slave.

‘And that’s six silver coins.’

Alice had barely saved eight silver coins in seven years, while Mariam earned six in just one day.

‘But I don’t want that. That’s why I’m disguised as a man.’

Mariam looked at Alice and smiled quietly.

“I didn’t intend to do it with the Count either… But my parents died in a carriage accident. With two younger siblings, my salary wasn’t enough for living expenses, so I explained my situation to the butler and asked for an advance. The butler must have told the Count. The Count said he had always liked me and demanded my body. …As you can see, he pays generously, so it wasn’t bad.”

Mariam winked at Alice. Her casual attitude made Alice ponder.

“…But isn’t it dangerous if you’re caught? The Count has a wife and a concubine. Especially his wife, she probably wouldn’t let this slide if she found out?”

“The Countess is definitely the most dangerous. It would be better if Leah didn’t find out either.”

Mariam didn’t use honorifics for Leah when she wasn’t around. After all, Leah had been a slave before becoming a concubine. It was kind of Tom and Mariam to accept Alice, a slave, as their friend.

“But what brings you to my room?”

Mariam was finally curious about why Alice had come. Though they were close friends, Alice rarely visited Mariam’s room because of their different genders.

Alice wondered if Mariam might have pants.

“Oh, well. I came to see if you had pants. Nothing special, just need to go out…”

Mariam’s clothing transcended gender norms. She had worn tight-fitting pants like men sometimes. Each time, she attracted the gaze of men.

“Going out suddenly? Did you get permission from the Count?”

Slaves couldn’t go out without permission because of the risk of escape. Alice smiled awkwardly.

“I’m going out with Master Khalid, so it should be fine…”

“Then there’s no problem. But won’t servant clothes do?”

“Um… He told me to wear something cleaner.”

Alice made up the words. It was their first date, so she couldn’t go dressed carelessly. Of course, it could also be Khalid’s whim. Perhaps it was just an outing with no special meaning.

Mariam rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out a dress she had bought recently. The dress with flowing frills looked pretty just by looking at it. Mariam held the dress against Alice’s body.

“How about this?”

“…What?”

Tom had suggested wearing women’s clothes, and now Mariam seemed to have the same idea. Mariam spoke seriously.

“I think it would suit you well. Honestly, I bought it thinking I’d try a cute outfit, but it doesn’t suit me at all. I was going to get rid of it, so I’ll give you this instead of the silver coin from earlier.”

“…But I’m a man.”

“So what? Even if you wear women’s clothes, Master Khalid knows you’re a man! You’re going out for the first time in a while, so just wear this.”

Mariam’s eyes were full of mischief, but there was also a glimpse of anticipation.

“…”

A snow-white dress with cute frills. Alice unconsciously grabbed the dress. She should have refused, but her mouth was honest.

“…I’ll wear it and return it.”

“No need to return it. I said I’d give it to you. It’ll suit you well.”

She had gone to get pants from Mariam but ended up with a dress. Alice carefully held the dress to her chest and returned to her room. Sitting on the bed, she gently touched the flowing dress.

‘But neither Mariam nor Tom thinks it’s strange for me to dress as a woman?’

Both of them shouldn’t know that Alice was a woman, yet they offered women’s clothing. She wasn’t sure if this was good or bad. Especially when she was living while hiding the fact that she was a woman.

Alice unwrapped the bandages tightly binding her chest. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Whew…”

Her br*asts were getting bigger and harder to hide. Her hips were also large, making servant clothes tight in that area.

‘Six silver coins for just one night…’

Count Steven was like a pig, and the image of his wobbling belly made Alice shake her head.

‘Well, Mariam was paid so much because she’s a commoner. Not because she’s his own slave.’

Many nobles used slaves without pay. The Walsh Count family was relatively good, giving money to their slaves. However, if a slave became a noble’s concubine, they couldn’t be freed even if they paid back their price.

‘Unless they pay back all the money spent on them as a concubine.’

That was a great injustice. But the current law didn’t allow refusing to become a concubine.

‘It means no freedom for life. If abandoned, sold to a brothel…’

Alice felt she couldn’t wear this dress when going out with Khalid. She wanted to wear it, but becoming a concubine was irreversible.

‘I have a future now, but if I become a noble’s concubine, I have no future. Once sold to a brothel, I can never escape until death.’

Yet there were quite a few slaves who wanted to become nobles’ concubines. They seemed to believe in their charm, thinking nobles wouldn’t abandon them.

But nobles got bored easily. To them, slaves were merely consumable items of high utility value.

She had come to think this way after spending a year as Khalid’s playmate and attending the same lessons he did.

‘An unfair system. But who would consider the human rights of slaves?’

Laws were made by the royal family and nobles. They wouldn’t pass laws disadvantageous to themselves.

Originally, slaves belonging to nobles couldn’t become commoners, but a law was barely passed ten years ago stating that if they paid back ten times their price, they could become commoners. 

She heard that a slave of a high-ranking noble had proposed the idea. However, she also heard that after that incident, the slave died in an unexplained accident.

‘It might have been… revenge.’

She didn’t know whether nobles or commoners did it. However, since only nobles could own slaves, it was obvious that nobles who suffered losses after the law was passed would have held grudges.

Alice wanted to return to being a commoner without any trouble.

* * *

Two days later, the day of Alice’s date with Khalid arrived.

“Noel. Come here.”

Khalid extended his hand from inside the carriage. Alice, dressed in servant clothes, looked around. Today, the stares from the coachman and servants felt particularly harsh.

“…I’ll walk.”

A slave sitting in a carriage with a noble? Even commoners wouldn’t do such a thing, let alone during an outing.

Khalid wore a stern expression.

“No. I told you today is a date. If you walk, I’ll have to walk too.”

“…What? No, Master Khalid doesn’t need to walk! I’ll…”

“No time. Get in.”

“…Yes.”

With the servants’ piercing gazes all around, Alice quickly entered the carriage. Khalid patted the seat beside him.

“Sit here.”

“…Is it really okay for me to sit?”

Seven years ago, when she became Khalid’s playmate and attended lessons with him, they were both young, and the servants found them cute, overlooking their improper behavior. However, much had changed during their six years apart. Alice had accepted her reality as a slave.

“It’s fine.”

With Khalid’s words, Alice felt like she had become his playmate again. Back then, there seemed to be a sense of equality between them. Having grown up as a commoner, Alice felt both burdened and grateful that Khalid, a noble, cherished her.

“…Yes.”

Alice sat beside Khalid. Khalid spoke to the coachman.

“Take us to Bonagar Forest.”

“Yes, understood!”

The coachman set the carriage in motion.

‘Bonagar Forest…?’

Though she didn’t know where Bonagar Forest was, Alice’s heart raced at the thought of going out for the first time in seven years.

‘I’ve only seen the Walsh Count family’s mansion and garden, but a forest…’

Alice’s hometown was surrounded by forests. She felt slightly excited at the thought of seeing a forest after so long.

Khalid, seemingly having forgotten, placed a silver necklace with the Walsh family crest around Alice’s neck. The silver necklace looked expensive by itself.

“…This is yours. So I can find you even if I lose you.”

“A silver necklace?”

‘How many silver coins would this fetch if sold?’

The thought suddenly occurred to Alice, and she met Khalid’s eyes, filled with pure goodwill. Khalid stroked Alice’s hair.

“I can give you more. Noel.”

“…Why go that far?”

“Because you granted my request.”

Khalid’s tongue entered Alice’s mouth. Feeling his hand supporting the back of her head, Alice closed her eyes. The kiss was both sweet and hot.