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“Ugh…”

Something cold and hard was touching her cheek.

When she opened her eyes, Bella was lying on a stone floor.

Her head hurt as if she had been hit from behind.

It seemed she had lost consciousness for a moment.

“…Huh?”

Something like a muzzle was in her mouth.

She tried to get up, but her body wouldn’t move as she wanted.

Her hands and feet were bound with rope.

Only then did she remember that she had been captured.

‘Definitely…’

Bella, who had met the lost Alice, had wandered around the market to help find her mother.

But there were just too many people.

Finding Alice’s mother in the bustling market was no easy task.

She had forgotten her original purpose for coming to the market and wandered around to help Alice find her mother.

When she reached a secluded area, she was surrounded by thugs.

In truth, the thugs were no match for Bella.

Drawing her self-defense sword, Bella cut down each one who approached her.

It was nearly impossible for mere thugs from the slums to defeat someone who had learned swordsmanship from a ducal family.

But they weren’t complete fools.

“Don’t move! Or this kid won’t make it!”

A bleeding man had taken Alice hostage.

“Using a child as a hostage… Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”

“Shut up! Drop the sword before we do something to the kid!”

“…Fine.”

In the end, Bella had no choice but to drop her sword.

Seizing the moment, the thugs kicked her, forcing her to her knees.

At the same time, her hood fell off, revealing her face.

The men’s mouths dropped open.

“…Hey, she’s a beauty.”

“Looks like we hit the jackpot, huh? Hehe.”

All Bella could do was glare at them fiercely.

Then, with a dull thud to the back of her head, her consciousness faded.

And now.

Bella looked around.

To find the girl who had been captured with her.

Soon, she realized something warm was beside her.

‘…!’

Alice was lying next to Bella.

Her face was swollen, as if she had been crying for a long time.

Alice was sleeping, clinging to Bella, her breathing uneven.

Fortunately… she didn’t seem to be hurt.

Bella felt relieved.

But the situation was dire.

Bella had been captured by thugs and taken to an unknown place, bound and restrained.

The magic power flowing through her body wasn’t working properly.

They must have used some drug to prevent her from using magic.

Bella sat up.

She still didn’t know what the thugs’ goal was.

If she could figure something out, maybe she could negotiate…

Then, footsteps were heard outside the door.

Creak.

Light seeped through the open door.

The first to reveal his face was the man who had taken Alice hostage.

He smirked when he saw Bella awake.

“Hey. You awake, pretty girl?”

“……”

“Don’t glare at me like that. If you had just paid up and left, none of this would’ve happened, huh?”

“……”

“Hey, when someone talks to you, you should at least answer… Oops.”

The man scratched his head and removed the muzzle from Bella’s mouth.

“Sorry. There, now you can talk.”

“…Do you know who I am to do something like this?”

“Ah, some high-ranking noble, right? Duke or Count, what does it matter?”

“Is that what you call a reason? Kidnapping a noble is a serious crime. You and your accomplices will all be punished.”

“Puhahaha! Do you think we’re scared of the law, Princess?”

The man approached Bella.

He looked her over with a lecherous gaze.

“Princess, your face is top-notch. You’d sell for a high price.”

“Shut up… So, money is your goal, right? How much for the ransom?”

“5 billion Kael. In cash, of course.”

“…What?”

The amount was outrageous.

Bella looked up at the man in disbelief.

“Do you really think that’s a realistic amount?”

“Of course. It’s a perfectly realistic amount. If we let you go, you’d just come after us, right? Naturally, we’d need money to flee the country.”

“Ha… I won’t come after you, so don’t worry.”

“Hey.”

The man grabbed Bella by the back of her head.

“Do we look like idiots to you? Who’d believe that? Even kids wouldn’t. Huh? What kind of fool are you?”

“…That’s not it.”

The man’s grip on her silver hair tightened.

“Stop talking nonsense. What do you mean ‘not it’? You bitch. See this?”

The man pulled back the gauze on his cheek.

Underneath was a large, unhealed scar.

He pulled out a knife and held it to Bella’s face.

“This is the wound you gave me with your sword. Should I give you the same? Huh?”

“……”

“So, can you pay 5 billion? Or not?”

“I don’t have that kind of money…”

“Ha, what kind of noble doesn’t have money? You’re just a beggar.”

At that, Bella snapped.

“Do you even know how much 5 billion is? What noble in this empire could casually hand over such an amount…”

Bella had to swallow her words.

There was indeed one noble who could hand over such an absurd amount as if it were nothing.

Misinterpreting her expression, the man sneered.

“Looks like you can’t pay after all. Doesn’t matter. Selling you as a slave will fetch a pretty penny.”

“…Sell me as a slave? Do you think nothing will happen if you sell a noble as a slave? You’ll be caught in no time.”

“Ah, of course. That’s why we’re selling you abroad.”

“Abroad…?”

This country was in isolation, with no contact with foreign nations.

Knowing this, Bella couldn’t help but ask.

The man grinned, showing yellow teeth.

“Surprised? We’re actually black market dealers. We have connections with countries like Alzes and Falik outside the empire. Naturally, we have ties with their wealthy elites.”

“…Ugh.”

The man grabbed her chin.

“A high-spirited beauty like you would drive foreign nobles crazy at an auction. Especially high-ranking nobles. They’d pay tens of billions to make you their slave.”

“Let go of me…”

“Ha, damn bitch. I wonder how long you can keep up that haughty attitude… Oh?”

The man licked his lips as he looked at Bella, then noticed Alice sleeping at her knees.

His face lit up as if he had found money on the ground.

Bella felt a sense of dread.

“Oh, right. We can sell this brat as a bonus.”

“Stop it… She’s done nothing wrong.”

“Finally, your expression changes. But what can we do? We’ll do anything for money. Hehehe.”

Looking at the thug before her, Bella ironically recalled the face of another man.

A man who believed money could buy anything.

That man had tried to buy Bella’s heart with money.

Though he failed, he had wanted to possess everything about her.

He had desired her more than anyone.

‘What a foolish man…’

Tristan was different from the vulgar man before her.

He was despicable yet noble, and had dignity.

And… he knew when to walk away.

‘Ah… I wish I could see him one last time…’

Bella sighed.

When she heard Tristan was injured, she had asked Blanshe to send her regards.

In truth, she wanted to see his face herself, but her pride wouldn’t allow it.

Because of that foolish pride… Bella realized she might never see him again.

The scarred thug stood up.

“Hey, why hasn’t the boss come yet?”

“Huh? The youngest went to call him, so he should be here soon…”

“That man won’t come.”

At that moment, a dry voice reached their ears.

“What a wretched place…”

“What, what’s this?”

“How did you find this place?! Who are you?”

Before them stood a man in a black coat.

His obsidian-black hair and slightly chubby face.

His gaze, filled with arrogance, swept over the room.

And that man was someone Bella knew well.

“Don’t breathe in my presence, you lowlifes.”

 

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