RXN 06

Chapter 6

Anna, freed from her shackles, followed Roxanne hurriedly with tears of joy. Watching Anna rush along, afraid she might be separated from Roxanne, Roxanne let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

Though he said nothing in response to Roxanne’s sincere gratitude, it seemed the corner of his mouth briefly curved into a smile. Finally passing through the long alley and exiting the market building, fresh air rushed into her chest. Gazing up at the night sky, countless stars sparkled so clearly they seemed close enough to touch.

Outside the market, a boulevard lined with tall plane trees appeared on both sides. Since it was not far from the market, inns and taverns catering to merchants lined the streets, still brightly lit even past midnight. They were bustling with foreign merchants catching a late meal or soothing their nostalgia for foreign lands with a drink.

After passing the inns and taverns and walking further, a large public stable appeared. When a wooden token was handed to a boy who was sitting there yawning widely, the boy soon brought out three horses. After the large-built man handed him a few coins, the boy, who had looked half-asleep, smiled brightly and bowed repeatedly as if he had never been tired.

Whether intentionally trying not to stand out or not, the man mounted a horse with golden-colored fur — so beautiful that one could tell at a glance it was a fine steed despite its simple, plain tack — and placed Roxanne in front of him before riding off. The large-built men followed behind with Anna. Once they left the bustling market area, the streets were empty since midnight had already passed, and nothing hindered their gallop.

After riding for a long while, they arrived at a mansion on a hill overlooking the strait that connected the Benetus Sea to the sea leading east. The darkness made it impossible to tell how large it was, but even the main gate guarded by sentries suggested it was an enormous estate. After passing through the main gate and riding along the paved road for a long time, another large gate appeared. The gate between two large towers was far more ornate and finely carved than the main gate they had just passed, and even in the darkness, one could feel the strict security.

Entering through that gate, a large building appeared, composed of high round roofs, flat roofs, and pointed towers. Before she could even admire it, they entered further and a wide courtyard surrounded by buildings came into view, with a beautiful fountain in the center of the garden. The sound of the fountain’s water echoed especially clearly and coolly in the quiet darkness of the night. Passing the fountain and turning right, a pair of entrance doors to the building appeared. As soon as his horse stopped, the doors swung open, and a dark-skinned man knelt before him and bowed his head.

“Master.”

The man lifted Roxanne, whom he had seated in front of him, and set her down on the ground, then turned and left without a word. Roxanne watched blankly as he disappeared through another door on the opposite side of the one they had entered.

“Miss.”

Anna, who had followed behind, grabbed her arm, her eyes glistening with tears of relief. Seeing Anna so happy to not be separated from her, Roxanne quietly patted her arm.

“Are you planning to spend the night there?”

Surprisingly, when she heard Roinese, the two reflexively turned their heads. The man who had been kneeling on the floor until moments ago had risen and was looking down at them with strict eyes.

“You are afraid.”

Taking a step closer to them, he was darker than darkness itself, except for streaks of white scattered among his tightly curled hair. His black eyes seemed to pierce right through to their hearts.

> *”This is the master’s harem, and I am the chief eunuch guarding this place by his command. Whether the world beyond that door is hell or paradise depends entirely on how you conduct yourselves.”*

After delivering this riddle-like statement, he turned and walked into the doorway.

“Follow me.”

Watching his back as he led the way through the open door, Roxanne and Anna exchanged frightened glances and followed behind him.

> *”This path is the Golden Path. Except for the master, myself the chief eunuch, and a few selected eunuchs, only women may enter and leave this path. From now on, until your education is complete — or perhaps for the rest of your lives — you may never step outside this door.”*

Once inside, a long corridor stretched out with a high ceiling and floor tiles decorated with intricate patterns, with rooms lining both sides. After the corridor ended and they reached a large drawing room, they realized that the corridor they had walked through was just one of several. Shengart was not a small castle, but she had to admit that in terms of scale, it could not compare to this place.

‘Just how large is this mansion?’

Moreover, the corridor’s ceiling was a round dome, just like the one she had seen at the market. The difference was that the market had open windows for ventilation in the middle of the dome, while the ceiling of this drawing room was made of transparent glass to draw in as much nature as possible. Looking up at the dark blue sky dotted with stars, she felt as if she were floating in the middle of the sky.

“Have you found them?”

Roxanne, who had been lost in the fantasy created by the glass ceiling, was brought back to reality by a clear, ringing woman’s voice. Despite the late hour, a middle-aged woman, neat and tidy without a single hair out of place as if she had been prepared in advance, bowed to the chief eunuch. Judging by the silver staff adorned with jewels she held in her hand, she seemed to be someone assisting the chief eunuch. Behind her, two dark-skinned servants bowed deeply.

“These are the new ones. Prepare them.”

“Yes, my lord.”

She bowed her head, then signaled with her eyes for Roxanne and Anna to follow, leading them to a room at the entrance of another corridor. The room she led them to was quite large, but aside from a single armchair, it was stark and intimidating. Somehow, she had a bad feeling about this.

“Take off your clothes.”

When the two hesitated, she repeated slowly in Roinese.

“Take off all your clothes.”

Roxanne couldn’t believe her ears.

“Right here?”

“I will not say it twice.”

Unlike Roxanne, who hesitated under the cold gaze of the woman, Anna, though reluctant, began removing her clothes one by one. Finally, only her undergarments remained, but the woman coldly shook her head.

“I believe I said all of it.”

Though embarrassed and unsure what to do, Anna eventually removed everything. When the dark-skinned woman grabbed Anna’s arms from behind and pulled them apart, the woman examined her body carefully, opening her mouth to inspect her teeth. She looked closely for scars, how many teeth were damaged, and whether there were any other illnesses, then turned her gaze to Roxanne. Though she said nothing, under her urging gaze, Roxanne too eventually removed all her clothes and stood before her. Again, the servant approached, but Roxanne firmly shook her head and stood with her arms willingly spread. The woman looked at Roxanne for a moment, then examined her just as carefully as she had Anna.

Only after a long while was Roxanne finally allowed to dress, but her fingers trembled from the shame and anger that had not subsided. While Roxanne barely managed to get dressed, Anna had undergone the same treatment and was left half-dazed. After finishing the inspection, the chief eunuch washed his hands in water containing rose petals.

> *”By the protection of the gods, you are both pure bodies who have not known a man, so you may stay here. From this moment, you are the master’s property, and the two of you will share a room. You will now begin a new life, so forget whatever your status was before coming here. May the merciful door of the gods always be open to your future!”*

After the chief eunuch blessed them and left, the middle-aged woman led them to their room. It was not very large, with two simple beds devoid of decoration and a plain, solid-colored carpet on the floor.

“You will be assigned servants, so tell them if you need anything. And if you have any questions, come find me. I am the head maid and your caretaker. From now on, you may call me Lady Melis.”

When she finished speaking and left the room, finally only Roxanne and Anna remained. Perhaps unconsciously relaxing, Anna collapsed onto the floor with a thud. In truth, Roxanne was no different, but she felt she had to keep her wits about her. She still knew nothing — not where this place was, nor who the tall man was. This confusing and uncertain situation was far from pleasing, but right now, she simply had no energy left to think.

Roxanne threw herself onto the bed as if collapsing. Stretching out her body, which had grown stiff from being trapped in a cramped cage all day, a moan escaped her, and her eyes closed on their own. Thinking of her tragic situation — losing her family, betrayed by those she trusted, and sold as a slave in a foreign land — she would have expected to be too resentful to eat or sleep, yet sleep came to her with unbelievable ease.

“Hah…”

She laughed dryly at her own insensitivity, but truly, she could not move a single finger. Just as she was drifting off into a doze, the masculine line of lips beneath the white half-mask that had faintly smiled at her suddenly came to mind.

“Mmm…”

The warmth of the sunlight streaming through the lattice window was pleasant, yet reluctant to wake, Roxanne buried her face in the plush cushion and let out a petulant sigh.

“Nanny…”

Looking for her nanny, Roxanne suddenly realized that this was not her room in Shengart and snapped awake. Turning her head, she saw Anna sleeping on the shabby bed across from her, her back turned and body curled up tightly.

‘That’s right. Last night, I was sold as a slave and brought here.’

It was hard to believe, but despite it being her first night in a foreign land after being sold as a slave, she had slept deeply without dreaming. Lying still for a moment with her hand on her forehead, she tried to think about how to live from now on.