𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒' 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐃𝐎𝐆 | 𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘥 𝘹 𝘔.𝘺/𝘯 |

(23) A Young Wolf Amongst Sheep.

"........," 

The room fell silent.

Even Baron Von Kri seemed stunned speechless, his jaw slack as if someone had stolen his rings (assuming he even wore ones).

With each passing second, the tension tightened, threatening to cut off all air.

Finally, he sputtered back to life, a strangled laugh escaping his lips and echoing eerily through the hall.

"A billion? Laughable!"

His laughter morphed into a derisive snort as he shook his head, a mock expression of sadness crossing his face.

"Even a Grand Duke's pockets aren't bottomless, you know. All that glitters isn't gold, Your Grace."

My blood ran cold.

Did this filthy monkey think I was bluffing?

My fists clenched around the bidding paddle, the wood digging painfully into my palm.

'He'll regret underestimating me,'

I thought, a dangerous glint flickering in my masked eyes.

୨⎯ "  Ρєиєℓσρє'ʂ ΡσƲ  " ⎯୧

"One billion gold!"

The booming voice echoed through the hall, making me flinch.

My eyes darted to the stage, where a little girl stood trembling, a pawn in a disgusting game of wealth and power.

The sight hammered a fresh wave of anger through me.

Two highborn jackasses were battling over a child like she was a prize mare.

The price escalated with each bid, a sickening display of excess.

This wasn't about winning a human being; it was a twisted public duel for their own twisted amusement.

My fists clenched beneath the veil, nails digging into my palms.

A hot sting pricked my eyes, but I wouldn't let it turn into tears.

Not here, not now.

'It's not my problem,' a voice inside me whispered.

Survival was my only goal.

But those whispers were drowned out by a rising tide of fury.

Both these nobles were the embodiment of everything wrong with this world.

They used their supposed "power" to exploit the vulnerable, hiding their greed behind fancy words. 

They were no better than common slavers, just dressed in finer clothes and using fancier terms.

A wave of disgust churned in my stomach, acrid and bitter.

I glared at the two figures, one tall, the other short, the mask hiding the contempt burning in my eyes.

'Pathetic predators,'

I thought, a savage edge to the silent vow.

They would pay for this.

୨⎯ "  (Ყ/ɳ)'ʂ ΡσƲ  " ⎯୧

"They can be,"

I retorted coldly, my gaze never leaving the stage.

The auctioneer looked like he'd swallowed a frog, his voice sputtering to a halt mid-air.

He raised a hand, his voice trembling slightly as he cut through the dying whispers.