Acrilas' city was bustling with activity as Malak and the maid walked through the streets. Guards were constantly patrolling in small groups. They ensured the laws were followed, as well as kept an ear out for rumours that people were sheltering them. Avoiding them, Malak and the maid headed toward the market. Despite the incessant calls of merchants offering them products and services, they ignored them.

“What should we eat today?” Malak asked as he observed the various cuts of meat hanging from the hooks.

Taking a quick look, the maid pointed at the lump of meat the butcher was carving.

The big slump of red meat lay on the butcher’s table. The animal was humongous. The length of the body was almost three meters long. With a cleaver knife, the meat seller expertly carved different cuts from the torso. Despite Malak's expectations, blood did not spurt out. Even so, he was relieved that he couldn't recognize the animal.

“Fresh,” Malak mumbled, staring at it wide-eyed. Without the skin and fur, he was unable to identify the animal. He swallowed his nervousness to buy an unfamiliar animal after seeing the maid raise her thumb. “Alright, let’s take that.”

He approached the butcher’s stall. As the old demon noticed them, he wiped his hand on his dirty white apron. Showing his yellowed teeth, the man greeted them with a thick accent.

“Welcome! What da ya want?”

Malak smiled shyly before pointing at the loin. “About two pounds of that, please.”

The butcher turned around to see what Malak was pointing at. He lifted the cow’s loin and held it up. “This one?”

“Yes.”

The man smiled happily. “Great! I’ll pack it up for ya.” Efficiently, he cut the loin in steaks before wrapping them in brown paper. “It’ll be twenty coppers.”

Malak took out his pouch. Before he could pay, the girl beside him, pushed his hand down. The butcher’s smile twitched as she glared at him.

“What is it?” Malak asked in confusion. “Is it too expensive?”

The maid nodded without looking away from the butcher. She drew the number twelve while holding Malak's hand, which he informed the seller.

The man shook his head. “No can do, eighteen.”

The maid rolled her eyes and drew the number fifteen. The butcher hesitated for a moment.

“Fine, fifteen coppers!” he grunted unhappily.

The female demon nodded as Malak fetched out the right amount. He gave the copper coins to the butcher before taking the wrapped meat. Quickly putting it in the maid's leather bag, they continued their shopping spree. Having so many stalls and options in the same place, it didn't take long for them to get everything they needed for dinner. A few hours before sundown, they headed home. They were about to leave the market when a sight churned Malak’s guts. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Unconsciously, he walked toward the stage. On it, there was a man shouting prices as the rich citizens bid against each other.

“Twenty-five coppers! Do I have anything higher?” the slaver shouted with a greedy smile.

“Thirty!”

“I have thirty coppers from this gentleman. Does anyone offer thirty-five?” he shouted while observing the crowd. “No? Sold!”

The slaver grabbed the male human slave by the collar, nearly choking him. Roughly pulling him off the stage, the slaver chained the slave to the side until the end of the auction. Malak watched as more and more lives were sold into slavery. The majority of them were healthy, strong human males capable of heavy manual labour. Unlike the men, not all female slaves were humans. Rich, old, and perverse demons purchased the women to become body slaves. All of them bought lives as if they were vegetables.

“Next, we have this beautiful virgin young female. She’ll be a sweetheart to train in your bed,” the slaver exclaimed as the crowd laughed. “Her horns are especially sensitive, and her beautiful brown eyes have red sparks of red. She may be adept at magic! Start bidding!”

“Ten coppers!”

“Twenty-five!”

“Forty!”

Unable to watch anymore, Malak ran away from the market. Unwanted memories flooded his mind as he remembered evil men barging into their house to pull his dad away.

At the time, Malak was only a child. He didn’t understand why those strangers took his father away after snapping a slave collar on his neck. Hugging his mother’s leg, Malak buried his face into her dress. He recalled the fear he felt as his father screamed and begged the men for more time. Gently caressing her son’s hair, Malak’s mother silently watched the creditors grab her husband away. For years, her husband accumulated gambling debts. She did everything to pay it off. Every night, she barely slept while giving all the food she had to Malak. Her hope was he would one day stop gambling and take care of them as he once had. But it never happened. One day, creditors started to slam at their door. Fearing for her son’s life, she thought of any way to get them out of this situation. She wanted to flee or sell her shop, but her husband and his debts will always follow them. She hated his addiction to gambling, but he never treated them badly. As he secretly drained the cash, some days were worse than others. On winning days, he would bring back treats for Malak and gifts for her wife. When he was unlucky, he would drink all night. So, she chose. One morning, she met the creditors and sold her husband to pay off his debt. The repayment wasn't enough, so they requested Malak as well. The thought of losing her son made her want to puke. In exchange for Malak’s freedom, she gave up all her possessions. For years, they barely survived. They slept on the floor of their fruit stall and survived on dried fruits. Growing up, Malak was able to help his mother by earning extra money. Eventually, he and his mother lived comfortably. Unfortunately, the years of hard work took their toll on her.

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The slave auction brought back the pain of his past after he thought he had come to terms with it. The maid was silently following behind. The expression on her face didn't indicate any concern for what unfolded in front of them. Despite seeing Malak's distress, she was unsure what to do. Her lips tightened as she decided to report the incident instead. Sir Melromas will know what to do.

(๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)

Back at the house, Kian carefully read the handwritten documents by Ezrel. They contained important information about the current Lords and Ladies and their families. Before he could play, he needed to know his cards. He had to know everything about his allies and enemies. Fear was just as essential as trust and loyalty. It was a delicate balance he had to maintain in order to maintain control over his subordinates.

“Have the letters been dispatched?” Kian asked Ezrel, who was standing in front of his desk.

“Yes, Sire,” Ezrel answered. “We will be using this to communicate,” he took out an aquamarine gemstone.

Kian took the beautiful polished blue rock in between his fingers. The greenish-blue hue was reminiscent of azure waters. “You managed to acquire ten of those? This is quite an expense.”

“I didn’t. Lady Eris provided for the stones.”

“She did? She’s quite generous,” Kian answered while playing with the aquamarine in his hand.

The aquamarine gemstones were expensive because of their rarity and beauty. The colour of the gemstone reflected its quality. There were five grades of aquamarine. The gem from the lowest grade was the Ice Blue. As its name implied, the gem was almost white. It was only usable as a poor photography device. Following it was the Powder Blue. It served the same purpose as the Ice Blue, but with a higher quality image. A decent quality gem started from the Baby Blue grade. The communication range was limited and the quality of the sound and image was very blurry. The second best was the Sky Blue aquamarines. Finally, the most expensive and rare of them was the Santa Maria. This enticing gem was famed for its high transparency and vitreous lustre. Sound and image would be transmitted only in the purest form using the Santa Maria. This would allow communication between continents. They were not only sought after as communication devices but also as jewellery.

The aquamarines were only found in the mines of Kharam in Nuzan. The territory was under Yaren Eris’ care. She was one of the five female Lords in the Bazahian Kingdom. While many Ice Blues to Baby Blues aquamarines could be found throughout the Kingdom, the higher two grades were not only more expensive but also rare. Only a few were able to obtain the Santa Maria. Those were the aquamarines sent by the Lady of Nuzan as a gesture of good faith to her King.

“She seems to be keen to dissociate with Albimbert,” Kian commented. “When is the meeting set?”

“In a week.”

Kian nodded. He needed to maximize his schedule to be ready by then. He eyed the pile of documents next to him and sighed. This was a part he never missed. But it had to be done.

Ezrel unfolded a piece of paper and started to read it. “Tomorrow, you’ll wake up at eight-thirty. At nine-thirty, your measurements will be taken for your outfit. At eleven…”

As his loyal follower continued to read his schedule, Kian zoned out. Since he was crowned King, he had always despised having such a tight schedule. He could never sleep in and had to attend tedious parties. His attention was caught by the sound of the front door on the first floor opening and closing. Standing up, Ezrel finally looked up from Kian’s schedule.

“Tell me that another time,” Kian dismissed Ezrel, who was about to protest.

Leaving the office, Kian walked down the stairs. Kian noticed the maid carrying a basket full of fresh produces. Near the door, stood Malak with his head hung low. He had a mess of dark-blond hair tangled around his horns, covering his face. As Kian approached Malak, he smelled the faintest hint of salt in the air.

“Why are you crying?” Kian asked as gently as possible. He couldn’t vent out his growing anger on Malak.

Malak’s shoulder jumped before looking up with a smile. “I think I have dust in my eyes.”

Kian wasn’t fooled and pulled the smaller demon into a hug. Overwhelmed by his emotions, Malak cried into his husband’s chest. He let out all his pain, anger, and frustration while Kian slowly rubbed his back. Taking Malak in his arms, he carried him to the living room. He sat down on a soft and plushy sofa.

“Want to talk about it?” Kian asked after Malak calmed down.

“There was a slave auction in the market today.”

Malak didn’t need to say more, as Kian immediately understood. His anger slightly died down as his eyes softened. Although he hated the humans with a passion, they weren’t all guilty of the Society of the Silver Light’s crimes. And yet, he understood the Lord of Casrum’s logic. By enslaving all humans in the Kingdom, he reduced the chance of another revolt to almost none. However, by doing so, it would prove the Society’s claims about us, demons. Achieving equality between races was their hardest goal.

“I can’t forgive them after what they did to my mother,” Malak mumbled as venom coated his tone. “But, when I think there must be innocent lives in those chains. I can’t…”

Kian lifted Malak’s chin, so their eyes met. “You’re not alone. We will do this together.”