"Tsk!"

"Really, it's him again? He comes here every year and only buys one slave!"

"Haa, we just have to give her up, no point arguing with that guy..."

After the host confirmed my price to be 15 000 000 gold coins, i got off the stage and was led by the same green-haired older sister to a new room with two couches and a coffee table in between them. I sat down on the couch by our side with older sister and she told me to wait for a minute as she pulled out documents and a pen from the coffee tables compartment. Shortly after that, the door on the other side of the room opened and a wealthy looking man wearing a black fedora with a sigle white feather strapped on it and a red robe with fur on the edges of it attempting to cover his huge belly and miserable failing at it, combined with his long mustache and blond long hair gave off the aura of a true noble!

"Welcome, sir. Francis Lockhart, please take a seat and fill the documents laid out for you. You are free to go after that."

Older sister flashed a smile and welcomed what seemed to be a middle-aged man and handed him the documents as he sat down on the couch across the table.

"Y-yes... Thank you."

He seemed to be even more nervous than me as he stuttered and sweat ran down his chubby cheeks!

"Before we get started can i ask you for your name, miss?"

"Luna... please take good care of me."

"I see, Luna. You can call me Francis too. Let's get along!"

"Who are you exactly, Uncle Francis? To have so much money to spend at an auction and wear clothes of such high quality?"

"I'm the current kings younger brother, Miss Luna, and i work as a merchant though sales haven't been too kind to me"

Current kings brother?! If i play my cards right maybe i could get to see mom soon again! As i was scheming in my mind about how to raise his favourability for me, he had already filled the documents and gotten up and taken out a small collar.

"Now, Miss Lula, i'll put this collar on you alright? It won't hurt at all so don't worry about it, i won't even activate it for now since i won't be your owner!"

I stared at the collar on his right hand and swallowed my saliva as even more cold sweat started pouring in... But wait! he said something about him not being my master, didn't he? As he was putting on the collar and locking it, the curiousity got the better of me and i asked him about what was playing in my mind over and over again.

"Uncle Francis, what do you mean by that? You won't be my owner?"

"You heard correctly, i was sent here by the king regarding a very personal matter. You will understand when we arrive at the palace."

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I touched the collar on my neck and sighed in relief as it wasn't actually activated. Uncle Francis then grabbed my hand after i exchanged goodbyes with the green-haired older sister, and we joined with the guards waiting for us.

"Kukuku, no way she will reject this one, maybe she will finally start acting normal now." One of the guards laughed and talked about someone finally acting normal. We immediately left the auction hall and started walking towards the tall building in the middle of the city i spotted while riding the wyvern. As we walked, i got tired and one of the guards piggybacked me for the rest of our trip. The guard was atleast 190 centimeters tall so i got a good view of the city around us. Street stalls selling food, clothing stores, blacksmiths positioning gear behind their shop's windows and couples walking hand to hand and entering expensive looking restaraunts.

By the time we reached the royal palace, the sun was already setting and the guards saluted each other as after they opened the huge gate to a wide garden. Inside the garden i saw two boy's drinking tea their maids served them and noticed us walking.

"Oi, Uncle Francis, where were you during the party?"

"Look more closely brother...that pig, don't tell me he is actually trying it again..."

When they noticed their uncle walk in they first waved their hands and got up to approach us, but when they saw me walking behind him with a collar on my neck they sat back down with both dissapointed and disgusted expressions.

"Kuk... damn brats, don't pay them any attention, Miss Luna, just follow me inside this building."

We entered the huge building and started walking up stairs, on our way we passed trough a dining hall and saw maids who were cleaning up drunk people like they were a pile of dust and delivering the used plates back to kitchen for washing.

After we reached the 15th store of the building, we walked up to a door and before we knocked on it, Uncle Francis told me that this is where my new master lives. I gulped and fixed my posture as Francis knocked down on the door, first impressions are important! But who opened the door was nothing like i expected!

"Huh? Uncle Francis, what are you doing here? My birthday party is already over and you were only late by about 5 hours!

"Hello, Ludia. I came here to give you my gongratulations for your 11th birthday party and deliver a gift i worked hard on!"

"Hah? You and hard working have never been associated together, you worthless freeloader!"

"B-b-but i'm a merchant nowadays, you know!"

"Uncle, you trying sell your self-made wine for ridiculously high prices doesn't make you a merchant, when you haven't even sold one batch yet! Snap out of your delusions already! And where is this gift you're talking about, you're not carrying anyt-... Uncle, who is this little girl hiding behind you?"

"S-she's my gift for your birthd-!"

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU I HATE SLAVERY WHEN YOU BOUGHT ME A SLAVE FOR MY 6TH BIRTHDAY, THIS IS THE SEVENTH SLAVE YOU BROUGHT TO MY DOOR ALREADY!"

"B-but princess! You need friends and you need to start being interested in things other than swords or monsters! You have driven out all the potential marriage partners for future too!"

"... I don't care. Just tell me, did dad put you up to this?"

"N-no, it was my idea! You need atleast some friends, you can't just sit in your room and practise skills all day, besides ,Miss Luna here is also intered in swords, right Miss Luna?"

I gave a small nod and greeted the princess with low voice.

"Fufufu, that old man will regret this... Wait, you said you are interested in swords didn't you Luna?"

"Y-yes, a little." She put on a vicious smile and grabbed me into her room before i could even react and shut the door with a slam.

"Hehehe, My name is Ludia Lockhart, what's your name?" 

"I... My name is Luna Riina."

"How old are you Luna, and where are you from? You are obviously an elf but there shouldn't live any elves here on the human continent..."

"I'm 5 years and about 6 months old, i was kidnapped from the beastkin continent as i was on my way to a city with mom... maybe we should have disguised ourselves but it's a bit too late for that now...."

"Poor child...*Sob* don't worry Luna, i'll fix this situation! *hic*"