“Are you done yet?” he asked in a cold voice.
“Yes but…some cannot leave.”
Kairen stayed silent for a while. His eyes were looking over at the residence, its buildings and all. He stopped where Krai had made a mess, glaring at his Dragon, but the black beast once again looked away.
“Just keep it,” he eventually said.
“Keep it? You mean this place?”
Kairen nodded.
“You hate the Imperial Palace anyway.”
Is that what he meant for her to keep…this whole residence? Indeed, its last owner had died, but…this was way too big for her to keep! She hesitated, looking at the slaves and servants who had all gathered.
One of the old maids stepped forward, bowing lowly.
“We will take care of it for you, Lady Cassandra. If…if you can do as promised, we will happily work for you. This residence will welcome you anytime.”
It was an odd feeling, having her former colleagues be at her service now. Cassandra sighed. She wasn’t really happy with this situation, but indeed, it would be much better for them this way. With an Imperial Family member’s protection, they didn’t risk anything. No one would dare to raise questions about the place’s ownership either, the Black Dragon that had wrecked some of it would be enough of an explanation.
“Are we done now?” asked Kairen, visibly bored.
Cassandra nodded, feeling a bit better. She wanted to hurry to the Slave Market. A lot of people were coming with them too. Though it was probably the place she hated the most, it was also where she could hope to find a clue about what had happened to her younger sister.
“You… You….Your Highness!”
The man couldn’t believe his own eyes. A member of the Imperial Family, in the Slave Market? What had gotten into him! He glanced at the concubine next to him, and the obvious collar on her neck. What was that? He probably wanted his new toy’s collar off, but… What was the deal with the dozens of slaves behind him?!
“Take that damn thing off.”
Kairen’s angry voice had everyone sweating in fear. One of the older men took a step forward, looking at Cassandra’s slavery collar with a suspicious look.
“It’s not that simple, Your Highness. Every slave has a binding contract and a debt to pay in order to buy their freedom back.”
“A debt?” repeated Cassandra, shocked. “Are you implying I owe you money?”
Kairen raised an eyebrow, not because of the slave trader, but in surprise at her sudden stance. It wasn’t often that he saw her really angry at someone.
Cassandra was shocked and furious. She stepped forward, glaring at the man like she never had before.
“You stole me like some merchandise from my tribe when I was a child! You ransacked every house, killed every man you couldn’t sell. You locked women and girls in cages, like we were animals! If any money has to be taken into account, you owe me more than a hundred whole lives could repay, for everything you’ve done! You owe me everything you took from me, my family, my life, my people!”
The man was shocked that the young Concubine had dared to yell at him. He glanced at the Prince, but seeing that he wasn’t taking part in the conversation, he crossed his arms and made an offended look.
“Young Lady, how is it my fault if your tribe, or whatever, fell because of some war or bandits? It’s not like people run here for slavery contracts! That’s how the business is. We get the slaves and find them places to work. You should consider yourself lucky. You were provided a roof and food after what happened to your people!”
“Lucky?” repeated Cassandra in astonishment. “You think slaves…are lucky?”
Some of the people following them started yelling at the slave trader, making him step back. The crowd behind him wasn’t too happy, either. In the Slave Market, which was basically a huge tent for buyers and sellers to meet and trade the slaves, there were about thirty to fifty slaves per trader. While their wrists, ankles, and neck were all bound by chains, they were free to glare and yell. Seeing the situation wasn’t good, some buyers promptly left. No one wanted to get caught between a slave-trader and an Imperial Concubine wearing a slavery collar…especially when she is backed-up by her Prince and his Dragon.
Krai was standing outside of the tent, growling regularly. Plus, with its size, no one could ignore the little mountain of black scales that stood visible behind all of the crowd.
“I’ve spent almost half my life as a slave, and I should be grateful for it?” said Cassandra, outraged. “I should be grateful for all the times I’ve been whipped, beaten, and starved? For eating scraps and drinking dirty water? For risking my life every day? Thank you for the scars and nightmares?”
The slave trader rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed at her.
“What are you complaining about, huh? You got yourself an Imperial Prince, didn’t you? You, of all people, should be damn grateful you weren’t killed!”
