Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

That night, when ms. Kaede said she wanted to visit the slave market, Ogran was surprised and then gave a wry smile.

“There’s no such thing in this day and age.”

That was the truth.

The Ipsandros Empire had fallen, and the strict class system had collapsed fifty years ago. The slaves who had been at the royal palace were disbanded, each returning to their own hometowns. Most of them were already in their graves.

But she insisted, “It can’t be that it doesn’t exist.” She begged to visit and hear the stories. Ogran tilted his head for a while, but then suddenly thought this might be a good opportunity. This young lady claimed she had no intention of buying slaves to use, she just wanted to listen. Anyone can talk if they just speak...

Ogran negotiated.

“Sorry, but talking is work too, miss. You have to pay properly for labor.”

“Well, I do plan to give some tip.”

“No, you have to properly buy the slave.”

“You want me to buy a slave? ...I’m just on a trip. After a friend’s wedding, I’ll return home. I don’t want to increase my luggage.”

“Then just ‘return’ them after that. If you’re marrying in Ipsandros, you’ll need a few days for preparations. You can listen carefully to their stories during that time, right?”

Convinced by Ogran’s earnest persuasion, ms. Kaede agreed and followed his guidance.

He took her on a journey several hours on foot from the glamorous port town to the Old Town—a ruined city that perished with the dynasty. The port town brought good income but had high rents. People who couldn’t afford a “house with a roof and windows,” mainly orphans and young people without steady jobs, lived huddled together there.

Ogran was only fourteen but had more job offers than anyone else and was independent. His parents, who died when he was seven, were part of the intellectual class, so he had been blessed with learning opportunities. But many children were forced to live day by day without even being able to read or write. Even as adults, they couldn’t handle basic arithmetic.

Ogran introduced these people to the best paying jobs he could find, so they could earn not just meals for today but also for tomorrow.

“I didn’t take that young lady there immediately. Her budget for buying slaves was ridiculously high. I wondered what she planned to make them do. If she intended anything dangerous, I wouldn’t have introduced her.”

“...She just wanted to listen to their stories... I wonder what ms. Kaede was trying to learn from the slaves?”

“I asked her too, but I didn’t really understand. Something about their pride as slaves, how they felt about their masters. Whether they’d be happy or sad if told they didn’t have to serve anymore.”

Lord Cyrus frowned unhappily and crossed his arms.

“What kind of question is that? What’s the point of asking such things?”

“She was told, ‘That’s none of your business,’ and got scolded. But the guy I introduced, named Garus, had never been hired in such a master-servant relationships. He answered based on experiences of being treated terribly like a slave. Said just recalling it made him want to vomit or kill someone.”

“...How did ms. Kaede react to that?”

“Nothing special. She said ‘Hmm’ and nodded, then asked various other things. But maybe she got bored, because she stopped talking within a day.”

“…………I see.”

Sensing ms. Kaede’s feelings, I lowered my gaze.

Lord Cyrus seemed unaware. Unlike me, he didn’t brood but encouraged Ogran to continue.

“So, instead of releasing her immediately when she was no longer needed, you took her around for these past four days?”

“Yeah. Well, she had me run some errands and carry luggage, but that was about it. More than that, she was happy eating delicious meals three times a day and staying in a room of the same grade as hers. She said this was the best job she’d ever had. Then—”

Ogran suddenly choked on his words. He took a slow, deep breath, exhaling heavily.