After what felt like several winding corridors down the fancy hallway, the masked, brown-haired man glanced at the room the Rose led him into.
The room was sparsely decorated, but the whole feel of the room— from its mahogany flooring to the high, off-white ceiling— screamed luxury.
Still, something was off.
'This room is odd. It feels spacious and small at the same time,' the masked man thought to himself. His brown eyes stared warily at the two chairs that stood in the middle of the room.
Between the chair's tan, cushioned seats stood a low desk.
The Rose sat gracefully in one chair before gesturing to the other with an open hand. While she donned the most pleasant smile, the man hesitated before taking a seat as well.
The mahogany desk barely stood higher than her knees, revealing most of her body. The red lacy gown she wore draped delicately around her thin curves, inciting dangerous thoughts into those who looked.
Now he had an inkling why she brought him here alone. No wonder she had sent off the black guard. 'Seduction and entrapment,' he mused, 'There isn't much in this room except for her. She's all I can focus on.' He carefully averted his eyes from her body and focused on the Rose's face.
A playful smile danced in her eyes, as she seemed to notice his resistance to her beauty. They were the only ones left in that room, so his calmness intrigued her.
She finally broke the silence with a question, "How may I help you today?"
The man looked thoughtful for a bit before slowly answering, "I wish to know where I can buy a large supply of slaves. About 200 slaves would be good." His voice was firm and pleasantly low.
She chuckled. "Straight to the point, I like you. Of course we have plenty in store from which you can choose from."
His next words though made her smile fade a bit.
"I want slaves who can fight."
Her gray eyes narrowed briefly at this response, but she immediately erased her expression with the same smile.
"And what can you offer me~" she softly cooed.
The man didn't miss a beat and probed, "What do you want?"
The woman smiled knowingly. "Money is enough, if you can pay the steep price."
For the first time, the man furrowed his brows. "How much in Karstian money?"
The Rose leaned forward lazily, locking her gray eyes with his. "Whichever you wish for, it can even be tribal money from Eost…"
His brown eyes flashed with a dangerous light.
"… Wingless Bird."
They sat in silence as the man chewed on her words.
Now his voice sank lower, deeper… scarier, "I wouldn't say that to anyone. You're looking to get sliced in half."
She then chuckled. "I appreciate your concern, but you're not the first one to say this, birdie… nor are you the last."
A dry scraping sound replied back to her as he stood up from his chair abruptly. His voice clearly icier, "I prefer less probing. This deal is over."
His shiny, leathered shoes clacked rhythmically on the wooden floor as he decisively walked away from her. But as soon as he opened the door, he froze in his steps. Someone else was already there.
Between messy, black hair, a pair of cold, emerald eyes raised to meet his.
"Apologies," her alluring voice whispered, now next to the man's ear. "For my mistake, I can even throw in several, able-bodied winged folk into the bargain. I know the war between Eost and Karst has been tough. I'd be more than happy to help the tribes of Eost."
The man's brown eyes quivered, perhaps from the shock at how fast and silently she had approached him… or perhaps from the sharp killing intent emanating from the small teenager in front of him.
"Oh, hello there, Kal."
…
Meanwhile, Kalani also studied the man in front of him. The tall man was not that bad looking, but he also looked like any other common face you'd might see, giving Kalani a strange feeling because the only adults he frequently interacted with were the Warden and the guards. Instinct screamed within Kalani.
'This man has disguised his face, but still, I feel like some parts of his body are real. He is like a rough sketch rather than a complete redrawing, but which parts are real or not…' Kalani wondered.
Kalani then felt another pair of eyes on him. The Warden was staring at him, her gray eyes slightly smiling in delight at his presence. Those detestable gray eyes…
She looked like a kid, who just saw her favorite toy.
His jaw clenched, as he glared back at her with venomous eyes this time.
'If I could, I'd tear those gray eyes out, one by one…'
"This is Kal?" the man finally spoke. He seemed to have regained his bearings and recognized Kalani as one of the highlights of the earlier fighting matches.
"Yes, this is Kal. He is a testament to how we train our fighters," the Warden replied softly. "While your request is certainly rare, I'm proud to say that no other store has such skilled fighters in stock. I have a reputation to uphold, but swindlers are plenty in this business."
The man's eyes twitched as Kalani predicted the thoughts running through the man's mind.
'You sound like such a swindler yourself.'
Of course, neither one of them said their thoughts out loud in front of her.
The man then turned around and walked back to take a seat.
"Do continue, Miss Rose. I apologize for my quick temper," he firmly said.
Kalani followed the Warden—or Rose—until he stood next to her seat. Meanwhile, she sat gracefully straight in her chair, neither subservient nor haughty.
"If I pay with Eostian coins, how much would it be to purchase 200 slaves. I prefer winged people, especially those who can fly," the man stated his request more clearly, especially since the Rose had already guessed his identity.
This time, it was the Rose's turn to sit in silence. Both the man and Kalani waited patiently.
Finally, after several minutes, her eyes narrowed into a bright smile. "That would be 400,000 Eostian coins, kind sir."
The man pressed his lips together. "The war has been dragging on for too long. I can only give you 300,000 coins," he finally said.
"Deal~" she replied without missing a beat. The man looked startled. No bartering?
'No,' Kalani thought, 'she raised the price and tricked him into bargaining a price she would still be happy with.'
The man seemed to have reached the same conclusion, as his face darkened a bit. But before he could get angrier, the Rose smiled and spoke, "While this price is lower than it takes to run this place, I will bet on you and Eost winning. I'm even going to add 50 more winged folks, what do you say?"
The man resumed his stoic expression, showing no more emotions as he leaned back into his chair silently.
Kalani closed his eyes. 'The deal will go through. The war has lasted for 4 years, but it looks like Eost is starting to lose, seeing as they are resorting to slaves for soldiers.'
Then the man leaned forward in his chair. His brown eyes appeared to glint slyly. "Then how much do I have to offer for this lad beside you?"
The air froze.
Neither person moved, their eyes interlocked intensely for a moment.
"Apologies, this person cannot be bought," the Rose finally murmured. The clenched fist on the armrest was the only indication of her inner turmoil.
Kalani's face hardened. This was the first time someone had offered to buy him. 'I knew she was obsessed with me, but to this degree?' he then pondered. As persistent her presence was in his life for the past 6 years, she had never shared why she was so fixated on him. But he had an idea…
'Sometimes, she looks at me like I'm a different person.'
A slimy feeling of disgust wormed its way up to his throat. But with his eyes shut closed, Kalani reeled in his emotions, turning back into a blank mannequin. She never seemed to care about his emotions, whether it was hate, fear, or indifference.
But it always drained Kalani to express anything anymore, so he severed his emotions from his body.
It was easier that way…
"How come? Does this mean that the standards of your fighting slaves will not be on par with this slave? Doesn't that seem quite preposterous?" the man quickly followed up with a jab.
Her fist turned even whiter.
"Family cannot be bought off," she then eerily smiled wider.
Now it was the man's turn again to stare at her silently. Goosebumps crept up his arm as he glanced to the side. At some point, Kal's eyes had reopened to fixate on the Warden, and those eyes were frozen over, like a green leaf that had lost its luster to snow. Like a dead man…
"Apologies then, I was rude this time," the man hesitantly spoke.
The Rose took the moment to unclench her hand. "Apology taken, you must have been curious. I understand." Her smile had returned to a polite one, erasing the creepy atmosphere that had developed.
"Thank you for your generosity. So when can you prepare those slaves?" the man asked, his voice noticeably tenser.
"In about a month or two, if there are no accidents. But the Karstian guards in Eost had become harder to bypass, especially since the war is reaching a critical stage."
The man rose up. This time, his figure stood still, looking down at the Rose's ever-smiling expression.
"That's a promise, Rose. Keep it," he frostily interrupted her. "And I will remind you, the war is not over yet. The Gust will blast away such heathens from our lands."
The Rose did not respond. Instead, she gestured calmly to the door, where one of her black guards bowed respectfully to the departing man.
Then the guard closed the door. Their quietening footsteps indicated that they both left the vicinity.
"Now then, Kal. It's time for you to go back to the arena," the Rose glanced over at Kalani, whose green eyes flickered with light.