(71) I wanted to live. (7)
Ariana was about to give up on wanting to save the girl, but then changed her mind.
'If I can't save that one life, it means I'm ultimately powerless. And I need to see how far my father will go when I make such an uncomfortable request.'
Ariana was certain that life in the kingdom would not be easy. Therefore, she needed to know in advance how far her father, Russell, would go for her.
“Are you sure I can’t, Father?”
"Ariana. The Eastern doesn't have a good feeling about Paganus. The northeastern border region is still suffering from attacks by Paganus remnants."
“...”
"If you take that child in, there will be people who will look down on you, the child's owner. Your life could be shaken."
“Will that shaking be greater than the shaking I felt at the Brontes?”
Ariana said with a faint smile.
"I'm used to criticism. I've been criticized for things I didn't do, but criticism for the choices I made doesn't shake me. Father, I want that child by my side. Whatever happens because of that, I'll handle it."
Ariana's voice was soft but unwavering. Her blue eyes were the same.
Russell looked down at Ariana with a strange sense of excitement.
'Is this it?'
A daughter who causes trouble for her father, yet he can't stand it because she's so lovable.
-“I really don’t know why that girl is such a pain in the ass, brother. Anyway, who does she take after?”
Fellowes, the youngest sibling, seemed to grumble yet rejoice whenever Isabelle had an accident. He envied her. He thought it was a routine he could never enjoy.
It was the same after Ariana returned.
Ariana drew a thick line between herself and Russell and refused to step inside it. He felt it was the right thing to do, so she didn't overindulge.
But now Ariana is making things difficult for Russell by saying she has something she wants to do.
'Good.'
It was awkward but good.
"If you're so determined, I'll find a way to save that child. But, Ariana, if anything happens, I'll handle it. Don't hide it and suffer alone."
Ariana's eyes widened at Russell's words.
Whenever Russell spoke fatherly, Ariana would always do the same, and it broke Russell's heart. Ariana's life, never having heard such words, came to life vividly before his eyes.
After a while, Ariana smiled brightly.
“Thank you, Father. I will take good care of her.”
That made Russell feel proud.
Ariana believes he'll find a way to save her. Then he'll have to find it.
When Russell's order to find the girl was given, Lanster put his worries aside.
If the lord had decided to take the Paganus girl, there was no need to worry about the problems that would arise from it.
Lanster had already confirmed the girl's whereabouts the night before.
“Last night, the Princess seemed particularly concerned about the girl, so after bringing her home, I went to look for the girl’s whereabouts.”
Ariana smiled happily at Lanster's words. Lanster felt proud.
'I have made the Princess happy.'
Lanster continued speaking.
"A merchant named Hibun bought the girl for 120 gold. Judging by the story, as soon as he's decided on a business partner, he'll gouge out the girl's eyes..."
Russell raised his index finger to silence Lanster, not wanting Ariana to hear the terrible words.
“What is the average transaction amount for Golden Eyes?”
“It is said that processed goods are traded for around 500 gold.”
500 gold was equivalent to 500 million, an amount Ariana had never touched in her life. Since a horse costs about 5 gold, she could buy 100 horses.
“It’s not that much money.”
Ariana was even more surprised by Russell's muttered words.
500 gold isn't a lot of money? How much money does the East have?
“Don’t worry about the amount, just deal with Hiban.”
“Is it okay if we reveal our identities?”
Russell looked back at Ariana. Ariana nodded.
"It'll get known anyway. In that case, it's better to just make it public that she's mine from now on. I want to be there with her to rescue her."
She was placed in a cage and taken to a sunless warehouse on a cart. Those who transported her said.
“They say that your eyes become clearer when sunlight doesn’t reach them.”
"Will a buyer be decided soon? I don't want to spend too much time with it. The nobleman who bought it said his house burned down, killing all his employees. I heard it was the only one that survived."
"She's a scary girl. But that won't be the case any time soon. The moment my master heard it was coming to the slave market, he had been looking for a buyer. About five people have shown interest."
“How much will it sell for?”
“I think the highest amount asked was 450 gold.”
“Eek. Who the hell would spend that much money?”
People didn't care whether she listened or not. To them, she was nothing more than a nuisance, something they wanted to quickly discard.
Even after people left, she was still crouching against the iron bars.
'She was pretty.'
She remembered the little girl she had seen at the slave market.
She'd never seen a girl so young before. Only adults came to the slave markets, and after being sold, they were always locked up in warehouses like this.
'Blue sky...'
She remembered something she had once heard from another slave.
-“When I see a blue sky, I think of my hometown. My hometown has good weather, so the sky is always bright blue. Without a single cloud. Just lying down and looking at the sky would make me feel better.”
In the small girl's large eyes, there was the sky. She had never seen the sky before, but she guessed it was. The moment she saw it, she felt so happy.
So she begged, begged to be spared, to help her see the good weather.
But the girl ran away as if she was scared.
But it was okay. Thanks to the girl, she saw the sky in that gloomy slave market. She saw good weather.
She buried her face between her knees.
'I wish that person were my master. Every day would be nice.'
How long was she trapped like that?
A man came in with food. The food on a large tray was of a kind she had never tasted before.
She stared blankly at the colorful food arranged on each clean plate.
“You’ve never eaten anything like this before, so you don’t even know how to eat it?”
She always ate only the food her owners had thrown away. Food waste is roughly mixed together in a large bowl.
"Just eat as usual. I was a little careful because it's your last meal. Your eyes have already been chosen."
The master of my eyes.
She now instinctively knew her life was over, but she wasn't afraid. Will I ever see good weather again after I die?
She lay down as always and ate the food on her plate with her mouth like an animal, chewing and swallowing it.
The aroma and taste that spread through her mouth were so wonderful that she felt a little elated. It was like seeing the sky.
After dinner, she squatted down again, burying her face in her knees. Soon after, a gloomy-looking man entered the warehouse.
The man had a bunch of strange devices. She smelled the blood coming from him.
“I guess there comes a time in my life when I have to pluck out the golden eyes.”
The man looked happy.
"You wouldn't curse me for gouging out your eyes, would you? I heard you had a delicious meal today. Are you feeling good?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep that grateful heart. Got it?"
The men dragged her out of the cage. It was her first time being outside of it.
She couldn't straighten her bent back from being bent over for so long. Walking was impossible.
The men grabbed her arms from both sides, sat her down on a chair, and tied her body tightly with rope.
“It might help if you take an anesthetic, but if you do, your eyes will get cloudy. Just bear with it, yes?”
The man brought a round, spoon-like instrument to her eye. The sharp edge grazed the corner of her eye.
She waited with wide eyes for the man to finish his work.
When the man put strength into his hand.
Bang-!
The door opened violently, and a man rushed in.
Chaeng-rang-
The man was so startled that he dropped the instrument he was holding.
The man who had just entered looked down at the man with his gray eyes and said.
“The buyer has changed. Get out.”
The man swallowed hard at the man's stern voice. Seeing the seal engraved on the man's uniform, the man smiled wryly and spoke.
"Yes, yes. I have to go. I was just given an order, you know? I'll do anything for money..."
The man, who had been hastily gathering his tools and leaving, ran into a girl entering. She had dazzlingly beautiful sky-blue hair.
The man nodded and quickly slipped out the door, feeling the grace flowing from the girl.
She watched it all with a dreamy feeling.
The sky entered the warehouse and stopped in front of her.
“Poor thing. Were you scared?”
A gentle voice pierced her ears. She had never heard such a warm voice before.
“I’m Ariana. Ariana White.”
She learned that the name 'Sky' was Ariana.
The sky in Ariana's eyes was so clear and pure that she already felt enveloped by the sky.
“Lanster.”
A burly man approached Ariana at her call. She also learned that the large man's name was "Lanster."
“Lend me your sword. I’ll cut this rope.”
“I will do it, Princess.”
“I’ll do it.”
Lanster drew his sword and handed it to Ariana. Ariana used the longsword, which was as tall as her, to cut the ropes that bound her body into square pieces.
Eventually, the rope was released, but she couldn't move.
She was always crouching or lying face down, so she didn't know how to stand up.
Ariana's expression darkened.
“Poor thing... I guess you can’t get up.”
Ariana squatted down in front of her, locking eyes with her. A small hand rested on the back of her hand.
It was the first time she had felt such warm hands.
Her heart felt like it was going to burst. For some reason, hot water flowed down her cheeks. She didn't know it was called tears.
“I guess you don’t even have a name.”
Ariana's hand wiped the water running down her cheek.
“Your eyes are as beautiful as the sun, so from now on I’ll call you Sini. Sini used to mean sun a long time ago.”
She didn't know what Ariana was talking about, but she knew she had a name.
Ariana said.
“Let’s get out of this damn place. From now on, you’re mine.”
Ariana was about to give up on wanting to save the girl, but then changed her mind.
'If I can't save that one life, it means I'm ultimately powerless. And I need to see how far my father will go when I make such an uncomfortable request.'
Ariana was certain that life in the kingdom would not be easy. Therefore, she needed to know in advance how far her father, Russell, would go for her.
“Are you sure I can’t, Father?”
"Ariana. The Eastern doesn't have a good feeling about Paganus. The northeastern border region is still suffering from attacks by Paganus remnants."
“...”
"If you take that child in, there will be people who will look down on you, the child's owner. Your life could be shaken."
“Will that shaking be greater than the shaking I felt at the Brontes?”
Ariana said with a faint smile.
"I'm used to criticism. I've been criticized for things I didn't do, but criticism for the choices I made doesn't shake me. Father, I want that child by my side. Whatever happens because of that, I'll handle it."
Ariana's voice was soft but unwavering. Her blue eyes were the same.
Russell looked down at Ariana with a strange sense of excitement.
'Is this it?'
A daughter who causes trouble for her father, yet he can't stand it because she's so lovable.
-“I really don’t know why that girl is such a pain in the ass, brother. Anyway, who does she take after?”
Fellowes, the youngest sibling, seemed to grumble yet rejoice whenever Isabelle had an accident. He envied her. He thought it was a routine he could never enjoy.
It was the same after Ariana returned.
Ariana drew a thick line between herself and Russell and refused to step inside it. He felt it was the right thing to do, so she didn't overindulge.
But now Ariana is making things difficult for Russell by saying she has something she wants to do.
'Good.'
It was awkward but good.
"If you're so determined, I'll find a way to save that child. But, Ariana, if anything happens, I'll handle it. Don't hide it and suffer alone."
Ariana's eyes widened at Russell's words.
Whenever Russell spoke fatherly, Ariana would always do the same, and it broke Russell's heart. Ariana's life, never having heard such words, came to life vividly before his eyes.
After a while, Ariana smiled brightly.
“Thank you, Father. I will take good care of her.”
That made Russell feel proud.
Ariana believes he'll find a way to save her. Then he'll have to find it.
***
When Russell's order to find the girl was given, Lanster put his worries aside.
If the lord had decided to take the Paganus girl, there was no need to worry about the problems that would arise from it.
Lanster had already confirmed the girl's whereabouts the night before.
“Last night, the Princess seemed particularly concerned about the girl, so after bringing her home, I went to look for the girl’s whereabouts.”
Ariana smiled happily at Lanster's words. Lanster felt proud.
'I have made the Princess happy.'
Lanster continued speaking.
"A merchant named Hibun bought the girl for 120 gold. Judging by the story, as soon as he's decided on a business partner, he'll gouge out the girl's eyes..."
Russell raised his index finger to silence Lanster, not wanting Ariana to hear the terrible words.
“What is the average transaction amount for Golden Eyes?”
“It is said that processed goods are traded for around 500 gold.”
500 gold was equivalent to 500 million, an amount Ariana had never touched in her life. Since a horse costs about 5 gold, she could buy 100 horses.
“It’s not that much money.”
Ariana was even more surprised by Russell's muttered words.
500 gold isn't a lot of money? How much money does the East have?
“Don’t worry about the amount, just deal with Hiban.”
“Is it okay if we reveal our identities?”
Russell looked back at Ariana. Ariana nodded.
"It'll get known anyway. In that case, it's better to just make it public that she's mine from now on. I want to be there with her to rescue her."
***
She was placed in a cage and taken to a sunless warehouse on a cart. Those who transported her said.
“They say that your eyes become clearer when sunlight doesn’t reach them.”
"Will a buyer be decided soon? I don't want to spend too much time with it. The nobleman who bought it said his house burned down, killing all his employees. I heard it was the only one that survived."
"She's a scary girl. But that won't be the case any time soon. The moment my master heard it was coming to the slave market, he had been looking for a buyer. About five people have shown interest."
“How much will it sell for?”
“I think the highest amount asked was 450 gold.”
“Eek. Who the hell would spend that much money?”
“I heard he was the owner of the company..."
Even after people left, she was still crouching against the iron bars.
'She was pretty.'
She remembered the little girl she had seen at the slave market.
She'd never seen a girl so young before. Only adults came to the slave markets, and after being sold, they were always locked up in warehouses like this.
'Blue sky...'
She remembered something she had once heard from another slave.
-“When I see a blue sky, I think of my hometown. My hometown has good weather, so the sky is always bright blue. Without a single cloud. Just lying down and looking at the sky would make me feel better.”
In the small girl's large eyes, there was the sky. She had never seen the sky before, but she guessed it was. The moment she saw it, she felt so happy.
So she begged, begged to be spared, to help her see the good weather.
But the girl ran away as if she was scared.
But it was okay. Thanks to the girl, she saw the sky in that gloomy slave market. She saw good weather.
She buried her face between her knees.
'I wish that person were my master. Every day would be nice.'
How long was she trapped like that?
A man came in with food. The food on a large tray was of a kind she had never tasted before.
She stared blankly at the colorful food arranged on each clean plate.
“You’ve never eaten anything like this before, so you don’t even know how to eat it?”
She always ate only the food her owners had thrown away. Food waste is roughly mixed together in a large bowl.
"Just eat as usual. I was a little careful because it's your last meal. Your eyes have already been chosen."
The master of my eyes.
She now instinctively knew her life was over, but she wasn't afraid. Will I ever see good weather again after I die?
She lay down as always and ate the food on her plate with her mouth like an animal, chewing and swallowing it.
The aroma and taste that spread through her mouth were so wonderful that she felt a little elated. It was like seeing the sky.
After dinner, she squatted down again, burying her face in her knees. Soon after, a gloomy-looking man entered the warehouse.
The man had a bunch of strange devices. She smelled the blood coming from him.
“I guess there comes a time in my life when I have to pluck out the golden eyes.”
The man looked happy.
"You wouldn't curse me for gouging out your eyes, would you? I heard you had a delicious meal today. Are you feeling good?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep that grateful heart. Got it?"
The men dragged her out of the cage. It was her first time being outside of it.
She couldn't straighten her bent back from being bent over for so long. Walking was impossible.
The men grabbed her arms from both sides, sat her down on a chair, and tied her body tightly with rope.
“It might help if you take an anesthetic, but if you do, your eyes will get cloudy. Just bear with it, yes?”
The man brought a round, spoon-like instrument to her eye. The sharp edge grazed the corner of her eye.
She waited with wide eyes for the man to finish his work.
When the man put strength into his hand.
Bang-!
The door opened violently, and a man rushed in.
Chaeng-rang-
The man was so startled that he dropped the instrument he was holding.
The man who had just entered looked down at the man with his gray eyes and said.
“The buyer has changed. Get out.”
The man swallowed hard at the man's stern voice. Seeing the seal engraved on the man's uniform, the man smiled wryly and spoke.
"Yes, yes. I have to go. I was just given an order, you know? I'll do anything for money..."
“Get out.”
The man nodded and quickly slipped out the door, feeling the grace flowing from the girl.
She watched it all with a dreamy feeling.
The sky entered the warehouse and stopped in front of her.
“Poor thing. Were you scared?”
A gentle voice pierced her ears. She had never heard such a warm voice before.
“I’m Ariana. Ariana White.”
She learned that the name 'Sky' was Ariana.
The sky in Ariana's eyes was so clear and pure that she already felt enveloped by the sky.
“Lanster.”
A burly man approached Ariana at her call. She also learned that the large man's name was "Lanster."
“Lend me your sword. I’ll cut this rope.”
“I will do it, Princess.”
“I’ll do it.”
Lanster drew his sword and handed it to Ariana. Ariana used the longsword, which was as tall as her, to cut the ropes that bound her body into square pieces.
Eventually, the rope was released, but she couldn't move.
She was always crouching or lying face down, so she didn't know how to stand up.
Ariana's expression darkened.
“Poor thing... I guess you can’t get up.”
Ariana squatted down in front of her, locking eyes with her. A small hand rested on the back of her hand.
It was the first time she had felt such warm hands.
Her heart felt like it was going to burst. For some reason, hot water flowed down her cheeks. She didn't know it was called tears.
“I guess you don’t even have a name.”
Ariana's hand wiped the water running down her cheek.
“Your eyes are as beautiful as the sun, so from now on I’ll call you Sini. Sini used to mean sun a long time ago.”
She didn't know what Ariana was talking about, but she knew she had a name.
Ariana said.
“Let’s get out of this damn place. From now on, you’re mine.”
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