Episode 11: The Duke… helping someone?
At the duke’s words, Ella forced herself to smile calmly so he wouldn’t notice how awkward she felt, then carefully examined the people locked inside the iron bars.
There were all kinds of people mixed together—from a woman with long, luxurious blonde hair to a man with deep red hair—making it difficult to spot her younger sister. When Ella couldn’t immediately find her sister’s face, anxiety crept in and she began to bite her nails.
“Ella, calm yourself. Look slowly. I’m right here, so there’s no need to be afraid.”
The duke gently pulled Ella’s hand away from her mouth and whispered again into her ear.
The handler who had been following behind them raised one corner of his mouth in a mocking smirk as he watched the two, who looked for all the world like affectionate lovers.
*‘Heh, looks like she’s his mistress… and he’s here to buy a new toy? What a lustful bastard.’*
One of the reasons the trafficking organization had grown to this scale was precisely because of the nobles’ secret indulgences. Usually, nobles visited alone for secrecy, but occasionally, some eccentric ones brought their mistresses to pick out playthings together.
Trying not to interrupt their “entertainment,” the handler tactfully stepped further away.
Ella took a deep breath and examined the cages again. As they passed the third room, she spotted a familiar small figure crouched in the corner.
Ella stopped walking and fixed her gaze on the brown-haired girl she believed to be her sister. The duke raised his hand and called over the handler trailing behind them.
“I want to see that child up close.”
“Ah—yes, of course! You there! Bring me that brown-haired girl!”
At the handler’s shout, the burly guard at the bars began shoving the terrified captives aside, then roughly dragged Mari out from the corner.
Seeing her sister handled like an object, Ella clenched her fists, barely swallowing her rage. Fearing that Mari might recognize her and ruin everything, she quickly hid behind the duke’s back.
Dragged out by the mercenaries, Mari couldn’t even scream—she only trembled violently. She had no visible injuries, but her face was pale, and her small lips were cracked and bleeding from stress and fear.
Ella couldn’t bear to look at her any longer and turned her head. Noticing that the trembling girl was indeed Ella’s sister, the duke simply stated his intention to buy her.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Oh? But you haven’t even looked at the others yet! There are better goods further in!”
Treating a human being like merchandise irked even the duke, and for a moment he couldn’t suppress a frown.
Seeing the sudden coldness on the duke’s face, the handler felt a chill down his spine.
“How much?”
The duke’s icy tone made the handler stutter.
“Uh… y-yes… t-ten gold.”
But when the duke produced gleaming imperial gold coins, the handler instantly forgot his fear, greed shining in his eyes as he bit one of the coins.
Satisfied to see his teeth marks on the imperial-minted gold, he hurried to pocket them.
Once payment was taken, the mercenaries immediately blindfolded Mari with a black cloth, tied her hands, and handed her over to the duke.
“Please come again!”
The handler, thrilled at receiving a hefty sum without any bargaining, personally escorted the duke and Ella to the exit.
Once they reached a quiet clearing away from the traffickers’ hideout, Ella pulled the black cloth off Mari’s face.
“Sis? How… how are you here…?”
Recognizing her sister’s voice and face, Mari burst into tears of relief.
She had been snatched off the streets while heading into downtown for work and dragged here without anyone knowing. Terrified she would never see her family again, seeing her sister before her felt like a dream.
“Sis? It’s really you? H-hic… Sis!”
Mari threw herself into Ella’s arms. Ella wiped her tears and checked her worriedly.
“Mari, you’re not hurt anywhere, right?”
Mari rubbed her swollen eyes and nodded.
“Yeah… I’m okay.”
Seeing her sister safely returned made Ella shudder at the thought that if not for the duke’s help, she might never have rescued her.
“I thought I heard a voice like yours earlier… but I didn’t think it would really be you. How did you come to save me?”
“The duke helped me.”
Ella looked back at the duke standing silently behind them. Only then did Mari realize he was someone of high status, and she hurriedly lowered her head.
“Th-thank you, Your Grace.”
She had heard rumors of the “mad duke,” and facing him in person frightened her—but hearing that he personally helped rescue her, she thanked him sincerely.
“Then… sis, what about the others who were trapped with me?”
Before Ella could answer, the duke spoke instead.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle that.”
Ella grabbed the duke’s robe, startled.
“Your Grace—you’re not going in alone, are you?”
“Yes. It won’t take long.”
“No, please—you’ll be in danger.”
The duke found it strange to be worried about—it had been a long time—but not unpleasant.
“I’ll be right back.”
He pried Ella’s hand from his robe and turned back toward the hideout, glancing at the handler who had guided them.
“Oh, you’re still here.”
The man, who had hoped to slip away quietly, froze at the duke’s cold gaze and stuttered.
“H-heh… I-I’ll be going now…”
“Going? Where?”
“Well, since everything’s finished, I thought—per our deal—”
But the moment he mentioned a “deal,” the duke let out a hollow laugh and brought his sharpened blade to the man’s neck.
Feeling the cold metal, the man collapsed to his knees trembling.
“P-please, spare me! You said you’d let me live!”
“Why would I keep a promise made to something lower than filth?”
“S-spare—!”
The duke slit his throat before he could finish.
As he calmly wiped the blood from his blade, a rustling noise came from behind.
“Who goes there?”
Still near the traffickers’ base, the duke didn’t let his guard down. But the figure that emerged was not an enemy mercenary, but a beautiful woman with eyes red as blood.
“Duke Gloyse?”
In the entire empire, only one woman possessed such crimson eyes—the First Imperial Princess.
The duke sheathed his sword and bowed.
“Your Highness.”
“Rise. What brings you here?”
The princess, who was secretly investigating the trafficking case, asked suspiciously.
“You didn’t come here to *buy* someone, did you?”
She smiled faintly, hoping she had discovered some leverage over the neutral duke.
“Your Highness, the duke only came to help rescue my sister, who was kidnapped by the traffickers.”
Fearing the princess might suspect him, Ella quickly knelt in front of her.
“The duke? Helping someone? Ha!”
The princess scoffed, looking at the duke.
The duke she knew was not someone who would involve himself to help others.
But when he remained silent, she blinked in confusion.
“Wait… did you really come here just to help this woman?”
Only then did she understand why the duke appeared at the traffickers’ base she’d been tracking.
“No way. What is your relationship? Don’t tell me—you two are lovers?”
She looked between them.
“No, Your Highness. I am merely the duke’s assigned maid.”
*Just* a maid?
That made even less sense. But the quick-witted princess noticed that while Ella hastily explained herself, the duke stood quietly… as if he cared.
*A duke… interested in a mere commoner maid?
If this is real, this is a very useful card.*
The princess smiled knowingly, already plotting how to use Ella to pull the neutral duke to her side.
While she silently schemed, her knight Rivier approached.
“Your Highness, the guards have arrived.”
“So soon? Good. Seal the entrance and exit. The knights will take the front, the guards the back.”
Her forces moved swiftly at the command.
“Your Grace, you may join the knight brigade.”
“Very well.”
With her permission, the duke headed toward the traffickers’ hideout alongside the imperial knights.
