Sold

Inside a room that overlooked the main hall below, a beautiful young girl swept her black orbs across the crowd through the thin screen of the window. She bit her inner cheek, her nails were dug against her palm as the cheer became louder and louder. She was nervous.

The three guys she had given ekubo, a sweet rice cake, were among the bidders. An ekubo was given to men she favored. It was to show that an apprentice geisha would become available for mizuage, her coming of age through giving her purity to the highest bidder.

She didn't care if other men would end up becoming her highest bidder. She was going to escape the second she found a chance. She only needed to gain the attention of the man who would buy her freedom. Her patron.

"Fifty monme of silver!" One of the men shouted while raising his hand.

"I'll give 60!"

It was just as expected by her senior geisha, Sachiko. She was pleased to see that there were more bids for her apprentice. "See, Bibi? It will only be a matter of time before someone will take you out of this place. You only have to make sure that whoever becomes your Danna should fall for you… that is... if you still want to leave this district."

Li Bingbing had a beauty that none could compare. Even without giving ekubo to other men, they would still bid for her. From her beautiful, jade-like complexion to her almond-colored, but silky-smooth hair, she was like a diamond, shining brilliantly wherever she went. The fire in her eyes would never fail to attract the attention of others.

"My mind will never change, onee-san. I want to go back to my country."

Life had always been rough for her since she grew up in a poor family. Because of the poverty in their village, her father sold her off to a slave trader when she was only 14-years old. Those traders later sold her to an okiya, a lodging house found in a Red Light District somewhere in the Kingdom of Heian.

It was not like she had never tried to escape the place. She found out that leaving the Red Light District was impossible. The entrance and exit of the place were heavily guarded. Each guest had a special pass with them.

The only way to leave the place was to climb up in ranks and become a geisha. She was lucky enough to be bought into a geisha house instead of becoming a courtesan.

Since she was bought as a slave, she started working as a servant in the house. Together with the other servants, from wiping the floor to cleaning every room, it was their job to keep the place clean. For a servant to become a geisha, she had to impress the owner of the house, Okasan.

It was hard for a foreigner like her since she had to learn from the beginning, including the language of the kingdom. She worked hard for 3 long years just so she could be recognized. When that day came, she was sent to a geisha school. She studied everything for another 3 years until she finally debuted as an apprentice geisha.

In a geisha house, they were selling talents, not bodies… except when it came for the coming of age ceremony. Li Bingbing was finally going to become a full-fledged geisha once the night was over.

"Five ryo of gold!" One of the men who she had given a sweet rice cake shouted.

"Twenty ryo!"

"Twenty ryo! Wow! Anyone who would want to go against 20 ryo?"

Mumbles were heard and the man who had the highest bid so far, smirked triumphantly.

"Twenty ryo going once! Going twice-"

"One hundred ryo of gold."

Silence filled the room upon hearing the bone-chilling, deep voice echoed in the room. Bidding such an amount for a geisha's mizuage had never occurred in history.

Everyone turned in search of the man who bid such an amount, including Li Bingbing.

It was easy to find the man especially because of his striking blonde hair but it wasn't his hair color that caught Li Bingbing's attention but instead, his dark midnight eyes. He was radiating a near-tangible impression of lively and unyielding power as his strong attraction rose in strength.

When she met his eyes, she couldn't help but hold her breath. "C-Can he see us?"

"I don't think so. No one knows we're in this room," Sachiko replied. Just like Li Bingbing, she was startled when the man turned their way but at the same time, she was enthralled by his handsome features.

The man had an utterly serious look in him. His ice-cold eyes were dark. It was staring dangerously at Li Bingbing. It was as if he could see her through the screen. He was like a black hole that was pulling her to him. He was beyond perfect. She had never encountered such a mouthwatering beauty. Even the men she had met couldn't compare to him. Such beauty was inhumane.

"Going one… twice… going thrice! Sold!"

Her purity was sold for 100 ryo of gold. Not bad, she thought. She just made history. No man would bid such an amount unless he came from a noble family.

Noble family? She froze at the thought. Was this her lucky day?

Li Bingbing's eyes were still locked into the blond-haired man's eyes. This time, she was sure that he was looking at her. She couldn't tear her gaze from him. She was being drawn by an unseen force.

"Let's go, Bibi." Sachiko's soft voice snapped her out of her trance. "Let's get you prepared. Tonight, you will become a woman."

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AN:

Onee-san = big sister, Okasan = mother

Maiko = apprentice geisha, Geisha = hostess

Okiya = lodging house/ geisha house, Danna = patron

Ekubo = sweet rice cake given to men a maiko favored. It was to show that a maiko would become available for mizuage

Mizuage = The coming of age ceremony for maiko by losing their virginity

Currency in the Kingdom of Heian: 1ryo of gold = 50 monme of silver = 4,000 mon of copper