I'll buy her

Aurelia felt drained out by the time they reached the large gates of the establishment. A sudden shiver went down her spine when she took a look at the place the slave warden had brought them.

The buildings were tall and the bricks were dark and old. Aurelia could tell this slave establishment was established decades ago. A place people were sold as slaves.

She couldn't grasp the fact that people were sold as slaves for money. She was a Princess who had spent all her life in her room in the castle. Never had she heard of such a vile act carried out outside of Reeves.

A sudden hit on her back made her jolt out from her thoughts with a loud cry. Her legs gave way as she fell limp to the ground.

Behind her was one of the wardens. While the crowd were moving, he noticed one of the humans slacking behind which he hates most about slaves and he takes pleasure in beating them.

"Stand up and move your ass!" The warden shouted with his goof voice and was about to hit Aurelia again when a gentle voice came to her rescue.

"Easy there warden." A young man said.

Aurelia tried standing up but she couldn't as the pain on her back was hurting badly. She felt her skin had torn open due to the hit from the warden's iron rod.

"Master Davian, these slaves deserve to be treated the way they act else they would be a problem to their buyer. Don't you think so?" The warden said proudly and spat in disgust.

Aurelia hasn't felt such pain in her life but she managed to get up from the ground after sobbing quietly. For a short time, she started wondering what she would have to endure after becoming a slave.

"This one seems fresh, doesn't?" Davian asked and stared at the weak girl lusciously.

Aurelia, who heard what the man said, quickly increased her pace and joined the rest of the captives who were standing before the chief warden.

Being selected was one of the ways the wardens differentiate the slaves. By strength, body and age. Aurelia waited quietly for her turn and could only guess what was behind these walls.

"You! Come here." The chief warden was round as a meat ball with a protruding stomach. in his mouth was a fat cigarette that was puffing out heavy smoke.

On top of his lips was a huge mustache that covered almost all his face. His bald head didn't escape Aurelia's eyes and his lustful gaze reminded her of the man who interrupted the warden earlier.

She walked towards the man with a shaky breath as the injury on her back was bleeding more.

The Chief warden stared at the girl with amusement in his eyes. Even when he caught sight of the stain on her dirty tattered clothes, he cared less about that. Infact, the perfect slave for the perfect buyer was all that was in his mind.

"Warden D! Take this slave to the waiting room, there will be a buyer soon." He said and touched his full beard.

Aurelia felt like a child as the Warden pushed her into the large building. The moment she crossed the gate into the old building, screams and cries greeted her.

"Move!" The warden yelled.

Aurelia felt her world spinning when she saw people who definitely were slaves being manhandled by the wardens. Some were tied to a stake and flogged vehemently.

Some were being dragged on the bare sharp ground. Even Aurelia managed to quicken her pace, otherwise she would be like one of those slaves she was seeing right now.

She was taken into one of the buildings with a burning touch on each side of the walls. The pundit air almost made Aurelia puke and the smell of rusty bars filled the whole place.

Aurelia sighted many slaves inside the cells with their hands and legs bound with chains. She couldn't imagine how those huge chains would fit into her wrist.

"Move, you measly." The warden shouted and pushed Aurelia towards the darkest part of the corridor.

Aurelia started feeling uneasy as the warden took her father. Soon, he came to a halt and brought out a bunch of keys. After fumbling with it, he inserted one of the keys into the lock and unlocked it.

"Get in!" He said and pushed her into the empty room with no window.

Aurelia almost tripped over as the man pushed her. After maintaining her balance, she carefully walked to sit on the bench that was having a small table at the front of it.

***

"All the captives have been sold to the establishment and the funds have been taken to the magistrate by Xander." Roxanne said and walked towards Cassius who was standing beside his throne.

She could tell he was lost in his thoughts. Since he returned from Reeves, Roxanne noticed he had not been himself. It was as if something was bothering him.

Cassius continued staring into space and didn't know Roxanne was already behind him. Her warm body embraced him from behind, curling her hand around him.

"Mind telling me what's bothering you Cassius?" She asked.

Cassius didn't mind she was holding him. He was fond of her touch, and lips. "What do you want?" He finally asked when she came to stand at his front.

Roxanne smiled and trailed her fingers across his lips. It's been a while since she last felt his skin on hers.

"I want you, have you been ignoring me since your visit to Reeves or is it because of the Reeves Princess?" Roxanne called the name with a tone of dislike.

Cassius tilted his head as his mind went back to the young timid girl who couldn't climb on a horse. His lips stretched for a smile.

Roxanne thought Cassius was smiling at her and blushed heavily. It was rare for him to smile at her because Cassius was always the ever serious man with a lot of duties on his shoulder.

"Inform Aldophus that would be needing his company for later." He said and walked to sit on his throne.

"Okay." Roxanne said and bowed. Turning around on her heels, she sashayed away from the throne room.

***

Few hours later, Aldophus came running into Cassius' room when he couldn't find him in the throne room. He was supposed to arrive at the castle an hour earlier after Roxanne delivered the King's message to him. But Carl was the reason why he came very late.

The painting of the room was all white with no single black to it. The lamps and other mythical things were either gold or white.

His giant large bed could contain five people and the room was large and neatly decorated to the style of a king.

At first, Aldophus thought he had run into heaven. This was his first time entering the King's room which he had thought to be black and scary. But to his surprise, it was the complete opposite.

Cassius was laying on his bed when the stupid Aldophus came barging into his room.

"Ah...Your Highness." He said and stood upright.

"Are you going in or out?" Cassius asked when he saw Aldophus still standing at the door.

Aldophus was about to shut the door when Cassius suddenly interrupted him.

"No need, we're leaving."

***

Aurelia has been in the windowless room for more than four hours without anybody coming into view. Her stomach was hurting badly as she hadn't eaten anything since the morning.

Without doing anything, she laid down on the table and shut her eyes. The severe pain on her back, her stomach and a small pang of headache, Aurelia felt extremely exhausted.

It wasn't too long after Aurelia slept off that the metal door was opened from the outside.

The Chief warden hastily walked into the room with a man behind him.

"This is her. Young, fresh and immature just as you requested." The Chief warden said shakily. He couldn't wait for the scary Duke to buy the slave and leave.

The Duke came to stand at Aurelia's front. His large hand lifted the girl's head from the table and made her rest it against the wall.

Just then, Aurelia woke up. She shrieked immediately when she saw the people in the room. She didn't miss the dark red eyes that were staring at her.

"My bad, Sire. She came from the Reeves and hasn't learnt much about Devontae, especially about this establishment." The Chief warden tried sweet talking the Duke into buying her.

The money the Duke will pay for a slave is enough to feed an entire family for one year.

"I'll buy her." Was all the Duke said before walking out of the windowless room. On his face was a displeased look that the warden was feeling scared to ask why.

Aurelia remained unmoving from where she was sitting as the pain has worsened to a point that she can't walk.

"Aren't you moving? Don't be in a bad market and quickly run out." The Chief warden whispered aggressively.

"What's the problem?" The Duke asked. The chief warden thought he would faint. His face was covered in sweat as he continued wiping his face with his sleeve.

"I'm sorry for troubling you and also me but this slave refuses to go out." He said and stared closely at the girl. It was then he remembered the blood stain on her back.

His eyes almost popped out from its socket as realization dawned on him.

When Amelia noticed the cold eyes of the pureblooded vampire, she forced herself to stand up but that only resulted in widening the injury.

She winced in pain and sat back on the bench again. Hot tears slipped out of her beautiful eyes as she gasped for breath.

Before she could fathom what was about to happen, the Duke picked her up in his arms.

"Two thirds of the money paid would be refunded back to me. I don't accept injured things." He said directly to the Chief warden before leaving the room.

The Chief warden almost passed out when he heard what the Duke said. He thought selling a beautiful, fresh and untouched slave who hadn't spent a day at the establishment would be expensive, who would've thought it was going to backfire.

"Warden D!! Get me Carson!" He yelled out in anger.