Apharoia (ep.2)

Ox blinked, realizing what Muran got himself into. A deep laughter came out from deep within his throat as he clapped, his eyes shining. 

"I see! Darn, brother, the Sun has blessed you! You have amazing luck, hahaha!"

"Yes, brother, I am indeed blessed by the Sun," Muran agreed, not trying to humble himself at all, "Not only did I get a few amazing goods and sell them at Apharoia, but this fallen princess is my way to enter into the lane of the royalty..."

Thinking about it that way made him feel way better. Although his loss was big, what he could possibly get from the future deals was motivating him beyond belief. 

He could not help but cackle to himself, "Kekekekeke, praise the Sun!"

Ox nodded with a nasty grin on his face. He did not care much about the fallen princess, their benefits came first.

At that moment, his gaze fell on her and a silver of pity flashed across his eyes. It did not last that long, though.

Falling from her status of being a princess into some low-class concubine or a slave was surely going to bruise her pride. 

But at the end of the day, she was nothing but a slave. An object that could bring them infinite benefits. 

The fact that their king, Asphiran Braham, was madly in love with Princess Isadora was a widespread rumor across the nations. 

'According to those rumors, this whole war only started due to his strong desire to conquer the princess.'

However, rumors stayed rumors. And as much as she was desired by their king, the war could never start due to her only. 

There were many other reasons which were only known to the high circle of ministers in the Palace. 

'Hoo, no matter. The truth is that this princess is surely going to bring us endless benefits. As for the humiliation she may feel, I'm sure she would never be prepared for it.'

Shrugging his shoulders, Ox soon threw these thoughts away. He and Muran were slave traders, they got their living by selling these objectsâ€" the slaves, as goods to survive. 

Pity could exist within their hearts, however, they would never act upon it. 

Isadora, who was at the receiving end of his gaze earlier, scoffed audibly. 

'The pity of a fat bull is surely cheap. A trader pitying their goods sounds like a hilarious folk story.'

Despite thinking of that, a sly light shone in her gaze. 

Isadora was still lost. There was no indication of the reason behind her existence in this place and no one to guide her. 

Having no one to support her and no one to assure her was something she had begun to be in her comfort zone. 

She had no reason to fear being 'clueless' here, the only thing she needed was to use her surroundings to her advantage. 

Isadora was grateful for her previous experience. 

'No matter in what place or situation I find myself in, I've sworn to live through it all.'

Having that oath was what made Isadora believe she could fight even in the most inconvenient circumstances. 

'I will emerge victorious,' her watery irises shone with determination as she renewed her vow to herself, she needed to act quickly. 

'How troublesome.'

Soon, the nighttime arrived. However, the search party did not catch up with the group yet. This worried and annoyed the traders, but at the same time, they were a little more comfortable. 

Once the search party arrived, Muran and Ox would need to hide the princess from them. Which definitely would prove to be a difficult task. 

The only ones who were happy with the current situation were the slaves. Although they were not given water, food, or anything that may make them feel better, they were thankful for not being forced toward Exezia anymore. 

A heavy sigh passed Isadora's chapped lips as she stared at the slaves. She was unable to stop her face from scrunching up upon such a sight. 

'They are already slaves, I do not think saving them is possible.'

Her thoughts were wondering about whether she could save these slaves and use them for her own merits. Unfortunately, they were beyond saving. 

Once they succumbed to the truth of being slaves and gave up on their lives, there was no turning back. 

'Trying to drag them with me will only hinder my movements.'

Even though they were kind and helpful to her before, Isadora knew she must never let her emotions drive her. 

'The best I can do is at least make them live a better life as servants if I ever survive.'

At that moment, Isadora was already drawing a simple picture of her future. It was vague, hazy, and uncertain. But that did not change how she was sure of her success. 

Leaving those matters aside, the white-robed woman looked down at her hands. Earlier that day, she had threatened the two traders with the curse of the sun. 

Recalling that, she could not stop herself from snorting at that. 

'In reality, this body may have already been cursed by the Sun. How ironic of the sun to curse me and also curse my tormentors in the future.'

How did Princess Isadora die? She was burned to death under the scorching sun. 

Which, again, was an accident. Muran was instructed to keep the princess covered in some clothes and to never let the sun touch her. 

The trader did his best but a little slave pulled her off, immediately resulting in her falling to the ground helplessly, spasming and gasping for air as her skin sizzled against the sunlight. 

'Apparently, once Princess Isadora turned ten years old, the Sun started to be intolerable for her.'

Whenever Princess Isadora walked under the Sun, she suffered from severe pain. Her skin burned and her body felt as if it was ready to collapse at any time.

No matter how many methods she tried,  going under the sun was nothing but hell to her. Thus, her father, Pharaoh Amun, caged her in his palace and protected her carefully. 

Despite his research, no results were found. Which eventually made him give up. 

But now that Princess Isadora was dead and Isadora had taken over her body, she could not give up on finding out the reason. 

'I need to understand everything about my current body. That is the first step for my survival.'