“I beg your pardon, Father, but I think I heard wrong.” Adam said after finally stopping his coughing. Looking at the smirks his siblings send him, it was obvious that the caught off guard attitude of the middle child amused them greatly, but Adam, even if he was trained by a master of expression, which he was not, wouldn’t have been able to remain calm after being informed of his wedding tomorrow. Wedding that he did not remember agreeing to.

“Duke Valyois’s wife died and he’s looking for a man-wife this time. Having ties with the Valyois noble family could bring great perks to our family, so you were chosen. The Duke, after hearing of our suggestion, was pretty pleased and agreed. The wedding is tomorrow morning at eight o’clock, do not be late.” His father explained, as if it was completely normal to sell his own son to a nefarious sadist. The Valyois’ patriarch was known to torture, rape and murder all his wives, be it male or female. 

The black haired seductive man with red eyes controlled the cold North of the kingdom and his noble family possessed strong affinity with the wind, which can be seen by the slashes on his partners’ bodies made with wind attacks. Nobody wanted to meet the Duke of the North, but he still had an enormous amount of crystal mines. Such material was necessary to make artifacts and so, it was highly sought for.

Adam, however, had no wish to serve as a bargaining chip for his Father’s success.

“You can leave. A maid will be sent as soon as the sun rises tomorrow to arrange your attire.” His Father said in a dismissive tone with a little wave of his hand as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. Adam’s mouth laid agape, not quite believing what happened as he found himself kicked out of the dining room and left in the hall. As he walked back to his room, the young man gritted his teeth, remembering the way his family had looked at him with such disgust and glee over his misfortune. His nails made deep crescent moons on his palm as humiliation fuelled his veins. 

He wouldn’t go down like that, his journey hadn’t even begun.

The handsome Duke of the North could go fuck a cactus for all he cared, and even better if his victim was his father. Both cruel men would make a good pair.

Adam let out a small self-degrading laugh as he realized, having reached his room, that no one was keeping watch on him. Duke Salovski hadn’t even bothered to assign some guards to him. Did Arang really believe that he had that much hold on him? That Adam was still a poor little kid that only wanted his father’s approbation? The eyes that once looked at the Duke with unending admiration were now void of emotion, if only with a burning desire to strangle him.

Adam still thought it was strange that the Duke wouldn’t monitor him, but he wouldn’t stick around long enough to find out if the guards were coming a bit later.

With a slight jog in his steps, Adam reached the room hiding his belongings and then went to his garden. The knight jumped over the wall with ease like he had done not long ago, having experience in the art of running away, and proceeded to fuse with the shadows. 

The night fell on the city and the nightlife began to wake up, muffled screams singing along with the cicadas. 

The humid air of the summer engulfed Adam’s body, making him sweat and try to find a shelter for the night. Minutes and then hours passed as the young man roamed the streets, with no hope of safety in sight. Every alley was occupied and Adam knew better than to try and take possession of a place already owned. Homeless attached great importance to their shelter and Adam didn’t want to take someone else's belongings.

He knew the feeling too well.

The only option he had left was to rent an inn’s room for a night. It would be tricky though, as a good-looking man like him would attract unwanted attention if alone. He also hadn’t had time to change his attire in his hurry to escape, so he was still dressed in costly clothes. The inn’s employees would notify the black market that a handsome man that seemed to come from a rich family was staying at their inn and he would be abducted as he was sleeping. Adam knew his own value.

Swearing under his breath, Adam raked his mind in an attempt to find a solution that would provide him with both safety and a roof above his head, even if said roof was only made of paper. As he was passing by the slaves’ district, Adam stopped on his track as his eyes caught sight of muscular men being whipped. The heavy collar on their neck and the magic tattoo that their right shoulder arbored announcing that they were slaves.

The seed of an idea dug its way into his mind and Adam suddenly changed direction. The knight quickly made his way back to the few stores still open and, under the suspicious eyes of the shop owner, bought a cape that flowed all the way to the ground with a hood over his head. Only his plump lips could be seen.

After making sure that his bag was well hidden at his side and that nobody could recognise him or discern his appearance, Adam made his way back to where the slaves could be bought.

Slaves’ traders shouted their slogan and spoke of empty promise as people with too much money on their hand passed by, hoping to find some entertainment for the night. Adam wandered like a snake through the obstacles, observing which shop seemed more proper and cheaper. It was a matter of quality versus price, he didn’t want to spend too much on a slave nor did he want a dimwitt with contagious illnesses. He wasn’t stupid.

A trader caught his eyes, his body looking injured as if he just had a fight and looking desperate to get rid of any slave. 

Adam smirked as he smelt an opportunity coming.

Hey dear readers, what type of slave do you think Adam will buy?

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(1 052 words)