Chapter 4
Chapter – 04
Back when she was engaged, Luiza Mesena kept a string of male companions labeled lovers but functioning more like possessions.
Scum of the lowest order defined most of them, yet one trait united every single one.
Stunning looks set them apart.
Illustrations captured her essence whenever Luiza Mesena graced a chapter, encircled by those paramours.
She selected each for peak attractiveness alone.
Empire’s elite in male beauty.
Luxury outfits and footwear came from her generosity, followed by fleeting amusements before casual dismissal.
Those liaisons crumbled into disaster for nearly all—save a solitary outlier.
Rudy Garco alone escaped a grim conclusion beside her.
He ran Rudy’s Night Tavern, a gambling spot Luiza haunted regularly.
Certain parallels bound him to her core: she strayed endlessly with random males, while he reveled in dalliances with countless females.
His choices ranked among the Empire’s supreme beauties, those diving headlong into vice, spirits, and games within his establishment.
Indeed.
Rudy mirrored Luiza as a curator of exquisite forms.
Rare artifacts from Empire corners adorned his venue, complemented by alluring youths designed to lure the stunning females he craved.
Luiza numbered among those drawn in.
“You stand as the finest vision to ever grace my sight.”
Breakups sparked by her chaos left him mourning solely her features.
“A countenance so unique demands preservation.”
Plays and tales overflowed with gorgeous antagonists, yet sourcing such perfection proved elusive.
Rudy possessed flawless discernment for allure.
Her wine glass mirrored her own image back at her, prompting a glance toward a passerby male.
“Lovely.”
Downcast mouth marred him slightly, yet those eyes alone suited the steadfast ally to any protagonist perfectly.
Praising his prettiness carried that precise intent—Rudy, arriving with her refreshment, probed further.
“Shall I fetch him for you?”
Acquire a human that way? His phrasing unsettled.
Normality evaded him completely.
“Pass on that sort.”
Such features failed her ideal of romance’s hero.
“So you still desire only me?”
Blond locks danced with energy as Rudy beamed, jabbing a finger toward his visage.
Mature male playfulness twisted Alfredo’s features into a scowl from his table’s fringe.
“No rival matches my appeal, yeah?”
Truth lingered in his claim, undeniably.
Within this tavern, Rudy ranked high among observed Adonises.
Porcelain complexion framed a chiseled mandible, intense gaze softened by honeyed grins reserved for females, igniting instant captivation.
Playboy essence radiated unmistakably.
He evoked the rogue heir in serialized dramas, chaebol spawn chasing skirts.
Modern agencies would cast him there relentlessly—honing craft might elevate him to cinema, even reimagining Romeo for today.
Romeo chased Rosaline to that masked gala, after all.
Obsessed enough to infiltrate foes’ revelry at peril, only to pivot to her kin Juliet.
Playboy tendencies tainted even him.
Problem lay elsewhere.
Romeo’s ideal diverged sharply from this.
Mild letdown colored her survey of Rudy.
“Is this your true appearance?”
Concept sketches painted him boyish and naive—reality delivered seasoned polish.
Live performance trumped static renders every time.
“How so? Acne flaring up? Fixed it already—much improved. Humph.”
Pouting overtook Rudy, stirring nostalgia for Arno’s glacial timbre.
Arno embodied icy masculine perfection, minus any innocence; soliciting performance from him promised theater domination and her ejection.
Luiza’s wretched path warranted headshaking.
“Luiza, though.”
Elbow propped, chin cradled, Rudy leaned close to remark.
“Your vibe shifted entirely.”
Fingers extracted the feather from her tresses; brows knit.
“Casual as ever? Speech feels…”
“Feels like how?”
“Chillier now? Ice queen suited you, spiked with edge before. This builds barriers.”
Spot-on yet irrelevant insight, courtesy of his beauty-honed instincts.
Topic pivot came swift.
“Truthfully, superior venues boast finer specimens? Offerings here underwhelm.”
Rudy’s grin flashed wide.
“Treating males like merchandise—Luiza, core unchanged~”
“…”
“‘That spot’ enforces rigid entry checks. Sneaking butler past proves tough. I’d waive for your aide, but patrons loathe servants…”
“That spot.”
Tavern’s peril-fraught underbelly hosted his sales of Empire-sourced enigmas.
Luiza craved those gatherings, snapping opulent rarities.
Rudy’s taste lagged hers slightly, yet yielded perilous pretties.
Unquenchable urges there depleted Mesena legacy, birthing her villainous fame.
Fatal fixation gripped one prize from him.
That prize embodied the protagonist.
Empire’s First Prince, palace exile enduring trials at twenty.
Tavern encounter sealed it.
Eyes locked, she declared:
“What fate strands this youth here? Mine for the taking.”
“Offered last year amid frenzy. Bids flew, but reclaimed him. Irreplaceable treasure. Personal vault now.”
Rudy denied her outright.
Funds fell short for even basic acquisitions then.
Empire banned human trade outright—Rudy ignored statutes.
Allure drew allure; philosophy fueled his empire.
Madman through and through.
Such derangement propelled Luiza toward doom. That vaulted gem ascended to throne.
Gold pouch thrust into Rudy’s palm silenced him.
“Mask for Alfredo. Masks cloak most anyway, no? For him…”
Finger aimed at Alfredo, face curdled since entry.
“Rat guise fits ideally.”
Skittish urban vermin incarnate.
Ideal match.
Alfredo’s grimace deepened.
Dim-lit basement swallowed the urban pest and prowling feline.
Sparse flames flickered amid ebony drapes partitioning shadows, heavy with ominous haze.
Grumbles trailed Alfredo, yet he clung tight, dread of separation evident.
“Luiza Mesena? That countess’s heir. Noted auction fiend.”
Masked recognition sparked murmurs.
Alfredo crowded nearer.
Protective instinct?
“Every illicit male encounter gets relayed to the young master!”
Policing duty alone.
Masked smirk curved beneath her cover.
“Unnecessary. Recognition pierces veils. Empire awaits scandal to devour me whole.”
“Devour? You’d shred them first…”
Abruptly—
“Esteemed guests! Moment of anticipation arrives—the sale commences!”
Dwarf emcee bellowed from platform.
“Spot-on timing, love. Prime lots await.”
Sofa groaned under Rudy’s flop beside her. Grin bared as cherry met her lips.
“Flawless mouth~”
Blue gaze pierced from his mask, appraising her as trinket.
Hand swatted aside—
“Prime rarity headlines tonight. Witness over words. Lot one!”
Platform bore aloft a vast enclosure.
Encircling torches mimicked limelight blaze.
Dwarf yanked free the shroud—
Nobles exhaled thrilled awe.
Chains bound a battered figure within.
Head lifted deliberate and languid.
Golden irises ignited.
Quest’s golden gaze at last.
Matching visage sought relentlessly.
Novel’s central hero.
Empire’s destined sovereign—the blaze-bringer of her public end.
“Stunning, true? Craving surges, yes?”
Rudy’s murmur caressed.
Ecstatic sighs celebrated the captive’s splendor nearby.
“Bidding floor?”
“Million derks max. Mine caps at half that?”
“Hold—the pampered bidder launches regardless.”
Sneers targeted her.
Eagerness for her plunge palpable.
Ducal ruin’s scandalous spawn.
Spendthrift pariah.
Broke assumptions reigned.
Rudy’s silk voice cut through.
“Funds strained lately? Auction windfalls helped, but this stretches, huh?”
“…”
“Lend you a million, say—”
“Fifty million derks.”
“…!”
Room inhaled as one.
Forty million marked his original reclaim price, per tale’s record.
Today demanded fifty.
Debut auction haul demanded sleepless ledgers.
Debts cleared left precisely that sum.
Grandfather’s blade fetched it all.
“Higher offers?”
Stunned silence screamed volumes without glance.
Fifty million derks crushed youthful noble whims for evenings.
Unthinkable for a toppled house’s daughter.
Silence held.
Rudy abstained.
Pouch sailed to him, gold spilling promise.
“Payment now.”
“…?”
Cheek-struck, Rudy gaped into bounty-laden sack.
Finger jabbed purchased prize.
“Cart him to my ride.”
Steal of eternities.
Far beyond fifty million stretched that prize’s worth.
Her survival hinged on it.
