-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: 0016_70
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As no one raised their bidding paddle, the announcer seemed to grow anxious.
"If you're truly bothered, there's always the option of buying her and removing her eyes. You're all discerning folk, you know how incredibly valuable golden eyeballs are."
The announcer's horrific words made Ariana nauseous, yet the crowd showed interest. This was because, as the announcer said, golden eyeballs fetched an enormous price.
The announcer tapped the iron cage.
"Hey, lift your head."
At the announcer's command, the girl inside the cage slowly raised her head.
"Oh."
People gasped in admiration upon seeing her distinctly shining golden eyes.
"How grotesque..."
"Strange."
There were also those who whispered such words.
Ariana stared at the girl, unmoving. As if sensing the persistent gaze, the girl also shifted her eyes towards Ariana.
Their eyes met.
Ariana clutched her skirt.
'That child...'
Ariana was reflected in those golden eyes.
'She's just like me.'
Ariana Bronte, who had been scorned and thoroughly exploited simply for being born.
'Just like I was back then.'
Ariana Bronte, who had to trudge through hellfire, not knowing how to escape.
Ariana felt as if the girl trapped in the iron cage was just like herself.
But that was all. Ariana was overwhelmed by her own problems and couldn't help the girl. What Ariana needed was a strong and intelligent slave, not a girl with noticeable golden eyes.
"Let's go."
She didn't want to watch the girl being sold.
It was hard to keep looking at a child who mirrored her past self.
As she rose to leave, the girl suddenly gripped the iron bars.
"Pleathe... thave me..."
The girl couldn't speak properly.
"I... want to... thee a... nice day..."
Her faltering words were so slurred that no one could understand them, but they pierced Ariana's ears like a wedge.
Please save me. I want to see a nice day.
Lanster grasped Ariana's wavering arm.
"Are you alright, Princess?"
"Yes. I need to get out of here right now."
She felt like throwing up.
*Slam!*
"Is this wench insane? Stay still!"
The announcer's shout felt as if it were directed at her.
The girl's voice was no longer audible, but its sound clung to Ariana's ankles like a vine.
Please save me. I want to see a nice day.
Ariana squeezed her eyes shut and, leaning on Lanster's hand, exited the slave market.
+++
Only when they emerged from the dark alley could Ariana truly breathe. As Ariana stopped and steadied her breathing, Lanster stood silently by her side.
He didn't scold her, asking why she had even gone to the slave market in the first place.
After a long while, Lanster spoke calmly.
"While the child's plight is regrettable, it is not something for Your Highness to trouble yourself with. Children born with golden eyes are, by custom, meant to die at birth."
"Mm..."
"I, too, have heard rumors about that child. Her first owner died in a fire, her second fell from a horse, and her third lost their entire family in a carriage accident..."
"Lanster, stop."
"My apologies."
Ariana knew why Lanster was saying these things. He must have been concerned that she might, out of pity, try to help the girl.
Ariana had no intention of helping the girl.
That child would be of no use. Ariana barely had the luxury to take care of herself. She couldn't possibly look after that child too.
Yet, the girl and herself kept overlapping in her mind.
Ariana, trapped in the narrow cage of the Bronte Family without a helping hand, forced to live as they wished. Ariana, who had merely struggled to live, flapping her pathetic wings repeatedly, only to ultimately die.
"Enough. Let's go back."
The girl's voice tugged at her ankles, but Ariana did not look back. As always, she stood tall and walked resolutely.
'I'm sorry. But this life is my last chance too. I can't help you.'
+++
She was so exhausted she felt like collapsing, yet she couldn't sleep.
The girl's desperate voice buzzed in her ears, giving her a headache. What also bothered her was that she couldn't clearly recall ever seeing golden eyes before.
'When on earth did I see such eyes? Why is that memory so faint?'
No matter how much she racked her brain, it wouldn't come to her, so she eventually gave up. If it didn't stick in her memory, it probably wasn't that important.
Before she knew it, morning sunlight was streaming through the curtains.
Ariana gave up on sleeping, got out of bed, and drew back the curtains.
'A nice day...'
White clouds dotted the deep blue sky. The clear sky's light was dazzling.
'Could it be that she was trapped inside and never once got to come out?'
She had a feeling that was the case.
Ariana buried her face in her hands.
'What would the Northern Duke have done?'
Without knowing why the Northern Duke came to mind in this situation, Ariana thought.
'If it were the Northern Duke... he would have saved her. He doesn't hesitate to do what he wants.'
Even if there were other problems, if he wanted to do something right then, he would have done it no matter what.
'But that's only if she's useful to him. No matter how I think about it, that child is useless to me. If she's been trapped for so long, she probably can't move well, can't speak properly, and certainly can't read or write. Even the Northern Duke wouldn't have saved her.'
She wanted to become a beast.
She wanted to live as an emotionless beast, fixated only on its prey before sinking its teeth in.
She wanted to live solely for her goals, neither giving nor receiving love.
She thought this second life was meant for that.
However, her father and family had shown unexpected affection, and that affection had dulled Ariana's heart.
- "You will never become a beast."
Cyrus had once told Ariana that she could never become a beast.
It was probably when they went to look for Rui, who might have been injured.
Cyrus had been right.
'Yes, I can't become a beast.'
No matter how hard she tried to harden her heart, she couldn't bring herself to use good people.
It was also difficult to pretend not to notice a child whose plight was similar to her own.
She was simply born with such a nature. Just because she had died miserably and been resurrected didn't mean her innate personality would completely disappear.
'I'll definitely regret it.'
She was certain that if she pretended not to know the girl, that girl's voice and gaze would haunt her for the rest of her life.
'Whether I save her or not, I'll regret it. If I'm going to regret it anyway...'
Wouldn't it be better to change at least one girl's life?
'That child wanted to see this kind of weather, didn't she?'
The clear weather that most people enjoyed as a matter of course.
'I was like that too. I just wanted to receive my family's love, like any ordinary child.'
The parental affection that most children enjoyed as a matter of course.
If someone had extended a hand to Ariana back then, her life would have been different.
'It did change. Someone extended a hand, which is how I got a second chance. If that's the case, then it's only natural for me to extend a hand to someone else.'
I can't save everyone, but I can at least save one person my heart goes out to. Since I've been given a second chance, I should also give someone else a chance to live, at least once.
Ariana solidified her resolve.
+++
She was still more comfortable with her grandmother Caradine than with her father, Russell. She naturally started to walk towards the elderly couple's room, but then changed her mind and headed for Russell's room.
Lanster, who was guarding the hallway, watched Ariana with anxious eyes. As if he knew why Ariana was seeking out the Eastern Duke's room.
- "It is an undeserved honor for me to serve Your Highness."
She recalled what Lanster had said to Cyrus last time. She worried if Lanster would regret becoming her escort because of this, but she quickly dismissed the thought.
'What if I'm disliked a little? I've always lived that way. I'm going to live doing what I want. This time, I've decided to.'
When Ariana came to see him so early in the morning, Russell seemed quite surprised but welcomed her warmly.
"You're up early."
"Yes, Father. Did I come to see you too early?"
"It doesn't matter what time a daughter comes to see her father. It seems you have something to tell me."
Ariana quietly gazed at Russell's face.
Russell, who rarely showed emotion, only smiled in front of Ariana. She had once misunderstood that it was because he was displeased with his awkward smile, as if he didn't know how to smile. Now she knew that wasn't the case.
"Father, I went to the slave market last night."
Russell's expression hardened.
"Lanster was with me. But Lanster is not to blame. I insisted so much that he must have been put in an awkward position. So please don't punish Lanster."
"I won't. And?"
"I saw a child. A child with golden eyes. There were rumors that she had cursed and killed several owners, so everyone seemed to avoid her. Then the announcer said that golden eyeballs are traded for a high price."
Ariana stopped there and observed Russell's expression.
Russell silently looked down at Ariana with an inscrutable expression. After a long moment, he opened his mouth.
"You want to help that child?"
"Yes."
"I've also heard a story about a slave with golden eyes before. There was a stir about a rural noble in the Eastern Territory who bought that child, and about a year later, was killed by bandits."
Ariana hadn't known something even the Eastern Duke was aware of.
Throughout her previous life, Ariana had never heard the story of a slave girl with golden eyes. That meant the girl would die soon.
Ariana had remained ignorant of outside rumors until she married Viscount Albrecht.
"Even if you release her, others will soon capture her and sell her back into slavery. Or trade her eyes."
"I want to keep her by my side."
A deep furrow appeared between Russell's brows. Ariana did not avert his gaze and spoke again.
"I want to take care of her."
"If she merely had golden eyes, I would have allowed it. Even if it were just a rumor that she cursed and killed her owners, I would have allowed it. I don't believe in superstitions. But Ariana, that child is a Paganus."
A Paganus.
She'd had a fleeting suspicion ever since she saw the girl's brown skin, but she hadn't expected her to truly be a Paganus.
Even after learning the girl was a Paganus, Ariana felt no fear; instead, she felt even more pity. Ariana, too, had been hated by everyone during her time in the Bronte Family, simply because she carried the Eastern Duke's blood.
"She was simply born that way."
When Ariana didn't back down even after hearing the word Paganus, Russell let out a small sigh. Seeing that, Ariana's heart sank, reminded of Rachel, who used to sigh every time she saw Ariana.
