"???"
Raul woke to soft sheets, a hollow ache in his waist, and a rush of memories that snapped into place like beads on a string. The elf—hair tousled, face even lovelier for its weariness—smiled faintly when he bolted upright and promptly nose-bled at a stray slip of blanket.
"Mr. Raul," she murmured, cheeks pink. "Control yourself."
He wrestled his breath under control, rinsed his face, and returned, ears still burning.
"I—I don't even know your name…"
"Lise. Lise Isilmá," she said. Then, after a heartbeat: "Mr. Raul… would you buy my freedom?"
The words landed like a hammer on a still pond. Raul swallowed. "I will."
"Think carefully," Lise warned softly. "I'm… more expensive than you think."
He glanced at the darkened stain on the sheet; at her poise on trembling legs; at the pride she wore like a thin shawl. First time. His chest tightened.
"I'm Level Four," he said, jaw set. "I have savings."
He dressed in a flurry. "Lise, get ready. We'll go to Lady Ishtar now."
Lise's lashes lowered for an instant—apology hidden in the shadow there. Forgive me, Mr. Raul. Freedom is a door only your coin can unlock… and my goddess holds the key.
Across the street, Hermes watched from a balcony, tea steaming between his fingers. Aisha stepped from a lantern's wake and gave the smallest nod.
"He bit," Hermes said, amused. "Real hook, real heart."
"Lise will walk the line," Aisha replied. "Ishtar wants her to keep it taut."
Hermes smiled without teeth. "And Loki's boy? Let's see how tidy he plays."
Manor, morning.
Raul all but ran through the doors—then froze at Loki's raised spoon.
clink on his forehead. "Fine for 'conduct unbecoming,' two weeks on muck duty," Loki said, tone lighter than her eyes. "Report."
Raul blinked, flushed, then saluted. "Y-Yes, Lady Loki. Also… I intend to redeem someone from the Pleasure Quarter."
The room inhaled as one. Riveria's brows ticked up; Finn's drumming finger stopped; Tione muttered something about idiots and wallets.
Loki's gaze slid to Tsuna. "Well?"
Tsuna didn't answer Raul—he asked a question. "Do you want to save her, or do you want her to be free?"
Raul opened his mouth, closed it. "Both."
"Those aren't always the same path," Tsuna said gently. "If you walk into Ishtar's hall alone with a bag of coin, you'll pay triple and purchase a collar with a different name."
Riveria folded her arms. "Ishtar's contracts bind the debt, not the person. Redeeming a courtesan often buys what amounts to exclusive patronage, not freedom."
Color drained from Raul's face.
"So we don't rush," Finn said. "We negotiate."
Loki's grin sharpened. "Leave the dance to me."
Tsuna turned to Raul. "You'll go back today—empty-handed. Tell Lise you'll do this properly. If she truly wants out, she'll wait one more day."
Raul swallowed and nodded.
"And," Tsuna added, "from this moment, you never meet her without a shadow on the roof and a moth at the window."
Tiona waggled fingers. "Hi, shadow."
Ais, beside her, lifted a hand. "I will watch."
Ishtar's palace, noon.
Marble steps, incense thick as honey. Raul climbed, palms damp, Lise at his side in a simple wrap that made her seem more elf than ornament.
Aisha met them before the inner doors. "Petitions for redemption require audience," she said. "Terms are set by the goddess. Prices reflect training, rarity, and lost revenue."
"I'll pay," Raul said.
"Will you?" A new voice flowed like smoke. Ishtar stood framed by silk, smile bright enough to cut. "An elven courtesan with enchantment, untouched until last night. Rare wine—you propose to buy the vineyard."
Raul bowed, teeth clenched.
"Three hundred million valis," Ishtar said, as if discussing weather. "Cash. Today."
Raul's breath hitched. Lise went very still.
"Alternatively," Ishtar continued, "exclusive patronage. You cover her quotas, her housing, her security. She remains under my protection; you enjoy… priority."
Raul's hands curled. "That's not freedom."
"It is a freedom," Ishtar said, sweet as poison. "The freedom from hunger. From rough hands. From being forgotten. Are you sure you can purchase something better?"
A soft, polite knock sounded at the frame. A messenger leaned in. "A letter for Lady Ishtar. From Lady Loki."
Ishtar's eyes glinted. "How neighborly. Read."
The note was four lines:
'Freedom' priced as ownership is cheap theater.
Loki Familia will auction a public pledge—funds in full, conditions in law.
Your girl walks, unbound, if you accept arbitration by three gods.
If not, we match your 'exclusive'—and remind Orario what that word means.
Aisha's mouth twitched—the closest she ever came to a laugh.
Ishtar tapped her nail against the armrest, measuring amusements against appetites. "Three arbiters," she said at last. "Freyja? Demeter? Hephaistos?"
Hermes's chuckle drifted through a half-open screen. "Include me and I'll bring snacks."
"Denied," Ishtar said without looking. "Hermes peeks too much."
She looked at Lise then, and—for the first time—spoke to her, not about her. "Do you want this, child?"
Lise met her goddess's eyes, voice steady in a way that surprised even herself. "Yes, my lady."
"Then bring me Loki's contract by sunset," Ishtar said. "If it amuses me, I'll let the city clap for both of us."
Raul bowed so low his hair brushed marble. Lise's fingers trembled once, then stilled at her sides.
Alley behind the Quarter.
Raul finally exhaled. Tsuna stepped from shadow like a thought manifest, Tiona and Ais sliding down the opposite wall.
"You didn't tell me you were there," Raul wheezed.
"That was the point," Tsuna said. "Now: we do this clean."
He handed Raul a folded sheet. "Terms we want: full manumission; no trailing debt; no 'exclusive patronage' clauses disguised as security; no non-compete on future employment. In exchange, we cover 'training sunk cost' at a publicly audited sum—Demeter's scribes will love the farm metaphors."
Raul stared at the page—numbers, counters, little traps already blunted. "I… can't afford this."
"You aren't," Tiona said, elbowing him. "We are."
Ais looked at Lise. "When you are free… what will you do?"
Lise blinked at the simple, impossible question. Her answer came out small and true. "Sleep without perfume. Walk without being watched. Then… learn to pour tea without trembling."
Ais nodded, as if that was the most sacred vow she'd ever heard. "Good."
Tsuna's moth landed on the alley's shutter and pulsed—once, twice. "Hermes is listening," he said softly. "Let him. The more eyes at the table, the fairer the game appears."
Raul folded the sheet with both hands, as if it might crack if mishandled. "Thank you," he said, voice rough.
"Don't thank us yet," Tsuna replied. "Thank Lise when the ink is dry and the door opens. Then thank her again tomorrow."
Lise looked between them—boy, swordswoman, whirlwind Amazoness—and smiled a careful, shining smile that belonged to no one but herself.
"Sunset," she whispered.
"Sunset," Tsuna agreed.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]