"You wretched noble! If you dare lay your hands on my sister one more time I'll rip out your tongue!" A silver haired young girl said with intense hatred in her eyes as she stared at the man in front of her.
She was standing in front of two other girls, shielding them from his view.
"Fucking bastard I will—" She was about to curse again when the chain on her neck shined brightly, electrocuting her and putting her in intense pain.
"Ackk!!!" She screamed as she fell to the floor, gripping the chain on her neck, her body twisting and writhing against the cold stone.
Her two sisters behind her flinched but didn't move. Their hands were balled into fists at their sides, jaws tight, eyes burning — but they had learned by now that reaching for her only made it worse.
"Are you sure you want them?" The man holding the activation device asked with a raised brow, completely unbothered by the girl still convulsing at his feet.
These girls carried the bloodline of witches — a bloodline stronger than any ordinary magic. It was the very reason the entire kingdom had agreed to wipe them out. They were too powerful and too much of a problem to be allowed to exist.
"Because we were just about to kill them in the next few days and sell their organs if no one came for them." He said it without any sympathy like he was just talking about business.
When the girls heard this their bodies shivered slightly, but they still tried their best to act tough, not wanting to look weak in front of this man.
It was his job. He had seen far worse. It was nothing new.
"Yes, I'm sure." The red haired man said with a calm nod. He hadn't flinched at the screaming and hadn't reacted to the insult he hadn't so much as blinked through any of it.
"Oh — and remove the chains." He added, glancing briefly at the girl still trembling on the floor. "They don't look good on them."
The slave trader stared at him for a moment. "I would have to transfer ownership over to you first. Only then is that possible."
"Oh perfect." The red haired man said casually.
He pulled out the registry parchment without another word and they got to work.
He had to sign signatures, a blood seal, ink that shimmered faintly under the torchlight.
And just like that, they belonged to him.
He crouched down and removed the collar from the girl on the floor first, then moved to her two sisters one after the other. The magic circles went dark. The iron fell away. Three girls who had been property a moment ago were now something else entirely — though none of them had decided what yet.
He straightened up, dusted off his knee and smiled softly at all three of them.
"Are you alright?"
The silver haired one's hand came up before he finished the sentence.
CRACK.
She slapped him clean across the face, stepped over him and walked straight into the waiting carriage. The second sister followed, pausing just long enough to slap him too. The third looked at him for a brief moment before doing the same.
He stood there alone, one hand half raised to his cheek, watching the carriage door swing shut behind them.
Then he smiled and climbed in after them.
---
The ride was quiet. For about thirty seconds.
"So—"
"Don't talk to us." The silver haired one said flatly, arms crossed, eyes fixed somewhere past his shoulder.
"I was just going to ask if you were—"
"I said don't."
"Alright." He nodded nothing saying anything else, then."The road to the estate is about an hour from here, so if any of you need—"
"Are you hard of hearing?" The second sister cut in, eyes sharp.
"Not particularly." He said pleasantly.
"Then shut your mouth." She turned back to the window.
He looked at the third sister. She stared back at him with an expression he couldn't quite place, there was no hatred or warmth in them she just looked confused and lost.
Noticing he was staring she quickly looked away from him.
He leaned back against the seat and said nothing more.
'In an alternate time line of the novel they were executed before they ever made it this far,' he thought, staring at the ceiling of the carriage. 'So honestly this is already going better than expected.'
He considered that a win.
---
"Oh finally, we are here." He said with a soft smile as the carriage rolled to a stop.
He stepped out first and turned back to face them, arms open toward the modest manor behind him.
"Welcome to your new home!"
The silver haired one stepped out, looked at the manor, looked at him, and walked past without a word.
Her sisters did the same.
He stood in the courtyard alone, arms still slightly outstretched, the evening breeze moving through his red hair.
Then he dropped his arms, smiled to himself and followed them inside.