I formed a small smile, but my eyes held no warmth in them at all. It was like my smile was superficial. I didn’t intend to give an overly friendly vibe. This was to be a business thing, and I didn’t want to be underestimated or undermined. The man raised an eyebrow as he stared at me.

  “Insolent fool! You dare interrupt Lord Kazuhiko!” One of his subordinates stood up in fury. “He ain’t got time for you.”

  I ignored the goon and kept direct eye contact with the man himself. I held no interest in interacting with someone insignificant. But my disregarding him only made the man even more furious.

  “Hey bitch, are you deaf?!”

  “Mister Kazuhiko, would you indulge me?” I asked.

  Kazuhiko leaned back and turned towards his subordinate with a strong gaze. “Shut your mouth. I’ll allow them.”

  “Lord Kazuhiko? But we don’t know them. If they want something, they shouldn’t go directly to you.”

  “It will be rude to drive away the ladies after they come to us.” He pointed at the seat as he looked at me. “Now, you can sit down.”

  I sat down on the wide seat close to me, which was facing in the direction of Kazuhiko. Miyako sat beside me, and our guards stood behind us. The seat’s cushion was actually nice, surprisingly. Before Kazuhiko faced me again, he grasped one of his women’s thighs and he was fed a fruit. Seeing the display, I noticed Miyako becoming a bit uncomfortable.

  Once he was done, Kazuhiko turned to look at us again. “You’re so stiff. This is a place of pleasure, where you can set your mind and body free.”

  “I care not for pleasure.”

  Kazuhiko chuckled. “So repressed.” He wrapped his arms around the women beside him. “Even the ladies here are free to be themselves.”

  Yeah, right. They were working for money. Desperate people willing to use their bodies just to get around. Tough, but that was the choice they made for themselves. And that was not being free if you were at the mercy of powerful people, where their satisfaction determined whether you got the carrot or the stick.

  He grinned. “You girl appears to be the voice in this little group of yours. What do you want? Men? Plenty of men with pretty good bodies. They’ll let you do whatever you want. Of course if you’re just into short pleasure, they’d be completely up for that.”

  “Not interested.”

  “Not men? Women then.” He chuckled wickedly and groped the breast of a woman on his side. “I don’t know how you’re gonna do it, but hey, why not, right? I’m sure you ladies can make anything fun.”

  This was starting to feel disgusting.

  “Of course, you can also have both men and women.”

  I was not really into this type of thing. It lit no spark in me whatsoever. Being invited to do such bullshit, I found it absolutely repulsive. I had already been violated many times in my past life, not this time.

  “Do you really think of me as dirty and impure? That I’d offer myself ever so casually?”

  “Hm?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Do you truly think I’m the same as these people? You think so little of my value that you’d offer my body to be used by anyone.”

  “Little of value?” He paused, staring straight into my eyes.

  “Unlike the women you fuck with every night, I am priceless. My body, what I am, is not as lowly as theirs.”

  “You think people who get fucked every night are lowly?”

  Selling their bodies for like, what, a couple of silver coins? Was that really the value they put on themselves? They may be doing it to survive, in desperation, but that doesn't change the fact that what people do affects their value.

  “Like any used product, its value decreases with every use.”

  The women looked at me with ?scornful glares. They didn’t like to hear that. But I was speaking the truth. I truly am more valuable than they are, more valuable than they’d ever get. I am more valuable than anyone else.

  “Hahaha!” He laughed hysterically, slapping his leg. “That’s the first. You really think of yourself as more valuable than they are?!”

  “I am… Unlike them, I am completely pure.”

  Well, I was not the only pure one here, Miyako beside me as well, but that’s beside the point. Even I myself was more valuable than she was.

  “...” He paused for a moment, staring at me with bewilderment. The same was for the rest of the people with him. “... Are you serious?” His subordinates grew interested, and the women stared at me intently.

  “Now you see how valuable I am the moment you realize that.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Kazuhiko chuckled quietly. “Oh… You’re right… I see you in a different light now. Like the purest stones, they are most valuable. Oh, how many would like to have you. Kings here would offer you all kinds of treasures just for a moment with you. Even I am tempted to take away that purity.”

  Oh I was sure if I tried, they’d give more than treasures. My beauty alone would drive people to fight amongst themselves. That’s just how precious I am.

  “Estelia…” Miyako whispered to me with great concern.

  I glanced at her with the same blank expression, and she froze in place before looking forward again. We have talked about this before, to not show weakness and doubt. If you do, they might think they could take advantage of you.

  “None is worthy to take my heart and body,” I said with a small empty smile.

  “You say that so certainly, when anyone can take it by force.”

  “A few tried, but they didn’t get the chance to regret it.”

  The friendliness on his face vanished, pointing a stern look at me. “You’re quite a creepy girl, aren’t you?” His eyes turned to Miyako. “Unlike that girl there. I’d have an easier time with her than you. She also looks nice.”

  “Bastard…” Satomi muttered.

  “Oh, someone’s mad. Concerned about your charge?” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, if I were to do something to her, you wouldn’t be there to see it.”

  Satomi’s face flared in anger, and she was about to reach out for her scabbard when Velar placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Pretty nice to have a reliable knight! Best not to get provoked by this man. He was testing us. But, I supposed he was also kind of serious in most parts.

  He chuckled with a wide grin. “That girl is too green for this. But you,” he turned towards me. “Green, yet not green. Kind of weird.”

  “Are you willing to listen to my business with you now?”

  He shrugged and leaned back in his seat. “Sure. I’ll give you ladies a chance to speak.”

  I glanced at the women. “This is a delicate matter. I would prefer to have no third party listening in.”

  “And strip me of my amusement? You’re interesting, but not fun enough.”

  “If you don’t remove them, then I will have to kill them afterward. I’m sure this establishment wouldn’t mind some blood.”

  “Really, you think you can do that here?”

  “I can.”

  I would kill them all in a flash, without anyone even realizing that I had struck. But I seemed to have scared the women enough that they suddenly stood up and rushed away.

  “Hey!” shouted one of Kazuhiko’s subordinates. “You girls seriously leaving?! You see what you’ve done?” He glared at me with displeasure.

  Kazuhiko mildly shook his head. “They value their lives more than my wrath. You know I sponsored this bar big time. I basically built it from the ground up. Those instruments right there,” he pointed at the music players. “Shinoroan traditional instruments are not easy to find, and expensive to make. So, you’d think they would prioritize me over someone like you.”

  “I offer a great sum that I’m sure you’ll be willing to let their transgressions go.”

  I held up my palm, and Velar handed me a big pouch of coins, which I put on the table with a loud clang. They were surprised at first, and one of the subordinates grabbed the pouch and looked at the contents. He gasped and nodded to his master.

  “... Hm, what do you want?” the leader finally asked.

  “I heard you have a way to Nishinoa.”

  “... A way, you say?”

  “With the tension and the tight security on the water between Nishinoa and Hokunoa, finding transport would be difficult.” Plus, we were criminals, which would only make things more difficult.

  “... Yes. They’re closely monitoring all ships coming and departing. Even stopping ships from going to Nishinoa entirely. But it’s not really impossible to slip through.”

  “We’d like a smooth transition, no scrutiny.”

  He grinned. “You want us to smuggle you to Nishinoa?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now, I wonder why… This much money… Who are you?” His gaze then slowly turned to Miyako. “I’ve been thinking that girl looks kind of familiar. That guard of hers too.”

  Fuck, I knew it.

  “A couple of days ago, soldiers were searching for two women who had fled from the castle. These two here seem to fit their description.”

  “What of it?”

  He looked at me. “The public doesn’t know yet, but I know what happened. You’re involved with such high-profile perpetrators? How dangerous for you. Hanging around with the murderers of such a sweet young lord.”

  “I didn’t do it!” Miyako suddenly blurted out, her face firm.

  It would seem that she was still bottling some great feeling of guilt or something. She got too agitated at being accused of something she didn’t do at all.

  “You didn’t? Well, not that it matters. Everyone thinks you did.”

  And that was enough for everyone to label her as a criminal and murderer of the young lord. Perception matters.

  Miyako clenched her fists on her lap.

  “Yes, they are the two that the castle was searching for,” I said. “That is why we need you to get us off this island.”

  “How many of you are there? Is this all?”

  “We got another two drinking at the counter.”

  He looked towards the counter. “Hm. I’ll be putting my people at a lot of risk transporting someone of such notoriety. Daughter of a lord, and a fugitive.”

  Huh, he didn’t bring up any more news. It would seem he still didn’t know that the lord of this island was dead. At least not yet. If he finds out, would he think we were behind it?

  “But can you do it?”

  “... Sure. But that is not enough.” He pointed at the pouch of coins.

  “That’s the first half. You’ll get the rest once you have brought us to our destination.”

  “That’s not how it works.”

  “It would be bad for me if you just ran away with the money.”

  “How do we know if you even have half the money?”

  I held out my hand again and received the big pouch of coins from Velar. Placing it on the table, I opened it a bit, showing the contents of gold and silver. “Satisfied?”

  Kazuhiko smirked. “You’re a nice person to do business with. One of my smoothest transactions ever.”

  Well, no shit, our transaction was not that complicated. It was only a simple transportation service.

  I returned the pouch of coins to Velar. “We’d like to move out soon.”

  “Considering your criminal friends, you can move out tomorrow at midnight. Return here at the bar. I’ll have the men ready for you. You’ll be moving along with the other products.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “A long way to go to the shores, days. Let’s hope you survive the trip.”

  I nodded, and I noticed a woman lurking far back, staring at me. She was not one of the bar workers, and more like the normal people around here. But when she realized I was glancing at her, she turned away and grabbed a drink from a waitress.

  “What are you looking at?” Kazuhiko asked and looked at where I was looking.

  “One of yours?”

  “Yeah. She’s always been the lurking kind, you can ignore her.”

  “I see. Anyway, it’s finalized then?”

  “Yeah, we’re cool.”

  “Good.”

  I stood up to leave when he suddenly stood up and extended a hand.

  “Shaking hands is always essential when closing a deal. To ensure both are in agreement. Don’t you think so?”

  Hesitantly, I shook his hand.

  “Beautiful, smooth, pale hands.” He leaned forward, looking directly at my face. “Are you sure you don’t want to have some fun before you go?”

  “No thanks.”

  He let go. “A shame. At least have a drink before going.”

  “We still have to prepare for tomorrow.”

  We left and returned to the counter.