Chapter 2

Warning: This chapter contains strong language which may be offensive and/or inappropriate to some viewers.

Celestia grew up in a back alley. Her life has been too tough for men like them to stop her. The only ones she could trust without any judgment were her brother and Serangueban. ‘I would have to see with my own eyes whether their bullshit is true or not.’

“You will regret it. Tell him to meet me. Or lead me inside with you. What if I was really a friend of Serek? Can you get away with treating his friend like this?”

She glared at them with her all might, but the gatekeepers responded by rolling their eyes. They did not seem to be convinced at all. They thought that she was just lying and spouting nonsense. They repeatedly refused until one of them decided to lead her inside.

The interior of the institute was great. It was a fancy stone building with white walls. The floor, on the other hand, was beautifully constructed with marble. Furthermore, there was a clean decoration in every room Celestia entered.

She had to restrain herself from looking around in awe. The shape of the stones on the floor was beautifully carved. She has heard that depending on the nature of the stone, the degree of magic involvement varied.

Serek was there. It should have been Celestia who said, ‘Look, Serek is what I said he is’ but it was Leberty who was right.

The magic officer uniform of Serek, whom she was so proud of, was in a disarray, and in front of Serek was a tall woman with black hair. They were……kissing.

Can a person be angry if the situation in front of them was not what they expected it to be? Three days ago, the person who was dependent on the magic pearl engraved on Celestia’s body, was saying that he loved her the most and that he would not let her suffer once the situation is a bit more stabilized. Yet, he was doing this right in front of her face.

‘What should I say?’

There were dozens or hundreds of words that she could use to show her anger, but these were the only words that she was able to say,

“……What are you doing?”

Serek, whose lips were still puffy from the kiss, turned to look at Celestia, slightly embarrassed. He looked at the gatekeeper who escorted Celestia and then noticed her dress.

The woman looked at Celestia with surprised eyes when she was suddenly pushed away by Serek.

Serek stared at Celestia with those green eyes that she loved so much. He spoke up with those lips that kissed another woman.

“Oh my God, Cele…..”

It seemed like he could not even say those eight letters since he knows that having a relationship with such a lowly woman would cause great harm to the prestige of a great magic officer like him.

The blood in his veins seemed to cool down. His mind, which had been turned into something ridiculous, quickly returned to the spirit of the establishment.

Leberty was right. Serek was no different from other men. He was such a jerk. He has changed ever since he got his first job. Celestia did not want to admit it because she thought that all the moments she spent with Serek were so precious. Because she thought he was kind hearted.

“If you are going to make an excuse, do it.”

Celestia muttered to Serek with a look of despondency that he had never seen before. Serek looked perplexed and rolled his eyes at the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper instinctively saluted Serek, who seemed to be uninterested.

“Officer Serek. She said she had a close relationship with you, so I would like you to check if she was right.”

Serek and her eyes met again. Alas, Celestia knew Serek too well.‘Look at that face. That bewildered face hiding under the fine, mud-colored hair.’He was pretending not to be seen, but she noticed those restless fingers and shaking pupils of his.

“No. I don’t know her.”

“Serek, are you serious? You don’t know me?”

It was too late for her to ask.‘The guard is probably thinking I lied about knowing Serek. I am not his lover, not even his friend. This is amazing.’

Before the guard was about to drag her out, she held on to the doorknob. As a backstreet native, she had many pickpockets as her friends. They once taught her how to keep her arms away from being caught.

The guard, who seemed to have been dealing with only cultured people, was in amazement at the sight of her avoiding his hands. Celestia took a few steps back and screamed.

“Serangueban! Are you crazy? Are you finally going crazy? Huh? Is this all worth it for power?”

Serek, who had heard his original name, looked at Celestia as if he had heard a terrible scolding.

“Get that crazy bitch out of here!”

“Serangueban. It was okay to just use me as a friend, but you were the one who acted like you were a lover. Why did you go so far? Huh? Were you afraid that I was going to talk about this? That you often have hair loss! Something like this? Huh?!”

“……Are you crazy, Celestia?”

Finally, he said it. Those eight letters.

‘It was not because I have been well-behaved. I loved you, so I was just being gentle in front of you. You are the one who stepped on shit, you know?’

She raised her voice higher. It seemed as if the institute was roaring.

“Serangueban, you! I have treated your boils and eyes, haven’t I? My whole body is full of mana because of you! Do you think there are no side effects? Don’t you know how often I got sick?”

Serek dodged the bullet.

“I don’t need you anymore. Now, I am a magic officer who is in charge of the attacking team. You can get as many pills as you want.”

“Then…why did you say that to me? You hairless bastard! I don’t care about my body. But why did you propose? Why did you pretend to love me? You son of a bitch! Huh?!”

She could swear more. But then, she noticed the woman sitting on the grass with her hand over her abdomen, listening to all those words with an expression of embarrassment.

‘Pregnant fiancée.’

She was dumbfounded.

‘Just how big of a jerk are you? I want to die. No, I want to kill you.’

But the gatekeeper stopped her by holding the back of her neck. Then, several guards came closer. She could not do anything.

The gatekeeper understood the relationship between Serek and Celestia. He seemed to be quick to judge that Celestia was the most pitiful person here and that Officer Serek was telling a story.

“How do I deal with this intruder?”

Serek glared at ‘the intruder’.

From the looks she learned when she was at the back alley, she knew that this was the last moment of explanation. If she begged now and promised that she would live quietly, they would let her go safely.

But her mouth was faster than her rational judgment.

“Serangueban, you son of a bitch! You bastard with dysfunctional hands!”

She would not feel better even if she spit on the floor.

Serek glared at her as if it was all her fault.

“If that is what you really want, I’ll give it to you. Pull her and throw her out in the market!”

“Yes, Officer!”

‘Throw me out in the market? What does that mean?’She frowned at that incomprehensible slang.

The guards dragged Celestia out of the way, who was struggling and swearing. Then she was tied up tight and was stuck in a small room near the entrance. It was like the ropes had a magic seal that did not let her free herself.

It was her first time to see such a magic seal, but it was not her job to dismantle it.

She struggled for a long time, tied up in a chair.

After a while, she decided to stop as she felt exhausted.

‘Don’t be so tense, Celestia, and just hang in there. My brother would be worried. They will release me by the end of the day, right? I didn’t do anything. If I have done something wrong, I have done it thrice, and all I have done is to waste my 10 years of life in believing Serek.’

She had been left alone for quite a long time.‘Just when the hell are they going to let me go?’

At that time, she heard someone opening the door roughly. When she was about to raise her head, something like a sack was placed over her head. Only then did she get scared.‘What are you going to do?’The first thing she thought about was the image of death row inmates, and the next thing was the image of being sold.

‘No-no way.’

She stumbled as she was led to a place unknown to her. Moreover, her vision was limited. She started to shout with all her might.

“Se-Serek! Serek! No! You’re not him! I have a brother! How do I pay for the medicine? Serek! Serek, come out! I will buy it! I…..”

That was all she could say until she fainted from the strong shock in her larynx.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a slave wagon. Stuck in a cage, she was being shipped to the market.

2. Meeting with the King

She did everything she could.

All day long, she pleaded to the men who stood by the bars and those who rode the horses.

“Please, don’t do this. Please let me out. Please, I don’t have any money, but I will give it to you in debt.”

One of the guards seemed like he’ll hit Celestia so that she’d shut up, but there was no way that Celestia, who lived all her life in the back alley, could be afraid of fists. Like they say, barking dogs don’t bite, and that those who are more intimidating seem less scared.

‘It would’ve been better if they had beaten me up and sent me back to where I live instead.’

Aside from her and the men, there were also other people inside the carriage. They tried to stop her, but she still tried desperately. Her voice was cracked as she was not given any water to moisten her throat, but she still continued on anyway. It didn’t matter whether or not she seemed servile in other people’s eyes.

“My younger brother is sick. He will die without me. He can’t even get out of the house on his own. Can you please let me see him once more?”

Even though she was asking earnestly, the slave dealers did not even look at her. Her entreaties could not be more than a donkey purring.

Nevertheless, she continued begging. But other than her pleas, there was only the sound of the rattling carriages. It was no use.

She missed her brother. She felt sorry that she could not even see her brother for the last time as she did something useless. She wanted to kill Serek.

‘How could you do this to me?’