(Astrid POV)
I was once nothing more than a slave.
Together with my younger sister, Vine, we lived as slaves from a very young age—still children, really.
Children our age should have been able to feel happiness and the love of parents and those close to them, but instead, we were treated cruelly, as slaves.
Our parents… just thinking about them disgusts me. We came from a poor family, made worse by our father's gambling debts and our mother's habit of buying useless things with borrowed money.
When one day our father had lost all his money and our mother had none left, they decided to sell us both to a slave trader.
We were considered quite pretty, so we were sold at a high price. Of course, we cried and begged our parents not to sell us to the slave trader, but do you know how they reacted?
When I grabbed my father's leg, begging him not to leave us, he only kicked my hand away. And our mother, the one who gave birth to us, just looked at us with fear and disgust, as if we were rotten trash.
The days we spent as slaves were pure torment. Every day we were beaten with sticks if we didn't obey the slave trader's will.
We ate once a day, but instead of real food, it was more like a lump of spoiled, inedible slop. The slave trader only fed us so we wouldn't starve to death—he didn't want to lose money if we died.
That life continued…
Until one day, a girl came to buy us.
"Are you sure, Selena?"
"Hhmhm, I'm sure! I'll take both of them."
(She's so beautiful…) That was all I could think, and I knew Vine was thinking the same even though she didn't say it out loud.
She had beautiful, long golden hair, and her eyes were as blue as the sky. She was the definition of beauty and innocence. At first glance, she looked about the same age as us.
Beside her was a woman who looked very similar but carried a more mature and graceful aura. The two of them seemed like sisters.
And of course, the filthy slave trader was there too, smiling while rubbing his hands together.
"Hohoho, you have a good eye, lady. Actually, these are fairly new slaves and still in very good condition. I'm sure they'll meet your standards."
"Good condition? With bodies full of wounds and so thin like that?"
"Ughh, w-well, that's because they didn't follow the rules, so I had to discipline them."
The slave trader and the first girl exchanged a few words. The trader only kept smiling, while the girl replied with a cold tone and a sharp gaze.
"Enough, I don't care. How much for them?"
"Ah, since they're still new and still virgins, just 100 gold coins, lady, hehehe."
One hundred gold coins—enough to feed a family of four for five years without working. I didn't think we would be worth that much. I was sure that filthy trader was inflating the price for her.
Judging from their luxurious clothes, they were probably nobles, and the trader was trying to take advantage of them.
Without wasting time, the girl reached into her cloak, took out a pouch of 100 gold coins, and tossed it to the trader.
After that, she stepped forward toward us and knelt down on the dirty floor, not caring that her fine dress would be soiled.
"Hi, I'm Selena Everthore. Nice to meet you! From now on, you'll be my maids."
Everthore? Wasn't that the name of one of the Four Great Noble Houses in the Kingdom of Velmoria?
I couldn't hide my shock when I heard that name.
And even though she said we would be her maids, I didn't feel any anger or humiliation. I felt nothing—no rage, no grudge.
"What are your names?"
Names? Did this girl actually care about the names of slaves?
"Astrid."
"Vine."
I answered, followed by my younger sister.
"Astrid and Vine, huh? Alright! Let's go home first!"
Home? I had long forgotten what "home" meant ever since we were thrown away. I thought we would rot to death in that tiny slave cell.
"W-wait, my lady! You haven't given them the Slave Mark yet."
The Slave Mark—a contract binding the slave to the master. Once marked, the slave could never refuse or defy the master, no matter the command.
"No, that's not necessary."
"Eh?"
The slave trader was surprised, and so were we. Refuse the Slave Mark? Was she not afraid we would run away or rebel against her? I didn't understand.
"Come on, Mother, let's go home now."
"Hmm."
Ah, so that woman was her mother. No wonder they looked so alike.
---
After that, we were brought to Selena's home. The Everthore estate was massive—fitting for one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
When we arrived at the front, the servants stood in two rows to welcome Selena and her mother.
"Welcome back, my lady."
"Ninya."
"Yes, my lady."
Selena's mother called a woman from the line. She wore a maid's uniform with a long skirt and glasses. She stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Bathe them both, and then prepare dinner. Let them eat as well."
"Yes, madam."
The maid—Ninya—brought us to the bath. The warmth of the water and the scent of soap washed over my skin. It was the first time I had ever bathed with soap, a true luxury.
After bathing and being given nice clothes, we were guided to the dining room. A long table stood before us, lined with chairs. On top of it was an array of food—so much and so delicious-looking.
As poor children, Vine and I had never seen or tasted food like this.
"It must taste so good," I whispered.
"If it does, then come here and eat."
While I was lost in thought, staring at the food, a voice brought me back—it was Selena. She sat at the side of the table, and at the head sat her mother with a smile.
"Come and sit," Selena said.
Following her words, we approached and sat facing her.
"Now, you may eat. You must be hungry, right?"
"Why?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you being so kind to us? We're just slaves."
Vine, who rarely spoke, decided to voice the question both of us had. Why were they being so kind to slaves like us?
"Well, because I need friends, and another reason is that I also need maids."
"Hah?"
"I bought you because I wanted someone to accompany me. And if you don't want to, I can set you free and give you a proper life. The choice is yours."
If we were freed, what would we do? What could we choose? From the beginning, we were just children destroyed by fate. We had never decided our own path.
But if we became—no, not slaves—friends to Selena, then our lives would be secure and have direction, wouldn't they?
If given that choice, then our answer was obvious…
"We want to."
"Hmm?"
"We want to be your friends!"
I said loudly, startling Selena and her mother with my sudden tone.
"I see. In that case, from now on, I'll be counting on you, Astrid, Vine."
Selena spoke and smiled—and that smile was so… beautiful.
---
The days we spent afterward were everything we hoped for. We were given a proper life. Three meals a day, fine clothes, and everything we needed.
At first, we intended to take advantage of Selena. But we began to realize that Selena's feelings toward us were sincere.
Could we really repay her kindness with selfish exploitation?
"Hey, Astrid, Vine. If I become a Duchess in the future, will you both help me?"
Help her? What could a former slave like me do?
"But… what could we even do?" I asked.
"Just being by my side is enough help."
(Ah, that smile again… That's cheating, Sele—no, Lady Selena…)
That beautiful, warm smile again.
That day, that hour, that very second, we decided—our entire existence would be for Lady Selena. We also decided that we would make ourselves useful to her. The one who gave us light and direction in life.
Vine and I tried everything we had never done before, hoping to discover our talents and hone them so we could serve Lady Selena one day.
And finally, we found them. We had a talent for battle and combat.
From then on, Vine and I trained relentlessly, pushing our bodies to the limit and screaming in pain.
Morning, noon, evening, night—every day we trained madly so we could become the sword and shield for Lady Selena.
If it was for Lady Selena—if it was to protect her beautiful smile—I wouldn't care if I had to fight against this rotten world. I wouldn't care if my hands became filthy with sin, even if those sins could never be forgiven by God.
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