CHAPTER 7
1282 Words
Chapter 7
Even though Aden had no intention of turning to look at the woman behind him, he caught sight of her eager figure from the corners of his eyes. Ultimately, he had no choice but to give in to what both of them wanted.
He turned to face Laura, who started slightly in surprise, and then spoke.
From that angle, the difference in their heights felt even more striking. Aden tilted his neck a little downward to meet her gaze, while she had to crane her neck upward just to look into his face.
More than that, it felt almost wrong not to gaze upon his perfect features, so in that moment, her round eyes remained fixed firmly on him.
“Let me make one thing clear: I am not taking responsibility for you.”
Aden paused for a moment, then shifted his gaze over to Damien.
“That man is the one who purchased you from those traders — not me. So if you turn out to be a burden or a trouble, I will not hesitate to leave you behind. Do you understand?”
He spoke in a straightforward, unyielding tone.
Laura nodded automatically, as if hypnotized by the man’s striking looks, as he turned and began walking toward the door.
As planned, they began getting ready to leave. Laura went briefly to her room to find more suitable clothing; she did not want to draw attention in crowded places. Besides, this was the first time she would walk freely in that area, so she could not quite make sense of the feelings stirring inside her.
When she came down the stairs, Damien met her at the doorway and draped a black cloak over her shoulders — just like the one he himself was wearing.
It looked almost like a romantic scene, as if two lovers were about to part ways.
Aden let out a long breath the moment he caught sight of this scene as he was coming down the stairs.
“Let’s go — we still have a long way to walk.”
Damien and Laura turned around as Aden suddenly appeared. He walked right past them at the doorway as if they were nothing more than scenery.
“Very well — let’s just meet again later tonight,” Damien said with a grin, and with that, he went ahead first.
The moment their feet stepped outside the palace-like mansion, it transformed back into a small, ordinary house.
Laura was surprised, but she tried not to show it too much, especially since it was now just her and Aden.
The man began walking, and she quietly followed behind him.
“Is it fine for you to go out looking like this?” she asked softly as she walked, keeping close to her master.
“What do you mean?”
“I-I mean… aren’t you going back to looking like a hermit? If I’m not mistaken, that was your disguise, wasn’t it?” she asked curiously.
Aden did not even bother to glance back at her; he just kept walking straight ahead.
When Aden fell silent, Laura could only purse her lips slightly — it was a clear sign that he had no intention of answering her questions.
“Master really doesn’t seem to like talking much,” Laura thought to herself. To be honest, she felt somewhat uneasy around him. Unlike Damien, who was so easy to get along with, her master was impossible to read.
She remained quiet, simply following behind him, noticing that his steps only grew faster as time went on. Laura slowly began to feel breathless and tired, but she forced herself to endure it. So when she finally caught sight of the capital’s gates, it felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her legs.
They had walked for nearly two hours, and not once did Aden glance back or ask how her feet were holding up.
At last, they stepped into a crowded area, and Aden finally stopped and turned to face her. Seeing how breathless she was, he waited until she had caught her breath.
“Here. Buy everything you need,” Aden said, pulling a small, worn pouch of coins from inside his cloak.
Even though it was barely half the size of Laura’s palm, it already looked heavy. When she took it in her hand, her suspicion was confirmed — it was indeed heavy, and filled with clinking coins. She opened it, and her eyes and mouth both went wide in shock.
It was brimming with gold coins. In this era, gold was the highest form of currency.
“Are you serious?” Laura whispered in disbelief, keeping her voice low so as not to draw attention.
“Is that not enough?” Aden asked. Without hesitation, he reached into his cloak again and pulled out another pouch, just as full as the first.
Laura was too stunned to react as Aden simply placed this second pouch of gold coins into her hands as well.
“Meet me back here in three hours.”
With that, Aden walked away, leaving Laura standing there with her mouth still open, watching his figure slowly fade into the distance.
Her master did not even give her a single second to react about the gold coins before he immediately walked away, leaving her standing there watching his back gradually disappear into the distance.
When she realized she was completely alone in the crowded area, she quickly looked around. She promptly tucked the pouches of gold coins inside her cloak, knowing full well they could put her in danger.
A heavy feeling instantly washed over her, and she felt cold sweat forming on her forehead. She became suspicious of nearly every unfamiliar face around her — even if she could not be sure of their intentions — fearing she might suddenly be dragged away into some corner.
“That man… just left me here like this.”
Laura whispered to herself as she carefully made her way through the busy marketplace. She pressed one arm tightly against her chest to make sure the gold coins hidden inside her cloak remained secure.
Yet despite her unease, a sense of eagerness stirred within her. It was the very first time she had ever held such wealth, and suddenly, all sorts of things she could buy with it began running through her mind.
Meanwhile, after parting ways with Laura at the market, Aden headed toward a house of entertainment. As usual, to ordinary people and half-blood wolves alike, he appeared to be nothing more than a filthy, lowly hermit who wanted nothing but to drink alcohol.
He staggered toward the entrance of the establishment and was just about to step inside when two guards blocked his path.
“Hey! You again?!” one of the men shouted as he quickly stepped in his way.
Aden immediately concealed his sharp gaze, replacing it with a playful grin — the look of a man already drunk.
“Gentlemen, I’ve come for a drink. I heard this place serves the finest wine around.”
One of the men let out a mocking laugh, clearly viewing the person before him as nothing but a nuisance. He drew his sword and used it to poke and prod at Aden’s dirty cloak, as if searching for something hidden beneath the hermit’s tattered clothes.
“What you say is true — the best wine is served here. But not just anyone gets to taste it, and certainly not a vagrant like you. Now get lost!”
The man spat out those final words loudly, then shoved Aden hard in the shoulder.
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