Romanowski and Rosemary

23. Althea Rosemary is it?

At least he had taken Lorenzo's threat to heart that he didn't hit me. Keeping myself by the door, I watched today's sale. Leashed humans being sold to the influential class of men. It was still so difficult to digest the fact that I was seeing live humans being sold like a sale at a mall. Quietly, I described everything to Aarme‌n, so he could write it in his AI book.

"Your perseverance at times like these is commendable, Coretta." The leader sighed. "Any normal human would've lost hope and just killed themselves off to deport back. And here you are…"

"When your hobby, your passion of years, becomes your job, howsoever mad it gets, you still love your work." I smiled, but it fell as I watched Lorenzo return with the money, but the slave master wouldn't let me out to him.

Maybe God has some other plans for you. A voice inside me spoke.

"God damn it, the people are sick here!" Lorenzo entered the group chat, heaving. "This shithead has some ego issues. He won't let you go until tomorrow."

"Then come to her first thing in the morning tomorrow," Aarmen advised. "Or see if you can take assistance from some well-known warrior of Alexander to scare the slave master into oblivion."

"Nah, that'll be too risky. Those lecherous men for warriors won't think twice before taking Cors for themselves." he heaved, "Anyway, thanks for the advice. And very sorry for my outburst earlier. See you tomorrow then, Cors." He bid us adieu and left.

As the Sun started going down, fire torches flickered by the shops, and an incessant amount of flies began accumulating around. I was about to fall asleep when I witnessed a man coming up to the slave shop.

His face was scrunched in outrage as he forcibly held a frail woman by her arm, shoving her inside the shop. My heart clenched seeing tears smudging her face, as she repeatedly shook her head to a no. In her arms was a newborn and clutching her robe by the knee, a small girl, looking up, terrified of the man.

I held onto the door frame, watching the utterly unbelievable sight before me.

"P- Please, please give me one more chance, m- master. I- I won't upset you-"

"Shut up this instant!" the man roared, boiling in rage. Then he turned his gaze to the slave owner, who looked very pleased by the events unfolding before him. "Price for the three of them?" My mouth opened in disbelief as the man looked like he was here to sell his family.

"Two thousand drachmas, gentleman," the slave owner smirked.

"Quit it," the man huffed in annoyance, wiping at his sweat. "This infant here is a girl, too. She'll be of good use in the future." I didn't know how it was possible for him to look at the baby girl in utter disgust. "So quit fooling me and pay the definite price."

"M- Master, please," the woman begged again, clutching her newborn to the chest, "I- I have p- prayed to the Goddess, next time she- she will give a boy-"

"One more word and I'll rip your neck, slave," the man looked like leashing in his anger, pointing one dangerous finger at the weeping woman. "I gave you your freedom, and what did you give in return? Girls?" he barked out, and a pang hit my chest.

Girls? What the hell does he mean?

"I made you my fucking family, slave, my wife!" the woman flinched as his voice rose, "And you didn't bother to give me one son in return?! Making me a laughingstock in society!" The baby started wailing, which irked the man even more. I was so scared for them because it looked like he could hit them any moment.

"You don't deserve to be a wife, slave. Ever." he spat in venom. "Pray that I haven't killed you all and allowed you to live!" My hands shook in helplessness at not being able to do anything, seeing the little girl by her mother's knee, trembling so badly. Controlling her tears as she didn't dare cry in front of her monster of a father.