When I Infiltrated the Enemy Nation as a Slave, the Yandere Beauties There Started a Civil War Over Me - Chapter 11: Results

Chapter 11: Results

To be asked who exactly I am when we’ve just met… Does her job involve dealing with slaves, like in a slave auction, or does she trade slaves herself? But if that were the case, her earlier remarks criticizing the slave system would contradict her actions.

I’d honestly like to ask who exactly are you, but questioning her like that wouldn’t lead anywhere. It’s better to keep things calm.

“I’m no one special, just a regular slave.”

The woman with pink hair is only relying on her instincts and experience to sense that there’s something different about me, but she doesn’t have any solid evidence to back it up. 

So, if I keep things superficial like this, she shouldn’t be able to dig any deeper.

“I have no intention of forcing you to answer, so we’ll leave it at that for now.”

As expected, she didn’t press further, but it’s clear she has absolute confidence in her instincts. In fact, she’s already trying to uncover my true identity shortly after we met, so I can tell she has the insight to back up that confidence.

“I find myself intrigued by you… Not just because you’re a slave, yet seem like something more, but because of the strange aura you give off.”

Even if I deny it, she won’t change her mind. At this point, anything I say will be meaningless.

I stood up from the bench, turned to face the woman with pink hair, and spoke.

“Thank you for your concern. I really don’t have any injuries, so there’s no need to worry anymore… Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“Please wait.”

As I began to walk away, her voice stopped me. She stood up from the bench and came to my side.

“Regardless of the truth, at least on the surface, you are a slave here in the Elenorde Empire, correct?”

“There’s no deeper meaning—I’m just a slave.”

“That’s fine. However… While I dislike the idea of using the slave system, I’ve decided that having you by my side is more important. So, I plan to use the system to purchase you.”

She dislikes the slave system, yet still wants to use it to keep me close… There are many possibilities for why, but it’s hard to figure out her exact goal at this stage. 

I’ll just state the facts for now.

“I’m honored, but I’ve already been bought, so that might be difficult.”

“In that case, I’ll speak with the person who purchased you. If I offer more than double the amount they paid, most people would be willing to agree.”

Even after being purchased once, it seems there’s a chance that ownership can change hands through negotiation… I wish I knew more details about the slave system, but there’s no way to gather information about the inner workings of the Elenorde Empire while in the Sandrotheim Kingdom. And if I tried researching it now in a library or something, Cecifelia would surely get suspicious. There’s still a lot I don’t know about the slave system.

“I understand you’re a noble, but my purchase price was quite high. I doubt anyone could easily pay more than double that amount.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t like to flaunt my status, but I belong to a ducal family, so I believe I have the necessary wealth.”

—A duchess…!?

It makes sense, considering her demeanor and speech, but it’s not every day you meet someone from a ducal family.

Moreover, she seems to have some dissatisfaction with the slave system. Depending on how things go, she could become a valuable ally for me.

“…”

Still, this isn’t the time to be greedy. I should remain calm and just state the facts.

“The person who purchased me is also a duchess, and I was bought for ten million gold.”

“Ten million…!?”

Even for someone from a ducal family, she seemed surprised by the amount.

I don’t know much about the market value of slaves, but it’s clear that a price of ten million is considered high, whether in the Sandrotheim Kingdom or the Elenorde Empire. So, her reaction makes sense.

“So… the one who purchased you was Lady Claire, correct?”

“…Yes, that’s right… but how did you know that?”

“I read an article about Lady Claire making the highest bid in history at a slave auction—ten million gold for a slave.”

So, because it was such an unusual amount, she immediately thought of Cecifelia when she heard the price.

“To think that the person who caught my interest was purchased by her of all people…”

…From the way she reacted, it seems like she’s more troubled by the fact that Cecifelia bought me than by the amount itself.

“I’m not sure I fully understand, but if you’ve decided to give up on this—”

“No! In fact, the fact that Lady Claire, who has never shown interest in purchasing slaves, bid ten million gold for you means she must have sensed something special about you, just like I did! Now I can’t possibly let you go… May I ask your name?”

My name, huh… Well, if she looks into Cecifelia’s slave, she’ll find out sooner or later, so there’s no harm in telling her now.

“It’s Luke.”

“Sir Luke, is it… My name is Charlotte Celestine. I believe we’ll have a long relationship going forward, so it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I’d like to say that I have no intention of forming a long relationship with someone who suspects my true identity… But depending on how I handle my connection with Celestine, she could definitely become an ally. 

Besides, unlike Cecifelia, she’s calm, refined, and easy to talk to. Building a connection with her wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for me.

“I understand. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

When I said that, Celestine smiled kindly. 

But right after, she looked a little flustered and said,

“Oh no, I need to attend a marriage interview soon!”

“A marriage interview… Are you planning to get engaged or married soon?”

“No, I intend to decline, but the man involved is a bit… forceful. I’d like to resolve things peacefully without causing a scene, but I’m worried that might be difficult.”

Conflicts over marriage arrangements between nobles are quite common, so there’s not much that can be done about it. 

As a slave, there’s nothing I can do to help, so I’ll take my leave here.

“I see. Good luck with that.”

Just as I was about to walk away, Celestine suddenly seemed to think of something. She grabbed both of my hands and asked,

“Sir Luke! Do you have any knowledge of etiquette or manners?”

Of course, I do, but I had already made the mistake of showing my table manners to Cecifelia not long ago. 

If I answer honestly now, it might bring her closer to discovering my true identity.

“No, not at all—”

“If you do know, I would like to ask a favor of you, and in return, I will offer the money you so desperately seek as payment!”

“What!?”

Offering money as payment…!? Does that mean I can actually earn money!?

“…”

Cecifelia already knows about my table manners, and hiding it now would probably just lead to it being discovered in some other way.

In that case, it’s better to take a small risk, earn the money, and use it to gather more information.

With that in mind, I nodded and replied to Celestine’s request.

“What exactly is this favor?”

“I have not only today’s marriage meeting but others scheduled for later as well. I would like you, Sir Luke, to appear as my fiancé candidate on those occasions.”

“…Fiancé candidate?”

“Of course, it would only be temporary to reject the engagement offers. If you’re worried, I can even provide written confirmation. Once it’s known that I already have a fiancé candidate, the other party shouldn’t push any further.”

That makes sense… but a fiancé candidate, huh. 

Well, if she provides written proof that it’s temporary, there shouldn’t be a problem.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Thank you so much!”

After agreeing to her request, Celestine happily wrote down the date and location on a piece of paper, handed it to me, and said,

“Let’s meet at this place and time.”

“Alright, see you then.”

“Yes, it was a pleasure meeting you today… Well then, until next time.”

With that, Celestine turned her back to me and walked away. Now that I had a way to earn some money, there was no need to stay in town any longer, so I decided to get into the carriage and return to the Cecifelia duchy.

Securing a way to earn money was a huge achievement for me. But, aside from that—

“Cecifelia may be quite unusual, but it seems there are some reasonable nobles in this country too.”

I muttered those thoughts quietly to myself.

And as if it were punishment for being so caught up in my thoughts, I returned to the Cecifelia estate without realizing that a faint trace of the perfume Celestine was wearing had clung to me.