EPISODE 5 — CAGED

EPISODE 5 – CAGED

Her voice lowered to a sickening whisper. “Did you know? My husband... he wanted to sell you for years. But Donis kept stopping him. I don’t know why my son developed such an obsession with you but whatever spell you had on him, it ends now. We need to sell to you. With the money we earn, we’ll hire new workers and we will buy slaves for replacement. Maybe even a new infant. If a desperate parent shows up willing to trade their child, I’ll be first in line.”

I stopped listening.

Not because I didn’t hear her, but because my mind refused to process it any further. It was too much.

So this was what Donis meant all those times he gave me strange looks or cryptic warnings. So this was why they hadn’t killed me despite everything I had done, despite the serious mistakes I had made.

All this time, I thought they kept me alive because I was useful. Because I did the hard work that no one else wanted to do.

But no.

It wasn’t that kind of value.

The truth... was far more horrifying.

For the past twenty years, even though all I’ve known was hardship, I’ve still been grateful just to have lived in this world. I experienced the thrill of tasting delicious food, even if it was only when I stole it. I bathed in clean rivers and streams. During the fall, I picked sweet fruits. I basked under the warm sun. I saw how beautiful the stars were at night.

And most of all, I met my dog. Wolfie who made sure I was never completely alone.

This… this must be my fate.

I don’t know why, but it felt like I had already accepted it. As if some part of me had long known this would happen. What power did I have to stop it anyway?

I was nothing. Just a thin, unwanted slave.

“Put handcuffs on that girl. She might try to fight back when the buyer comes,” Madame Gisele ordered sharply.

The guard walked up to me without hesitation. My arms were forced behind my back, and I felt the cold bite of iron cuffs lock into place. The chains clinked with every small movement.

“What’s taking them so long?” Madame grumbled impatiently. “I’ve been waiting forever…”

“I think they’re here, Madame. Someone’s approaching,” the guard replied seriously.

I kept my head down, my eyes fixed blankly on the floor. Then I heard the heavy footsteps approaching the door. Every step sounded heavier, each one making my heart tighten.

“Good morning, Mr. Lyrov! We’ve been expecting you!” Madame’s voice suddenly changed. A cheerful and even welcoming.

"Apologies. I was delayed.” A cold, deep voice responded, filled with quiet authority.

“No problem at all!” Madame said with a laugh. “And here she is... The sacrifice.”

Suddenly, the guard grabbed a handful of my hair from the top of my head and roughly twisted his fist, yanking me up to stand. The pain was sharp, like my scalp was being torn from my skull but even then, the expression on my face remained blank.

He forced me to my feet, then yanked my hair down so hard that my head snapped upward, forcing me to look straight ahead.

That’s when I finally saw the buyer they had been referring to.

He was an older man. Muscular and imposing. He wore a sleeveless black leather top, matching leather pants, and an expression as cold as steel.

His eyes locked on mine before scanning me from head to toe in a stiff, formal gaze.

“Why is this mortal so thin?” he said, his tone serious and unimpressed.

Madame Gisele let out a forced, awkward laugh. “But... isn’t it true that as long as the sacrifice is female... whether thin or fat... the price remains the same? Ten gold bars and a bonus of precious gems, right? That’s how the black market works, doesn’t it?”

The man didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he unfastened a leather pouch from his waist and tossed it onto the floor with a thud.

My eyes followed the bag.

Its contents spilled slightly open, revealing glints of golden bars inside.

Madame gasped and scrambled over like a desperate child, snatching the bag with greedy hands. I saw it clearly, her expression twisted into the glee of a demon. Her eyes lit up like she had just won a fortune.

“Where are the free gems?!” she demanded. “I could have them made into jewelry!”

The man reached into his pocket and tossed something at her.

She dropped her fan, catching the small object. Shimmering, colorful stones landed in her palm. Small, but sparkling with obvious value.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Lyrov!” she said, smiling as though she’d just been gifted the world.

“Take the sacrifice to the cage,” the old man ordered.

Without delay, the guard yanked me again and began dragging me out.

We followed the path leading out of the mansion, my feet dragging behind the guard. When we reached the vast courtyard, I finally saw what was waiting for me. A carriage drawn by three horses. But what struck me wasn’t the horses… it was the massive cage attached to the back. Thick metal bars lined its walls, offering no escape.

The old man, the buyer approached the cage and swung the barred door open and the guard shoved me forward. I stumbled but caught myself before falling. Then, with another harsh push, he forced me inside. The door slammed shut behind me, and I heard the sharp clink of chains locking me in.

“I told you... You were close to death... but you didn’t listen,” came the cold, familiar voice of Lord Donis.

Curled up in a corner of the cage, I raised my head and saw him approaching. Walking beside him was Rosie, the servant girl. She followed him closely, like a shadow, her face tense with unspoken worry.

“I knew you'd never agree to what I wanted... you’d only resist,” he said, his voice almost casual. “So I gave my father permission to do what he wanted with you.”

He stopped right in front of the cage, hands in his pockets. Rosie stood beside him, and for a brief moment, our eyes met. I could see it again, that flicker of pity in her gaze, like she truly saw me.

“W-What’s going to happen to her?” Rosie asked in a whisper, her voice barely audible.

Donis draped an arm around her shoulders and groped her breast. “She’s been sold,” he said with an amused smirk. “She’ll be eaten by the beasts in the Immortal’s Region.”

“W-What? She’s... the sacrifice for their ritual?” Rosie murmured, clearly horrified.

“Yes. She’s just a nameless orphan anyway... Which means she’s legally our property,” Donis replied with a sneer, then burst into a deep, cruel laugh that echoed throughout the yard.

The carriage began to move. His laughter lingered in the air, a sound that clawed at my skin. But I didn’t care anymore.

I stopped listening. My thoughts were far away.

As the mansion grew smaller in the distance, my eyes began to sting. My vision blurred. A searing pain struck deep into my chest, like invisible daggers stabbing through me again and again.

“I... I’m sorry, Wolfie…” I whispered hoarsely, barely able to speak the name of the one who had always stayed by my side.