Chapter: The Elf Princess
After the auction, Cheng Yu paid seven hundred gold coins to Michael Auction House. He had a few dozen gold coins left.
Backstage at the auction house.
The elf girl looked about eighteen or nineteen years old. Her hands were clasped over her chest, and a pair of large, adorable light-green eyes gazed at Cheng Yu timidly.
She didn't know what kind of person Cheng Yu was. Her eyes were filled with fear of the unknown.
The auction house staff performed a master-servant contract between Cheng Yu and the elf girl.
"Sir, from now on, this elf girl is your private property. She cannot resist you or run away," the staff said respectfully.
Cheng Yu glanced at the elf girl. She was very beautiful, with skin even whiter than human girls.
"My name is Cheng Yu. What's yours?"
"R-reply to Master Cheng Yu, my... my name is Ivennie Lindsay."
Out of fear, the elf girl's voice trembled when she spoke.
"Ivennie, follow me."
Cheng Yu turned and walked out of the auction house.
"Yes, Master Cheng Yu."
Ivennie followed Cheng Yu.
The three of them left Michael Auction House and stepped onto the street outside.
When Mina had first been bought, she'd been fierce and stubborn—willing to die rather than surrender. Ivennie was much gentler than Mina.
"Actually, I really like elves."
Cheng Yu said suddenly.
Hearing this, Ivennie wasn't surprised. Many wealthy human merchants liked to buy girls from other races to satisfy their desires.
She looked up at Cheng Yu's tall back and handsome profile. He was much better-looking than that fat-faced merchant.
Some indescribable images appeared in Ivennie's mind. She felt a little scared—and a little excited.
"My profession is a chef. When I say I like something, I mean from a chef's perspective. You understand what I'm saying, right?"
Cheng Yu walked toward the hotel, his tone casual.
ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ
Ivennie was quite smart. She understood immediately.
This young man hadn't bought her to satisfy his desires—he'd bought her to eat her.
There are people in this world who eat elves?!
Just a moment ago, Ivennie had been relieved she hadn't been bought by the fat merchant. Now her face turned pale.
"Ch... Lord Cheng Yu, please don't eat me! Elf meat isn't tasty!"
"Should I steam you? Or fry you?"
Cheng Yu mused aloud.
"Why is it always me who's unlucky?"
Tears slid down Ivennie's cheeks.
She'd been bullied in her tribe since childhood, sold to a slave trader by her stepmother—and now her buyer wanted to eat her.
This world seemed full of malice toward her.
Mina couldn't stand it anymore. She walked over to Ivennie, patted her shoulder, and comforted her softly. "Don't listen to Cheng Yu's nonsense. He's lying to you."
"Lying to me?" Ivennie blinked.
"Cheng Yu is definitely not a bad guy, but sometimes he's a bit mischievous."
Mina's smile had a warm, sisterly quality. Ivennie immediately felt fond of her. "My name is Ivennie Lindsay. What's your name, sister?"
"Mina. From the Silver Wolf Clan."
Mina had once been a slave too. She and Ivennie shared a similar fate. "From now on, you can call me Sister Mina."
"Yes, Sister Mina."
Ivennie liked Mina very much.
Back at the hotel, Cheng Yu asked the owner to open an extra room—three people, one room each.
"Ivennie, take a bath and change clothes."
Cheng Yu pulled out a set of ordinary coarse cloth clothing and a bar of soap from the system warehouse and handed them to Ivennie.
Ivennie looked at the soap. "Master Cheng Yu, what is this?"
"Soap. You rub it on your body when you bathe, then rinse with water. Your body will be clean."
"Oh, okay."
Ivennie took the soap and went to the bathroom to bathe.
After washing up, she changed into the white coarse cloth and returned to her room.
Lying on the soft bed, Ivennie looked at the slave contract mark on her snow-white skin. Though she was no longer under the slave traders, she had new shackles.
Once a slave contract was signed, it was nearly impossible to erase—basically for life.
Out of the tiger's den, into the wolf's den.
Ivennie sighed.
Knock, knock, knock.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Ivennie opened it and saw Cheng Yu standing there.
"Ch... Lord Cheng Yu."
Earlier, Cheng Yu had lied about wanting to eat her. Ivennie was still a bit afraid of him. She lowered her gaze, not daring to look up.
"Just call me Cheng Yu. I brought you some food."
Cheng Yu placed three apples on the table in the room.
He'd just gone out and bought some apples from outside the hotel. He brought a few for Ivennie.
"Thank you."
Ivennie quickly bowed, fearing she might offend her new master.
"You don't need to be so tense. I'm a casual person. I was just joking when I said I wanted to eat you."
Cheng Yu looked at Ivennie's delicate, adorable face. She really was pleasing to the eye.
There had been no fruit in the prison.
Ivennie picked up an apple and took a bite.
The sweet taste brought a beautiful smile to her small face.
"Ivennie, I heard you're royalty among the forest elves?"
Cheng Yu had overheard the clerk at the slave shop mention that Ivennie was from the forest elf royal family.
"Yes."
Ivennie nodded.
"Royalty has a noble status. How could you be sold as a slave?"
Cheng Yu was confused.
It was understandable that ordinary elves might be captured by humans and sold as slaves. But elf royalty were protected by guards—they wouldn't be easily captured.
Ivennie ate the apple and recounted her life story. "My mother died when I was very young, and my father remarried. My stepmother didn't like me, and my father didn't care much about me either. My status in the elf royal family was maybe a little higher than a slave's. My stepmother was worried I'd affect her interests, so she secretly sold me to a human slave trader."
Cheng Yu was stunned.
What the hell kind of template is this?
A female protagonist template from a power fantasy novel!
The heroine is despised by her family from childhood. She marries a foolish prince in her sister's place, discovers the prince is just pretending to be stupid, joins forces with him, and reaches the pinnacle of life.
"Maybe I'm just destined to have no luck in life," Ivennie sighed.
"It's okay. Work for me, and I'll protect you."
Cheng Yu wrapped his arms around Ivennie's waist and gave her a hug.
Hugging Ivennie is like hugging the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of life.
Ivennie's brain short-circuited.
The apple in her hand fell to the floor. She stared blankly at Cheng Yu's angular, handsome face.
After her mother passed away, no one had hugged her like this in a long time.
Lacking care from family since childhood and wandering for half her life, Ivennie's weary heart felt a long-lost sense of security.
[Host has gained +5 Favorability from Ivennie]
The system chimed.
Cheng Yu let go of Ivennie. "You're a first-tier mage. What kind of magic can you do?"
Ivennie looked a bit embarrassed when she heard the question. "Actually... actually, I don't know any magic."
"You don't know magic? Then how did you become a first-tier mage?"
"Maybe it's the powerful magic power our forest elf royal family is born with," Ivennie guessed.
The first-tier mage assessment wasn't difficult. If talent and magic power were strong enough, even without knowing magic, you could pass the first-tier assessment.
In short, brute force could create miracles.
Cheng Yu looked into Ivennie's light-green eyes seriously. "Ivennie, do you want to learn magic?"
"Yes."
Ivennie had wanted to learn magic for a long time but had never had the chance.
"Tomorrow I'll buy you a magic staff and a magic book."
Cheng Yu still had over thirty gold coins left. That should be enough to buy a magic staff and a magic book.
"Really?"
Hope bloomed in Ivennie's lifeless eyes.
She'd wanted to learn magic for so long but had never had the opportunity.
"Really. Go to bed early. Tomorrow you're coming back to Bailu Town with me."
"Okay!"