SOLD!
Chapter 1
It was strange. One would have thought that she would be broken and despondent, ashamed of what they'd dressed her in, but that was not the case at all. She was pissed. She was pissed off beyond all comprehension. By all of the gods she was supposed to be wed and she was now here being auctioned off with a few of his servants and some of the excess livestock. His parents had given her to him to be his first wife, but no... he wanted that pampered little nobleman's daughter, Mimori.
She could have settled, initially, for being second in line. Well, that was until she overheard his pillow-talk with his newest concubine Aki. He never considered her anything more than just a servant.
"TEN MILLION GOLD!" A deep, velvety, heavily-accented, masculine voice caressed her ears and sent a shiver down her spine as it pulled her from her deep distracting thoughts.
Golden eyes shot wide open. She was so entirely stunned, she honestly had no thoughts at all. "TEN MILLION, ONCE! TWICE!... SOLD! To the generous gentleman in the back." The auctioneer called out, pointing out a tall man, covered from head to toe in white linen, with only his green eyes visible. Honestly, he was quite happy and surprised to rid himself of this one. She'd been a hellcat when they first brought her in, she'd actually attacked her former master and had been struck for it by him.
She was quite the beauty and her skin was as flawless, and as soft as a rose petal. It was the primary reason he, himself decided not to punish her for her stubbornness. Although, he really didn't need to, she had been quite sweet when her former master wasn't mentioned, then she would have this sickening, violent darkness that enveloped her and those around her. Other than that, she would be a credit to any man's harem. However, he certainly didn't expect the mysterious green-eyed man to drop ten million gold for her.
"Remove her bonds, and collar." There was a glint in his eyes that told the slaver, he meant business. It was a look that made the raven-haired, golden-eyed young woman shiver. She did not want to be on the receiving end of that glare of her new master.
After her restraints were removed, he gently took her hands and inspected her for injury. Satisfied with what he saw, he nodded. "Come..." He ordered and turned away.
She had no other choice, she had to follow. Women did not just go about unaccompanied. She bowed her head, covered her face with her veil, that had been removed during the auction, and followed him at the appropriate distance behind.
He stopped abruptly and sighed. He turned to her and took her small hand in his. "As my wife, you shall not walk behind me. I want you next to me... Do you understand this?" He told her with a gentle look.
Kyoko's eyes went wide at his declaration, and she gave a sharp, surprised nod, blushing fiercely. This past week was a lot to take in all at once. First Shotaro declaring that she was plain, boring, unattractive, and most certainly not suited to be even a mere concubine. Then he'd sold her to the slavers for five hundred gold, which in turn sold her to this man who was willing to purchase her for ten million! That thought made her dizzy. Finally, being told that she was to be his wife, and essentially thought of as his equal? She'd nearly fainted with the weight of the implication. She had yet to even see his face!
"Is this acceptable?" He asked, holding up a colorful silk garment with several thin silk veils.
She nodded quietly.
He shook his head and chuckled, then pulled the veil that was covering her nose, mouth and neck. "You are far too lovely to hide from the world. I only ask that you wear veils to protect your beautiful skin from the sand and sun... Kyoko." He told her with a soft caress on her cheek.
She gave a startled look. "H-How... did you know?" She asked quietly.
His green eyes sparkled with mischief. "Later... First, I pay for this and our supplies, then we will rest for our journey home."
She couldn't help, but study him covertly as they made their way through the marketplace, picking up things here and there, with him paying as they went and instructing that everything be delivered to the inn they would be staying at, before they would have to leave at the dawn of the next day.
When he was young, he and his father had accompanied his mother many times to the different marketplaces, and countries. He was no stranger to what a woman would need or enjoy. By the time they had reached the inn, he had accumulated all the essentials she needed for personal hygiene, and hair care. He'd purchased decorative combs, little pots of makeup, scented oils, perfumes, jewelry, veils and garments of almost every color she could imagine, cloaks and robes to match, and several pairs of soft comfortable cloth and leather slippers. She felt like a queen. No one had ever done something like that for her. Not even the Fuwas when they had given her to their son as a potential bride.
She wasn't sure if what he'd reserved for them could be called a room or something more. Their "room" had taken up the entire top floor of the large inn and it was richly decorated. A soft evening breeze billowed in through the diaphanous curtains, soft cushions were strewn about neatly, and an enormous bed was centered in the room and sheltered by hanging, thin silks to prevent insects from bothering the customer as they slept. It was a beautiful room, and the only time she'd ever seen anything so extravagant had been when she had waited on Shotaro and whichever concubine he'd chosen to entertain him for the evening.
"Would you like to bathe while we still have the opportunity?" He asked, sitting on the chaise lounge as he watched her marvel at every little part of the room.
She glanced at him a little startled. After everything he'd done for her that day, buying her clothing, jewels, all the little extras like perfumes, scented soaps, oils, makeup, combs, brushes, soft linens to dry with, sleeping clothes, and undergarments. (She blushed when she thought of that.) "You don't mind?" She asked quietly.
He chuckled. "Of course not. In fact, I think I could use a nice soak myself." He confessed. He gave her a look that told her he'd just remembered something. "Ah... But first you must meet your guards."
Guards? Why would I need guards? She looked at him a little puzzled, and watched as he stepped outside their room and motioned to someone to enter.
She'd only ever seen anyone like them once before, and that had been a few weeks ago. It was at a meeting that Shotaro had with a wealthy merchant or foreign prince, she wasn't sure which. She'd only gotten a glimpse and was practically shoved out of the room before anyone else entered, by Aki. One guard, just slightly taller than her and the other a bit shorter. Both dressed in linen from head to toe, baggy trousers tucked into knee-high boots, shirts and short robes covered them from the neck to their wrists and neatly tied, leather gloves protected their hands, and their faces and hair were covered in the same manner as her new master/husband. At their waists hung weapons that she was not familiar with. She would later learn that Kanae carried what was called Sai, and Chiori brandished an impressive weapon referred to as a Naginata. Both carried several small knives and deadly little metal stars, hidden on their person, for extra measure.
"You are not to go anywhere without being accompanied by Kotonami (dark-blue eyes nodded), Amamiya (dark-brown eyes nodded sharply), or myself." He told her sternly. "It's for your own safety." He added.
"O-Of course, Master." She stammered out, and the other two shook their heads.
He furrowed his brow, approached and gently guided her face to look at him. "Never your master." He told her, stroking her cheek. "Husband, Protector, Moy Lyubovnik' (My Lover), but never ever Master." He whispered softly with a small smile beneath the scarves he was wearing.
She nodded, feeling a little light-headed from the close encounter. He chuckled and stepped away. "They will accompany you to the baths. I've rented one for your privacy." He turned to her guards and held up three fingers. "Enjoy yourself, Wife. We will have dinner when you return."