The Lord’s sight seeing lasted for around twenty minutes. If it were Woville, walking at this time of noon would feel hot but Bonelake was cloudy and a possibly a little dark? Heidi wasn’t sure when she would see the rays of sun again. Though they didn’t enter any of the shops, she got to see plenty of different items. The Lord was kind enough to explain when she didn’t understand what each of them were and one such item was the charm stone. At first she had thought it was only an expensive stone but the Lord had gone to explain about its significance. It was more or less like a protection charm to avoid ill or bad omen touching a person. She found it fascinating as different stones seemed to have its own swirling movement. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t know him, after all he was the Lord of Bonelake. As they began heading back, Heidi told the Lord.

“You killed a little bird for no reason. Never mind my words,” and then took back her words before he could flip it back at her.

“I am definitely sure I saw you eating chicken three days ago,” said the Lord.

“Has anyone ever told you how difficult of a man you are, not to forget a little missing here?” she pointed her finger towards her temple and he chuckled at her worried expression.

“I think everyone is missing a little bit of it, else it would be hard to keep one’s sanity in this world which is filled with insanity,” he gave her a charming smiling. She caught him raking his slender fingers through his brown hair. Undoubtedly the man was charismatic as well as had the sheer male magnetism which intimidated and attracted a person.

“Mm, thank you for escorting me around the town,” she said halting her footsteps to convey her thanks properly, “And also the clothes.”

“It was my pleasure, milady,” he replied back with a gentle smile before he tilted his head and asked her, “You seem to have peculiar taste in the dresses. If you ask me, I think the ones with bare shoulder will look suit you just right,” just as he had expected, her form turned stiff at his words.

“That-I am not used to such dresses,” she said looking at the carriage where the butler waited for them.

“That’s alright. Like I said back there, Heidi, you look lovely in these,” he complimented her.

“Thank you,” she smiled at him.

Hearing the sudden jingle of chain, she turned her head from where the wound was coming from. She saw a woman being pulled by the chains tied on her hand while a plump man led her. The woman’s clothes were tattered, and even from this distance she could see that the skin had marks and bruises. She felt her heart clench and felt the Lord’s place a hand on her back to walk away from there.

But how could she? This wasn’t right. When she looked up at the lord he spoke,

“There are a few things in this world that is out of our hands. Even if you want to, you can’t,” he said firmly, “Enslavement is something that has been running for decades.”

“But this is wrong,” she whispered.

“Families that run into poverty are sold for betterment. If you’re lucky you will have a better life else...” He trailed, “Stanley was a slave before he entered the Rune’s mansion.”

“He was?” She asked taken back at the revelation.

“He was an expensive one. When I first found him during the auction he was covered with bruises due to the constant fights he got into with the other slaves,” Lord Nicholas didn’t get into the details where his butler had to fend himself from both makes and females due to his appearance, “It all about luck in the end.”

Reaching the carriage, they both stepped inside and this time on the Lord’s insistence, the butler was asked to sit along with them. On their way to the mansion, the Lord asked the butler,

“Did you fix what I asked for?”

“Yes, Milord.”

“Good.”

Back at the store when Heidi had gone back to change her clothes, the Lord had taken the female staff along with him to one of the dressing booths before he came back alone after sucking her dry. He had been thirsty, and finding the perfect opportunity he had taken the same girl who had commented thoughtlessly. He would have sunk his fangs in one of them anyways.

Heidi wasn’t the only one who had been caught off guard at the dressing store by the lord. The butler knew his master well who lured women easily. Complimenting the lady in such blunt manner would make anyone’s heart thump.

He wasn’t aware what his Lord was at this time as Ms. Curtis was soon-to-be to be Mr. Lawson’s wife and fooling with the lady wasn’t a wise idea.

That night Heidi experienced another nightmare as she slept.

The little girl sat in the dark, cold cell alone. Her little body shivered due to cold and fear as heard the screams that echoed constantly. Even with an empty stomach, the pungent smell in the air had already made the girl vomit at the corner of the cell. Hearing the heavy footsteps, she hid herself into the corner. A bulky man came in with a ring filled with keys before he unlocked the door cell. The little girl screamed, cried, pushed and kicked him which went unaffected as he dragged her from there.

“No! No! Please!” Were the constant words uttered by the girl to which the bulky man didn’t heed to. Getting her to a room, he chained her to one of the seat, locking her arms to the wooden legs along with her own feet.

“Oh dear,” the little girl heard a woman speak, “You only have to sit still. You want to feel better now, don’t you?” She asked with a sweet voice.

Upon hearing a gentle of the woman, the little girl sobbed quietly. “That’s like a good girl,” the woman patted her head. The woman picked out a pair of scissors from the tray before cutting one side of the dirty cloth that was worn by the little girl. Confused the child opened her eyes but before she could realise what was going on, a burning, hot iron was placed on her back.

Heidi woke up with a gasp suddenly, her entire body covered in sweat. Sitting up on her bed she pulled her knees closer to her and placed her forehead on it as she even her breathing. A single tear slipped passed her closed eyes. Only if she could forget it, thought Heidi to herself.