Volume 3 Chapter 16 I Might Have Been Seeking Love
"Sold...? What do you mean?"
After apologizing to the merchants and heading back to our table, I waited for Ai to calm down before hitting her with the question.
Simple and to the point.
Sakura's destruction was bugging me, but right now, Ai's story was the priority.
"It's not complicated. I'm a slave. Slave traders brought me to Goldmont, and the Shadow Corps, which was pretty much a wreck, bought my abilities. That's why I ended up betraying them."
Ai gave a self-deprecating smile, like she was talking about someone else's life.
I recognized that look.
It was the face of someone who'd lost all hope.
To have that look at 12 years old... What kind of crazy life had she lived?
"Goldmont didn't ban the slave trade?"
"Officially, they did. But even in the elf village where I lived, people were kidnapped by slave traders."
Lene answered my question with a grim expression, dropping that little truth bomb.
Come to think of it, I'd heard about elves being kidnapped by slave traders because of their beauty.
"Officially" meant they were turning a blind eye to it, huh?
Seriously, I was learning more and more about Goldmont's shady dealings lately.
Her Highness told me to "continue dealing with Goldmont as usual," but that was getting harder and harder to do.
"Ai-Ai, do you have a slave brand? I didn't see one when you were in the bath."
"...It was here, but Ms. Suzu removed it, so it's gone... And stop staring!"
Ai, who had been pointing at her flat chest over her clothes, noticed my gaze and bared her teeth.
That's just cruel──it's beyond my control!
By the way, the mark of a slave is a type of bondage magic that enforces the master-servant relationship, a kind of magic constraint.
As long as this mark exists, rebellion against the master is impossible, but as expected of Suzu, my capable little sister.
"Well then, should we lift the other constraint too? As soon as we get home, let's do it!"
With that, I stood up, starting to prepare to leave the cafeteria.
The other constraint, of course, was the magic constraint placed between Ai and me.
"Um... is that okay?"
"You're going to become our daughter. There's no need for a magic constraint, right?"
Ai looked up at me with a worried expression and asked, but I could only smile wryly as I replied.
* * *
After returning home, I asked Suzu to help remove Ai's magic constraint.
Later, I will report to Her Highness, saying, "She spoke about various things, so I judged her to be trustworthy."
"Alright, now Ai is free. She can go anywhere she wants."
Suzu quickly finished releasing the magic constraint, but Ai shrugged her shoulders slightly.
She then glanced at Lene and me.
"...Free, huh? But it seems I'm going to become the daughter of this house."
It seems she's willing to accept Lene's suggestion and become our child.
At the very least, she seems to have taken a liking to Lene, so it's definitely better than just leaving her out in the cold.
"Oh, then Sis Minori and Suzu will become your aunts?"
"Wait, are you seriously calling me 'aunt' when we're only 5 years apart!?"
Minori was visibly shocked by Suzu's dry remark.
It made sense; she never expected to have such a grown-up niece.
"I won't call you that. I'll call you Big Sister Minori and Big Sister Suzu instead."
"Ugh, that sounds so stiff! Just call me 'Big Sis'!"
"Sis Minori, you have too many requests."
Watching the cheerful banter, Lene chuckled softly from her spot nearby.
Having turned 20 last winter, she had truly matured into a cool, composed woman.
It was hard to believe that not too long ago, she was just an innocent girl oblivious to the outside world.
"You know, it feels nice. Being able to live together as a family like this."
"...Yeah, it really does."
Thinking back, our siblings had lost our parents, and Lene's hometown had been destroyed by her own sister.
And then there was Ai's story we heard earlier.
She had never known her parents and had spent her early years training as a ninja for the Sakura Empire, but when her country fell last year, she was captured and sold into slavery.
We siblings had our own share of hardships, but it seemed her life as a slave, being transported to a distant western land, was far more brutal.
Many of her fellow captives had lost their lives along the way.
"We've all lost our blood relatives and our homes. It's strange that we can gather like this and build a happy family together."
I fell into a moment of reflection, letting those thoughts slip out.
The bond we shared felt deeper than blood; it was something real.
Lene's expression turned slightly wistful as she heard my whisper.
"...Everyone was starving for family, that's why we're like this."
"...Maybe you're right."
Maybe a part of me was just starved for family love, deep down.
That's probably why I made Minori and Suzu my little sisters.
I think I finally understand that now.
"Come on, say 'Big Sis'! Say 'Big Sis'!"
"B-Big Sis Minori?"
Even though she looked confused, Ai's face was lit up with a hint of happiness as she spoke the names of her new family.
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