Princess, Please Fall in Love with Me

Chapter 7: The Fierce Beast, Subdued by Mere Intimidation

"Miss, it’s so lively here!"

Lina curiously gazed at the dazzling array of goods around her.

Having grown up in the countryside, she was particularly fascinated by the city’s novelties, tugging Loka along as they wandered from stall to stall.

Today was Balesha’s first day accompanying the royal family at the palace, and the Duke had gone out to handle affairs.

I, Loka, now the Sixth Princess, Yiwen Kelake, had been granted rare permission by the Duke to go shopping with Lina.

However, the malicious gazes trailing me from behind showed that the old bastard still hadn’t dropped his guard.

No matter, there was no need to worry.

"Lina, I want some of that fruit candy over there. Can you queue up and buy it for me?"

"Then, Miss, you must wait right here for me, okay? Don’t wander off."

I nodded obediently.

As soon as Lina left, I slipped into a familiar dead-end alley and tapped a loose brick by the wall.

With a squeak, a large rat scurried out, and a room at the corner slowly opened.

As I stepped into the dark room, the two men following me moved to approach but were swiftly knocked out by a black-clad figure with a single chop to their necks.

They were dragged into the room together.

"Your after-sales service is thorough. Put the memory-erasing powder on my tab."

A deep, shadowy tunnel suddenly opened in the darkness.

Following the grayish-white steps downward, a plump man with a beaming smile and a stern, unsmiling thin man emerged from the shadows.

"Since you know the black market’s code, you’re either a regular or a big client. Naturally, we provide the best hospitality. What brings you to the black market, sir?"

The black market, a hidden bazaar lurking beneath the empire’s shadows, offered all manner of illicit goods and rare items not found on the open market, including the officially banned slave trade.

In my past life, I, Loka, first encountered this mysterious black market around the age of sixteen.

Now, wearing an owl mask and a voluminous cloak, my small stature drew no underestimation from the black market’s denizens.

Relying on memories from my past life, I quickly located an old contact: the slave-trading Polv brothers.

Unlike typical slave merchants, they called themselves “saviors of slaves” and took pride in it.

Perhaps because most of their slaves were sold to nobles as attendants or enforcers, compared to slaves treated like beasts of burden, theirs might, with luck, live somewhat comfortably.

Of course, both the past and present me scoffed at their reasoning.

No one in this trade could be called a good person.

It was merely their moral self-justification.

I came here because today was the exact day the “goods” I wanted arrived.

What slipped away in my past life wouldn’t escape me this time.

"I want to see the goods."

Led respectfully by the brothers, I saw the vast underground slave market, with captives locked in cages, their pleading and humble eyes fixed on me, hoping to be bought.

Though the slaves' pitiful appearances stirred sympathy, I coldly passed them by, stopping at an iron cage, a joyful smile finally breaking across my face.

A scarred young man was bound tightly by several iron chains, his feet nailed to the ground.

But closer inspection revealed a pile of broken shackles torn apart by brute force, and even the chains bore marks of being snapped.

"Sir, this is the one you want? It’s not that I’m reluctant, but seeing as you were likely referred to by a trusted source, let me advise you: this one’s no good."

The plump brother of the Polv siblings, Bulu, kindly warned me.

This man had passed through at least five or six masters in the slave market, each time returning for the same reason—he had killed his previous master!

I ignored the warning, curiously studying the seemingly sleeping figure.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open, glaring at me with ferocious intensity.

That gaze was like a savage, untamed beast, filled only with the intent to slaughter its prey.

His muscles surged, snapping the chains binding his arms, and he lunged at me.

If not for the specially reinforced cage holding him back, I’d likely have been torn to pieces in the next moment.

While the Polv brothers panicked and cursed, my eyes sparkled with delight, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

A beast’s gaze, a body covered in near-fatal scars, and the red wolf-shaped brand on his waist—yes, this was the one I sought!

In my past life, while plotting to assassinate a noble who opposed me, a variable nearly derailed the entire plan: a slave kept by that noble single-handedly killed all my men.

If not for overwhelming him with numbers to exhaust the near-rabid beast, I’d have been reduced to a pile of flesh.

Even now, the thought sent a chill through me.

"I’ll take him."

I casually pulled out a glittering object and handed it to Bulu.

His eyes widened, and even the thin brother’s expression turned incredulous.

It was a flawless amethyst, a rare treasure typically possessed only by royalty, yet I handed it over as currency.

"Sir, this is…"

"A deposit. I don’t have enough cash on me right now."

This amethyst was a token given to me by the Sixth Princess as a symbol of trust, supposedly a love token from the damned Emperor to her mother.

Whatever, it would do for now. I’d definitely retrieve it later—what if the little princess was attached to this treasure?

Tch, why am I even thinking about others?

The brothers visibly relaxed.

As the saying goes, possessing a treasure invites trouble.

If the owner of such a perfect amethyst was an untouchable noble or royalty, they’d be in over their heads.

"Open the cage. I’ll speak with him personally."

"Sir, think twice!"

"Open it."

The trembling brothers cautiously unlocked the cage.

In an instant, the now-quiet beast charged at me, but he froze mid-motion as a dagger pressed against his throat.

"You killed your previous masters, didn’t you? Because they treated you like an animal?"

Facing a beast that could tear me apart in a moment, I showed no trace of fear.

"I don’t need you to live like an animal. Kill me, and you’ll still be sold as livestock and goods until you die."

The Polv brothers raised their crossbows, loaded with silver arrows coated in heavy sedatives, the only thing capable of subduing this raging beast.

"I can give you an identity to live as a person, above them, making them fear you, dread you, revere you. All you need to do is swear loyalty to me and entrust your life to me."

After saying this, I traced the dagger along the beast’s neck, then tossed it aside without hesitation.

The moment the dagger hit the ground, the beast lunged at me but abruptly knelt, reverently holding the dagger in both hands.

My heart raced as I smiled at the young man bowing before me.

I knew I had gambled right once again!

"Lycan, at your service, Master."