IGJDW 02

Chapter 2

The family completely collapsed.

Though it wasn’t particularly prosperous, the family name was fairly well-known, but it crumbled without any chance to fight back.

Because someone bore a grudge, the family was falsely accused of treason.

Generations of connections and wealth proved utterly useless in the face of treason charges.

Her father raged about the injustice and was struck down by a sword, while her mother, terrified of punishment, took her own life. They were carefree individuals until the very end.

‘The one who’s truly wronged here is me.’

She hadn’t even enjoyed the benefits of a wealthy household. Despite being their biological daughter, she was never treated as one.

The moment she was born, she was locked in the basement under the pretext of being possessed by a demon.

‘A demon, really? I just reincarnated, that’s all!’

However, the strange ability she gained upon reincarnation became the problem. The fact that she wasn’t ordinary was revealed due to powers she hadn’t even realized she had.

“Aaah! No! That’s not my child!”

“Get it out of my sight immediately!”

Amidst all the screaming and cursing, she was imprisoned and couldn’t leave the basement for over ten years. Now that she was twenty, it meant she had spent most of her life in that basement.

Reincarnated at the prime age of her youth, her so-called parents locked her in the basement and didn’t care whether she lived or died. Meanwhile, a nasty maid seized every opportunity to starve and torment her.

Her reincarnated life was nothing short of being a Cinderella subjected to ab*se. And yet, she was expected to die alongside those who had mistreated her? It was infuriating.

As she muttered complaints, someone tugged at her sleeve. Turning around, she saw a crying blonde boy—her younger brother, Bran.

“S-sis, are we all going to die?”

Since it was a treason charge, that was likely.

Seeing even the household servants bound and dragged away in chains made it obvious.

As the children of traitors, their survival seemed unlikely.

But she didn’t want to frighten the already scared child with the truth.

Bran was the only person who had been kind to her. He brought her food when she was starving and even got caught and beaten while trying to help her escape. Because of that, she considered Bran her real family.

“It’ll be alright. Don’t worry.”

At worst, she would die and reincarnate again. After all, she had done it once before.

She still retained memories of her past life. Memories of living peacefully in a good country before dying. Because of this, she wasn’t particularly afraid of the current situation.

She only hoped her death wouldn’t be too painful.

“You two, over here.”

The soldiers who had finished searching the mansion approached and spoke.

She obediently nodded and followed them. Bran quickly clung to her side.

***

To sum it up, she didn’t die.

The cart she thought was heading to the execution site stopped at a harbor instead.

The salty scent of the sea, which she encountered for the first time since reincarnating, left her feeling dazed.

‘So it’s not execution but penal labor?’

Penal labor meant enduring work so grueling it was akin to dying.

She worried whether her already frail body could withstand the harsh conditions.

‘What kind of work will they make us do at the harbor? Carrying cargo? Scrubbing ship decks?’

But once again, her expectations were wrong.

As soon as she stepped off the cart, a shackle was locked around one of her ankles with a click. The weight of the cold iron made her vision go dark.

‘Are they afraid I’ll run away during work?’

Even as she denied reality, being caged and loaded onto a ship forced her to accept it.

She was a slave—an export slave destined for foreign lands.

‘No way, I’m a slave?!’

In her previous life, she had been a democratic citizen, and now she was a slave?!

Thinking about the terrible things that could happen to a female slave erased the last bit of attachment she had to life.

‘Maybe I should just jump off the ship.’

As she struggled with the temptation of reincarnation, she heard sniffles from beside her. Feeling her gaze, Bran quickly wiped his tears and spoke.

“D-don’t worry. I’ll earn merits quickly and rescue you, sister.”

A slave who earned merits in war could gain freedom. Bran seemed to think he would become a war slave.

She let out a small sigh.

‘The one you should be worrying about isn’t me but yourself.’

Bran was a handsome boy with blonde hair and green eyes.

At thirteen years old, he was unusually small and slender for his age.

“Oh, my poor fate.”

She abandoned the thought of escaping through reincarnation. For her, reincarnating again would be fine, but Bran wouldn’t have the same chance.

‘I have to negotiate with whoever will be our master.’

She had a special ability. It was the reason she had been imprisoned at birth, but in truth, it was an incredibly useful power.

She decided to reveal her ability to her master and explain how it could be used. Then, she planned to negotiate for her brother’s release in exchange for her loyalty.

Looking at her younger brother’s tear-swollen face, she made a firm resolution.

‘I will save you, no matter what.’

But just as she solidified her noble determination, someone appeared to pour cold water on it.

It was none other than the slave trader who had captured them. The moment he saw her, he scowled and said,

“She looks feisty. It won’t be easy to break her spirit.”

“Huh?”

Sitting quietly, she stared at the slave trader in disbelief.

The man clicked his tongue, his bloated belly jiggling.

“She’s too lively to auction off right away. Starve her for a while.”

“Wait, hold on! I have no intention of resisting!”

She hurriedly grabbed the bars of the cage and shouted.

Look at me again—I’m a fully prepared corporate slave right now!

But the trader, glancing at her desperate face, added,

“Give her the bare minimum amount of water.”

“…Hey.”

If I make it out of here, you’re the first one I’m sending off for reincarnation.

***

Three days had passed since she was starved.

The ship was swaying somewhere, and she lay there helplessly.

Bran had already been moved elsewhere. They said a docile child like him didn’t need to be broken in.

‘Broken in? Do they think I’m some kind of wild beast?!’

She imagined punching the trader’s bloated stomach repeatedly. Starving someone just because they looked feisty—what a lunatic.

Grinding her teeth, she tried to calm her anger.

‘It’s fine. I’m used to starving. I can endure this.’

The maid who brought food to the basement had been old and cunning.

Every day, the maid stole her food and only brought her scraps. If she got angry, the maid pretended to be deaf and didn’t come the next day. In the end, she had no choice but to get used to hunger.

She closed her eyes, trying to sleep. Staying still and sleeping made it easier to endure hunger.

Then, she heard a rattling sound from somewhere. It was a small noise, but in the dark, quiet surroundings, it sounded unusually clear.

‘What is that?’

The moment she opened her eyes, the door silently creaked open.

Dim light spilled in as a man entered and scanned the area.

His all-black attire practically screamed, ‘I’m someone sneaking in unnoticed!’

‘A thief?’

She curled her body to avoid being noticed. The man, after confirming something, muttered,

“There’s no one here.”

“No, I hear breathing. Search again.”

At the sound of another voice, her heart sank.

The startled man looked around nervously. Deciding to confess and seek mercy, she spoke up.

“H-here.”

When she slowly stood up, the man rushed over. Confirming she was a slave in a cage, he sighed in relief and reported,

“There’s one slave here. No one else.”

“A slave, you say?”

A voice filled with displeasure followed, and the surroundings grew darker. A large shadow blocked the light from the door.

She tensed up and watched as the figure approached.

He was incredibly tall, to the point where she worried his head might hit the low ceiling.

His silhouette, backlit, appeared slim and moved silently.

When he stopped in front of her, a strange sense of intimidation washed over her. He was the kind of person who could suppress others simply by existing. She felt certain he was a noble.

Sensing her gaze, he spoke.

“I don’t particularly enjoy being observed.”

His voice was low and husky. It felt like sandpaper rubbing against her eardrums, making her shoulders shrink.

Rubbing her ears, she muttered under her breath.

“It’s too dark to see anything properly, anyway.”

She felt him chuckle softly. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, she pouted.

“My apologies. I assumed you could see since you were staring so intently.”

The next moment, a light flicked on. Reflexively shielding her face, she realized the light wasn’t blinding and lowered her arms.

The man, who had conjured a faint light, asked,

“Is this fair now?”

She stared blankly at his face.

‘He’s handsome.’

It was a cliché, but she couldn’t think of any other way to describe him. His face was so perfectly noble and refined it was almost frightening.

No, calling it noble wasn’t enough. It was as if the word ‘nobility’ had taken human form.

A presence that seemed to reject others—a purity so austere it felt detached from the world.

His neatly combed hair shone like silver, and his eyes were piercingly blue. Realizing those cold eyes were growing even chillier, she snapped back to her senses.

‘He said he doesn’t like being observed.’

Lowering her gaze slightly, she mumbled a question.

“Are you a mage?”

“Ah, but that’s not what you’re curious about, is it?”

The man cut her off decisively. He seemed to be telling her not to waste time with trivial matters. So she made her demand directly.

“Please buy me.”