The atmosphere in the auction hall froze in an instant. The gavel had yet to fall, but no other voice dared to follow.

"Two thousand Aestera gold coins."

A pause. Then— “...T-The highest bid! Two thousand Aestera gold, to the esteemed guest in the eastern balcony! Lot number 47 is... sold!”

It made no sense—far too high a price for a mere demi-human from the entertainment caste. Even the elves sold earlier had never reached such outrageous numbers. But no one uttered a word.

Whispers began to spread, like poison seeping through every crack in the air.

Lloyd Brandrivsky. He was no ordinary noble. He was the mastermind behind the most powerful syndicate in the western half of Aestera. Maw of Thorns, a dark mafia network that controlled the underground trade, contract killings, and the circulation of dirty wealth in unfathomable amounts.

His title: The Greedy Fang. A man who bought the entire Garvorth mine simply because a low-ranking official rejected his contract. A man who let a small town burn to ashes just because the information he paid for turned out to be false. Everyone knew—Lloyd never bid twice. If he wanted something, it became his.

At the Brandrivsky Mansion.

Without a word, the maids dragged her into a dark marble bath chamber. Warm water had already been prepared. Strange hands moved swiftly—removing her clothes, scrubbing her skin until it turned red, combing her hair with a silver-toothed brush. One of the maids adjusted her ears, as if they were accessories meant to look cute and enticing.

The door creaked open slowly. A cold breeze followed the tall figure cloaked in black. Without a word, he sat down in a velvet-covered carved chair.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest before he lifted his chin slightly. "Come here," he said softly, almost lazily. "Sit on my lap."

Moments later, the sound of the chair shifting filled the silence as Lloyd patted his thigh, still expressionless.

"Are you deaf, or just stupid?" His tone remained flat, but the room seemed to freeze over. "I won’t ask twice, rabbit."