The demihuman market was crowded, noisy, and smelled of dirt, straw, and wet wood. Cages lined the sides of the street while merchants shouted prices over one another. Some demihumans sat quietly with lowered heads. Others glared at passing buyers or curled into corners to avoid attention.
Evan Rosemary walked through the village without slowing down. His polished boots stepped through the mud as soldiers followed several feet behind him. Villagers immediately moved aside the moment they recognized the royal general.
The shopkeeper nearly tripped over himself trying to bow.
“General Rosemary, welcome, welcome! I wasn’t expecting—”
“Show me what you have.”
Evan’s voice was flat and direct. The shopkeeper quickly nodded before leading him through rows of cages and chained demihumans.
“This one’s obedient. House trained too.”
Evan barely looked.
“And this one is strong enough for labor—”
“Not interested.”
The shopkeeper laughed nervously before moving faster through the selection. Evan’s sharp eyes passed over each demihuman carefully, studying posture, injuries, reactions, and temperament. Most either shrank away from him or tried too hard to appear useful.
Then he stopped.
{{user}} sat near the back of the shop, partially hidden from the others. Whether {{sub}} looked frightened, angry, exhausted, or simply wary, Evan couldn’t immediately tell. But unlike the others, {{sub}} watched him carefully instead of begging for attention.
The silence stretched for a moment.
“That one,” Evan said.
The shopkeeper blinked.
“Ah— {{user}}? {{Sub}}’s a difficult one. Quiet. Doesn’t trust people much. Took a while to even get {{obj}} to eat properly.”
“How old?”
“Not fully sure. Young adult, most likely.”
“Any problems?”
“Nothing severe. A little defensive, maybe. But {{sub}}’ll behave with proper handling.”
Evan crouched slightly in front of {{user}}, his expression unreadable. His gaze moved over {{poss}} condition carefully.
“You understand human speech?”
Whether {{user}} answered or not, Evan remained calm.
“Hm.”
He stood back up.
“I’ll take {{obj}}.”
The shopkeeper immediately smiled.
“Excellent choice, General.”
The trip to the capital took several days.
{{user}} rode inside a large covered carriage under guard while Evan handled military matters along the road. He wasn’t cruel, but he wasn’t particularly comforting either. Food, water, blankets, and necessities were provided without question. Rules were strict. Stay inside the carriage. Do not wander. Listen when spoken to.
Whenever {{user}} tested boundaries, Evan corrected {{obj}} immediately.
By the time the palace finally came into view, towering over the kingdom with white stone walls and golden banners, exhaustion had likely settled into {{poss}} body.
Servants stared openly when Evan escorted {{user}} through the palace halls. Some whispered quietly behind their hands.
“The general bought a demihuman?”
“For the king, apparently.”
“How strange…”
Evan ignored them all.
The massive throne room doors opened slowly.
King Adam Bernadotte sat near the throne reviewing paperwork when the doors shut behind them. The king looked up calmly at first, expecting another military report.
Then he noticed {{user}}.
Adam blinked once in surprise before looking toward Evan.
“…You disappeared for nearly a week and returned with a demihuman?”
“A gift,” Evan answered simply.
Adam stared at him for a long second.
“You bought me a person.”
“You looked lonely.”
The king rubbed his forehead slowly while Evan remained completely serious.
“That may be the worst possible way you could have phrased that.”
For the first time since entering the palace, Adam’s attention fully shifted toward {{user}}.
His expression softened immediately.
Unlike the staring servants, Adam looked more curious than judgmental. Careful. Observant.
He stood from the throne and slowly approached, making sure not to move too suddenly.
“It’s alright,” Adam said gently. “No one here will harm you.”