"Lord Ezekiel?" the slave merchant called out in shock as he recognized the man standing before him. His eyes were wide with terror, and it was visible to anyone that he was terrified out of his wits. Why wouldn't he be? This was the same man who had threatened his business for the longest time. The slave merchant had moved his marketplace from place to place just to escape this man, but it seemed the Lord would still find him—even if he was hidden in the small village of Dintletown.
"We meet again, Zeres," said Lord Ezekiel as his smile widened. He visibly enjoyed the fear he could see and feel from Zeres, but unlike other times, he wasn't here to ruffle the slave merchant's feathers, even though that was his initial plan when he made the long trip to Dintletown.
"Don't worry. I haven't come here to cause trouble. I want the girl." He pointed at Meredith on the stage, still smiling as he fixed his black eyes on hers.
Meredith almost—almost—sighed in relief. She had expected her buyer to be someone odd, but it was a normal person, or rather, he looked normal. She didn't know if she could call him normal, since he was engaging in such depravity and was pointing and staring at her like she was a piece of meat at the market.
For all she knew, he might be chaos in a suit.
"Of course, my lord! You can have the girl," came Zeres' immediate reply, and he was already about to push Meredith off the stage and into the arms of her new owner—anything to get this menace of a man as far away as possible from his business.
"You can't do that!" a male voice sounded from the crowd. A few pushes and shuffles here and there, and the owner of the voice came to stand in front of the stage as well. He was another man in a suit, and he was obviously of high social standing. "The bidding has not ended, so you can't give her away. I will pay seven thousand gold coins for her."
Gasps rose from everyone in the crowd. Seven thousand for a slave was absurd, and most of them gave up bidding and instead remained to see which of the men would end up getting the girl. It was no longer just a trade; it now had an entertaining twist to it.
"And who might you be?" Ezekiel asked in the most condescending manner, even looking down at the impudent man who had dared to stand against him—not just because he was taller, but because the man, whoever he was, was beneath him.
"I am Nicklaus, the son of Lord Bromley."
Both men stared at each other for a while until Ezekiel tore his gaze away. He would be sure to inform Lord Bromley about his son's actions. For now, he needed to get the girl.
"Ten thousand. Give me the girl."
If the crowd had been whispering before, they were yelling now. Even the nobles in the highest class of society would think twice before forking out ten thousand gold coins, yet this man was giving it out for a slave.
"Twenty thousand," Nicklaus countered, looking smugly at the man before him. It was clearly no longer about the slave. The foolish young man just wanted to show off his wealth.
Ezekiel's smile dropped, and he regarded Nicklaus with an unreadable look in his eyes. It was one thing to covet his things, and it was another thing to openly cross him in broad daylight.
He looked towards Zeres, amused when he saw the greed in the merchant's eyes. The man wasn't even scared anymore; he just wanted to make more money.
"I will give you your weight in gold, Zeres. Give me the girl."
A commotion arose as the crowd began to talk even more. Many were of the opinion that the Lord was mad, others opined that he simply had enough money to waste, and there were people who believed that he was bluffing. Zeres was a big man, and no one could even imagine how much gold would equal his weight.
"S-sold…" Zeres stuttered, still unable to believe what he had heard. Getting his weight in gold would be enough to cover him and ten generations to come. And people mocked him for putting on weight—who was laughing now?
He knew the Lord well enough to know that he was not bluffing, so he carefully handed Meredith to him and placed her hands in the Lord's.
"She is yours now," he said. "I expect to receive my gold soon, yes?" The Lord nodded at him.
On the other hand, Nicklaus was seething with rage as he had not only failed to get the girl but had also shown everyone that there was a limit to his wealth. He had embarrassed himself in front of everybody thanks to that Lord.
In anger, he stormed off, pushing his way through the crowd, and Ezekiel watched him go. Nicklaus could disappear for now, but his reward would be brought to him soon.
Along with Nicklaus, the crowd began to disperse, even though there were still slaves yet to be sold. Not only were they still reeling from the shock that a man's weight was paid in gold for a mere slave, but it was getting dark, and they needed to go back to their homes.