Layla continued to look at the man in front of her with unwavering eyes. After a while, her stalker whistled to show that he was impressed with her.

*whistle*

"Whoa, you are one unwavering kid! Say what! I like you. Maybe I will take you to have some fun before your auction date. I would love to know how much that face of yours can endure before you start feeling sick.

Corrupting innocent kids like you is the best feeling in this world."

The stalker spoke with a shiver in his voice. He was conscious about what he said and whom he was talking to.

But it seemed he did not care and simply looked ecstatic to see Layla react.

Sally had a sick look as she heard more and more. She was currently cradling Liam's body possessively in her arms, and her body curled around her child just a little to hide it away from this sick man's eyes.

Layla pretended not to pay attention to Sally, and she started walking when the stalker gestured for her to.

She needed to pretend to be caught and bid herself as much time as possible.

The more obedient she was, the more time these people would take to find a better offer to sell her at. And that time was what Layla needed at the moment.

Of course, this was her plan, but she forgot to consider other factors.

For example, the interference of other kids in this facility and the fact that she had managed to run to the noble's section.

It was inevitable to run into another noble in this section, but Layla cursed inside her mind as the first one she ran into was Daidus Lukewater.

'Shit, not him! If he gets involved in all this, then we will have a bigger problem on our hands than just slave traders. A war might break out due to something happening to this kid.'

That, and the fact that Layla would not get any benefit if Duke Lukewater's soldiers were the ones to resolve this mess.

She needed to find a way to make Daidus Lukewater run away.

"You-! Hey, wait a minute! I need to talk to you about something. Don't pretend as if you do not heat me! I know you can hear what I must say loud and clear."

The young duke yelled as he quickly ran after Layla to catch her before she disappeared.

She saw him coming, but she had no intention of talking to the Duke. As a result, Layla grabbed her kidnapper's arm and began to drag it.

"Look, if you are going to kidnap me, then do it quickly. It would be bothersome for you and me if the young Duke were to catch me. Don't you want a hassle-free life?"

Layla asked in an attempt to make her kidnapper take her side and run away faster. But that was a mistake on her part.

She did not realize that she was talking to a crazy man who looked excited at the thought of having another prayer to feast upon.

"A Duke, huh? Looks exciting! I guess I have another target I can catch tonight. Why don't you act as bait, and we can call it a day?"

The kidnapper asked, and Layla's stomach dropped in dread. Nothing was going her way for the past few hours, and the worst had yet to come.

While she was lamenting her fate, the young duke caught up to her as well, and he huffed tiredly.

His earnest eyes looked at Layla suspiciously before he quickly started speaking to her.

"Y-You-! I needed to talk to you. During the last round, why did you not finish me? You had all the time to end my run and would have been at an advantage if you did. Also, about dropping out like this…it isn't right!

If you want to drop out, it is the committee's, and I cannot say anything about it, but I know it's wrong. So, I want to fight you fair and square to know which of us is better."

The half-elf looked serious about this. His eyes shined with the need to compete when he looked at Layla.

She realized she could do nothing if this kid got serious about her.

But a fight was the least of her concerns right now. She needed to care for her kidnapper, who looked too interested in the next Duke Lukewater.

"Young Duke, I don't think now is the time for you to say all this. Would you mind leaving me alone if you are done making fun of me? I have something else to do right now."

Layla tried subtly conveying that she wanted to be left alone.

She also positioned herself in a way that would make her the target of the young Duke's attention, not the people behind her.

But her kidnapper decided to interfere and speak up finally.

"Ah, it looks like the young Duke wants to test his skills against you, kid. Since he is asking for something like this, why don't you take up his challenge? Young Duke, follow us, and I will take you to a place where you can compete without bothering anyone else."

The kidnapper spoke like a trusted adult, his voice soft and charming. This made Layla frown, and even Sally fell quiet.

The only reason Sally was quiet all this while was for Liam's safety.

She pitied Layla and the young Duke but was unwilling to risk herself to save them. She would also run away at the first chance she got to get away.

"No, it's fine! I am not interested in fighting right now and am not dropping out. We can settle our differences in the final fight."

Layla stressed her words out for the young Duke to grasp.

He did not look happy and made another offer.

"No, the finals won't do. We need to settle this immediately-"

"Young Duke Lukewater, I am too tired right now. Surely, you won't ask me to fight when I feel like I will drop from exhaustion any second?"

Layla asked, cutting the other kid off.