After about two hours of waiting, an awkward silence descended around the cage.

It was an open cage with bars to hold Layla and Liam back. The other slave candidates were in a similar situation, showing that the slave traders did not care much for the people they were capturing and throwing under the bus.

Layla remained lying low while Liam did everything he could to break the cage and set himself free.

But by the time the second hour rolled around, even he looked ready to give up and go to sleep.

The pair had exhausted themselves, and Liam's vigorous activities also made him hungry. He collapsed, and Sally quickly gathered him in her arms.

'Isn't she coddling her son far too much? This will end up spoiling him a lot in the future. But this is not my problem so that I won't interfere.'

Layla was not saying this because she felt jealous of the bond between the mother and son but because she was worried for them.

Even if her expression turned envious, that was not the feeling she had in her heart…for the most part.

While she was busy feeling these intense feelings for the pair in front of her, the kidnapper returned to their cage and shook it, causing the trio inside to bounce around.

"Would you look at it! It must be your lucky day. Usually, people wait around a week to get their first selection. But you are in demand, kid! Someone is already here to take a look at you.

And believe me when I say they are willing to drop some huge dough to get their hands on you. You will make it big in life."

The huge man spoke with glee in his voice.

He looked satisfied to fetch a huge price for Layla and confidently opened the cage for her to get out.

Layla felt that this was the last stretch between her and freedom. She needed to leave here as soon as possible, or she would be sold.

Just as she was dragged out of her cage, she cast a spell to try and hit the man in front of her. But he seemed to be prepared for Layla's attack.

Her power disappeared into thin air as the cuffs locked around her, and she was dragged out.

The last thing she saw was Liam and Sally's wide, terrified eyes before she was dragged out of the place and toward the auction house.

"You should consider yourself lucky, kid. You did not have to starve or undergo additional training before being sold. Your new 'master' sure is hurrying to get you."

The slave trader spoke in a happy voice as he dragged Layla across the auction house and toward the door he wanted to shove her inside.

It was a huge door without a handle and opened with magic. Layla waited as the door opened, and she was thrown inside.

Her captor followed her inside, and she finally got her eyes on the luxury this world had to offer.

The room was sparkling clean, with gold-hinted decorations littered everywhere.

All Layla could see high-end things that would fetch at least a hundred coins everywhere she looked.

Before she could finish observing where she was and what she was looking at, the man behind her pushed her forward toward the huge-bellied man sitting in front of her.

The man was a stereotypical image of a rich and bored man who wanted to have some fun at human expanse. He also had a golden-haired boy standing behind him, and the collar on his neck said that he was a slave.

"Young master, I have the person you requested for. Look at her silver hair and red eyes. Aren't they beautiful? She is the real deal, won't you say?"

The kidnapper asked in a gentle and assuring voice. He looked confident that the noble would like Layla, and the 'hmmm' the noble spoke sounded interested enough for the confidence to make sense.

"This girl does look like what I requested from you. But how am I to be sure she is not another fake you are imposing on me? For all I know, you could be trying to scam me out of my money again."

Layla was surprised at the cautious way this noble was testing her. Most nobles did not care while spending their money on something they wanted.

According to the people, a noble was only a noble when they had the money to spend on luxury and high-ended things. And any noble house that lost its wealth was treated no better than the commoner.

Because of this, most nobles were careless with their money and spent a bank when they were out.

However, this man felt different. He had a sense of money and risk management. He was someone Layla did not want to make an enemy of.

'I have a feeling that I would end up as his enemy one way or another. But I guess that is to be expected here.'

Layla sighed before the man behind her pushed her head down.

The kidnapper sounded gentle and kind when he spoke to the noble, but his actions did not reflect this tone.

"Come on, sir! It's nothing like that. Why would I try to scam you? I don't want to die if I cross you, and this is the genuine thing. Here, you can check for yourself if you would like to."

The slave trader pushed Layla toward the noble, and he looked at her with an interested expression.

Layla almost felt recognized by that look's intensity, and this nobleman was awaiting for the right time to say it.

But in the end, what Layla had been hoping for did not happen, and the noble made an interesting noise when he looked at her.

"Well, she does look like the real thing, so I hope she is for your sake. I will surely hit a jackpot if she truly has these features."