Chapter 14

Befitting a man of power, Artua had paved the entire exhibition hall in smooth marble. And as if that were not enough, he had mobilized dozens of slaves to clean away every speck of dust. Even so, walking around barefoot was still unthinkable. There were times when newly acquired slaves were made to go barefoot as part of their discipline, or when owners were simply too cheap to provide footwear. But neither was the case for Vanessa. A delicate gold anklet adorned Vanessa’s ankle. He was barefoot, yes, but that single ornament revealed how deeply cherished a slave he was, and how remarkably generous an elf Fren was.