Predatory Marriage

Predatory Marriage — Chapter 71. Full Moon Night (1)

Translator: Atlas / Editor: Eyljee

“……”

Silence filled the air. His mind seemed unable to comprehend Leah’s words, which left him speechless. After a few moments of contemplation, Ishakan slowly came out of his confusion, understanding her words. His golden eyes fixed on the small face in front of him, and he managed to open his mouth.

“…Do you have business to attend to in this place?”

Ishakan’s eyes turned to the black mask that had fallen to the ground. When she removed it from her face, he never imagined that the princess was hiding behind it. The pupils of her golden eyes were slowly narrowing, turning cat-like.

He turned again to look at Leah. His fierce eyes became narrow slits.

“You have to give me a convincing explanation, Leah.”

He turned again to look at Leah, still wearing his fierce expression.

Leah took a deep breath. She felt as if a weight had been placed on her chest, prohibiting her from breathing freely. In front of this man, she became rigid and could not breathe properly. Leah could feel a burning sensation under his touch, where his warm hand was planted on her arm.

She calmed down and opened her lips, looking directly at Ishakan. However, nothing came out of her mouth. Her tongue felt heavy, unable to move. Fear left her speechless. She could not speak.

“Ahm.”

Ishakan breathed a sigh. Then, when she least expected it, he wrapped her in a tight hug and sat her on his lap. The delicate princess of Estia was once again, beside the King of Kurkan, as she had been many days before. She could feel the warmth emanating from him, warming her up.

Then he ran his fingers over her frozen cheeks. Her high body temperature felt good on her face, returning her pale skin to a bright pink color. Ishakan’s sharp expression, slowly softened.

“I think I overdid it.” He whispered softly.

The sensation of his warm breath reminded her that she had to breathe. Leah realized how loving this man had been with her.The true nature of the Kurkan was like the sharp claw of a beast. At any moment, they could reach out and cause serious harm. Therefore, Ishakan’s behavior was quite unusual.

The way he looked at her contrasted with the expression he had when relating to others. He had a weakness for her, despite being a man capable of making others cower out of fear.

“I know you’re not that kind of person.”

When these words reached her ears, Leah could only blink twice. Deeply absorbed in his golden eyes, she completely forgot the dazzling dilemma she was facing!

Orienting herself, she spoke confidently, disguising her nervousness. “What happened earlier… was quite unpleasant. Maybe now, you feel a little better?”

Ishakan bowed his head and nodded. A small laugh escaped his lips as he lightly caressed Leah’s cheeks with his two fingers. Under the warmth of his touch, her body relaxed.

The time had come for her to explain to Ishakan why she had come to this place.

For a long time, Leah had been trying to eradicate the slave traders. However, despite many attempts at repression, raids and arrests, the traders did not relent. She could not see an end to this illicit business. Even if she caught one trader and freed the slaves, another would always appear. She was far outnumbered.

This was a problem that would never be solved unless she attacked the core of the matter. – This novel is translated by NovelUtopia

Leah concluded that the demand for slaves would never go away. Estia’s royal family had no power to sanction noblemen or rich merchants who had an interest in slavery. The only solution was to cut off the supply.

However, this was easier said than done. In the end, she had to confront the slave traders directly.The slave traders were scattered everywhere, looking for more individuals with good abilities.

It was impossible to defeat this system using a simple method.

“So, you came straight here acting like a slave trader?” His tone sounded uncertain, the light in his eyes had faded.

“Because there is limited information for the guests, I had to come as a trader…”

For many years, she ran a fake slave trade. After making a name for herself among the slave traders, she was recognized as a slave trader who had a high position in the government supported by VIP aristocrats.

Over the years, Leah had come to the point of uniting the slave traders to open a large auction. In addition, she also provided them with information about the severe measures to slowly gain their trust.

However, since this grand auction was done through a coalition of several slave traders, all of them, including Leah, were organizers of this grand auction.

“Even if I won their trust, they don’t completely believe me. They are suspicious people, so they keep keeping an eye on each other.” She told Ishakan.

For this reason, although some were organizers of this auction, they still had to pass strict entry procedures. Security did not allow just anyone to pass through easily.

“Did you also trade Kurkans?” he asked.

“Only the old and sick Kurkans. I don’t have enough funds to buy young, healthy Kurkans. I didn’t buy many, but they are all safe, so you don’t have to worry.” Leah stated confidently. She knew clearly the purpose of Ishakan in this auction house.

Ishakan did not ask Leah to give him the Kurkans she had rescued. He simply flashed a subtle smile and asked her.

“So those are the kinds of trades you make?”

Leah slowly nodded. Since this operation alone seemed insufficient, she had recently bought many Kurkans slaves and planned to hide them during the auction. Ishakan laughed vaguely.

“Really… there is a reason why Estia’s royal family is not yet ruined.” Ishakan’s eyebrows furrowed. “You know what? A slave trader was always one step ahead of us. I thought she was a very capable person, so I looked her up. Then I found out it was you.”

His sincerity was reflected in the absurd words that came out of his mouth. In fact, Leah had predicted that Ishakan would rescue the Kurkans, so she moved even faster. She had to interfere, to get the upper hand.

However, she did not tell him this, as there was no need to mention it when the negotiations had not yet begun. She had to hide as many details as possible.