Mr. Leonbali, this slave already has a master. You should take a careful look." Sylph once again solemnly pointed to the slave collar around Tia's neck.

  "This... Esteemed guest, would you be willing to sell this slave lady to me? I'm willing to pay three times—no, five times the price! I truly like her too much!" Leonbali's eyes burned with passion as he immediately turned to Sylph, mistakenly assuming that Tia belonged to her.

  Tia was startled by Leonbali's fervor and quickly hid behind Kenley, her gaze filled with hope as she looked at him, wishing for him to protect her.

  Sylph, on the other hand, was fuming. She suddenly became curious about how Kenley would handle such a situation—surely, this was when Kenley would pull Tia into his arms and boldly declare:

  "Esteemed Mr. Leonbali, this is my personal slave, my woman, so you'd best abandon that thought!"

  That scoundrel would undoubtedly seize this opportunity to take advantage of Tia! Come on, let me see your true colors, Kenley!

  "Hey, he's talking to you! Why aren't you saying anything?" Sylph suddenly raised her voice at Kenley.

  "These furniture pieces are ridiculously expensive, costing several gold coins each. What's going on?" Kenley, who had been browsing items, suddenly heard Sylph's voice and snapped out of his in-game view, still unaware of the situation.

  "Mr. Kenley! I'm willing to give you all of my money!" Leonbali finally realized that Tia actually belonged to Kenley. Though he wasn't a noble, he came from a family of merchants and had some wealth to his name. When it came to money, he had confidence.

  No matter how expensive Tia was, even if it cost him everything, he was willing to pay! He believed his willpower would never waver!

  "All of your money? Why?" Kenley was indeed short on funds at the moment, but he hadn't noticed Leonbali's interest in Tia at all, as he had been too focused on the exorbitant furniture prices.

  "Mr. Kenley, because I've decided to give up everything to chase my dream!"

  Chase his dream? Kenley thought for a moment. He vaguely recalled something about Leonbali's dream—wasn't it to abandon everything and travel the world? But what did that have to do with giving him all his money?

  "I don't get it, Mr. Leonbali. Why would pursuing your dream require giving me your money?"

  "Because to me, my dream is everything. And Mr. Kenley, you have brought me good fortune, so I am willing to abandon everything for my dream!"

  Though the reasoning felt a bit odd, Kenley seemed to understand. If this was truly about his dream, then there was no reason to refuse the money.

  "Alright, then. I accept."

  "Are you serious?!" Leonbali was instantly overjoyed!

  "Master! Y-you don't want Tia anymore?" Tia was utterly shocked. She had never expected her master to truly give her away. In an instant, panic, unease, confusion, and contradiction surged through her heart. Her eyes trembled in disbelief—Kenley was actually going through with it?! This was too sudden, too overwhelming!

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "You—you! You bastard! How could you?!" Sylph was equally stunned, never imagining that this scoundrel would actually agree.

  Shock, disbelief, astonishment, and incomprehension flooded her mind. She felt like her brain was about to explode. How could this human be so selfish and greedy? Just for the sake of money, he was willing to sell Tia to someone else?!

  Even if Tia was technically his servant and he had the right to sell her, Sylph couldn't accept it emotionally. She could clearly see that Tia had feelings for Kenley—how could he be so blind?!

  "Tia, Tia doesn't want to leave Master!" Tia suddenly burst into tears and threw herself into Kenley's arms. No one had expected such an intense reaction from her.

  Leonbali's expression stiffened. He hadn't realized that the woman he admired already had someone in her heart, making the situation awkward for him.

  "Tia! Forget about this scoundrel! Even after all this, you still want to cling to him?!" Sylph said angrily, unable to believe that Kenley would say such a thing. Seeing Tia still holding onto Kenley only fueled her frustration.

  Hearing Sylph's words, Leonbali's eyes lit up—yes, this half-elf lady was absolutely right!

  He immediately regained his passionate expression and spoke fervently:

  "My beautiful lady—no, my goddess! Please, come into my embrace! Even if I must part with fragrant meadows, I shall still pour forth the sweetest nectar for you! I, Leonbali, swear to grant you freedom and take you as my eternal wife!"

  One had to admit—Leonbali was both bold and determined, willing to set Tia free and even marry her.

  Watching this dramatic turn of events, Kenley was completely dumbfounded. What the hell was going on?! Wasn't he supposed to be chasing his dream? How did this suddenly turn into him pursuing Tia? Because he had been too preoccupied with furniture, he had entirely missed the key points of the conversation.

  Kenley hurriedly asked,"Wait, what exactly is happening? Sylph? And what was that dream he was talking about? I don't understand."

  Sylph glared at him furiously."What do you mean, what's happening?! Why did you try to sell Tia to someone else?! And to think I actually had some trust in you!"

  Kenley froze. He looked at Tia's tear-streaked face and finally pieced things together—so Leonbali had been trying to buy Tia! Was that his so-called dream? Well, to be fair, in Leonbali's eyes, Tia was a slave, and in this world, slaves were essentially commodities, so it made sense that he'd make such an offer.

  Kenley immediately furrowed his brows. He had to fix this misunderstanding before things got worse.

  "Mr. Leonbali, I thought you meant your dream was to travel the world. I take back what I said."

  "How did you know my previous dream was to travel the world?" Leonbali was taken aback.

  "Also, Mr. Leonbali, you keep saying that Tia is your dream, but have you really looked at her carefully?"

  "Look carefully?" Leonbali frowned and examined Tia more closely.

  In his past life, Kenley had known that Leonbali was a devout religious zealot, dedicated to eradicating heretics and demons. How could someone like him possibly love a dark being? How could he ever marry a vampire?

  "A vampire?" As soon as Leonbali took a closer look, his expression changed dramatically.

  "N-no way! My beloved goddess, how could you be such a filthy creature?!" He sprang to his feet, unable to believe that the woman he had just admired was actually a vampire.

  Tia flinched at his reaction but still lowered her head and spoke with difficulty.

  "Mr. Leonbali, you did not see wrong—I am a vampire."

  "This... this is impossible?!" Leonbali staggered backward, shifting from passion to sorrow, and finally, to fury.

  "Mr. Kenley, you must be joking!"

  "I am not, Mr. Leonbali."

  Leonbali's family had been devout followers of the Church of Light for generations, one of the most faithful lineages in service to the Sun God. He had sworn to dedicate everything to his faith. Now, to ask him to accept a vampire as his wife—it would be a direct betrayal of his beliefs.

  "Why… does it have to be like this…" Leonbali laughed bitterly, staring at the ground in despair.

  Kenley patted him on the shoulder."So, Mr. Leonbali, are you thinking clearly now?"

  Leonbali shook his head, took one last, conflicted glance at Tia, and finally made his decision.

  "I am. Thank you, esteemed guest. I apologize for my rudeness tonight."

  With that, he removed his hat, bowed to Kenley, and after one last, meaningful glance at Tia, he turned and returned to his work.

  Kenley let out a small sigh of relief—he had actually been quite nervous. He hadn't expected this situation at all.

  But then he suddenly felt an unsettling gaze on him.

  Because Sylph was angry.

  "You bastard! Were you actually serious just now?!"