I am the Villainess

Daphne was panting heavily. Phew... now to win Sirius in the bid. This will not be easy. She straightened herself and looked down at the mask in her hand before slipping it on. It would be perfect to conceal her identity, just as the novel had described.

She walked toward the narrow alleyway where the auction house was hidden. Only a select few had received letters of invitation who were mostly counts and marquesses. High-ranking nobles rarely attended, since many opposed slavery. My goal is not to keep Sirius as a slave, but to give him a life far better than the one he endured in Theolia.

Just as Daphne was about to step inside the building, a guard blocked her path.

"Lady, your pass?"

Right. I do not have one. She sighed inwardly, then quietly slipped a few gold coins into his hand.

The guard's eyes widened. "Gold... real gold?! Are you from the high aristocracy...?" His voice was full of awe, and it was clear he wanted to ask more questions.

But Daphne did not have the time. "Can I go inside now?" she asked firmly.

"Yes, yes, of course!" The guard stepped aside quickly, still staring at the coins in disbelief.

Daphne stepped inside and was struck by the pitiful state of the auction hall. 

The air reeked of sweat and rot, almost suffocating, and the crowd pressed together in restless murmurs. A pang of guilt hit her as she thought of all the people who had suffered through war only to end up here. 

According to the novel, this place was deliberately set in the slums. With slavery on the verge of being officially banned, they had little choice but to conduct it in secrecy.

She found a seat and waited. The bidding began and the first person brought out was exactly who she had expected.

Sirius, the head of the mage tower of Theolia. He was now reduced to this state after the war had destroyed both his home and his position.

The auctioneer's voice rang out, sharp and eager. "Do not underestimate this man! He is from the Theolian mage tower itself! Sirius, the blind mage! Though his eyes are gone, his other senses are far sharper than ours!"

The nobles gasped in awe. But not Daphne. She already knew what Sirius was capable of. His mana was among the highest in the empire, stronger even than the current archmages. Yet he had lost everything, not because of weakness, but because of the arrogance of Theolia's former ruler, who dismissed him for being blind.

"Sirius, show them your magic!" the auctioneer demanded.

Sirius nodded. Power surged. But what followed was not what Daphne remembered from the novel. Is this the butterfly effect? Did my changes cause this?

The walls trembled and cracked. Chairs split and toppled. Nobles screamed as the building shook from the force of mana. 

Daphne understood. Sirius was trying to escape.

Daphne was thrown to the floor. The sheer force overwhelming her. She had no magic, only the knowledge of the novel. Sirius had tried to escape many times... but this is worse than I thought.

She forced herself to her feet. Yelling for help would mean certain death. Only money could stop this.

"Fifteen thousand gold coins!" she cried out.

"Fifteen thousand! Anyone else? Who dares to compete?" the auctioneer roared, ignoring the chaos.

This man has no heart. People are dying and he still plays this game.

Sirius staggered, his strength draining.

"Twenty thousand gold coins!" a marquess shouted. Daphne turned and recognised him immediately. It was the same man who, in the novel, had nearly bought Sirius before Cordelia intervened.

I need to try harder.

"Fifty thousand gold co—" Her words were cut off as Sirius's power surged again, tearing through half the building.

"Climax in the auction set!" the auctioneer shouted shamelessly, but the nobles had had enough.

"What madness is this?!" one snapped.

"We will not risk our lives here," another scoffed.

"Savages of Theolia! This is why they are unfit for our empire."

"Disgraceful. To think we wasted our time in such a filthy place."

"Yes, let us leave. This is no place for noble blood."

The auctioneer, realising his profits had vanished, grabbed what he could and ran.

Daphne looked around the collapsing hall, then quickly slipped outside. 

I cannot believe my plan failed. Sirius is even harder to win over than I thought.

She sighed, heading back toward the festival streets. But then she saw him.

A lone figure stood beneath the dim lights, his presence unmistakable. A man in ragged, heavy black garments, shoulder-length dark hair falling freely, and a blindfold tied over his eyes.

Sirius.

Daphne rushed toward him. "Sirius!" she called.

He turned his head slightly, his voice low and cautious. "My senses... my ears tell me you wish to speak with me. But I am not interested. You carry a scent... greed, no... not greed. You are different. Strange. How do you know my name?"