Owned Slaves.

The gates of Crestford estate groaned open early in the morning. One by one, the slaves entered through them. each bearing heavy chests laden with gold coins, rare jewels, antique heirlooms, and velvet-wrapped scrolls too precious to be left behind. Their faces were devoid of emotion, drained of identity or of resistance. They walked like shadows with spines bowed and eyes hollow, trained for obedience and nothing more.

They all stood in the large unkempt hall with their heads bowed waiting for their new master. They were told this would be their new house and until they die, they must serve their new owner. But deeper, they could not forget who had brought them and kept them alive so far.

Spying on their master and leaking his information was a crime worth dying and they were set on a death mission here. But they did not have a choice. Their freedom, their views, and their desires had stopped existing long ago.

From the top of the grand stone staircase, Elias watched them come in. There was no smile or expression on his cold face. His gaze was ice.

He descended slowly with each boot step measured. the polished soles tapping against marble with a rhythm that sounded almost like a judgment. As he reached the foot of the stairs, the final slave passed through the gate, and the line waited in the large hall. Each of them bowed their heads deeper to acknowledge their new master. The sunlight struck the polished brass of the chests, making them gleam, but not one of the slaves looked up to see it.

Elias stood still, surveying them with the sharp eyes of a man inspecting livestock. His look was calculating and condescending, that was what they would see and think. That was what Velmore would have seen.But beneath the frost of his expression, something far more human stirred.

He recognized each one of them more than they could ever think. He did not know the names of all of them, they were long stripped of that. Not by face, so many had been beaten, starved, aged beyond recognition. But he remembered the weight in their shoulders, the stillness in their eyes, the small, unconscious ways they breathed like prisoners who had forgotten what it meant to inhale hope.

Because once, he had been one of them. He had stood in those same rags. Marched that same walk and took the orders from the same owner.

But They didn't know him anymore. The boy who had bled on the floors of Velmore's kitchens, who had been whipped for taking stale bread, was long gone. In his place stood a noble with a signet ring and enough power to buy what was once taken from him.

"Line up," he said coldly. They moved instantly, forming rows with a long practiced precision.

His eyes flickered over each face. He was not looking for weakness, he was looking for memory. He saw a man with a crooked shoulder. A girl whose eyes refused to meet him. A boy far too young to carry the burden strapped to his back. And he saw himself in all of them.

"You belong to Crestford now," he said in a low, authoritative tone. "There will be rules. You will be housed, clothed, fed. But there is no master here, only work and reward. You will not be punished without cause. You will not be whipped for breathing wrong and you will not be sold again."

A breathless silence followed his words. Some blinked and others shifted uncomfortably. They had not heard such words in years, and many could not comprehend them. One young man looked up, as if daring to believe.

"But you will earn your place," Elias continued in a harder voice. "Loyalty is not given freely. You have to earn it with your work and more than that leaving the thoughts of betraying me behind."

He turned his back to them and looked at the young girl who had learnt to follow him like a shadow. 

"Take the chests to the vault," he said. "Let them sleep for a while and then take their help in cooking for everyone. From now onwards, they are your staff. You can assign work to them and you will only monitor it. You do not need to work yourself. If there is any issue, you can come to me. And if you need more staff, you can tell me the figures." the girl blinked in shock. She was very young. She should be working at the lowest level. But now he was making her the head maid.

"But my lord.." she fumbled with her hands and hesitated.

"You do not need to worry about it, you would do a good job." His tone was dismissive and she did not dare to ask again. But bowed and went to perform his command.

As the slaves were led away, Elias stood there alone in the courtyard, watching the sun catch the dust in the air. He had given up land for them. He was waiting for the traders to come. And they did not disappoint him. They were there before the moon could rise. 

They did not care about the barren unkempt garden or broken fountain anymore. Their hurried steps were full of uneasiness as they crossed the large land and knocked on the door. They did not complain that the staff did not come to welcome them. They were only relieved that Elias was standing in the large hall and they didn't need to wait to find him.

With their flushed faces that showed weariness of the long travel and pressure they were facing, even their fake smiles looked more decorative tonight. 

"My lord.." for the first time they give Elias a formal bow. "We have been waiting for news from you. But we were worried that it would not come anymore, so we came here uninvited. I hope you will not hold it against us." The man looked devastated and worried. Elias offered him a smile as he shook his head.

"Not at all, you all are always welcome here. Come, let's sit in the meeting room and speak about the issues." they all nodded at once. Relief finally appeared on their faces but they did not let their guard down easily this time.

"Yes, my lord."

[hey guys, this is my first time writing a book. please leave some comments to tell me how am i doing so far. thank you.}