Herald of Steel

Gelene was feeling very overwhelmed by Alexander's offer, so much so that she seemed to have lost her voice even when she wanted to express her gratitude towards Alexander, just looking at Alexander with glazed, grateful eyes.

This was what Gelene had always wanted, no her dreams were smaller than that, only wanting to latch herself onto a powerful enough man who would not treat her like dirt and let her live a dignified life.

A life where she would not have to wake up at the call of the rooster, work her back off the entire day- tending to the house, cooking and cleaning, taking care of the brats around her, helping out in the fields, and a million other chores, all for her to drag her exhausted body back to bed at the end of it all.

And what would be her reward for all her work?

To be able to barely meet her needs at the end of the day and to be hounded by cold, hunger, and disease all her life, her beauty destroyed, her spine bent and her hands and feet callused.

And this fate would be if she was lucky and her husband a good man!

If he was an alcoholic or a sadistic…her life would be hell.

This was something Gelene would never willingly accept and vowed to change it.

And this was why she was so scheming and manipulative.

Because if her default fate was to suffer, she would do anything to change that, no matter what.

And if that meant stepping over other men and women to achieve that, if it meant lying, cheating, and backstabbing them, then so be it, better them than her.

This was also why she and Cambyses were like fire and water.

Because while Cambyses would make any kind of sacrifice for Alexander, Gelene would only sneer at the thought.

She would even mock Cambyses in her heart, 'Heh, do you think Alexander would make the same kind of sacrifices you are ready to for him? No!' feeling Alexander was just like her, a super ambitious individual willing to get his hands dirty to make his life better.

And whenever Cambyses would make an innuendo that she was a lying, manipulative, poisonous snake, Gelene would fight the urge to retort, 'You just described your husband too you know'.

She was right in saying such of course, as Alexander was far bigger of a lair than her, his latest lie letting him steal ten billion ropals.

He was a master manipulator as evidenced by him turning Ptolomy, the king into a puppet.

And his poisonous hand was one of the deadliest in the world, as Aristotle, Damious, and Pallidus could testify, along with all the innocent artisans and noble women and children.

What was even more hypocritical in Gelene's eyes was that it was Cambyses who had poisoned her own godfather to death, which was an open secret among the higher echelons of Alexander's command, yet she had the gall to call Gelene scheming and ungrateful.

'You are the snake that bit the hand that fed you, all for your lover. So, where do you get off with that holier than thou attitude,' Gelene would retort to Cambyses's hostility in her heart, feeling she was only doing the same things Cambyses and Alexander were doing.

Hence she felt nothing but disdain for the mistress of the house, labeling her as a hypocrite just as Cambyses labeled her a snake.

But now all these could change.

All these could change if she would just accept Alexander's offer, which would let her very soon be no longer a slave but a freedwoman.

And sometime later she could even become a noblewoman with her own land!

This was an attraction irresistible to her.

In fact, it would be difficult for any modern person to relate to an ancient person on just how strong the attraction for the offer was.

Modern people might like real estate, but because they have alternative options to invest in, they were not obsessed with it.

This was not the case for ancient people, for whom acquiring land was like acquiring the money printer, a source of infinite wealth.

This was because the agrarian nature of the society meant that the manufacturing industry was not really there, and so the land was the primary source of income, mainly through farming.

And as only as the land remained, the crops would grow, people would buy and the coins would keep coming.

If Gelene took Alexander's offer she could do what she had once craved, reach financial and even legal autonomy, unfettered by the whims of any man.

"Mas…master's offer is too generous. Gelene's only desire is to be your slave and serve you." Gelene had said the complete opposite of what her heart desired.

Absurd!

Or this is what seemed to all three others.

'Is she really loyal? Have I been mistreating her?' Cambyses found herself confused.

Even Alexander was astonished by the reply, though for different reasons.

'She's smarter than I gave her credit for.' Alexander remarked.

Because he could vaguely understand Gelene's reasoning behind her answer.

After Gelene would become a freedwoman, she could no longer by default stay with Alexander, meaning she would lose her proximity to Alexander.

Thus Gelene rightfully feared that she would lose Alexander's favor, which was Alexander's plan all along, to set up Gelene as a civilian and let her live her life on her own.

Alexander would give her enough means to enjoy her life as she wanted, and as long as she stayed put enjoying her wealth and didn't scheme against him, Alexander couldn't care less what she did with her time.

So to be able to see this well-hidden trap, intentionally or by fluke, certainly impressed Alexander.

If he could trust her more, she would not just be a mere merchant but part of his ruling class.

"So, what are your terms of the business arrangement?" Alexander asked Gelene in a flat tone.

"Master, I can accept all the terms, but I don't want to be free. I like being your slave. Besides women can't become landlords with a man's approval," Gelene declared, though she knew the latter part was moot, as Alexander, being the owner of the lands could change the laws on a whim.

Gelene's head had told her to take Alexander's initial offer and run with it, but her heart commanded her to stop.

Her instincts screamed that losing Alexander's ears, the ears of the miracle boy who went from a slave to a pasha in less than two mouths, the miracle boy who could make revolutionary, epoch-changing inventions like pulling rabbits out of a hat, would be a very bad idea.

And so Gelene decided to stay with Alexander for now.

Because she felt she would gain much more from being his slave than she would gain from being free and all by herself.

"Hmmmm," Alexander hummed thinking this was not how the script was supposed to go.

In his mind, Gelene would gleefully accept the offer and a few years later, he would be able to get rid of this troublesome entity.

But hearing Gelene's counteroffer, Alexander then replied, "Okay, let's put the topic of emancipation off for now. Earn me the million in profit first and if even then you don't want to be free, we can work out some other kind of arrangements."Alexander promised.

"I will not leave you, master," Gelene repeated the words, her tone firm and strong.

Alexander lightly smiled at Gelene and then soon the duo had drawn up a contract.

As Gelene finished signing the contract, Alexander decided to tease the soon-to-be rich beauty.

"Haha, so have I favored you enough?" Alexander hadn't forgotten that jab as he smirked.

This immediately caused Gelene to blush and she then let out an awkward smile as in her heart Gelene cussed, 'I knew he was that vindictive bastard,' as the thought of Alexander as a kind, magnanimous man evaporated.

Alexander had done this intentionally as he did not want to let the other girl and also Gelene get the wrong idea that he would favor her infinitely.

Gelene certainly understood this knowing what Alexander had asked was not a question or a jab, but for proof of her loyalty, Gelene silently got down, kneeled, and then prostrated, "I swear to serve master with utmost loyalty and devotion. If I break it may the heavens damn my soul for eternity."

Gelene solemn declaration pleased Alexander.

'And here I was about to go on about how if you betray me I will do such and such,' Alexander now found it inappropriate to bring up such threats.

So he only nodded and said, "Good, I will hold you onto that promise. If you are loyal to me, I will loyally treat you. If you are not, I will not too."

And only time would tell if Gelene would be loyal or if would she let the shine of gold and silver tempt her to break her promise.

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