A Concubine as Radiant as the Sun

That summer, Svetlana spent at her father's estate, Count Lesovsky's, on the shores of the Black Sea. Her days were filled with serene bliss. The accustomed luxury, well-trained servants, long walks along the shore, social gatherings with neighboring estate owners... All this seemed boring to Svetlana; she longed to return to St. Petersburg, to the balls and crowds of admirers. But her strict father had sent her away from the temptations of the capital. The days passed slowly and lazily. On one such day, Svetlana escaped to the seashore from the tiresome companions and nannies who watched over her like a small child. Svetlana breathed in the fresh sea air with pleasure. A light breeze played with her loose, blonde

hair with golden sparkles.

The girl wandered farther and farther from the estate, towards the cliffs surrounding a small, secluded bay. Sitting on a sun-warmed stone, Svetlana gazed at the serene expanse of the sea, lost in her own thoughts. The hand that grabbed her from behind came as a complete surprise. She screamed, turning sharply. A swarthy, brightly dressed man with an earring was holding her. He was saying something in a language unfamiliar to the girl, laughing rather coarsely and clicking his tongue. Svetlana tried to break free, but her strength was insufficient. Desperately crying, "Help! Someone, help!" she still tried to wrench herself from the man's grip. But he, paying no attention to the struggles of his prey, dragged her towards the shore, or rather, towards a boat. Throwing the girl into the bottom, he pushed the boat into the water and jumped in himself. Svetlana rushed at him and tried to wrest the oars from his hands. She fought desperately, but the savage easily flung her away. The girl flew to the opposite end of the boat and struck the back of her head against the hard wooden side. Losing consciousness now was absolutely out of the question, but the blow was strong, and a second later she plunged into a dark abyss.

... Vague sensations replaced one another. Now someone picked her up and lifted her high. It seemed she was floating freely in the air.

Then someone caught her...

Upon regaining consciousness, Svetlana first noticed the rocking and realized she was on board a ship. Voices sounded very close by. Cautiously opening her eyes, she looked around. She was lying on a bunk in a small cabin. Outside the window, the sea splashed. The shore was visible. So, they were still at anchor.

Turning her head slightly, she saw that very savage and a stranger, a European, but dressed in Eastern style. They were talking. Svetlana began to listen.

— Where did you find this pearl, Mahmud? — asked the stranger in French.

— On the shore. She was completely alone, and I couldn't miss such a treasure, — the kidnapper replied with a monstrous accent.

— You're a good man! She is indeed lovely.

— Glad to serve you, sir! I hope the gold you paid me will be enough to buy my brother out of slavery.

Svetlana had heard enough. Jumping from the bunk, she slipped through the cabin door onto the deck, but she wasn't allowed to jump over the railing. Strong hands grabbed her from behind and yanked her back. Mahmud carried the desperately resisting girl back inside.

— Swine! Scoundrel! — she screamed wildly, trying to scratch his face. He recoiled, astonished by the force of her fury.

— You've sold me a real tigress, Mahmud, — exclaimed the slave-trader captain with a laugh, grabbing Svetlana from behind. — Calm down, little one. No one will harm you.

The captain gestured for Mahmud to leave the cabin, threw something into a glass of water, and forced it down Svetlana's throat.

Within moments, her eyes clouded over, and she lost consciousness.

Upon waking, she immediately noticed the measured, lulling rocking. For a minute, Svetlana lay motionless, surrendering to a false sense of security. However, she then remembered everything, slowly rose from the sofa, and looked around.

The girl was no longer in a small cabin, but in a spacious one, furnished in Eastern style. A thick carpet lay on the floor, a wide sofa with pillows stood in the corner, a low round inlaid table was in the middle, and several copper lamps hung from the ceiling. Looking out the porthole, she saw the moon gliding over the dark sea waves.

Turning, Svetlana noticed an uncorked bottle of wine and a glass on the table. Only now did she realize how terribly thirsty she was. Pouring some wine, she drained the glass in one gulp. Warmth spread inside immediately, which was very welcome, as the girl was a bit chilled.

She continued her inspection when suddenly she heard the sound of a bolt being drawn back, and the cabin door opened. Svetlana instantly turned and hurled the empty glass at the man who appeared in the doorway.

— In accuracy, as well as beauty, you cannot be denied, milady. And now that you seem to have temporarily quenched your rage, let's talk. Captain Eugène-Carlo Benedikto at your service.

— You are a scoundrel and a robber, Captain Benedikto! And if you were truly at my service, you would have returned me home long ago. However, you still have a chance. I personally guarantee your safety and a high reward. I am the daughter of Count Lesovsky, a confidant of the Russian Emperor.

Captain Benedikto ignored the offer.

— Lady Lesovskaya, — he said, — I sail under the flag and protection of the Venetian Republic. Currently, we are bound for Turkey. There you will be sold at auction for the highest price, and a very significant percentage of the transaction will go to the Venetian treasury.

— But my father will certainly pay a generous ransom for my return!

— We are merchants, not bride-kidnappers, milady. My dear, do you really not realize the power of your beauty? All your father's fortune cannot buy back your freedom. You are worth a truly royal sum. And let's end this. Do not try to escape. My men watch your every move. I hope you enjoy your time as my guest. If you desire anything, simply convey your wish to the slave on duty outside your cabin door.

With these words, the captain left her, locking the door with the bolt again. Stunned by his words, Svetlana sank to the cabin floor with a groan of despair.

For the next few days, they sailed across the Black Sea. Captain Benedikto allowed Svetlana to breathe fresh air, letting her out onto the upper deck from time to time. Apparently trying to distract her from dark thoughts, he told her about the peculiarities of Eastern culture, about the places he had visited.

On the fourth day towards evening, the ship dropped anchor in a small harbor on the Turkish coast. The involuntary journey had come to an end, and Svetlana was forced to face the nightmarish reality. For the first time, she thought that she might never see her family again.

... Several weeks passed.

Svetlana sat near a window niche in one of the rooms of the building where the auction was to take place. She sat quietly, but not because she had resigned herself to her position. She simply still couldn't recover from the terrible shock. Her kidnapping was incomprehensible, and the voyage from the shores of Russia to the shores of Turkey had happened so swiftly that Svetlana was completely bewildered.

From the very first minute of her abduction, she had been treated with great respect. Essentially, everything was done to ensure she was surrounded by comfort and, God forbid, didn't fall ill. When they disembarked, Captain Benedikto escorted her to the house of Mahmud ben Ahmad, "supplier of the world's finest goods," as he introduced himself. Over the next month, Svetlana was pampered and indulged, while rumors actively spread throughout Turkey that at the upcoming full moon auction, a blonde, fair-skinned maiden of unseen beauty would be offered for sale.

All this time, Svetlana was not allowed outside, into the sun. She was constantly forced to take scented baths, with lemon juice squeezed into the water to further whiten her light, slightly tanned skin. Sweet-smelling oils were rubbed into her body. Svetlana's skin became tender as silk, and her southern Black Sea tan gave way to its original whiteness. She was constantly told about harem traditions, about how women lived there. Mahmud ben Ahmad and his servants were amazed by the girl's resilience, the absence of hysterics, her innate pride. She was so unlike the countless succession of slaves sold by the famous trader of live goods. Mahmud was more than sure he would get the highest price for this pearl.

One evening, slaves dressed her in a strange outfit. It was something like a tunic made of semi-transparent pale golden fabric, covering her body from neck to feet and falling in graceful folds. The tunic was fastened at the waist and shoulders with green ribbons. Her hair was pinned with a pearl clip, flowing freely in a long tail down her back. A green veil with golden threads was draped over them. Another veil hid the girl's face, leaving only her kohl-lined eyes visible.

Rumors of the upcoming auction spread very quickly, and several important buyers from the East had already arrived in this small Turkish town. It was whispered that Najib Bey, the chief eunuch of the Turkish Sultan's harem, was also on his way. Everything indicated that Mahmud ben Ahmad had spared no effort to get the highest price for his goods. Svetlana raised her eyes to the black eunuch who had silently approached and touched her hand:

— Come, my mistress. The bidding will begin soon. I can pull the curtain aside a little, and you will see what splendid society has gathered here for you.

Driven by involuntary curiosity, Svetlana followed him. The Negro pulled back the curtain and let her look. The girl saw a medium-sized room with a small dais in the very center. The walls were covered with frescoes depicting people and animals in rather explicit poses. No more than a dozen merchants were present in the room.

— Why are there so few? — she asked the eunuch. He smiled broadly:

— My master Mahmud ben Ahmad, may Allah prolong his glorious days, set your starting price at five thousand gold coins. You understand, this is not goods for camel drivers.

Svetlana suppressed an involuntary chuckle. The next moment, Mahmud ben Ahmad himself appeared behind her. It was time to go. The Negro eunuch took her by the hand and led her into the room where the bidding was to take place, making her step onto the dais. The buyers examined her greedily. Svetlana Lesovskaya felt waves of panic for the first time. Stumbling, she almost fell.

Mahmud ben Ahmad took her by the elbow and led her to the center of the dais.

— French, — he whispered in her ear, — the language of international trade. So you will understand everything.

— You are wasting your time, subjecting me to this humiliation, — Svetlana replied gloomily. — My father will ransom me anyway, and I will return home.

— Allah will not allow it, — objected the slave trader and bowed to the buyers. — And now, esteemed guests, let us begin the most important auction of the year! Before you stands a noble maiden, whose hair is like the golden glow of sunrise, whose skin is like polished snow-white ivory, and whose eyes are more beautiful than the rarest emeralds! Look, O esteemed guests! — With these words, he pulled off the veil covering the girl's head.

— Starting price — five thousand gold coins! Who is ready to pay this sum?

— I give five thousand! — a voice rang out. Mahmud ben Ahmad smiled with satisfaction:

— The agent of the Egyptian Sultan gives five thousand!

The starting price was quickly outbid, after which the bidding proceeded briskly. Six thousand... seven... eight... nine... ten thousand gold coins.

— And do you have proof of her innocence? — someone shouted.

— I do! — proclaimed Mahmud. — I will give the buyer conclusions drawn up by three different physicians. If it turns out they lied, I will compensate the buyer threefold the price he paid for the girl. And the goods will still remain with him.

The buyers gasped in astonishment. Mahmud ben Ahmad was known as an honest man, and also very stingy. His words convinced everyone, and the bidding continued.

Meanwhile, Svetlana's eyes scanned those present. Her heart seemed about to leap from her chest. "I am a commodity! I am an expensive commodity!" — this thought pounded incessantly in her head. The agent of the Egyptian Sultan met her gaze with a cold look, and the girl immediately averted her eyes. Something sinister seemed to emanate from this man, and she felt uneasy. The representative of the Baghdad Caliph seemed to her like a small, startled black owl, and she barely suppressed a nervous chuckle. However, the next second the smile vanished from her face, for she looked into the fierce face of a man who, according to the Negro eunuch, was the Prince of Samarkand. His slanted eyes burned with frank lust, roaming over her entire body. Svetlana trembled with horror. She calmed only when her eyes found a man of Slavic appearance, who smiled at her encouragingly in response. A faint hope of salvation flared in Svetlana. However, he had been sitting silently so far, not participating in the bidding.

At Mahmud's nod, the eunuch untied the green ribbons on Svetlana's shoulders, and the tunic suddenly slipped off them, baring the girl to the waist. Dead silence fell upon the room. Twelve pairs of eyes began greedily drilling into Svetlana's flawlessly shaped young breasts with their delicate pink nipples.

Mahmud ben Ahmad skillfully held a minute's pause, then announced:

— Fifteen thousand six hundred gold coins have been offered for the goods! Fifteen six hundred for a lovely, yet unopened flower!

Sixteen thousand... eighteen thousand... eighteen thousand five hundred...

Mahmud nodded to the eunuch, and he quickly untied the green ribbon on Svetlana's slender waist. The tunic slid down her thighs with a light rustle, and a noisy sigh swept through the room. The girl now stood completely naked, only her face was covered.

Svetlana's consciousness seemed to split. Soul and body seemed to separate from each other. She herself inwardly marveled that she hadn't fainted from the shame and humiliation to which she was subjected. However, an inner voice persistently repeated: "The Lesovskys never show their fear! The Lesovskys never show their fear!" Tossing her chin high and straightening her back so that her shoulder blades almost touched, Svetlana froze in place, barely breathing. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, making her breasts tremble.

eighteen thousand gold coins... eighteen thousand nine hundred...

Like a hunting dog sensing it was about to catch its prey, the slave trader, with one swift motion, tore off the pearl clip holding Svetlana's luxurious hair. Blonde waves with golden threads fell onto the girl's bare shoulders and immediately flowed back. Mahmud tore the last veil from her face.

— O Allah! — someone's choked exclamation rang out. — Her face rivals her body in beauty!

— The Baghdad Caliph gives twenty thousand gold coins! "Holy God!" — a desperate thought flashed through Svetlana's head. — Such money cannot be found in all of St. Petersburg, let alone my father's fortune! I am lost!"

— Count Milovanov gives twenty-five thousand, to return home the daughter of his friend! — shouted the Slav. Svetlana whispered barely audibly:

— Oh, forgive me! Forgive me, Mother of God! In gratitude for my deliverance, I will offer you a golden statuette with real sapphires for eyes!

— Twenty-five thousand, — Mahmud ben Ahmad repeated in a teasing voice. — Who will give more?

He looked around the room hopefully. The price was, admittedly, high. Everyone was silent. The pause dragged on. Svetlana sighed with relief, and Mahmud was already raising his gavel to conclude the bidding, but then a voice rang out:__P_END