The Villainess Now Has the Whole Galaxy on Their Knees

In the two days Cillian Forrest was away, Sophie Wexler was either helping people with soothing or writing new songs for Benjamin Wyatt to upload on Karath.

Besides that, there was one other matter: finding a way to remove that collar.

She had been searching privately since her time on Karath, but to no avail. Now that she was on the Capital Planet and they had signed a marriage agreement, they were, at least nominally, legal partners in the Empire.

It just wasn’t right for Cillian Forrest to keep wearing that collar, a symbol of slavery.

Although he never commented on the collar, he acted so naturally that she sometimes forgot it was even there.

But every time he went out, he wore high-collared clothes. She knew he did it to hide the shameful collar.

So she began her search as soon as she arrived on the Capital Planet. Getting to know Evan Adler and the others these past two days had opened up new avenues for her investigation.

After she finished soothing Evan Adler, she asked, "Do you... know about Slave Collars?"

After interacting with him for the past few days, Sophie Wexler had given it careful thought before finally asking.

Evan Adler froze, looking up at Sophie Wexler in surprise, his eyes full of confusion. "Miss Wexler, how do you know about Slave Collars?"

These devices were used quite frequently in the Galaxy a long time ago, mostly on criminals and slaves to punish and restrain them.

That’s how it got its name over time.

But as technology in the Galaxy advanced and its laws were refined, the device was banned long ago.

In recent years, few people, even those in high positions, knew about them.

’If I remember correctly, Miss Wexler is from the subordinate planet of Karath. How would she know about something that almost no one on the Capital Planet knows about?’

"Could it be, Miss Wexler, that you..." As he spoke, he immediately glanced at Sophie Wexler’s neck.

Since the weather hadn’t warmed up yet, Sophie Wexler was also wearing a high-collared shirt.

The moment Sophie Wexler saw the look on Evan Adler’s face, she knew he had misunderstood.

"It’s not me."

Hearing this, Evan Adler breathed a sigh of relief. ’Of course,’ he thought. ’How could the Marshal possibly allow his partner to be forced into a Slave Collar?’

"Then what’s going on?"

"It’s... a friend of mine," Sophie Wexler said hesitantly, trying to choose her words carefully. "Her partner was forced to wear a Slave Collar, and now she wants to get it off but can’t find a way."

"She knew I was on the Capital Planet, so she asked me to see if I could figure something out."

If Evan Adler were from Aethel, he would have recognized the classic "I’m asking for a friend" excuse. But alas, he was a man of the Galaxy.

After confirming that Sophie Wexler wasn’t wearing a neck ring, he believed her. After all, he could never have imagined that the person wearing the Slave Collar was Cillian Forrest.

Evan Adler listened and then looked up. "Your friend is on Karath?"

Having told the lie, Sophie Wexler’s heart was still pounding. Hearing Evan Adler’s question, she instinctively nodded. "Yes."

"That explains it. You won’t find a way to remove it on one of the subordinate planets."

"Why do you say that?" Sophie Wexler pressed.

"Slave Collars existed in the Empire a long time ago. The wearer was constantly subjected to punishment by their master, and the methods were extremely cruel." This was all information Evan Adler had heard from his family.

"Because when they were designed, the wearers were all criminal slaves, so no one ever thought about taking them off. That’s why each of the subordinate planets only has the devices themselves, but not the means to remove them."

"But some people on the Capital Planet developed a new use for them, and so they also developed a way to remove them."

"What kind of use?"

"Some people use it for... certain things," Evan Adler said, a little embarrassed.

Seeing his evasiveness, Sophie Wexler asked curiously, "For what?"

Evan Adler coughed twice. ’The person in front of me is the Marshal’s partner,’ he thought. ’Wouldn’t some words be an insult to her ears?’ But Sophie Wexler’s gaze was so intensely curious, it felt like she would hound him for an answer if he didn’t elaborate.

Evan Adler stammered, "Well, they’re used... in the bedroom. You know... where one party has a lower status and has to obey..."

As a 21st-century woman who had been in the entertainment industry, Sophie Wexler understood what Evan Adler meant almost instantly.

’In short, it’s used as a sex toy.’

And one where the two parties were extremely unequal, meaning the wearer was forced.

"Anyway, it spawned a lot of black-market industries, so the Empire eventually banned the device. If anyone is found using one, they’re dealt with harshly," Evan Adler continued.

Sophie Wexler listened quietly, then a thought occurred to her. "If they’re banned, then how are they still on Karath?"

Evan Adler replied, "Banned doesn’t mean completely destroyed. Some linger in the gray areas, but they aren’t obtainable through normal means. How did your friend’s partner end up with the collar on?"

Sophie Wexler’s expression faltered, a hint of unease in her eyes.

’The original owner of this body really did buy it from the black market on Karath. She paid a hefty price for it, too. The seller even guaranteed, with absolute certainty, that no one could ever take it off.’

"That," Sophie Wexler paused. "She didn’t tell me."

"So, is there any way to remove it now?" Sophie Wexler asked.

That was the most important thing right now.

"There should be. But for that, you’ll have to have your friend come to the Capital Planet and check out Ellsmere," Evan Adler said.

Some things are banned, but that doesn’t mean they’ve disappeared completely. Otherwise, the device wouldn’t have shown up on Karath.

"Ellsmere?" Sophie Wexler asked, confused.

"It’s basically the black market everyone knows about. It’s just called Ellsmere on the Capital Planet."

Sophie Wexler: "..."

The corner of her eye twitched slightly.

’Calling a black market "Ellsmere"... What an... inspired name.’

"Okay, I understand," Sophie Wexler nodded.

"But ordinary people can’t get into Ellsmere. Hold on..." As he spoke, Evan Adler took something out and handed it to Sophie Wexler.

"What’s this?"

"You can think of it as an access pass for Ellsmere."

They actually went to Ellsmere themselves from time to time to look for things, which was why he had one.

"Miss Wexler, you must tell your friend to only look for what she needs in Ellsmere. She shouldn’t get curious about anything else. Don’t look, don’t ask."

He was only saying this much because it was Miss Wexler. He definitely wouldn’t have been so forthcoming with anyone else.

’Anyway, Miss Wexler doesn’t have a neck ring, so she can’t be going herself. It must be for that friend of hers.’

Miss Wexler had soothed his spiritual power, and she was the Marshal’s partner. There wasn’t much else he could do to help her, so providing this information was like doing her a favor.

"I’ll pass that on to her." Sophie Wexler reached out and took the small bell.

"Oh, right," Sophie Wexler said hesitantly. "My friend doesn’t want too many people to know about this."

Evan Adler immediately replied, "Don’t worry, my lips are sealed." He then made a zipping motion across his mouth. "I won’t say a word."