dressed as economic wisdom, that physical traits could predict reproductive output. A tall enslaved man with thin legs, they believed, would produce more male children. Male children meant labor. Labor meant profit. Profit meant power.
There was no science behind it.
Only greed searching for justification.
The Viscount of Cunha reportedly smiled when he saw Roque. Not a smile of admiration, but recognition—like a man spotting a rare instrument that might increase his wealth. In that moment, Roque ceased to be just a human being in the eyes of the
