The auction that was selling the paintings took place exactly seven days later in the dark alley Casino. Sealion notified me of the results however I did not say anything.
'Why are we going as one of the buyers?' Cronus asked me.
'Because we need to shop.'
Unknown to many the Bellhouse knights and the first squadron were on their way to the underground alley where the auction was taking place. There were many masked deviants who were present there not just for the paintings but also the other deviants put up for auction.
I reached there as instructed by Cronus and then asked a man in a white mask who worked with the organizer of the event.
'Show me some deviants.' I said under my white fox mask. It looked like the mythical creatures of Rakuten. The Red and yellow outlining of a fox on a thin clay mask hid my face till my chin, unlike others who had masquerade masks on.
'Huh? What kind…' he looked completely disinterested since this was an auction and not some marketplace.
'This kind…' I threw a bag full of Gold coins.
'Already using the advice from the duke ?' Cronus said. Unlike humans, deviants could see him because of the concentration of aether that flows in their bodies.
Use the Duchy money at your disposal…buy all the necessary things for your survival.
Advise no. 1 by father on that night.
'Yeah, something like that…' I said.
The man's eyes widened...it was probably more than any amount he has seen while auctioning off poor children that were brought to die.
'Please, dear Customer!!!... Choose from our very own cell...Let me take you there.'
The man took me to an underground corridor that opened its way to many cells.
'Please pick as much you desire My lady…' He bowed and said.
The deviants looked tired and starved. They were usually kidnapped from 'Ephialtes'. A slum that only had deviants. In my past life, I did not take much interest in the disappearance of the children from the slum or even donate anything when Lisbeth used to put up charity events however this place was one of the reasons the revolution happened in the first place.
These children would be trained to become crusaders for the greedy nobles. The purple sun soldiers that I saw in my past were no one but thirteen to eight years old who were forced to pick up weapons and brainwashed this way.
I walked back and forth, checking each cage for the painter…feeling the aether and their constitution that made me determine what kind of powers they may have. It was something not very accurate since it is just reading the flow of aether but still quite a useful thing that Cronus taught me.
I remember the conversation with father that day-
"How about you turn immortal temporarily Aria? Will that make you fear death less ?"
"Impossible !! This cannot happen."
"There is a way…turn into a deviant-" Cronus said.
"Albeit a painful one ."
'Any child that took your fancy ?' the man asked as I was snapped back to reality.
I stood before a small cell that reeked of alcohol and blood.
This was it.
'Yeah…I want this one.' I pointed
The painter sat huddled in one corner.
'Yes !! why not sure…this girl has always been with the owner and nobody has ever bought her so I was surprised.' The man said in a loud voice that echoed making my ears ring.
What an idiot…it just means that she was not meant for sale!
One thing that I noticed by meeting deviants was that they were extremely proud. They will not cry or beg even if their lives depended on it. The small frail girl that stood in front of me was marred with scars, used and abused by a vicious man, there were no tears in her eyes.
The whole prison was filled with silent screams and proud faces that burnt my soul due to the anger they contained.
'Little girl comes over here…' the man called her out as he opened the cell. Elizabeth slowly moved towards the man and then bit his hands.
'This bitch!!' the man raised his hands to beat the child.
'Relax…We are going to take the kid out ourselves so you get lost .' Cronus said to him.
The man glared at the kid and then swiftly moved out as he saw Cronus going in.
'Is your name Elizabeth?' Cronus asked as he kneeled inside the dirty cage he took out the matching fox mask and faced the child. His voice sounded gentle and full of sympathy. A demon was using the charms of an angel.
'You are quite brave for surviving here all by yourself. Ahh…so many wounds?... Let me heal them for you if you want that is.' He said offering the child some milk candies as bait.
Elizabeth looked a little apprehensive however the saccharine candies were a good bait. She took it in her hands and came out.
'Wait…the wrapper! take out the wrapper .' I rushed inside and offered to help despite not liking kids.
The kid coiled in afraid of losing the candies. Her face scrunched up with anger.
Sorry, Cronus I messed up!
I always held a trauma that made me feel disgusted and afraid of children. When I was five years old I was brutally bullied by the kids and teachers of my school. Laughing and cracking jokes directed at me, they used to conveniently take my money for their stuff while calling me their friend or ask me to take out their tiffins from inside the garbage bin, wash it and then give it to them for the sake of friendship. I in desperation did all of this. I was good at studies so they always made me do their homework. Teachers too ignored me as I used to cry a lot and felt like a nuisance, 'Let her cry' was the term they used.
Even after so many years, the trauma persists and I am unable to make friends or commit myself to a relationship. The fact that I should never trust anyone and every love is meant to fail is forever etched in my heart. My parents also know about this thus the matter of my marriage or attending any tea parties was always avoided.
'The lady is right…if you would eat it with wrappers on the toffies would not taste sweet.' He said with a slight smile.
'Not taste sweet…' the child spoke for the first time.
'Hurry give me a candy…' Cronus whispered.
'Yes…' I offered.
'See…twist the knot on the toffee and it would come undone…Here say AAH!' he said.
The child opened her mouth. At once her face lit up. In the darkness, I could see her crimson eyes lit up. The face that was bruised and swollen looked still looked cute. Her bony impoverished body looked soft. A child who was too small for her age.
'We are not going to harm you…come let me heal your wounds.'
'By supplying aether to a deviants body they can heal many wounds. That is why Deviants are quite resilient.' He said as he slowly supplied black aether from his body to Elizabeth. His black aether mixed with Azure aether of Elizabeth while her wounds slowly healed.
---
"How can I become one Dad? It is just wishful thinking!"
"There is a way Lady Aria…If we extract half of your soul to an inanimate object your body would turn similar to deviants…At least you would not get hurt or die. No weapon can harm you since half of your soul is safe and your body could be regenerated again. "
"Cronus you are playing with me, right? And you also tricked Dad into believing"
"Aria, this is the only way to keep you safe. I will be the guardian of half of your soul."
"This is the object we shall be using. I hope Lady Aria has not forgotten this beautiful pocket watch."
----
Elizabeth finally got out of her cell. Her face and body healed from the wounds. I felt bad for other kids however Sebalion would come here anyway in a few minutes. They shall be safe then.
'Let us move out from here Ronald use this !' Elizabeth said her hands clasped tightly with Cronus.
Ronald?...Ronald Polimont ? The greatest merchant of Seatown?
We started moving out from the rear suggested by Elizabeth.
'Wait!' I shouted .
**
The auction started with all the upper echelon deviants already seated with their masks. The light of the stage dimmed and one by one Elizabeth's painting containing various amounts of aether started auctioning by a very seasoned auctioneer.
The beauty of the painting was overshadowed due to the purest form of Aether it contained.
'Sir!! A seller came right now offering 3,000,000 gold coins.' Roan raced towards Ronald Polimont the organizer of the event.
'Huh?...That much amount !! Which painting did they buy?' Ronald asked.
'They did not buy any painting however they took that brat that you keep in the prison every time you come from Seatown' Roan said with a big smile, oblivious to his master's rising anger.
Ronald slapped Roan...
'Fool !...take me there.' He roared as he ran to the prison.
They were taking the golden egg-laying goose from him.