Balkar kingdom.
It was a powerful country, one that possessed mysterious magic and unrivaled artifact crafting skills that allowed it to be part of the Six Kings alongside Zieghart.
Jayna Ruin Balkar was the princess of such a powerful kingdom.
The fact that she was the Balkar princess was already amazing enough, but she also possessed outstanding talent in magic and a special ability. As a result, she was the center of attention anywhere she went, and she was respected by everyone.
She was one of the few true royals in the continent, one who was recognized by everyone even if she hid her face with a mask.
And as the Balkar princess, she wasn't good at putting up with losses.
If she lost a fight, she had to win it back even if she had to rip a scroll costing over hundreds of gold, and if she lost a gamble, she had to win it back even if it meant she had to bet dozens of times the amount.
Jayna visited the shop after hearing that the mercenary that had won against her in a gamble the day before was there, then noticed his ring.
'Golden light?'
Her skill, Styr, allowed her to see an equipment's grade. That skill activated automatically and told her that the rusty ring he was holding was actually a unique grade item.
'Why is something like that in such a place?'
The man was holding an item that should've been traded in the second basement floor rather than a junkyard like that.
The ring was rusty, but that wasn't the important part as the unique grade was worth more than a golden ingot.
Jayna told the man she would buy the ring at ten times the price.
Honestly, she thought she didn't even need to pay ten times, as he should've just handed it over to her as he must've realized who she was by then.
Yet he firmly refused the deal.
Even when she offered fifty times the price, he didn't change his mind.
Despite being refused, Jayna smiled on the inside.
'He doesn't know about me.'
The ignorant man that still didn't know her identity was going to crawl on the ground after realizing her identity. She let him go because she looked forward to that day.
The man went back to the auction house without showing any reaction to getting laughed at.
It seemed he was interested in the black butterfly, as he made his bid on it for the first time after silently watching the auction.
'Was that his goal?'
Jayna smiled broadly and raised her hand. Each time the man raised the price, she made another bid to raise it even further.
The price surpassed thirty gold in no time, and he raised his hand very slowly. Forty gold.
'Is forty gold all he has?'
The man that took the ring only had thirty-five to forty gold. It was literally change to her. She sneered and raised it to fifty gold.
"Ugh…"
The man lowered his hand with a groan, and he never raised it again.
Even after that, Jayna kept her bid on the items the man was bidding on to win them at almost twice their price.
The man's expression became dry like an unwatered flower. It seemed he was nervously wondering who he had offended.
'That's a great expression.'
She didn't feel that it was a waste of money since it was a small amount that she could easily win back. What she really wanted to see was that expression of despair and confusion.
"Sigh!"
The man left the auction house, leaving his luggage behind.
'I can see it.'
She could already see his astonishment upon hearing her identity.
He must've gone to wash his face to come to his senses. What he was going to do after that was even more obvious.
He was going to kneel with his free will and offer her the ring, since no one in the world could live on after getting on the wrong side of Balkar.
Filled with anticipation, Jayna crossed her long legs and enjoyed the rest of the auction as it neared its end.
The man returned soon after, as the auction was almost over.
'I knew it.'
His wet face was filled with exhaustion. He must've been astonished to find out her identity.
"Huhu."
Jayna stood behind the man, her mouth curved in an arrogant smile.
"It looks like you're having some trouble."
She jeered at him with a smile. She thought he was going to kneel and bow at any moment.
However, his attitude was the exact opposite of what she had expected.
With an annoyed expression, he asked her whether she was deaf and waved his hand as if he was chasing away a fly.
'Is this crazy bastard serious?'
He still must not have realized who she was. That was the only way to explain his arrogant attitude.
"It looks like you still haven't realized who I am."
As she was about to take off her mask, the guard that had been staying in her room ran up to her in a hurry.
"Y-young lady. The auctioned items have d-disappeared from the room!"
"What?"
"The butterfly and a few other auctioned items have disappeared completely. I-I don't know what happened…"
The trembling guard was telling him the auctioned items had disappeared when there was no intruder.
"What kind of bullshit…"
"It looks like you're having some trouble."
As she was about to question him, the man smiled while repeating exactly what she'd told him earlier. He sneered. It was the smile she always showed others.
'He is the culprit!'
Her intuition that was almost never wrong was whispering to her. That beggar was the culprit behind the theft.
"You must've done it."
Jayna confidently told him.
"Do what?"
"You stole it!"
"I don't understand what I am supposed to have stolen."
The man shuddered. The dumb guy next to him was the only one trembling.
"You offended the wrong person."
Jayna patiently bit her red lips and took off her fox mask. There was no way anyone at that place wouldn't recognize her face, yet his expression remained dull.
"What are you doing?"
"Do you not know me?"
"I don't."
"Hah!"
She got even more angry because he really looked like he didn't recognize her.
"I'm Jayna. I'm the youngest daughter of the king of the Balkar kingdom, Delua Balkar."
"Balkar princess?"
Even though it was hurting her pride, she introduced herself. The hood covering his head trembled visibly. It looked like he had finally realized who he had offended.
"Yes, you just offended the Balk…"
"So what?"
The man's voice, which had huffed in astonishment, turned flat as he snickered.
"Really, you bastard. Seize him!"
"Young lady?"
"I'm sure he stole the auctioned items! Grab him and search him!"
Jayna screamed. It didn't matter whether he was really the culprit or not. She just wanted to see his wrinkled face.
"Please excuse me."
The guards' hands were rough despite their polite words. When they extended their hands to crush his shoulder in an instant, the man's hand drew a semi-circle.
Thud!
* * *
The guard's arm broke as he was squashed on the ground. The man placed his feet on the guard's head and snorted.
"You just started attacking without a second thought. Are you confident you can handle it?"
The man spoke in a gloomy voice while stomping on the guard. He looked around, but no one was trying to help him. It was obvious that no one would want to get on the wrong side of Balkar.
"No one is going to help you. I'll personally prove that you are the thi…"
"Raon? It's really Raon!"
As she was about to cast magic, a pleasant voice could be heard from behind them.
"What?"
A blond man wearing a luxurious uniform came up to the man.
"Greer?"
Jayna's eyes widened.
It was the Owen Kingdom's third prince, Greer de Owen, that she had met pretty often on her childhood. He looked glad as he approached the beggar.
"It's you! I knew it was you because it was exactly the same voice!"
"It's been a long time."
It seemed he was acquainted with Greer from the way he was bowing to him.
"Greer, do you know him?"
"Of course I do!"
Greer gave a big nod and pointed at the man.
"I told you about him before, that there's a real genius swordsman in Zieghart. That's him, Raon Zieghart!"
"Zieg…hart?"
Jayna swallowed upon hearing his name. Her pupils trembled violently.
"D-did you just say Zieghart?"
"The ruler of the north!"
"Wh-which means, Balkar just picked a fight with Zieghart, right?"
"Wow, this is…"
The eyes shone from the people that had been secretly spectating. The clash between two of the Six Kings, Balkar and Zieghart, had stirred their curiosity and surpassed their fear.
"Tsk."
The man named Raon took off his hood. His blonde hair and red eyes were clearly the same color as Glenn's, Zieghart's current head of house.
'Direct line!'
He must've been a member of the direct line to have that color eyes and hair. He was literally the wrong person to mess with.
"What did you say again? You told me I don't know my place and called me a thief. And now you even started attacking me first."
Raon's eyes shone with a crimson light. The burning pressure rising up from his feet started dominating the space. The extremely violent wave of energy was suffocating her.
"I think I made enough efforts to put up with it. What do you think?"
"Th-that's…"
Jayna swallowed. Dealing with a foolish mercenary and Zieghart's direct line were two completely different things.
"Shall I consider it Balkar's provocation on Zieghart?"
"I-I didn't know who you were."
"Isn't that even more crazy if you insulted and picked a fight with someone you didn't even know? You have an eccentric personality."
Raon's long explanation was sarcastic towards her.
'Seriously, this bastard…'
She was burning with anger. Even though she was the first one to pick a fight, she couldn't keep her temper as he jeered at her in return.
"Hah, so what? Can you speak in Zieghart's name?"
Even though he was a member of the direct line, speaking in Zieghart's name should've been difficult. She was sure he had no choice but to overlook the matter.
"I can."
"What…"
"I said I can speak in Zieghart's name."
When she'd expected him to withdraw, he confidently nodded his head.
"I can challenge you to a fight under Zieghart's name right here and now. Can you do the same?"
"B-bullshit!"
Jayna trembled her chin.
'It's a lie. It must be a lie!'
She thought he was just bluffing, but Raon's pressure was overwhelming their surroundings with unwavering eyes.
'Now that I think about it…'
Greer had mentioned before that the guy named Raon was extremely talented and proficient with the sword, that he might one day become Zieghart's head of house.
'And the fact that he is moving around outside now means he has become a swordsman.'
His youthful appearance. The fact that he became a swordsman at that age meant that he was pretty popular.
"Trying to suppress a Zieghart's swordsman and accusing them of being a thief is a more serious matter than you think."
"Ugh…"
Jayna bit her lip.
"I'll give you one last chance. Apologize. I'll overlook this matter if you beg for forgiveness right now. If not, I'll personally visit Balkar."
Raon's voice weighed down on her heavily. It felt like her lungs were crushed. Such a heavy pressure made her wonder if he was truly younger than Greer.
"I-I need some time to think…"
"I'll give you five seconds. Five, four…"
He started counting, so she couldn't even buy any time. Pressure, gaze, the way he controlled the situation, everything was extraordinary. There was no way someone like him was lying.
'Damn it…'
She looked around. The auction staff and the clients were all looking at them. Her head was filled with the thought that she shouldn't have taken her mask off.
"Three, two, one."
"I-I'm sorry."
The moment Raon said one, she apologized in a hurry. However, his expression didn't get any softer.
"What kind of person's apologies are barely audible?"
"I-I'm sorry."
Jayna grit her teeth and apologized.
"What kind of person holds her head up while apologizing?"
"Seriously…"
"Do it."
Hearing Raon's order, Jayna trembled and lowered her head.
"I-I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry about?"
"Huu…"
She wanted to immediately stand up and cast a magic spell at him, but she held back. She couldn't let all her efforts be in vain.
"I-I'm sorry for picking a fight at the auction house and casino, and for suspecting you of theft."
She had no choice. Jayna met Raon's eyes while raising her head slowly. His gaze felt like she was facing the North Sea, giving her goosebumps.
"I'll stop here, too, since there's no need to escalate the matter any further."
"Ah…"
"If you don't want to bring shame to your kingdom, you'd better watch how you speak and behave in the future."
He left after making a hand gesture that suggested he saw her as a pathetic being. Greer frowned at her before following Raon.
"..."
Because of Jayna's silence, everyone in the auction house was unable to breathe properly as they covered their mouths.
"Manager."
"Eh, yes?"
The auction house's manager, who was under the stairs, ran up like a dog whose tail was on fire.
"Has the VIP floor's security sensor been activated today?"
"N-no, it hasn't."
"Where's the control room?"
"P-please come this way."
The manager guided her to the control room with his body bent in half.
"Bring me the entry list from the magic stone sensor and the entire security history!"
Jayna screamed while destroying the table inside the control room.
'I'm sure it exists.'
She had no choice but to lose this time, but she could reverse it as long as she found proof of his theft. She wanted to find proof at all costs to pay him back several times.
"Check everything, including the ants! Don't overlook a single detail!"
However, Raon didn't appear anywhere, no matter how hard her guards and the auction house's staff searched. Him entering and leaving the restroom was all they could find.
"No way…"
Jayna collapsed, trembling. Her intuition was almost never wrong. She was certain Raon was the thief, and she didn't expect that not a single piece of evidence could be found.
The uneasiness, the reaction of his underling, and the circumstances around the end of the auction all pointed towards the fact that Raon had stolen the auctioned items.
Yet, there was no proof.
She was really going to face a reprisal if she suspected him again without any proof.
Crack.
Jayna grit her teeth and stomped her feet.
"What the hell is that bastard?!"
____
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