Kael rested in the guest chambers, his body finally healing from the earlier attack. The ball had been postponed, much to the Princess's fury, and the Duchess of Ikaris had stepped in, offering an apology of the highest degree. She had sent the finest healers to ensure Kael's mental recovery, too, all the while maintaining an air of politeness that Kael couldn't help but find ironic given the circumstances.
Amanda's anger was expected, but even she couldn't ignore the situation brewing in the background. As a politician, she was trained in how to take advantage of the situations, too.
Before, she had the support of Duchess Leona. And now, she forced the Duchess of Ikaris to assist her in acquiring the Supreme Potion, one made by the witch. She didn't reveal her knowledge of Spirit summoning treasure to the hostess as it is considered a major secret, compared to the potion.
Two days later, the auction finally took place, and as expected, it was conducted without delay, as the Witch Tower has nothing to do with the castle's affairs.
Kael and his companions made their way to one of the VIP Boxes on the first floor, a space that could comfortably fit over twelve people. Soft, plush four-seater sofas were placed in each box and a perfect view of the proceedings below. The floor was dotted with thirty-two of these exclusive spots, each almost identical to the next, equally spacious, and the auction-house-appointed servant.
Down on the ground floor, rows of chairs were neatly arranged for the common folk and those without any exclusive invitations. Kael glanced around, noting the subtle distinction between the VIP section and the common section, nodding to his companions, signaling they should take their seats.
As the guards stood behind, Kael and Amanda sat down on the sofa. He wanted Serestia to sit down with them, which earned a frown from the princess but the teenager refused the offer and stood behind him like a servant.
The nobles, most of them who were also the guests of the Ikaris Castle, also arrived at different times, one after another, taking their seats. In an hour, all the VIP Boxes were filled and almost three-fourths of the common seatings were occupied too.
The organizer of the auction, Duchess of Ikaris—Adelina von Eisenfeld/Sunfire, opened her mouth, speaking from VIP Box no. 7. "Before the auction begins, I would like to remind everyone with nefarious intentions that my master, the Witch herself is overseeing the auction. To quote her words exactly: regardless of their identity, those who try to cause trouble in the auction will meet with a tragic fate." She said, raising the glass filled with little red wine. She gulped it in one shot and sat down with a smile.
Before her warning brought any reaction from the listeners, a regal woman familiar to Kael appeared on the stage, her long scarlet gown combined with expensive jewelry on her exuded an aura of a high-born noble. "Greetings, everyone. I'm your hostess for the evening, Camilla Sunfire. I welcome all of you on behalf of the Witch Tower." She introduced herself, attracting the attention of everyone.
"The auction is conducted in two stages. The first stage will display the items registered by the customers who put up their items for sale. Regardless of the type, all these items would have a starting bidding of 1000 gold coins. You may request a buyout directly by paying a hundred times the amount, i.e., a hundred thousand gold coins, as long as the bidding war didn't cross fifty thousand.
Each of you is provided a paddle. For the first stage, each raise from the paddle will raise the bid amount by 1000 gold coins. For the smooth sailing of the auction, we request not too many people raise the paddles at once. It is best to have a bidding war between two or three, and when the bidding stops, you may join as the new bidder to raise it.
As for the second stage, only those sitting in the VIP section are allowed to participate. There are only three items displayed. Each item has a different starting price, and neither is there a buyout nor is there a need for the paddle for the exclusive items. The qualified bidders can bid for the item with gold coins and later pay for it with any treasures they own. However, the Witch Tower will provide the value to the treasure.
Now, let's begin the auction."
The following hour was filled with intense bidding wars on the ground floor. No noble joined the bidding as if those items didn't interest them. But, in reality, they all have women bidding for them on the lower floor.
Midway through the auction, the hostess took out the next item from the storage ring. "The next item is a dagger." She placed it on the desk for everyone to see its appearance. At one glance, it looked like a dagger with a black blade, or maybe its blade painted in black. However, both Kael and Serestia winced in pain simultaneously. The difference is that Kael grabbed his arm and Serestia grabbed her eyepatch.
"Hmm?" Amanda looked at both of them, curiosity filling her face. "What happened?"
"It's nothing," Kael shook his head. Serestia moved into the corner, trying to manage her pain in the blind eye; the tattoo inscribed on her pupil glowing.
Kael narrowed his eyes, his senses probing the weapon from the distance.
Camilla Sunfire, the hostess, spoke. "This is a dagger forged with black titanium, a rare and unyielding metal. It wasn't just that. This weapon also developed a spirit on its own during the forging process, which was said to be sealed due to its corrupt nature."
"Princess, can you buy me that using buyout?" Kael suddenly asked, his tone containing politeness while his gaze fixed on the blade.
"Hmm?" Amanda glanced at him. "Is it for yourself or someone else?" She couldn't help but ask. A hundred thousand gold coins isn't a big deal for her but if it was for himself, she would try to convince him as it seemed very dangerous.
However, Kael surprised her by leaning toward her ear and whispering, "It's not black titanium. It's adamantium. Buy it quickly before it falls into someone else's hands."
Amanda stared at him with widened eyes. "How?"
"Just trust me." He replied, not giving any explanation.
She wanted to hear the explanation, but she chose to believe him, considering that it might be a farewell gift from her. She broke the unofficial silence in the VIP box by raising her paddle. "Buy out." Her voice echoed in the hall, causing a momentary silence and eliciting various reactions from the other royal guests.
VIP Box No. 14;
Merchant Olivia: "That was the eldest princess, I suppose?"
Servant: "Yes, it is, Your Grace."
VIP Box No. 23;
Duchess of Faelyn (Margarethe Starlight): "What was that princess doing? Destroying the decorum of this place, acting like a brute."
Heiress of Faelyn (Vivienne Starlight): "She must have really wanted that dagger."
Margarethe: "Unlikely. The Dagger doesn't seem that great of an importance. Black titanium might be rare, but not for an imperial princess who was serving as the Prime Minister of the Queendom. As for the spirit sealed inside it, a weapon that could barely be considered a platinum grade wouldn't be strong either."
Vivienne: "Perhaps she was trying to show who is the boss here, then?"
Margarethe: "That seems more logical to me."
VIP Box No. 31;
Duchess of Aquareld (Leona Aquareld): "What was she trying to accomplish? Was she attempting to align her personality with the others to make purchasing those items easier for her? No, Amanda isn't like that, despite how she appeared on the surface. She isn't one to break the unspoken traditions of the nobles, even for the sake of those precious items, when she has the wealth to acquire them. Does it relate to the sealed spirit? Did she have any prior knowledge about this spirit from Adelina?
*
Nobles and commoners likewise found Amanda's actions strange and murmured about her intentions for a while, but they were quickly downed as the auction continued.
In the meantime, the item was delivered to VIP Box No.9, and the dagger was wrapped in a cloth instead of keeping it in a sheath.
Kael was handed the item. Unwrapping the cloth, Kael grabbed the dagger, looking all fascinated as he observed the blade.
"Is it really adamantium?" The Princess curiously watched the blade. Kael smiled, carefully handing it to her. "It's worth more than a city."