For reference later:
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"No," was Alec's immediate reply, eyes on the podium, then whispered, "My men reported that mother donated it to the auction, with one specific message."
Lizzie's worry vanished, replaced with surprise, and in a whisper she asked, "...Reported? Are you spying on your family?"
"You don't?"
She shut her mouth. Only sometimes, she thought, like if there's any lady her brothers fancy so she could help plan for a wedding, or if she was in the right timing to ask them favors. Well, she assumed that the imperial prince does this for good reasons, but still.
"Besides, rumors already spread that Medakaz Miracle is up for auction. The Imperial Museum wouldn't sell a fake, they never sold replicas. Everyone's buzzing."
Buzzing. Lizzie finally acknowledged that Alec has been more casual in his choice words towards her. She wondered if his etiquette teacher had taken breaks due to headaches and stress, just like Madam Vaddenver, her tutor.
Back to his statement, she understood what was implied. With this myth finally revealed to take a physical form; the good, the bad and the curious has gathered in the darkness of the hall.
"And you like seeing crime happen?" she asked, now focusing ahead. She could not understand why people stack their bids higher on some earlier items, but the one displayed now was a jeweled hairpin in blue diamond.
The bidding began in two thousand gold coins, too expensive for an accessory with small blue diamond stones formed into a flower and framed in silver. It was beautiful, but less creative even compared to some of Lizzie's hair ornaments. The auctioneer just embellished the item's importance that it was once belonged to a noble lady who fell into ruin.
Just a simple backstory that was probably fictitious, but the jewel's glint was beautiful. Lizzie gripped her number and raised it, but pull her hand back down. Never mind.
"Ten thousand gold." Alec declared beside her with his number raised. The princess turned to him, like all the puzzled and shocked others.
It was more than enough for such hairpiece. Murmurs spread. Was the hairpin valuable that only a few know of? And for something sought after, people tend to want it.
"Ten thousand and a hundred gold!" someone screamed at the front.
Another one bid for 11 thousand.
"A hundred thousand gold coins." Lizzie gaped. For a hair accessory, it was a ballooned offer. He might have his own massive wealth and the money, but still.
For a hairpin? So, he got a hobby like that. She had also met crossdressers form Levich, the empire with more liberated views on gender and their roles. Maybe he likes men after all, she thought.
No one dared to bid higher and so the piece was sold to Alec. Before Lizzie could congratulate him, the auctioneer announced the final item for the night. Medakaz' Miracle was wheeled into the podium, in an open cubic glass, nestled with a red cushion.. It was just a small bottle that could to a small palm, even a child's.
The auctioneer explained about the myth that everyone already knew, including the obscure magician Medakaz. After the glorified tale, embellished with mystery and probably fiction.
The auctioneer declared that the Imperial Concubine and will be future Empress who donated the item, yet it was not disclosed where she got it from. Nobody questioned its truth, after all, nobody could question the woman who held the emperor's heart, the woman rumored to be the reason for the empire's creation.
"As the red butterflies willed, it shall be done." It was what auctioneer stated as the message from Lady Diana, then bidding commenced.
Like fish lured into a trap, the numbers were raised one after another, gold stack by thousands, ten thousands and hundreds. Lizzie would have wondered why the imperial family did not keep the potion for themselves. But she refuted her question just as quick.
Medakaz Miracle was a myth, there was no certainty of its content. Even Lizzie herself thinks so, there was no need to hold unto something that might melt into water and disappear.
Monarchs needed usable existence and practicality. Well at least she assumed good rulers do.
It was just few minutes in, but the bid was raised to a hundred thousand gold coins—all for an uncertain bottle. The war was now reduced to five gentlemen and a lady, then to only two men.
It was four hundred thousand now. The hall buzzed, the light focused on the bottle flickered. As it returned, and the bottle was gone.
The auctioneer's surprise was drowned when one lady screamed. All the spirit lights in the room dimmed cloak the guests' identities, flickered open.
A black creature jump off a woman's lap, a few seats away from the two them. The creature, jumping from one lap to another was a monkey.
The hall descended into chaos and confusion that catching the small but nimble animal, became the priority, instead of the missing bottle.
Some people left their seats for the exit, and even their half masks could not hide the fear and surprise, just by the small being.
Lizzie who has a pet back home was not a bit fazed, but she already left her seat when Alec pulled her somewhere, to a door by the podium. Ulbaim's sudden appearance in front of them put recognition on the auctioneer and the guards' faces as they zeroed on Alec. The big knight who was Alec's personal guard served as a mark of the crown prince
The auction officers let them through as if they were invisible and did their job of calming the crowd.
In the maze of the wide museum underground, a hooded figure met them halfway. And based on the deep voice, it was Kef, now running ahead of them. "They are fighting at the alley your highness."
"That quick? The pipes huh." Alec concluded, assuming it was the exhaust pipe used for underground ventilation that the thief used to escape.
Wait, a thief?
Lizzie, still confused ran as fast not to be left behind. But the rest seemed to be matching her pace until they climbed a ladder and exited the manhole behind the museum, just in front of the imperial museum's back door.
The two guards on duty unsheathed their swords when they recognized Ulbaim and bowed to the still masked crown prince. But the confusion were so obvious when Lizzie was hoisted up from the gutter in her black gown like goddess of death rising from the underworld.
The two guards could only follow her silver hair dancing in the wind as she was running with the others. As imperial knights, they were sworn to secrecy, yet at that moment they wished they weren't loyal to the empire.
"The prince... with a woman..." one of the two said as Lizzie and others were already out of sight.
"She climbed up from below... like a goddess of death."
"Like the goddess of death," the other repeated.
As the two knights marveled, Lizzie was already out of breath, running with the others.
Thankfully, she wore flat shoes but her gown wasn't exactly for running. Her tied hair was now loose as well, the silver strands dancing in the wind. At this moment, she missed Honey and his comfortable back. Thankfully, they reached the alley before she could pass out from her lack of strength.
"Here, your highness," a voice said with its recognizable emphasis on syllables. Tillamo emerged from the shadow of the alley, unreached by the two moons.
This time, his hood was down. It was the same thing with Kef, and Lizzie got a better look. They were young, Lizzie assumed were no more than a year or few younger than her. The tattooed symbols on their faces indicated a tribal entity. She remembered a small tribe of warriors that were the first to succumbed to the new emperor, Durkkans, from the tribes of Bahazon Green, if she wasn't mistaken. For the moment she thanked the gods that she listened to her lessons.
One of their characteristics was that they are shorter and younger looking compared to most people of the world. So these shy 'boys' in front of her may be older as well. The two covered their faces with hoods, unable to bear Lizzie's interest.
Tillamo gripped another masked person by the collar of his black overalls. The figure Lizzie assumed was the thief could only wriggle because he was bound by hands and feet.
Tillamo's other hand threw the bottle and Kef caught it, then was offered to Alec. Lizzie was not interested with Medakaz Miracle, but her anxiety spiked when the bottle was carelessly tossed in the air like that. She could imagine it was worse for the people in the auction who truly desired it.
"Let me go!"
She was taken aback at feminine voice from the bound thief. By Alec's command, Kef removed the mask and exposed a woman, glaring daggers at them.
Lizzie, who was still chasing her breath was speechless for a moment once more.
"I don't have enough time!" the thief, now revealed as a woman cried, thrashing to be freed. "The red flowers have already bloomed."
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Book 3, anyone? 🤗