Some time had passed after the commotion caused by the Audience Day event. The atmosphere within the palace seemed to have relaxed slightly.
Even after those events, life in the palace continued as if nothing had happened.
Ian was still busy investigating the matter, but there didn’t seem to be any significant progress.
He was putting all his efforts into it, but it felt like he couldn’t uncover anything decisive.
Well, if it had been as easy to apprehend Duke Bledel as he had initially thought, Asha wouldn’t have suffered under the Duke’s control for so long.
Some nobles seemed to be getting irritated with the Emperor’s persistent investigation. Ian had been diligently monitoring the nobles and, in the process, had uncovered various wrongdoings unrelated to the case.
Those caught were subjected to disciplinary action or had to pay fines.
As a result, some of the high nobles simply hoped to conclude the matter, thinking of it as an incident where a member of the Xenos Independence Army took action against Duke Bledel, an enemy of the Xenosians.
The unfavorable sentiment towards the Xenosians remained, but the anxious feeling that something might erupt at any moment had eased somewhat.
“I’ve heard that there will be a secret auction with some incredible items a few days from now.”
Stella relayed information she had received from the Priodos organization. Occasionally, in Asha, there were large-scale auctions held for illegal transactions.
These auctions mainly dealt with items that were not easily obtainable, such as magical tools or treasures from fallen nations.
The items that usually appeared in these auctions had unclear origins, often related to various crimes.
Some items were so dangerous that, if discovered, they would lead to severe punishment. Therefore, participants were reluctant to reveal their identities.
That’s why it was a rule for everyone attending the auction to wear masks.
Security was also tight, and only organizations directly or indirectly associated with the organizers were allowed to participate.
Luckily, Stella told me that I would be able to participate in the auction in the name of the Priodos organization.
She mentioned the auction house for one reason.
“They say that the organizers have something extremely valuable, something that has never been seen before. I think it was the…… face mask.”
The Face Mask was a magical tool so rare that even the Priodos organization couldn’t find a trace of it.
It could take on the face of any person for a set time.
With such a dangerous function, it was not only difficult to obtain but also cost a fortune.
In Asha, where all things magical were forbidden, such items fetched much higher prices compared to other countries.
Suddenly, I remembered the nightmare I just had. At this point, it didn’t seem likely that I would be dragged to the stake as a witch, as happened to the original Lethenia.
I had kept my distance from Rosetin, and I didn’t have any particular friction with Ian.
Above all, knowing that Ian still had feelings for Lethenia seemed to push that terrible ending further away.
My settlement plans were also progressing smoothly. Yet, that vivid and horrifying dream continued to make me anxious.
It shouldn’t happen, but just in case I was falsely accused, having that mask would allow me to conceal my identity and safely leave Asha.
“The auction will only last for a day. If the desired amount isn’t reached in Asha, they plan to move it to another country.”
Over the past few days, I have received bribes from nobles and earned profits from the charity auction. I didn’t know what the exact price would be, but it felt wasteful to give up now.
I hesitated for a moment and then cautiously shared my thoughts with Stella.
“I want to go there myself.”
××××××××××××××××××××××
A few days passed. I was ready to go to Brilland Farm. Or, more accurately, I was going to head to the auction house under the guise of going to Brilland Farm.
“I’ve prepared a carriage for you. You can leave now.”
Stella handed me a key with unique patterns carved into it. It was a pass to enter the auction house.
Fortunately, Theo had also sent word that he would not be able to make it to the Empress’s palace today, as he had important business to attend to.
It was difficult to be completely honest with Theo about my involvement with the Priodos organization, so the timing was fortunate.
Although Ian had warned me not to go out due to the tense atmosphere following the James incident, I was able to obtain permission by agreeing to double the number of my escorts.
Thanks to my clever maid, Stella, who had arranged for trustworthy escorts from the Priodos organization, I could go out with peace of mind.
Before I left the room, I checked my hair in the mirror. My gaze lingered for a moment on the ruby necklace I always wore.
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”
Stella asked curiously. For some reason, the color of the ruby seemed a little different than usual.
It seemed subtly off. Maybe it was just my mood.
“Nothing.”
I smiled at Stella and left the room. The secret auction house wasn’t far from Briland Farm.
As we approached our destination, Stella pulled out the disguise tools she’d stashed in the carriage.
It consisted of a black mask with molded eyes, nose, and mouth, some shabby-looking man’s clothes, a black cloak with a large hat, and a wig.
I recalled Stella’s warning before we left.
<You’d better make your disguise pretty convincing this time; you were so flimsy last time. Luckily, you can cover your face with a mask, so you only need to cover what they can see.>
It’s obvious that Stella has put a lot of thought into my outfit.
It must have bothered her that the last time I simply switched clothes with her, the disguise’s effectiveness was almost zero.
Of course, there were magical pills that could change hair color or eye color, like James Caron’s, but they were hard to come by.
Furthermore, the incident at the audience day had made most mercenaries reluctant to do business in Asha for the time being.
On top of that, Lethenia’s body had a peculiar constitution that didn’t respond well to the love potion.
I made the mistake of paying 20,000 knets for a potion that didn’t work.
It was a bit of a hassle, but I had no choice but to go through the trouble of disguising myself. I changed my clothes and put on a wig before getting out of the carriage.
I glanced at my reflection in the window.
‘Oh, not bad.’
With my dazzling silver hair hidden under commonly seen hair color, the cold atmosphere softened, giving me a slightly gentler and brighter impression.
Dressed as a man with pure white skin and stunning features that would draw attention from any corner, I exuded a mysterious and enigmatic aura.
Without the mask and cape, I would have drawn attention in a different way, as my features were quite captivating.
I wore a somewhat eerie black mask that concealed my face.
With the mask and hood covering it all, my identity was unlikely to be easily discerned.
As I stepped out of the carriage, the Priodos organization members, who would act as my attendants today, were waiting for me, also dressed in black masks and cloaks.
I set off with them toward my real destination. After some time had passed, we finally arrived.
“We’re almost there.”
It seemed like the attendant thought I was struggling, as they gestured towards the remaining distance.
To reach our destination, we had to cross a small forest.
The tall trees, densely packed with very narrow gaps, made the path less than ideal for walking, especially considering the considerable distance.
The attendants explained that the carriage couldn’t navigate such terrain easily.
In about ten more minutes of walking, I spotted a child standing in the middle of the forest, a white cloth covering their eyes.
“Why is there a child here?”
The child looked to be around Noah’s age and had a white cloth, covering his eyes. Perhaps the child had injured his eyes or was blind.
Seeing the crowd approaching, I worried that the child might be frightened, but then I realized that our appearance was not visible to him.
As we got closer, the child seemed to sense our presence and slowly turned their head in our direction. Maybe he had lost his way.
“Kid, why are you here alone? Where are the adults?”
Despite my question, the child remained silent, seemingly cautious of strangers. I spoke in a gentler tone, addressing the child.
“I was passing by and saw you alone and got worried. Did you get lost?”
The child finally responded.
“I’m waiting for my dad; he said he had some important business nearby.”
I couldn’t fathom why someone would leave a child who couldn’t see alone in such a forest. As dusk was approaching, I began to feel uneasy about the situation.
“It seems too dangerous to be here alone…”
I muttered to myself, concerned. The child replied with a clear voice,
“I’m fine; my dad will be here soon.”
The child seemed unperturbed as if such situations were common for him. Nevertheless, I felt uneasy about leaving a child alone in a place like this.
As if sensing my concern, one of the attendants next to me spoke up.
“I’ll stay with the child until his father arrives.”
That seemed like the best thing to do. Since the child’s father was expected to come soon, they couldn’t move to another location.
However, leaving an injured child alone in the forest felt uncomfortable.
I told the child,
“I’m worried about leaving you alone in a place like this. Your father will be here soon, so this gentleman will stay with you until then.”
The child hesitated but eventually nodded. I felt relieved, knowing that someone would watch over him.
I continued on my way to our destination, leaving the child and one of the attendants behind.
