"I... am starting to believe that you prepared for this before we met," Avadil said with bafflement, and he had the right to feel as such. In front of him lay artifacts of different assortments and shapes, all gleaming with top-touch inscription.

"You were the one to suggest the contract. All I did was to deliver," Arthur said with a smile. "Are you sure you can sell all of these? It would cause quite a stir."

"I can handle it," Avadil said, and Arthur stared at him silently. This young man had some hidden capabilities and agenda, which was proved by Traitor's attempt to frame him.

"However, there are people to whom you can't take their bids. They are those on my blacklist, and it is time to make them understand the gravity of their actions."

"I understand, but I advise treating them as moving coins. If you use this to gain political leverage over your enemies, your business will suffer just the same."

"I am not selling useless things, your highness," Arthur smiled. "If anyone has a brain, they would realize that it is bad to antagonize me. Hence, they will compromise to buy my artifacts."

"Then, you are just digging your own grave, Seika," Avadil said brutally. "These people will buy from you today, and they are going to use these artifacts to oppose you tomorrow."

"As long as they want their artifacts to keep working, they need to think twice before attempting such a thing."

"A ruthless tactic," Avadil sighed. "They need to trust you more than they want to, Seika," he touched the artifacts in front of him. "I just wish by the time everyone turns against each other, you would be there to stop it."

Arthur didn't say anything and thought things through. Of course, it was an advantage to destroy the runes without them knowing, but it was also good to let them know that he could take away their strengths.

The first was an excellent tactic to know who is rotten and who is not. However, the second one ensured that no one crossed Arthur, and it was a great preventive measure. Most nobles would turn away from betraying him this way.

"Ma will introduce the artifacts, and I'll let him know of my decision," Arthur said before he turned to Avadil. "Is there anything more to discuss?"

"Nothing that I can't discuss with your manager," Avadil smiled. "You can enjoy the show, Seika."

Arthur nodded and left the room, and he was guided to a balcony that oversaw the auction hall. The place looked nothing like he was used to, as most auction halls were filled with chairs and packed to the brim.

This one, however, looked like a grand garden with ponds in every corner. In the ponds were water lilies that signified the auction hall's name. Tea tables were placed between the ponds and plants, and they were where the guests sat.

"An enormous place," Ma was amazed. "They are deserving of their reputation as the best auction house."

"I thought there were two others."

"Those houses are also grand, but that only came from their political power. The fallen prince only uses his money and resources to keep this place in its status. In a true sense, this was the best auction house in Livia."

"The fallen prince, huh?" Arthur leaned back in his chair as his eyes scanned the crowd. "I want you to investigate this man. Do not leave anything behind, understood?"

"Yes, my lord."

"How come we didn't see this place in Contracts City?" Arthur asked with a frown. "Livia isn't the trading hub of the kingdom, so it doesn't make any sense that his main auction house is here."

"The fallen prince is one of the few opposing the current ruling class, especially the nobles. Most people treat it as pathetic ambitions to reclaim the throne, but the king seems to be favoring him."

"King Solomon is on his side?" it was getting too complicated for Arthur to understand. "How did these two come together, given their past?"

"Rumors say that the fallen prince worked with his majesty to overthrow his father and brothers. The only one to survive from the royal family was him, but he wasn't treated as a hero, but a traitor."

"Betrayal has nothing to do with heroism. As long as you betray someone, people won't ever trust you anymore," Arthur sighed as he saw Avadil make an entrance and greet the guests.

"A sad fate," Ma sighed as he stood up. "I need to take my leave too, Seika. Do you have anything in particular to announce?"

"If you are asked about the artifacts' ownership, then you can tell the people that they would only be deactivated if they are used against me or my city. Otherwise, they are free to use it however they wish."

Ma nodded and left the balcony, leaving Arthur to his thoughts. As he stared at the prince, trying to understand the power structure of the kingdom, a pair of hands slipped from behind him.

"You are going to scare them if you stare like that," Dia said as she hugged him from behind, breathing in his smell. Arthur unknowingly smiled as he turned his neck to kiss her lips. "Mm," she closed her eyes.

"I didn't think you would be this affectionate in public," Arthur pulled back as he smiled. Dia sat beside him with a pout when she heard his words.

"I am not a coward," she said firmly. "I don't care what these people think. Besides, it's not like anyone can see us."

"It seems this place is private enough," Arthur nodded. "How is it possible that you look more beautiful than yesterday?"

"I am the same," Dia said with a teasing smile. "You simply got a taste, and you can't restrain yourself anymore," she said as she traced her collarbone with her index finger.

Arthur stared at her and blinked, and the princess did the same. Their eyes arched before they both laughed at the same time, their giggles lasting for a good thirty seconds.

"This is not us, it seems," Arthur said, but his smile didn't disappear at all. "Have you contacted your people in the capital yet?"

"I have," Dia nodded. "They were worried that I fled the kingdom and left them to be eaten by the nobles."

"It seems they don't trust you a lot," Arthur sighed.

In the same way that he picked Ma and Gruen and all of his current followers, Dia made sure to find herself people to work for her. Her current position was vague, but it was set in stone that the king would reward her with the rank of a commander, the same as the knights.

However, her division was a new one, called Lance. It is supposed to be the strongest unit in the army and the ending force that would stop the war.

"Not even the king trusts me yet," Dia said with a forced smile. "I don't trust anyone, too."

"I see," Arthur feigned being hurt, and she simply chuckled before grabbing his hand.

"You are not a part of them or anyone," she said as she turned to look him in the eye. "I don't need to trust you because I am okay with anything you do. If you stabbed my heart one day, I would make sure your clothes aren't bloodied."

Arthur felt overwhelmed by the amount of love she had for him. It was against his wishes to think like this, but he wondered if he deserved it. There was no way to know if he wouldn't commit such a sin one day.

"I will never hurt you," Arthur tightened his hand, holding hers. "Even if it kills me. I will never hurt you."

Diana gave a grin filled with happiness, and her image was forever imprinted in his heart. Arthur didn't know if the promise he just gave would haunt him forever, but he somehow knew that their ending would be miserable.

They will both bleed.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a woman took the stage wearing a white dress that stuck to her body. "Welcome to Lily Auction House!"

The lights were stolen from the sky as she finished her words, although no celling was above them. The stage lit up with the woman from before, as beautiful as the moon in the night.

"You are all here to change your lives, I know," she said with a smile. "Some of you are here to make money. Others are here to break through their limits. However, we can all agree that by the end of today, then your lives will be changed."

Her words made the crowd filled with expectations, and the woman threw her arm for the first item to appear on the stage. A cage rose from the center of the stage, and there was a figure inside it.

"We are going to start this auction with one of the rarest monsters to be seen, a hobgoblin! Despite looking like a human and a demi, he is far from being one!"

Arthur rose from his chair as his eyes managed to make out the figure inside the cage.. His hand grabbed the railing and dug through it as his body resonated with the prisoner.

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