CHAPTER 11

Theo made a big mistake.

He shouldn't have trusted Princess Ramira's words earlier. He should have persuaded her to stay in the palace. He should have stopped her from thinking of going out just to have some fun. He should have ignored Ramira's pitiful acting earlier just for him to say yes.

If he did, then they shouldn't be in this horrible place right now. Both of them are wearing masks that cover their faces. But Theo is confident that there's a delighted smile on Ramira's face right now. While he is starting to get anxious, the princess is obviously enjoying what is happening around them.

An hour ago, Theo and Ramira arrived at the plaza with their disguises on. Theo cast an illusion spell that changes their appearances and clothes. Just like what Ramira had said, she just want to have some fun while visiting every stall that sells different items from other kingdoms. They also visited stores that sell different snacks and tried to compare their tastes of it to the food they usually eat.

Ramira looks so happy walking around the plaza. Theo keeps his distance closer to her just to make sure that he will not lose her in the crowd. There are also times when Ramira will interact with the foreigners visiting their kingdom and putting all the things she learns from her language class into practice. Seeing her happy like this almost makes Theo not to regret his decision to bring her out of the Amber Palace.

Almost.

At first, it seems like Ramira is really planning to fulfill her promise of staying in the plaza for only an hour. She already bought the things that captured her interest and eat the delicious foods she sees in a different food stall. Ramira even tried to ask him if he wants to go back and take a rest.

But it was all ruined when she accidentally bumped with an errand boy. That boy was not looking around and bumped his shoulders on the princess making the things in his arms spill on the ground. Naturally, Ramira and Theo tried to help that boy but he looked so frantic and anxious. After gathering his things, the errand boy quickly bowed his head and ran away from them. When Theo asked if she was ready to go, the princess showed him a black envelope.

They tried to find the errand boy to return the envelope. But no matter how much they look for him, that boy seems like he already left the plaza leaving the black envelope in their possession. Ramira checked the envelope to see if there is a written address on it. But there is nothing on it except for the weird stamp on the left corner of that envelope.

Without any reservation, Ramira opened the envelope before Theo can stop him. There is only a small coin with weird symbols engraved on it and a card that shows the direction to a specific place. Their eyes widened in surprise when it finally dawned to them what kind of letter landed on their hands.

It was a secret invitation to the illegal auction that will happen tonight.

Before Theo can say anything, Ramira quickly announced that they will attend the auction. Theo really tried his best to dissuade the princess from her ideas. He gave a lot of examples to the princess in hope that it will stop her from going to that auction.

Theo gave her a few reasons including the King's reaction when he finds out that the princess is missing from her palace. He also added that Prince Geradine can possibly see them if they will attend the auction. He also added that the things they will see them can make her nauseous and disgusted.

But Ramira ignored all of it. She said that King Teriza is not in his palace because he has an inspection to do on their eastern region today. Geradine can possibly not notice them if Theo will use his advanced skills in magic. Although Geradine is good at magic, Theo's skills are still superior to him. It is because the specialization Parvil family is casting spells and magic.

Lastly, Ramira pointed out that seeing the good and bad things in their kingdom is her responsibility to know how she can help their citizen more. She will not become a princess who just stays inside her palace every day and is still clueless about what's happening in her kingdom. She will give all her best to help and support her twin brother in leading the Verdandi Kingdom in the future. And to do that, she should be aware of the current events and problems circulating around them.

Theo is still against with her idea. No matter how much he thinks about it, having the princess in that kind of place feels weird and wrong. The princess grew up in a luxurious palace where everything is possible for her to do. She is also doted by their king and never let even an ant hurt her.

But Ramira is so determined to go. If Theo will try to reject her idea and bring them back to her palace, the princess swears that she will use the small amount of mana in her body just to go to the auction and leave him alone. She really sounds so serious that it made Theo feel nervous about her. As someone skilled in using magic, he knows that the princess can only use the small excess of mana that the seal fails to keep if she wants to perform any magic. If she used too much mana, her body will definitely suffer a lot.

To make it worst, Ramira threatened Theo that she will tell the Marquis Parvil all the insolence he said to her. Not only that, Ramira said she will cry in front of the king saying Theo insulted her a lot of them if he will try to stop her from going to that place. And those words actually work to him. Theo is scared of the people that the princess mentioned to him. His father is a terrifying man while King Teriza can become dangerous when it comes to his children. He has no match when it comes to these two people.

With a frustrated groan, Theo had no choice but to say yes. But in exchange, he gave Ramira two conditions. First, they will never do anything that can call the attention of others to them. Second, she is not allowed to go anywhere without him on his side.

After confirming that the princess understands his condition, he begrudgingly guides the princess to the place where the auction will happen in just a few hours using the map that is included inside the envelope. To secure their safety, Theo created hooded cloaks and masks that can hide their mana and presence from anyone. Just to make sure, Theo still put their disguise activated in case their masks will be removed by accident. He also prepared himself to use combat magic in case someone can recognize the princess and attack them. Theo promises to himself that they will leave that place as soon as possible the moment he sees any problems or situations that will put their lives in danger.

When they arrived at the location, Theo really wants to teleport them back to the palace if not for the threats Ramira gave to him earlier. The auction will be held in an abandoned building behind the plaza and near the slums. With their faces covered with masks, Ramira and Theo entered the building where the magic porter, the person that can use transporting magic for several times in a day, is already waiting for their guests. After showing him the coin they got from the envelope, the porter respectfully bowed his head to them and brought them to the real venue of tonight's auction.

The porter they hired for tonight is really good. In just a few minutes, they both arrived at a huge and luxurious place. Theo quickly moves closer to Ramira and becomes alert with their surroundings. Just like them, many of the guests invited tonight are also wearing masks to hide their identities.

While Theo is on full alert, Ramira is getting amazed on the other hand. Although this place is doing illegal transactions, she can't help but wonder how rich and powerful is the person who started this business. For him to hold a huge event like this in their kingdom is not an ordinary thing to do.

Theo told Ramira that they should choose a seat away from the other guests. Looking around, they sit on the chair near the exit for safety precaution. While looking around, Ramira quickly lowered her head and Theo did not miss her actions. The princess pulled Theo closer to her and whispered in his ear.

"The person wearing a black and blue mask... That is Geradine."