Chapter 82: Auction room
There were two cats.
One was angry.
One was smiling.
Both were wearing black suits.
The two minions of Duke Ison Vis were standing at the entrance, greeting each guest with their cat mask on.
Alyssa stood at the side, completely hidden from view, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
But seeing the empty hallway, the gatekeepers began to close the entrance door.
"Wait!" Alyssa approached them in a rush.
"Welcome," The smiling cat bowed, his head tilted to the side. "A cured?" he double checked the list on his hand. "Your first time?" he scratched his chin. "all the guests are already inside…" he said more to himself.
"Impossible," Alyssa handed the crimson envelope to the smiling cat. "I'm obviously not inside yet."
The angry cat intervened and took the envelope, opening it. "The invitation." He nodded to the smiling cat, confirming it was genuine.
The gatekeepers took a step aside and allowed Alyssa and Eli inside.
"Duchess Zenalda…" The angry cat read the name written on the envelop. "Zenalda…." Something was bothering him--- it was at the back of his mind. "Zenalda…" then it clicked. "Isn't the duchess locked in the dungeon?!" he turned around, ready to capture the intruders.
But the smiling cat stopped him.
The angry cat tilted his head to the side. "Shouldn't we run after them?"
"No," the smiling cat rubbed the chin of his fellow gatekeeper. "No, we should not treat our guest that way."
"But…" The angry cat saw the smiling cat shake his head no, then finally remembered something. "Oh," he pounded a fist on his palm. "Right!"
They looked at the back profile of the last two guests getting farther and farther away from them--- their real expressions hidden behind their masks.
***
Alyssa and Eli hurried inside as the voices of the gatekeepers faded and turned into murmurs.
"That was easy." Alyssa was relieved that they were not questioned.
'Too easy.' Elion does not feel the same way.
The entrance was narrow and dim, there were only a few floor lights to guide the guest inside. The floor was covered with red velvet carpet with either side of the walls covered with soundproof panels.
The murmurs becoming louder--- turning into laughers and clicking of wine bottles.
At the end of the narrow entrance was a huge opera house--- something Alyssa only saw in historical magazine from the time before.
The velvet carpet continued to cover every corner, the seats too where that of velvet red. There were three floors of seats, all facing the empty stage.
A huge chandelier was dangling above in the middle of the room. Cherubs painted on the ceiling were circling the chandelier as if reaching for the light. Golden columns and engravings of wings and angels were everywhere--- from the seat handle to the railings and columns.
It looked exactly like the picture Alyssa saw in a magazine, but somehow, it felt bigger and grander--- more beautiful and vibrant.
Alyssa had never been on this side of the palace, never wandered in this area as a child. Most likely because of Ison Vis, only one look from him would make young Alyssa running in a second.
An attendant stopped in front of Alyssa and offered a golden plate of appetizers. It was full of, well, meat. But she was surprised to see that it had a mix of toasted chips with ranched as a spread.
Though she found something she can eat, she shook her head and did not take any.
In order to eat and drink, she has to take her mask off.
"Hey, here!" Kiva was waving to the attendant who was in front of Alyssa.
Alyssa suddenly turned to Eli. "She will notice if we stick together. Always keep at least ten steps away from me."
Eli nodded and did as was told, though silent, he cannot help himself but to admire the view too. He had to admit that he too was too distracted on the architecture in front of him to memorize the layout of the room. He decided to perch by the wall where he can see the princess well, a strategy that made the opposite of what he wanted, he became more visible to those around him.
"Judging from your stance, I believe you're not a royal." A tall and slender man, carrying a wine walked towards Eli. "Cured, maybe? Or an errand boy?" he scanned Eli from head to toe.
The man had a feathery purple mask the covered his eyes. "Mr. Batman? Isn't it a little late for a Halloween party?"
Elion looked at the man for the first time, hearing the word Halloween, he did not expect that. "There's no other available mask."
"I could see that." The slender man perched on the wall beside Elion as they observed the crowd as if they were outsiders. "This is my first time seeing you here, I'm assuming you're bidding for one of the items. But since you're new let me tell you a little secret," he leaned towards Elion's ear. "There won't be any bidding for the items tonight, they were already sold earlier today. And to tell you in, they were in a rush to dispose them! I've got such a bargain. They're saying that the princess is here tonight, playing house, and the queen would like to keep it low before her ceremony."
Elion was about go to the princess to inform her, but the man grabbed him by the wrist. "Oh, don't go yet, dear. I would gladly give you one of my purchases when they deliver it this midnight."
"Where are the items?"
The slender man laughed from the absurd question. "Where? On the warehouse of course!" he opened his bag to get a pen and paper. "You can leave your name and address and I'll have it delivered directly to you, my gift to you as a start of our friendship…" he looked up and Elion was already gone.
***
"Princess!"
"Shhhh! Don't call me like that! Call me… Maya!" Alyssa hissed. "And did I not tell you to have ten steps distance between us? Kiva will notice!" she pushed him away.
"But Pri--- Maya, they know." Elion knew it perfectly well. "…they know." He was aware and yet he did not say anything until this moment.
A bell was rang announcing the start of the auction.
"Why are you suddenly becoming talkative at a time like this? Keep your thoughts for later. " Alyssa strategically waited for Duke Cliff and Kiva to sit before she chose hers--- she wanted to be as far from them as possible.
Alyssa turned her head to see Eli attempting to approach her again, she raised a finger to warn him not to move. A slender man grabbed Eli on the elbow dragging him away from Alyssa.
Everybody was given a bidder paddles, and Alyssa had the number nine. She took it for now, but to tell the truth, she does not know what it was for. Fortunately, her mother was sitting at the very front center ever since she came in. If Kiva could recognize her at a sight, the queen would definitely recognize her with just a strand of her hair. Fortunately, her queen mother never once turned he head back to observe the crowd.
A spotlight was tuned on from somewhere, pointing at the center of the stage, the red velvet curtain slowly opening, revealing Ison Vis who was wearing a blue eye mask to match his tie.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our auction! We have a lot of thing in store for you, and I can assure you'll leave this room with a lighter pocket."
The crowd erupted with laughter, agreeing from his statement.
"We don't need to wait further as I present to you our first item for tonight."
Drum rolls suddenly engulfed the room as a golden cart with a black box on it was being wheeled at the center.
The young assistant slid one of the side open, revealing a bottle of… pink sand?
"Salt!" Ison Vis' voice reverberated. "From the mountains afar, and we could guarantee you that these are the last bottle of their kind. Will definitely add a new flavor to your favorite dish." He scanned the room and smiled. "We'll begin at a thousand Rigs."
"We have fifteen hundred." Ison Vis pointed to the raised paddle from the crowd.
The card paddles were raised from one moment to another to the point that Alyssa was astonished how fast the event had happened.
"Fifty-six hundred." Ison Vis' right hand was raised. "Fifty-six hundred?" seeing that there were no other people were raising their hands. "Closed, sold to number thirty-eight for fifty-five hundred!" he clapped.
The crowd clapped in response.
After that, one black box to another were being shown successively. There were paintings that Alyssa does not understand why the value was so expensive, nor old clothes from alleged artists and politicians from the time before. It was so normal of an auction that Alyssa had actually relaxed, bored even—there was nothing she was interested in. The final bidding was for a pearl necklace that allegedly was once belonged to a famous singer from the time before, which was of course bought by her Queen mother.
"That is all for the night ladies and gentlemen, may you all have a good night now that you have lighter purses."
The audience clapped and dispersed, Alyssa stood up too and ran towards the exit way before someone could recognize her.
Alyssa and Eli were the first one to exit out of the room.
"Well, that was uneventful. "Alyssa was glad she saw nothing. It was just a normal club and nothing more, a club she would be a member of after her birthday. "Maybe I could bid for some items one day."
Alyssa sounded disappointed but she was actually happy. Really happy to the point she felt bad for inviting herself in, for not trusting her mother.
"Princess," Eli said from behind.
"Yes?"
"Would you mind going someplace else at midnight?"
"What do you mean? Do they have an after party or something? I don't think it would be wise, knowing Kiva…" she shivered from just the thought. "Kiva would reveal my cover. "
Alyssa removed her mask, careful so no guards would see it, and walked straight towards her room.
"Princess, they know you're there."
"Impossible." Alyssa turned around. "The only people who knows about this is you, me, and Maya. Unless one of you reported me to the royals, no one would know…."
"Chief Barn." Eli said simply.
Princess Alyssa snickered. "Impossible."
'Is it?' A voice at the back of her mind asked.
"Impossible." Alyssa said to the voice.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone