Abandoned Princess [Old version]

Chapter 96

"What is she doing here?" Aiden hissed looking to where his majesty stood in front of a girl—the princess, bars between them. "Did you tell her, Carsien?"

Carsien could only shake his head as he frowns towards Magnolia.

If not... then how did she even get here? There's no way the princess followed them, and if so, the possibility for her to be inside that cage posing as a person who's ready to sell themselves would be zero.

With a sigh, Lucas took the three's attention. "Change of plans. We'll look suspicious if we all go over there. Now that you brats are here, how about help us look for some dirt in this lovely cage? It's too good to be true that this kind of business doesn't have filth, so split up. Let's us hope that he won't summon hell after I informed Edmund that you three are also here."

Without another word they all dispersed mixing with the crowds.

Feigning interest Aeduan moved closer to the other side of the birdcage testing his luck on this side. Subtly looking for someone suspicious or something amiss.

A few courtesans looked at him, batting their eyes, thinking he's some potential buyer.

He glanced away to look down on the floor. The floor was nice. It's a good place to rest his eyes.

Not much for the luck, he guessed.

"There's nothing good around here," someone near him spat and clicked his tongue. "I thought that I could spend smaller amount... Better be someone worth spending over there."

Aeduan watched the man stalked off. Even with the mask he could recognize who that person was. Perhaps the man didn't care about hiding his identity as the Archbishop at the church he sometimes attends to.

He followed the Archbishop discreetly but never far enough to lose sight of his prey. Taking turns in every hallway and corridor, fewer and fewer the guests he passes by becomes until they step outside. He stopped his track watching the follower of gods crossed the small garden and entered the adjacent building.

Two guards stood by the door.

A smile formed on his lips. "Found it," he whispered to no one as he looks at the dark sky. Storm clouds overshadowed the moon, the scent of an upcoming storm breezed through the garden.

Making sure he was hidden, his magic surged through him, producing a small blue flame at the garden near him at the same time easily notice. Without waiting too long a guard went and checked the blue flame with caution.

"What—!?"

Aeduan cut his magic extinguishing the fire right before the guard and swiftly strangled the man.

"Hey! What happened?" The other guard called a bit alarmed. "Where'd you go?"

It's a good thing that there's no moonlight making the garden harder to distinguish with it's ominous presence.

"I swear if I discover that he planned this just to escape his duty... he better prepare when I find him, I'll make sure he won't walk for the next few days," the guard grumbled stomping towards where his companion disappeared.

Doing the same as the first guard, Aeduan sneaked behind his target, placed his hand on the mouth as his free arm went to the neck compressing it tightly enough to restrict the airflow. "Mmph!?"

He pulled away when the man was out of consciousness and lay him next to the companion.

Slipping inside the building he strutted in the empty hallway and randomly picked a door.

It took a lot of effort for Aeduan not to stand and gawk like the newcomer that he was. Unlike the hall he's at a while ago, he had entered a smaller version of it. It was decorated in elegance, perfectly-coordinated in aesthetic and refinement.

Few unoccupied chairs on the side of the hall facing a platform which is probably where the auction will take place. Over the other side, were the birds being leered with lust and delight.

Instead of one large birdcage, each courtesan has their own cages, and it comes up with a swing inside of it for the courtesans to sit onto.

There were only five of them, suspended to the high ceiling hovering a few feet above, these rounded birdcages were decorated with delicate white and pastel florals, a tad of lush greenery here and there, and light linens.

A quick glanced around he couldn't spot the Archbishop but he noticed someone, well, of course his attention will be pulled by this specific bird. She was standing out against the others like a sore thumb.

She was enchantingly beautiful. Saintly pure if it wasn't for that black full-length thin dress against her pale skin and silver-colored hair. The only one who's wearing black among the rest of the courtesans.

A dove? He wondered, boldly staring at the girl, who looked about his age or a year younger, just like the rest of the male inside this room.

"If only she's the same age as my mother-in-law," a man stood in front of him said sighing longingly who thought no one was listening to him. "I was curious about this place but I just wasted my time. I should have spent it with my wife's mother. Take her outside for a dinner would be nice." The man sighed again before leaving.

... Aeduan made sure to bury that information in the depths of his brain to forever be forgotten.

"Breath-taking, isn't she?"

Aeduan shortly studied the person who spoke beside him. A small plump man wearing a full mask. He didn't miss how this stranger spoke like he was a proud father.

He didn't bother responding and went back focusing on the silver-haired courtesan. There's something with this person, he'd a feeling that she resembles someone but couldn't make head nor tail of it.

"Too bad she's only a display for the rest of the night," the short man continued in dissatisfying.

"Little Dove, how about ask your boss to let you participate in the auction? I promise you I'll make you feel good," someone in the crowd that circled the cage spoke.

"Stop ignoring us, Dove. Don't you want to have some fun?"

The girl inside placed her bare feet on the base of the birdcage hopping off lightly on the swing. Her impassive face turned into a scowl. She walked inside her cage not losing her balance when the cage swung a little from the movement. Glaring down at the harassers with her blue-green eyes she gripped the cage.

"Dove!? Are you stupid or something? Have you ever seen a black dove?" She snarled at them. "I'm a fucking raven, you disgusting shits! Leave me alone before I claw your eyeballs out of those damn sockets."

It's a good thing that he wasn't near the cage, he's sure that those words weren't an empty threat.

With that crass mouth of her and how she stood there ready to grab someone's neck so she can pull them and proceed on gauging the eyes, Aeduan could say that she's like a vicious animal against the soft decoration around her. Raven was the perfect description for her.

"Even our precious bird proclaimed that she's a Raven, she's still a Dove," the plump man beside him informed loudly and was received by a sneer from the said bird.

On second thought, she's looking more like a rabid dog. Those small cute dogs who bare their fangs at you when you get near.

Aeduan was mildly surprised when a pair of cyan eyes met his red ones. She glowered at him as if she read his mind and flipped him off before going back to the swing.

There's a mixed feeling inside him that he couldn't understand after being given the finger but he's sure offended was one of them. Maybe also irritation, he wasn't sure.

A frown had settled on his face.