After a bit more conversation, Ariel returned to the Empress's Palace. The rest was just everyday talk, so there wasn't much useful information.
Orca, after hearing about my conversation with Ariel, immediately frowned as if suspecting something. Liam, who could now confidently voice his opinions even in front of all of us, seemed to think the same.
"Senior, are you sure that training method is helpful?"
"It probably is. It's one of the most common training methods used by spiritists. However… even if it's true that spirit stones are quite expensive, how many could the First Prince make on his own? It's suspicious that the Empress and the Duke, who could fill several warehouses with magic stones, would sell them."
"Actually, wouldn't it be more beneficial for Her Majesty the Empress, who isn't short on funds, to create artifacts rather than sell the spirit stones? That would be more helpful to His Highness the First Prince."
But if, as we suspect, they're not creating artifacts or selling them separately, then what are they using them for? Ariel said the Duke periodically collects the spirit stones, so if they were making artifacts, they would have made them by now.
Even if it took longer, they wouldn't have hidden that fact from Ariel. The fact that they didn't reveal the purpose means either it was too trivial to mention, or they couldn't say.
"If they were planning to make artifacts, the Duke wouldn't need to take them. They could easily be made in the Imperial Palace. We should first check if there's any official record of spirit stone transactions in the Duchy."
"Understood."
"Shuian, did Ariel say anything else?"
Theo's question reminded me of when I asked Ariel about my divine power. The last time we met, she said it looked like my torn divine power had recovered a lot, so I was curious if it had recovered this time as well.
'It looks like it's recovered a lot this time too.'
'Do you know how much it was torn? About half?'
'Um… to be honest, I can't say for sure because divine power doesn't have a clear shape, but… it was definitely torn a lot. My guess is that the amount recovered now is less than half of what was lost.'
Considering the amount recovered now, it was as good as me having lost most of my divine power. What on earth happened that caused so much divine power to be cut off? If that much divine power was cut off, wouldn't it be closely related to death? Could it be that the original owner of the body died, and that's why I possessed it? I made various guesses, but nothing came to mind.
Anyway, I decided not to mention that matter, just like before. If they asked why my divine power was cut off, I wouldn't be able to answer right away.
"She said things are going well with Ricardo. She seemed so unsure of herself, so I told her I thought he liked her too and to be brave. She said she would. Oh, and she wants to impress Theo so she can come have tea again."
"I see."
Theo looked noticeably pleased to hear that the two were doing well. Why are you so pleased?
"When I'm busy and bored, Shuian, if you want, you can invite the Saintess to have tea with you."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Finally, I got permission from the ultimate villain. It won't happen, but if Ariel and Ricardo break up, will he ban tea time again?
"I'll investigate the spirit stones separately with Liam. In the meantime, Your Highness, how about you attend the charity auction with Shuian-nim?"
According to Orca's explanation, the regularly held charity events were conducted in various ways, and this one was a charity auction.
Nobles would submit their cherished items, which would be sold in an auction format, and the proceeds would be donated in the name of the buyer.
Participants would put out artworks, sacred objects, or artifacts they owned, but since the purpose was essentially donation rather than auction, it didn't really matter if they didn't put out valuable items.
"Then what should we bring?"
"You can participate in the auction without registering any cherished items. And the reason for the two of you to participate together is to show that the Divine Beast still favors the Second Prince, so you can just buy a decent painting. The palace was too empty anyway, so it's perfect."
So it's a performance. That's my specialty. But I wonder if there are any eagle paintings or sculptures? I wish there was something that looked like me!
Theo and I arrived at the auction house just before the auction was about to begin. I didn't want to arrive too early and spend time being stared at.
A man who had been waiting at the entrance after being told we had arrived approached us. As soon as he saw us, he bowed so deeply that his waist almost touched his legs and guided us inside.
His attitude clearly showed how honored he was that the Prince and the Divine Beast had graced his event with their presence.
I couldn't quite hold hands in front of other people, so I tightly gripped Theo's sleeve and followed closely behind him. I had become somewhat accustomed to feeling uncomfortable as the number of people increased, but it seemed I needed more time to become completely unfazed.
The man, who introduced himself as Baron Dennis or Tennis, chattered incessantly as he guided us. Most of it was useless talk, and he occasionally glanced at me and seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to talk to me, so I stuck even closer to Theo and hid behind him.
"Haha, the Divine Beast seems to really like and rely on the Second Prince!"
"That's probably it. He hates people so much."
"Of course. I understand."
The Baron laughed heartily without showing any signs of displeasure. Rather than being fake, he seemed to have a naturally cheerful personality.
"It is a pity that Your Highness did not register any items today.”
"I have nothing that would suit your eyes. The most precious thing I possess is something I cannot give away.”
Theo's gaze turned to me. Ugh, this lovesick fool! Yes, I am the most precious thing! I diligently followed behind Theo, suppressing the slightly raised corners of my lips.
"The meaning is what's important, not whether it's precious or not! Please, put out even a small item. Because of its special meaning, I'm sure others will buy it with good intentions."
The Baron continued to pester Theo. As the host, he would be even happier if Theo put out an item since he was attending, but Theo didn't seem to care much.
I had a feeling that if things continued like this, he would stick to us and whine until the end of the auction, so I immediately transformed into an eagle.
The Baron was startled and trembled as he looked at me, who had suddenly turned into an eagle. Ignoring the strange noise he made, I took a big circle, plucked a feather, and turned back into a human.
Because I had been holding the feather in my beak, the feather was still in my mouth even after I transformed back into a human.
How embarrassing. Can't this be fixed somehow?
When I transform into a human while holding something in my beak, it should be held in my hand….
I handed the feather I had been holding in my mouth to the Baron. It didn't have any special meaning, and it was just a feather that would grow back anyway, so I gave it to him to tell him to stop bothering me.
"Use this, then.”
"Shuian!"
The Baron, who pretended not to hear Theo's objection, made another strange noise and accepted the feather.
"A, a staff member will guide you from here! Well, I have urgent business, so I'll excuse myself!"
The Baron, who abandoned us and hurriedly left, as if afraid Theo would stop him, was obviously going to register my feather for the auction.
Before long, someone who appeared to be a staff member approached us and led us to the VIP seats exclusively for the Prince, looking very nervous.
He explained how to participate in the auction and introduced the wine and finger foods that could be enjoyed, but he had a dazed look on his face, as if he didn't even know what he was saying.
In the VIP seats, instead of directly holding up a paddle or raising a hand and saying the amount, you could press the button in front of the seat and enter the number.
It looked more like the modern style I lived in, which was unique, but I didn't have the mind to be amazed. Even after the staff member left and the auction began, Theo still seemed to be in a very bad mood.
Could it be… because I gave him the feather…? No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing else besides the feather that could have made Theo feel upset. No, come to think of it, that's ridiculous…. The feather is mine, isn't it?!
Of course, I could only shout that confidently in my mind, so I quietly watched the auction proceed. For now, it seemed useless to say anything in this chaotic situation.
"Next is Baron Ian's donation item. Baron Ian is sponsoring a new artist, and he has given us the artist's latest work. The title of the work is not specified. Everyone will know when they see the painting. In my opinion, I hope ‘this person’ in particular takes it home.”
The host removed the cloth covering the painting. What was drawn on the large canvas was an eagle soaring into the blue sky. However, judging by the silver head feathers and eyes, it was clear who it was depicting.
"Oh, it's me!"
As I spoke, wiggling my butt, Theo chuckled and stroked my back. It seemed to mean to calm down, so I sat back down, but I still couldn't calm down because I thought they had drawn me. He even drew me so cool!
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