One of the retainers looked at her with a respectful expression. Was his name Daren Dru Siorcan? The man, who was said to be a distant relative of Varkas, spoke cautiously.

“If there is anything that catches Your Highness's eye, I shall purchase it for you.”

“That won't be necessary. I don't need—”

Talia, who had been about to reject him out of habit, suddenly closed her mouth.

Truthfully, she was beginning to grow tired of sitting still like an ornament.

After stealing a glance at Varkas, who was surrounded by administrators and council members, she pulled her hood lower over her head and rose from her seat.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

As they exited the meeting hall through the rear door, a vast space crowded with hundreds of merchants revealed itself.

Standing by the railing, Talia looked down.

Mountains of brightly colored wool fabrics and felt had been piled high upon tightly arranged stalls, while behind them stretched long rows of carts and crates packed with cargo.

“This way, please.”

The man guided her toward the stairs.

Clutching the railing with one hand, Talia descended carefully. The moment she stepped off the last stair, the bustling scenery of the auction hall filled her vision.

As she walked through the crowded aisles, she watched merchants fiercely competing with one another in bidding wars.

Men dressed no less extravagantly than nobles shouted themselves hoarse during negotiations, while brokers calculated commissions and taxes with scales and abacuses. Carriers loaded neatly stacked bolts of cloth onto wagons and hauled them away.

It felt as though she had suddenly been dropped into the center of a mad banquet.

After briefly examining spices sold by foreign merchants, she turned toward a comparatively quiet shop.

Crude handicrafts made with mediocre skill were arranged atop a rather shabby stall.

As she looked over them with disinterest, the man following behind her like a silent bodyguard spoke.

“The jewelers are located in the side gallery. Shall I guide you there?”

“No need. I don't wear anything except dwarf-made ornaments, anyway.”

“Ah... I see.”

The man scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Ignoring him, Talia stepped into an alley lined with small shops.

Then a tapestry hanging on the wall caught her eye.

She approached and stared intently at the strangely patterned decorative cloth.

Woven from threads of gold, red, and deep reddish-brown, it depicted a young woman with pure white skin and a black beast with three heads.

Frowning as she studied the somewhat eerie image, she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice nearby.

“Do you like that tapestry?”

Turning her head, Talia discovered an eastern woman inside the stall and immediately became wary.

Setting down the ledger she had been holding, the woman politely offered a deal.

“It is listed for thirty Soldem, but if milady purchases it, I shall let it go for twenty-six.”

“Who would buy something this bizarre?”

At Talia's curt reply, faint curiosity appeared on the woman's face.

Tilting her head, she carefully examined Talia's features.

“It seems milady comes from another region.”

Talia shot her a guarded look.

“How do you know?”

“This tapestry depicts the most famous folktale in the East. Since you did not recognize it, I assumed you were from elsewhere.”

“A folktale?”

Talia looked back at the hanging cloth.

Perhaps pleased by her interest, the merchant immediately began her story.

“Long ago, there lived upon this land a monstrous beast that sought to devour even the stars in the heavens. Filled with greed, the creature tried to swallow every living thing in the world.”

Having set the stage dramatically, the woman paused to observe Talia's reaction.

Talia motioned with her chin for her to continue.

The woman's clear voice, carrying a strange resonance, slowly resumed.

“One day, the spirit of the earth awakened to put the beast threatening the world to sleep. She sang without rest for one hundred days and one hundred nights and tamed the creature. In time, a great warrior was born between them. The ancient people of the East believed themselves to be descendants of that warrior.”

Talia frowned.

She recalled hearing a similar story from the maids of Laedgo Castle.

Rummaging through a neatly folded pile of cloth, the merchant pulled out a handkerchief and spread it atop the counter.

“Even now, many easterners believe that carrying the symbol of the black beast wards off misfortune. How about buying one as a keepsake, milady?”

Upon the crimson fabric was embroidered the three-headed monster.

The pattern seemed oddly familiar.

Narrowing her eyes, Talia soon remembered where she had seen it.

It had appeared in the history books she studied while learning about the Age of the Warring Kingdoms.

Before its incorporation into the Roem Empire, it had been the symbol used by House Siorcan.

As though drawn by something, she picked it up.

It was an object utterly unlike her tastes, but it felt unpleasant to ignore the merchant's enthusiasm.

Glancing over her shoulder, she spoke.

“What are you waiting for? Pay for it.”

At that moment, a slender hand with prominent knuckles reached out from beside her.

“Will this suffice?”

Several gleaming gold coins landed atop the counter along with a cool voice.

Startled, Talia turned around.

Varkas, draped in a dark navy cloak, was looking down at her with an indifferent expression.

Standing close enough that his body brushed her back, he spoke softly beside her temple in his low, beautiful voice.

“Is there anything else you would like?”

Talia stared blankly up at him before slowly shaking her head.

Varkas, who had been gazing intently at her face, shifted his eyes toward the merchant.

“Is this enough?”

“Y-yes! More than enough!”

As the merchant hurriedly gathered the gold coins, Varkas turned without hesitation.

Led by his hand through the narrow passageway, Talia found herself looking upon a quieter section of the auction hall.

Entering a corridor in the center of the building, Varkas spoke quietly.

“The jewel shops are over there. I hear merchants from the southern continent have opened businesses here as well. You may find something to Your Highness's liking.”

Talia simply stared blankly up at him.

At that moment, the man who had silently followed them all this time thoughtlessly interrupted.

“Your Grace, Her Highness has said she only wears dwarf-made jewelry. Would the wares of heathens truly satisfy the Imperial Princess?”

Talia glared at the man from beneath her robe.

She could not let an idiot like him ruin her chance to receive a gift from Varkas.

Rather hurriedly, she blurted out,

“Come to think of it, I suppose having one or two unusual pieces might not be so bad.”

Varkas looked down at her over his shoulder for a brief moment before facing forward again.

After passing dozens of stalls, they arrived at the side gallery of the building.

Soon, the entrance to a precious metals exchange guarded by fierce-looking men came into view.

Varkas led her inside.

“Welcome.”

Without even lifting his head, the merchant standing before the display case offered a clumsy greeting.

Despite the rude attitude, Varkas showed no reaction and simply brought Talia before the counter.

“If anything catches your eye, please say so.”

Talia slowly looked over the display lined with red velvet.

Large and small gemstones of considerable quality had been arranged in neat rows.

Among them were several items that seemed extraordinary even to someone like her, who had spent her life surrounded by rare treasures.

She unconsciously picked one up.

Immediately, the merchant, who had been inspecting another gem through a magnifying lens, barked sharply.

“Miss! You cannot touch things so carelessly—!”

Recognizing Varkas a moment later, the merchant sucked in a breath and jumped to his feet.

Varkas said in a flat voice,

“Everything Her Highness touches shall be purchased.”

“N-no, Your Grace! Please don't concern yourself. Feel free to examine anything you wish. I failed to recognize you and committed a grave discourtesy...”

Ignoring the merchant's babbling, Talia turned her gaze elsewhere.

Then she suddenly stopped.

A softly glowing blue mineral had caught her eye.

Picking it up and holding it beneath the light, she watched mysterious silver hues flow across its smooth surface.

It was a beautiful moonstone that reminded her of Varkas's eyes.

“Do you like it?”

She had been staring at the gem as though entranced when Varkas spoke.

Startled, Talia hurriedly set it down.

His eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through her heart, and the back of her neck grew hot.

“N-not really.”

Quickly, Talia snatched up the red ruby beside it.

“I'll take this one.”