Valerian, The Legendary

187 Discovered.

Amile and Valerian came to the auction house with beast pelts and parts to sell. The city had two big auction houses, and while Ryker and Quies dealt with one of them, the two choose this one, called the Lily Auction house. The people around the city told them that this was a newly open auction house and not very popular, but the two still came in for a special reason.

This auction house was two floors high and looked similar to a typical shop with no extravagance whatsoever. There was an old man standing guard at the door, although he looked lax, his sharp eyes were enough to tell anyone that this old man was a dagger waiting to strike. Valerian and Amile climbed the steps and came to the door.

The old man nodded to them and slightly pushed open the door. The two entered the place quickly, and Valerian came to the counter the girl behind the table asked him, “Hello Sir, welcome to the Lily auction house. How may I be of service?”

Valerian asked, “I would like to see the Lily bloom.”

This phrase surprised the girl and it also surprised Amile. While the latter was surprised, the former was shocked with excitement. The young prince knocked on the table counter and the girl woke up from her daze. She reacted quickly and said, “Please follow me to the second floor, Sire.”

Valerian nodded and followed her to the staircase that led to the second floor from the side of the reception hall. Amile could not help but wonder what was happening here, and the prince did not clarify it either. They ascended to the second floor and the girl knocked on the only room that was present there.

The door was opened and the trio entered the room. A few tables were set and the people were all working with documents and tickets. However, if someone was to look beyond the series of desks, they will be able to spot an oddity in the wall. Valerian said, “Amile, what you are about to see is for your eyes only. The only reason you get to see this is because you are the disciple and nephew of Prime Minister Alm. Otherwise, I would not have bought you here.”

Amile understood what was going on, and nodded as he said, “I understand your intentions, your highness, do not worry, I will not let down the name I bear.”

He was also from the lineage of people who were given the surname Lumen. Amile was steadfast and sharp, that was why Valerian had called him to come along. As soon as the young man stopped speaking, the girl, who led them upstairs, tapped a panel on the wall behind the desks.

.....

The entire wall which looked as if made of stone parted from the middle revealing a small gap. Amile mumbled in surprise, “Blooming lily.”

The wall was painted with a pair of lilies but when the wall parted the flowers bloomed. Valerian said, “Keep up.”

Then he nodded to the girl and walked inside the gap. The girl waited for the two of them to enter and again tapped the wall, the enclosure closed. Amile was surprised to see this, but Valerian was calm as he walked forward.

Valerian said, “You want to ask what is this auction house?”

Amile nodded and said, “Yes, your highness, that is the question I want to ask.”

Valerian nodded and said, “You can ask me what you have on your mind freely. Let me answer your question, Lily auction house is a secret front set up by Third Princess, Azula. This is a merchant house in front, but a spy organization as well.”

Amile was shocked to his core, he did not expect the youth of the royal family to be spread all around the continent. He asked, “This is a commendable thing, your highness, but I cannot help but wonder if the people in the auction house are loyal to the nation only?”

Valerian shook his head and said, “They are loyal to the princess only, not even the empire. The people you saw outside are all rescued from torment of the society. Some were beggars, some were abducted, forced into the flesh trade, slavery, and many more. They were rescued and given a chance to live properly. Do you know what is the term for the goddess who ends your worry and give you a reason to live?”

Amile subconsciously mumbled, “Goddess Vita.”

Valerian nodded and said, “These are the lives that even the goddess could not help but were preserved by the princess, now you can speculate their loyalty.”

Amile could not help but shiver at this statement. It meant that the princess had absolute control over the dedication of these people and someone who worshiped this intensely can cause storms as long as they wished. He understood the underlying meaning of this reminder from the prince. The princess was not to be wronged at all.

They walked to the end of the walkway and Aamile stood shocked, he spotted three figures in the small room. Fragrantia, Ensis, and Consano were present here. Amile could not understand how this happened, but before he could ask anything, Valerian had appeared beside Fragrantia and said, “Greetings, your excellency.”

Fragrantia was sitting on a throne chair with her usual appearance, it did not seem like she was in here hiding from a pursuit. Ensis was beside her and so was Consano.

The small room consisted of a basic setup, a bed, a set of chairs, and a table. Fragrantia smiled and said, “You arrived faster than I expected you to, Val.”

Valerian smiled and said, “Wasting time is not a good habit.”

The lady nodded and Valerian said, “This young man is the direct disciple of Prime Minister Alm. He will serve the purpose.”

Amile bowed in greeting to the Empress but his heart was beating faster from the conversation he heard, and even Fortuna, who seemed to have blended herself in the scene was surprised by what was going on here.

The empress seemed to be fine and not afflicted by poison at all. The Empress nodded and said, “I had to circulate the rumor that I am injured and that all my aids have died in battles. This had lowered the guard of the enemy and given us a chance to strike him when he thinks were are done for.”

Amile and Fortuna nodded as they understood this reasoning, but the young man soon asked, “Your Excellency, please forgive me, but may I ask, what is going on here, the situation does not seem as tense as mentioned in the court.”

Valerian replied, “We deceived everyone.”

His words shocked the cat and the man. They did not expect such a surprise. Fragrantia picked up where the young prince left off, “We wanted to find a candidate for the puppet emperor of the Stellan Empire, but we also needed him to maintain an independent image in front of his court and his public.

So, when the candidate, the duke’s son agreed to our proposal and then we decided to play this small act. Now, what we need to do is to kill the enemy soldiers, the men that the Duke’s son owns all have a silver armband on their right arms, while the rest does not. The band is very fine and can be misunderstood as a string of hair.

All you need to do is to go and start trouble in the city. However, make sure that you do not get caught.”

Amile smiled and said, “I get it now, Your Excellency wishes to help the Duke’s son convince the people that he is a strong ruler. Although you have exposed yourself, when you appear in front of the people with no harm, you can defy all those rumors and any connection with this incident.”

Fragrantia nodded and said, “You are quick to catch up, Amile.”

“Thank you for your praise, your excellency.”, said the young man.

The Empress had contacted Valerian when he was in the academy and told him her plan. She asked him to play along. The court was kept in dark because they wished to pick spies amongst them, and as they left the shadows would have acted and cleaned the court. Libra was kept in dark so that his expressions are genuine and does not alert the snake. Azula and Valerian were the only two aware of this plan.

The team Valerian choose was also the least to suspect anything, the righteous were often dumb and Quies and Ryker were testimonies to this proverb.

Valerian said, “Commander Ensis, what is the status of your people?”

Ensis held great respect for this young man and said with her head bowed, “Your Highness, they are all spread throughout the city. They have tagged and scouted the enemies we need to deal with.”

Valerian nodded and said, “Amile, your task is to locate the corrupt officers and get us a passage through the gates. You have one week.”

Amile nodded and said, “Considered it done, Your Highness.”

Valerian nodded and said, “I will go and deal with the killings.”

Fragrantia nodded and said, “Try not to use physical strength for the task, your cover is that of a warrior.”

Valerian nodded and said, “I will be careful.”