Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 73: The auction

Beside a determined perimeter at the very front, all the of lights in the room suddenly dimmed, pulling attention towards that specific area.

As requested, people moved away from the orchestras, creating a nearly perfect and empty circle.

"The first piece of what exactly?" instinctively, Arabella had muttered before turning to Katherine who seemed... to struggle answering her.

Eventually, upon failing to find the right words, Katherine merely placed an arm around Arabella’s shoulder and brought her closer to herself.

Eyebrows knitted, the young woman glanced back at the vacant space where a man dressed very much like a butler put a hand on his chest to speak, "The lovely Shemesh is our first tribute for tonight. Straight from Tikinawa she comes!" the man howled.

As the introduction was being sung, a silhouette appeared through red curtains. All white the so-called Shemesh dawned. From head to toe, even her face had been veiled.

Aside from a few curated snippets about the territory, Arabella hadn’t been taught much on the ways of Tikinawa which comprised a major part of the southern-west region in Lustris.

It was only through additional reading she had done on the matter that their way of life held fewer secrets for her.

They were, for instance, famous for being the largest gold excavators in the kingdom and that very much reflected in their traditional fits.

Clearly, Shemesh had been dressed to honor that heritage. The hat holding the veil over her head had been fashioned out of gold, the collar that peaked beneath the veil and constituted almost the entire top part of her dress was made of gold. The thick belt reminiscent of a corsage around her middle was golden. Arabella even wondered if her shoes were gold- gilded underneath the fabric covering her legs and feet.

Although, of course, that was the traditional outfit of nobility in Tikinawa as regular folks could barely afford food to survive. Not even in their dreams could they flaunt such riches.

The seconds during which the announcer walked around to face the woman seemed to stretch for centuries. Arabella’s hand flew to lock around her locket as though that action would quiet her bustling mind down.

Whispers rose through the hall the instant the man lifted the thin veil off Shemesh’s face to see her angelic features only soiled by the downcast expression on her.

Arabella was unsure whether it was Shemesh shaking in her spot or her own body threatening to cave under an invisible weight before the sight.

The pounding of her heart in her chest only calmed a tad when Katherine tightened her hold around the young woman as a means to support her.

"Fear not! She was not apprehended for a violent crime," the man then chuckled, "Although I am sure it wouldn’t be an issue for any of the attendees if that was the case,"

"I am sorry for keeping this this part from you," Katherine practically murmured near her ear, "But you see, you were already on your last nerves, none of us could stomach the idea of adding this part onto your plate,"

In reply, Arabella slowly shook her head, keeping her eyes on the dejected face of Shemesh, "No, I understand. I am well aware of the arrangement between our countries and the price to pay for it, but I honestly wish you would’ve given me a head’s up. It would have allowed me a fairer chance at preparing for it,"

"Does she come with all of that gold?" A woman from the crowd took the opportunity to voice her question.

Despite her tone sounding comedic, the announcer took the time to answer her nonetheless, "Well, no, of course," he said simply.

"Of course not!"

The same woman retorted with exaggerated mannerisms and along with her, the rest of the assembly erupted in laughter, including Lady Persephone who stood at the front of the line, facing Shemesh.

"The starting price is five hundred gold coins!" the announcer’s voice rose high as he slid to the side, gesturing at Shemesh theatrically.

At those words, hands began to ascend, and heads started to turn, each to check if others in the hall were bidding on the "piece".

"I see we have multiple interested parties, then shall we say, six hundred gold pieces?"

The same thing happened again. Many hands soared up and remained suspended until the announcer declared a new price for Shemesh.

To Arabella’s side, Katherine cleared her throat before capturing her attention, "Females usually go for a lot more than males," she grimaced a smile, "They are significantly less frequent than male tributes and thus more coveted. Not to mention the difference in taste between women’s and men’s blood. A divergence only spotted by creatures of keen sense of taste for it,"

"Sold for one thousand gold pieces to Lord and Lady Trenton! May you rejoice in your triumph tonight," said the announcer.

"Where does the money go?" Arabella’s eyes stuck to Shemesh’s slumped shoulder as she was guided out of the ballroom for the next tribute to take her place.

"Well, the biggest portion of it goes to the Umbrarian syndicate. Some to repay the money loaned to the host of the ceremony and the rest to uphold the quality of life across the land, but a smaller part goes back to the royal family in Lustris,"

Katherine stopped for a moment, long enough for the announcer to introduce the second tribute. Apparently, a man from the southern-eastern region that went by the name of Iver.

The words sounded distant, echoing all around only to vanish into the corners of the room where shadows lurked.

"I’d like to take a walk for some fresh air. Would you accompany me?" Katherine’s pitch heightened a little as a smile was painted across her face.

"Can we?" the young woman’s face lit up momentarily.

"Yes, the guests are busy with the tributes, none will miss us if we return at the end of the auction,"