“Astirra?”
“Noor? What are you doing here?”
My suspicion was correct: the robed woman arguing with the doorman was none other than Astirra, and the boy with her was Holy Prince Tirrence.
“Lynne,” he said. “We meet again.”
“Indeed, we do,” she replied. “Are you here for the reason I think?”
“We are, yes.”
At that moment, the doorman noticed Wize and rushed over. He probably wanted advice from his superior on how to resolve his problem with Astirra.
“A moment of your time, sir?” he asked, looking stressed.
“Yes?” Wize replied. “What seems to be the matter?”
“These two wish to enter the auction venue, but they don’t have invitations, identification, or proof of any assets,” the doorman explained in a low voice. “I don’t know what to do; they’re very insistent.”
Wize slowly shook his head, his mild smile unwavering. “You need not ask for their identification, nor for proof of assets. That lady has enough wealth to rival even House Sarenza.”
“S-Sir?” The doorman looked utterly taken aback. “What does that...?”
Wize turned to the robed woman, his expression unchanged. “She is Her Holy Highness Astirra, head of state of the Holy Theocracy of Mithra for the past two centuries or so. Her companion is her son, Holy Prince Tirrence. They are the highest guests of honor our country could receive.”
“P-Pardon, sir?!”
“Thus, I see no reason to ask security to chase them away.”
The doorman froze, the blood draining from his face. He then whirled around to Astirra, who gave him a smile and a little wave, and exclaimed, “M-My deepest apologies, Your Holy Highness!”
“Oh, no, that’s all right,” Astirra said, looking relieved. “It’s our fault for coming here unannounced. Isn’t that right, Tirrence?”
Though Wize continued to smile, his eyes narrowed a touch, betraying a keen edge. “I must ask, what brings you to Sarenza, Your Holy Highness? We received no word of your entering the country—much less House Sarenza’s grounds. Might I trouble you to enlighten this old fool as to your—no doubt excellent—reasons?”
Wize had every right to be suspicious of Astirra, who was blatantly trespassing on private land. I had to hand it to him, though—his smile didn’t falter in the slightest.
Tirrence took a step forward, placed a hand to his chest, and bowed. “Wize. Please accept our sincerest apologies for the sudden nature of our visit. The truth is, my mother and I are on vacation, and we thought it best to travel incognito to avoid all the fuss.”
Next to him, Astirra nodded emphatically, though her eyes remained noticeably blank.
“On vacation, hmm?” Wize mused aloud. “I see, I see.”
“I hope that’s not an issue,” Tirrence said. “Initially, we planned only to enjoy ourselves, but then we caught wind of an auction being held in town. One involving the Lepifolk.”
“You...heard rumors of the auction?”
“We half-elves have excellent hearing, so we tend to overhear things whether we want to or not. And as you know from the missive our nation sent to Sarenza, the Theocracy is devoting its full attention to the Lepifolk’s protection. Even on vacation, we have a duty to act. If we had received news of this beforehand, we would gladly have asked to participate through the proper channels. But it seems to be too late for that, so we came to inquire directly.”
“I believe I understand. You must pardon us—we pinned down the rumor of the demonfolk listing only recently, so we did not have time to send a missive to the Theocracy.”
Tirrence smiled cheerfully. “But you had time to inform the Kingdom of Clays?”
Wize stiffened slightly.
“How fortuitous that we arrived in time,” Tirrence continued smoothly. “I understand this is all rather haphazard, but might we request an invitation?”
“Naturally. I can think of no reason for anyone to refuse you—or your esteemed mother. I must inform the master, of course, but I trust he will welcome you with open arms.”
“How generous of you,” Tirrence said, his lips still curved upward. “You have our gratitude.”
“Wize, was it?” Astirra interjected. “Your doorman insisted we need a certain amount of capital to participate, but we don’t have much coin on us. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all, Your Holy Highness. As with your previous visits, you are welcome to pay the participation fee and any other associated costs through an envoy at a later date. Your presence here today is enough.”
“Oh, I see. We have nothing to worry about, then? Thank you.”
“If I may be forthcoming, it is the greatest honor to hear Your Holy Highness utter my name.” Wize smiled amicably. “Paired with your cheerful demeanor, why, you almost seem like an entirely different person.”
Astirra let out a nervous chuckle. “D-Do I?” She turned sharply to Tirrence, eyes begging for help.
“You have only seen my mother in formal settings, so I understand why it might seem that way,” the prince began. “As surprising as it might seem, she has a habit of letting loose in her private time—perhaps as a natural reaction to the stresses of her role. This has been especially true of late, as it has been quite some time since she last had the chance to enjoy a vacation.”
“Is that so? Does she normally interact so closely with those below her station?”
“Indeed. Not long ago, she even made several close friends among the church’s adherents.”
“You don’t say. What an enviable position to be in.”
Wize exchanged another smile with Astirra, still clearly suspicious of her. Though the new high priestess looked the same as her predecessor, she couldn’t have been more different from that monstrous skeleton with a heart of ice. We knew her secret as a matter of course, having witnessed the incident in Mithra firsthand, but even past acquaintances would probably notice the change.
It surely didn’t help that Astirra was doing so little to maintain the facade.
“I must apologize, Your Holy Highness,” Wize said. “I was so moved that you deigned to address me that I accused you of something rather untoward.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all.” Astirra grinned, gave our guide a thumbs-up, and finished with a cheery “Don’t sweat it!” Was she even trying to be discreet?
✦ ✦ ✦
“Holy Prince Tirrence, I must admit,” Wize continued, turning to the boy in question, “you were always possessed of a sagacious mind, but you have grown to exceed my every expectation. To have remembered the name of someone as trivial as I—why, I can only express my admiration.”
“‘Trivial,’ did you say? Most certainly not. I might have been young at the time of our last visit, but I could never forget how good you were to me. Incidentally...” Tirrence’s attention shifted to another member of our group. “Do my eyes deceive me, or is that gentleman Lord Rashid?”
“It is good to see you again, Your Holy Highness,” Rashid said, confirming the boy’s suspicion. “You were only a child when we first met, so I am delighted that you remember me.”
“As I recall, there was no one else at the auction venue remotely close to me in age. It is an honor to make your acquaintance once again.”
“The feeling is mutual, Your Holy Highness.”
As I watched the pair exchange greetings, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between them. Both wore refreshingly cheerful smiles, but I could tell from being acquainted with them that they were intensely staring each other down.
Tirrence broke the stalemate to glance at Lynne, whose cheek twitched in response. Although she’d called him a friend before, it seemed she still found him exhausting to deal with when it came to matters of state. I also noticed that, under the glaring desert sun, his teeth were shockingly white.
“If that is all, then I must take my leave,” Wize announced with a bow. “My subordinate here”—he gestured to the doorman, who was now white as a sheet—“shall take over from me and show you inside the venue.”
“Got it,” Astirra said, her tone as warm as her expression. “Give my regards to Zaid, won’t you? And please tell him I’m sorry for dropping by without any warning.”
“Of course, Your Holy Highness. I promise to be thorough in my explanation. Now then, everyone—I wish you a very enjoyable auction.”
The aging man in black regarded us kindly, then briskly walked away.