"1,000 gold coins!"
Arisu's face paled. She knew she had lost. It wasn't that she couldn't afford it, but spending that much on a single pearl hairpin was absurd. That amount could buy hundreds no, even more of the same kind.
Maihima casually shrugged, flicking her fan open with a smirk. "What Maihima wants, Maihima gets."
The merchant's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Then it's settled! The hairpin goes to Miss Kogane for bidding the highest price!" He clapped his hands eagerly, and Meimei and Miaomiao joined in, laughing as Maihima stepped forward and reached for it.
Just then, a voice rang out, cutting through the noise and halting their celebration.
"100 gold bars, 100 silver bars, and if it needs more then how about a First-Person Badge. Is that enough to bid for the hairpin?"
All eyes turned toward the source of the voice. The merchant's jaw nearly dropped, and even Maihima's fan froze mid-air.
"F-First Person Badge? Did I hear that right?"
"Look at him… is he from the Sect?"
"Yes, and so are the others. It's so obvious are you blind."
"But what are they doing here? In the market street of all places?Are there any demons nearby?"
"Heh! Demons? What are you yapping about?"
"Tch Tch! Why yell at me? I don't know either!"
The murmurs spread rapidly through the crowd as they took in the sight before them a group of a men, and wearing the same uniforms with swords strapped to their sides, their faces hidden behind silver masks. Each mask gleamed under the lantern lights, smooth and expressionless.
Yet, the crowd's attention fixated on one man in particular. Unlike the others, his attire was more refined. His mask, though silver like the rest, bore an engraved symbol. The one absent from the others. The mere presence of that mark made it clear. He held a higher status than the rest.
His light brown eyes were clearly visible beneath the mask, fixed intently on the hairpin.
The merchant rushed forward, bowing deeply with his hands pressed together.
"Welcome, welcome! What a day, what a day! A member of the Manari Sect has graced us with his presence. truly an honor!"
But the man paid no attention to his words. Without hesitation, he walked straight to the hairpin, picking it up. His gaze swept over the city for a brief moment before he turned to one of his guards and gave a subtle nod. The guard immediately bowed and left without a word.
Seeing this, the merchant stepped forward eagerly.
"If you wish to have it, you may take it in exchange for what you offered earlier. It would be my honor."
Maihima, who had been silent until now glared at the merchant.
"What are you saying? I've already bought it so it's mine. If anyone want it, they will have to take it from me. I am its rightful owner now not you."
The crowd's attention snapped to her, and the merchant's excitement quickly turned to visible sadness.
Seeing the way she spoke so boldly, the man finally turned his attention to her.
"So, you're the owner of this?" He held up the hairpin, his voice calm yet firm. "Alright. How much do you want in exchange? Name the price."
Maihima without hesitation demanded. "I'll take the First Person Badge you mentioned. Give me that, and the hairpin is yours."
The man smirked at her demand. With a simple flick of his fingers, one of the guards stepped forward, carrying a small wooden box. He opened it, revealing a golden badge resting on a red cloth.
"In exchange for this, you are now granted entry to the ceremony. You'll have the privilege of watching it from the first ranks."
Maihima's eyes gleamed as she quickly took the badge, examining it under the light. Her face lit up with a smile brighter than any she had shown so far.
___________
Later,
"Come on, it's just a pearl hairpin. Why are you all sulking over it? We can always buy a new one. Here, have some while it's hot."
Astra walked beside Arisu, casually munching on a steaming dumpling as they made their way home under the now darkened sky.
Arisu let out a dramatic sigh. "It's not about the hairpin! I'm upset that someone like Maihima got so lucky. She had her hands on the First Person Badge! Do you know what that means? She gets to attend the ceremony up close and maybe even see His Highness from just a few steps away! I wanted that chance too."
Astra stuffed another dumpling into her mouth, rolling her eyes. "I don't get it. What's so special about your Highness that you admire him so much? I don't think there's anything that special about him."
"It says you don't know anything about him," Arisu said firmly and started explaining,
"They say the prince is directly blessed by the Supreme God. About twenty years ago, on his birthday, the sky showed the formation of a Dragon for the first time in 10,000 years and right beneath it was the palace. People believe that this was a sign that his blessed core energy was from the Supreme God himself. They also say the prince has the same spiritual animal as the Supreme God of Creation, making more people believe it. That's when people started to admire him so much."
She sighed. "But despite all that, no citizen has ever seen him. He never made a appearance infront of them, Only those in the palace may be know what he looks like or may be no as his highness always cover his face by.... a mask."
Astra raised a brow. "Let's say what you said is true, and he is really special. But why are you so obsessed with a crown prince who has never shown himself? Why you are admiring the prince you've never even seen."
"Who said I never saw him?"