Chapter 29: The Ordinary Girl Born into Royalty × The Auction Begins

Red Dragon Hotel, the 12th Prince's suite.

There were six hours left until the start of the auction. Momoze was knitting, engaging in idle chatter with Dia, who sat opposite her, his expression placid as he offered an occasional response.

For the past few days, Momoze had summoned him daily to talk. Their conversations would inevitably drift toward probing questions about supernatural abilities. Sometimes she would purse her lips to appear dignified; other times, she would burst into silly laughter at the stories he told.

She really doesn't seem to have any friends…

Yet, her mood would shift just as quickly, and she would begin speaking of cruel, somber things. Like now, when Momoze suddenly brought up the Kakin succession contest.

"…The royal succession is cruel, isn't it? Even though I've always convinced myself I have the mettle to be Queen…"

"But the day of the attack, I felt like such a useless burden. I was completely reliant on Dia-san to protect me…"

Dia replied calmly, "Your Highness, there is no need for self-deprecation. Protecting you is the duty of us guards; there is no such thing as being a burden."

In the manga, the 12th Prince had very few appearances, but her character was already clear. As Dia had analyzed, Momoze was simply an ordinary girl with a quiet nature. Had she been born into an average household, she likely would have led a mundane, happy life. But born into royalty, her unremarkable talent meant that even if she didn't lose in the first round of the succession contest, she would inevitably die at the hands of another prince.

Hearing Dia's standard, professional response, Momoze's eyes dimmed. She spoke of having the resolve to be a monarch, but she was acutely aware of her own lack of ability. Yet, she had no other choice. As one of the lowest-ranking princes, she had nothing. She repeated the self-hypnosis over and over, trying to believe she could become Queen.

But this time, she felt she truly had no hope…

Momoze clenched her fists in her lap, trying to stir up some courage, and couldn't help but ask again: "Is there really no special power in this world that can change a person? Like that 'Nen' you and the others mentioned that day?"

It wasn't the first time she had asked, but Dia remained unfazed, delivering the same cold, rehearsed response: "Your Highness, please believe in science. That 'Nen' business is just professional jargon we martial artists use among ourselves…"

"Do you have any other questions, Your Highness? If not, I must return to my patrol."

Momoze, hearing this, could only suppress all her surging emotions, maintaining her royal dignity on the surface as she gave a gentle, obedient nod.

Dia sighed internally, stood up, and left the room.

With a soft click of the door, Momoze was left alone. She went back to her knitting, but her movements grew slower and slower until they stopped entirely. She stared blankly at the sweater in her hands, not knowing who she was even making it for.

That day, when Dia had carried her through the hail of gunfire and shielded her with his own body, her heart had skipped a beat. For a fleeting moment, she had fantasized that Dia was a hero sent from the heavens to save her. Why else would he strive so hard to keep her alive? She had even sent her personal maid outside just to speak with him alone, brimming with excitement to learn everything about him.

But he was, in all likelihood, just a very, very capable guard.

The higher the expectations, the deeper the disappointment.

It's just my imagination…

"It's fine, it's fine. I am a child of the King… I am a child of the King…"

Momoze lowered her head, gripping her knitting needles so tightly that her hands began to tremble.

Having left the room, Dia returned to his quarters. Hidden in his hair, his Nen beast, acting as if it had been bursting to get out, suddenly darted out and began darting around the room, making "Mist-mist" sounds.

He didn't make a sound, simply watching his little creation frolic. Because "Atmosphere Maker" was too long a name, he had nicknamed it Misty.

Misty was a material Nen beast, visible to ordinary people, manifesting one that only Nen users could see was actually even more difficult. He didn't know if it was because the first things Misty had seen upon birth were Dia and Momoze, but the beast seemed to take a strong liking to the Prince.

It was a pity, he thought, that he truly did not want to be dragged into the quagmire of the Kakin succession contest. At least, not yet.

A few hours later, a knock came at the door, signaling it was time to depart. Dia checked his weapons and headed downstairs to escort the 12th Prince to the Southpiece Auction House. Standing at the edges of the formation, he and Drobada remained as aloof as ever.

Suddenly, he noticed the three private soldiers had somehow integrated themselves into the guard unit, standing directly behind him. He asked Drobada about it, who replied that since three guards had died in the initial attack, the staff had been stretched thin, and they had been temporarily assigned to fill the ranks. They claimed the 4th Prince himself had ordered them to "zealously protect" the 12th Prince while completing their other mission.

Dia was highly skeptical that Tserriednich had issued any such humanizing order; it was likely a directive from the captain of those soldiers.

"The Prince is here. Let's go." Drobada elbowed Dia, signaling him to stop overthinking, and turned to enter the convoy.

Dia raised his eyes toward the approaching Momoze. For some reason, his mood felt inexplicably complicated. Especially when his superhuman vision caught the faint trace of moisture in the corner of her eyes. He felt a pang of guilt.

Momoze seemed to have reverted to the dignified, quiet composure she'd displayed on the first day, though the way she looked at Dia had shifted from a frank, direct gaze to careful, stolen glances. Dia could feel her eyes on him, but every time he turned to catch her gaze, she would hurriedly look away.

The motorcade formed a line and began the drive toward the auction house.

If all goes well, we should be able to head back tomorrow…

Sitting in the passenger seat, Dia could still feel those subtle, hidden glances coming from behind him, but this time, he could only pretend he didn't notice.

I hope she knows when to quit…

…

Southpiece Auction House.

Dia sat beside Momoze, with Borksen sitting to his right, deeply engrossed in the bidding. Dia hadn't uttered a single word throughout the entire auction, but his Ripple Radar was scanning the third floor at high frequency. Should anything go wrong, he would follow the plan: grab the two people beside him and bolt for the back exit.

As it stood, the enemies who had orchestrated the previous attack didn't seem to be planning to make a move inside the auction house.

Do they not want to offend the Shadow Beasts, or was this orchestrated by one of the Ten Dons themselves?

Dia mused silently. The Southpiece Auction was backed by the Ten Dons; under normal circumstances, no one would dare cause a scene here.

Except for the completely reckless Phantom Troupe.

Dia recalled the day he was attacked by Karl; he had clearly heard the name "Qi Peixin." A search of the Hunter website had revealed that the name belonged to someone who had been dead for a long time. He hadn't shared this information, there was no need, and Kakin surely had more accurate intelligence sources than he did.

On stage, the auctioneer was pulling out all the stops, speaking with passionate enthusiasm, punctuating his speech with wild gestures and demonstrations.

Dia let his eyelids droop, staring at the stage, pretending not to feel the gaze lingering on him from the side.