The Romantic Trials Of A Transmigrated Empress
Chapter 128: The scandalous ball.

Chapter 128: The scandalous ball.

The evening of the bachelor’s auction ball which was thrown by the crown prince and princess arrived. For a while, the ball had been the talk of the town, with eligible bachelors from far and wide gathering in the city to be auctioned off for a dance or date with the highest bidder.

The news had not shied away from collecting and sharing honest opinions of the people about their expectations of the ball. Two opinions had made the rounds more than others, one; it was amazing that the proceeds would be going to charity. Two; it was scandalous. No matter what happened, people were excited and those that had been flocked flocked to the Vale like like aliens invading a new world.

Everything about the ball was a dazzling spectacle, with gold and crystal chandeliers which had never been seen in any home before. They cast a warm glow over the elegantly dressed guests and nobody was more elegant than Crown princess Sigrid, resplendent in a gown of shimmering gold and a gold ruby gemstone crown which Roland had surprised her with.

He matched her golden gown in a cream suit with golden embroidery. Both of them took their seats next to the king, queen and his potential new secondary consort Elarin Faelora. King Raff was holding one of Elarin’s hands, every once in a while he was seen kissing the back and smiling in a besotted manner.

Before the ball could begin, the guests already had things to whisper about. Roland did not sit for long, he had a role to play in the auction.

It began with much fanfare, the king was the first to be introduced on the stage because he was the most powerful man in the kingdom after all. The herald played the role of the auctioneer, assisted by Mauve who acted as his co-host.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "for our first auction of the evening, we have someone very special. The one, the only, His Highness, King Raff!"

Gaps echoed through the hall as the king himself, looking robust and dashing stepped on the stage. He had come dressed in his royal finery, he looked confident but also slightly sheepish. He waved awkwardly at the guests.

"Up for auction!" Mauve bellowed to the crowd, barely holding back her laughter. "The lucky winner will get a dance with the king. Who will start the bidding?"

The room was still in a stunned silence but within a few seconds, a mischievous murmur began to ripple through the guests. Lady Jane Fairfax who was a little intoxicated after three glasses of champagne, raised her hand with dramatic flourish.

"One gold coin!" she called out, her voice slurring a little.

"One gold coin, are you buying a a pair of shoes?" A voice chimed in from the back and laughter erupted in the room.

Some people were tense though, as if waiting for the king to erupt in anger. His cheeks were slightly flushed, a light shade of crimson.

"Good shoes can save a hunter in winter." he said and bowed and the people laughed.

As the king was being a good sport, the air in the room became lighter.

"Do I hear two gold coins?" Mauve prompted, grinning.

"Three gold coins! And a sword that my father wielded when we kicked Nemoris in the rear end." Lord Percival giggled.

"You realize that you will have to dance with the king." Mauve reminded Lord Percival.

As they were both men, it elicited laughter from the crowd as they wondered which of the large men would lead or follow.

"No offense Percival, your beard is lovely but I would rather go with shoe lady." The king guffawed.

The laughter reached a fever pitch and even the king, unable contain himself, let out a booming laugh.

"One hundred gold coins!" The determined Lady Jane screamed out to the jaw dropping surprise of many.

"Well I will be damned!" Someone bellowed it was followed by the sound of a slap on the back and an ’ouch’ as the unlucky man was slapped by either his wife or mother.

Mauve was excited, one hundred gold coins was a very great way to start the auction. King Raff puffed his chest out, the price made him happy as well.

"One thousand gold coins and a recipe for fairy dew." Princess Elarin chimed in, adding her voice to the excited crowd.

Somewhere in the crowd, a glass was dropped to the floor and it shattered. It was not the amount which shocked the crowd into silence, it was fairy dew. Fairy dew was a secret elixir said to be made by fairies that not many people had ever seen.

Some brave hunters that ventured into the Mystic Grove and had been lucky to return with their lives sometimes brought back a few drops that they claimed to have been given by fairies. The magical elixir was rumored to make anyone beautiful for eternity, heal all illnesses and bestow temporary wings upon the drinker.

It was also claimed that it could grant them the ability to communicate with animals and enhance creativity and inspiration.

Fairy dew was the kind of elixir that nobody ever admitted to owning because thieves and assassins would come after you for it. Those that were lucky to acquire it passed it down in their families as an inheritance and it was only used in emergencies.

The fact that the princess of Faeloria was auctioning it off for a dance with the king whom she already had wrapped around her finger was mind blowing, unthinkable___, unimaginable.

Mauve did not delay, "Sold." she declared.

Before the guests could regain their wits and senses, the king bowed and proudly left the stage. The herald led everyone in an applause.

"Up next, we have Eldoria’s finest, another unexpected guest! The crown prince and our strongest sword mage, Roland Maximus."

Sigrid had told the musicians to play a lively tune with every bachelor that stepped on the stage. Roland stepped out with an uncomfortable smile. Even though he was married, a lot of women looked at him like hungry animals.

It did not help that Sigrid had made him put on a transparent white shirt that had small holes which he thought made it look like a fish net. It was giving away small glimpses of his muscles.

"Need I say more?" Mauve asked the guests. Her eyebrows danced happily as her eyes roamed over the guests.

If Sigrid was going for scandalous, she had succeeded in her goal.

"One thousand gold coins." Miss Kitty Anderson called out, bouncing on the toes of her feet.

It was as if the floor had been opened up to craziness as the bids started coming in, each as outrageous as the first.

"One thousand five hundred."

"Two thousand."

"Two thousand one hundred gold coins."

All the voices were silenced when Sigrid stepped in.

"Ten thousand gold coins." she said with confidence. She had not planned to intervene but when she saw Emmah’s raised hand and peeked into her thoughts, she decided to do so.

Emmah had a budget of three thousand gold coins which was part of a fee from selling a bunch of movie scripts. It was something Sigrid was letting her do because she wanted to broaden the movie industry of Eldoria.

May young women were willing to follow up but their parents were not. At the end of the day, the crown prince was married. One dance would not change the outcome for their daughters.

As the night grew on, the atmosphere grew more relaxed, and the guests began to let their hair down. It was then that the first scandalous event occurred.