The Auction (1)
Luna Winfred. Once the rising sun of the Winfred family. Born of direct lineage, she had been hailed as a prodigy from a young age thanks to her brilliant mind. There was definitely a time when she was mentioned as a candidate for the next family head.
‘But in the end, it all fizzled out.’
The public story is that Luna Winfred voluntarily stepped down. The truth, however, is different. To officially qualify as successor, one needed the support of the elders. Yet the Winfred elders wanted a man, not a woman, to inherit the position. Not the eldest daughter Luna, but her younger brother, Ian Winfred. And it wasn’t just the elders—the all-powerful Duke of Winfred held the same opinion.
‘Which is why her personality is anything but ordinary.’
The relationship between Luna and Kyle was the worst of the worst. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Luna was the reason Kyle’s treatment within the estate hit rock bottom. Whether it was simple venting or some hidden motive, I didn’t know. Nor did I particularly care. No matter what backstory you slapped on it, a crazy bitch was still a crazy bitch.
Of course, from the moment Kyle began discussing marriage with Isabelle, Luna’s harassment toward him had sharply decreased. That didn’t mean her past was suddenly washed clean.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The atmosphere around here has changed quite a bit.”
I stared at Luna with sunken eyes.
‘Why the hell is she here?’
If it had truly been so long, she should have gone inside the mansion and enjoyed a welcome ceremony. What business did she have in this empty training ground? And that twitching corner of her mouth—it looked like she had come looking for me…
“I heard the news. You’re breaking off the engagement soon, right?”
Ah. The broken engagement. So she came just to pick a fight. What an unpleasant woman, as expected.
“You sang that engagement song so eagerly. I can only imagine how devastated you must be. I was worried sick I might lose my mind over it.”
What utter bullshit. I swallowed a curse and answered nonchalantly.
“Worry about your own damn self.”
“…What?”
Shit. I’d meant to keep it inside, but the honest words slipped out. Anyway, once I left the estate we’d never cross paths again. What reason did I have to watch my tone?
Deciding it was for the best, I let loose everything I’d been holding back.
“Why don’t you just go be the family head? Seeing your face after so long is making me nauseous.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Ugh.”
“…”
It wasn’t a joke. I really did feel like throwing up. When I made a show of dry-heaving, Luna’s expression twisted. There had been the option to dodge the conversation with some vague excuse, but I chose to charge straight in. Sparks flew between our locked gazes.
Luna narrowed her eyes, glaring at me, then twisted her lips and began walking in my direction.
‘Here we go again.’
So predictable. With that rotten personality of hers, she’d never tolerate being ignored. Unable to contain her anger, she’d raise her hand and—
“I didn’t know. That you had such a sharp tongue, Kyle.”
I blinked quietly. My right arm, already raised to counter, hung uselessly in the air as Luna glanced at Diana, who had stepped in front of me, and let out a small laugh.
“Who is this? Some country bumpkin?”
“Ugh.”
“…How vulgar. That’s enough, don’t you think?”
“Oh dear, my stomach is rather weak.”
“…Kyle Winfred.”
Luna called my name in a chillingly low voice. A sinister gleam flowed from her fierce blue eyes.
“Don’t cross the line. My patience for you as my brother ends here.”
A sharp warning flew from her parted lips. At the same time, I saw it. For the briefest moment, Luna’s eyes trembled faintly.
‘What’s with her now?’
She was rattled by something at this level? The vicious Luna Winfred I knew? First Isabelle, now Luna Winfred. It seemed the number of people who had gone completely insane for some unknown reason had increased from one to two.
How tiresome.
I muttered in a cold voice.
“Who the hell is your brother?”
“…What?”
Luna’s face slowly contorted. I gave her rigid expression a sidelong glance, then spoke with wide eyes.
“Brother my ass.”
“…”
“Why are you so surprised? Have you ever once treated me like a brother?”
Anger gradually seeped into my biting tone. She let out a low groan before finally asking me, her voice strained.
“Is it that resentful? That I called you my brother?”
A hollow laugh escaped me. I answered flatly, all emotion stripped from my voice.
“Resentment? Me?”
Resentment my ass. That required even the slightest bit of interest.
“There’s no way I’d waste emotion on the words of a complete stranger.”
I drove the final nail in with a sharp retort. Luna pressed her lips tightly together at my answer. Her vacant gaze lost its way in the air.
“Just act like the bitch you always have. That suits you better.”
With those final words, I turned my back. Diana glanced between Luna and me before following after me.
A moment later, Diana’s voice came from behind.
“…Are you alright, Master?”
“I’m fine.”
I was fine. Because I wasn’t Kyle Winfred.
Back in my room, I lay still and let time pass.
◆ PENALTY : □□□□□ □□□ □□□ □□□□□
Goddamn penalty. Not only Isabelle—even Luna had completely lost it.
“What the hell is this penalty?”
It was maddening that the content was censored so I couldn’t even see it.
“…The heroines are all going insane together?”
I muttered the ridiculous nonsense and let out a sigh. It was frustrating and absurd, but what could I do? Getting stressed over a system that screwed with me at every opportunity would only hurt me in the end.
“…”
My whole body felt sluggish, my eyelids heavy. I was considering just falling asleep when my eyes suddenly snapped open. A guest who would arrive soon had struck my mind like lightning.
That was when it happened.
Knock, knock—
Two knocks echoed through the air. Speak of the devil. I rose from my seat, turned the doorknob, and opened the door.
Creak—
Through the gap, I saw the familiar face of the old butler.
“Young Master, a guest has arrived.”
“Who is it?”
“They say they’re from the Auction Association regarding the bidding of auction items.”
They were finally here. I gave a light nod, and the old butler left after saying he would bring the guest.
A short while later, I saw the old butler approaching from afar with a man following behind him.
“It is an honor to meet you. My name is Linus Kiran.”
I glanced sideways at the man offering a handshake. A robe made of special material, and the emblem of the Auction Association embedded on his right chest. That was enough to confirm his identity.
“Good work. You may go now.”
After verifying his identity, I sent the old butler away. Once I confirmed he was descending the central staircase, I closed the door.
“You’re from the Auction Association?”
“That is correct, esteemed customer.”
The man gave a light cough and continued.
“The item you registered has been successfully bid upon without issue. It will be properly exhibited on the day of the auction.”
“What’s the schedule?”
“Just a moment.”
The man pulled a document from his robe and handed it to me. I slowly read through its contents.
“What is this?”
“It is a catalog. It includes a list of all the auction items that will be exhibited.”
Everything from all sorts of books to precious metals, luxury goods, magic tools, relics, and even artifacts. As expected of an auction hosted by the Association, the scale was far larger than anticipated.
‘…They really have everything.’
I flipped through the catalog as if entranced. I was briefly lost in the fun of shopping for the first time in a while when one item tucked away in the corner caught my eyes intensely.
‘…Luminous ore appears here?’
Luminous ore. The only mineral capable of containing holy power. Currently it was treated as nothing more than a somewhat hard special ore, but in the not-too-distant future, a certain priest would reveal its true value to the world.
‘I can’t pass this up.’
Holy power was a fragment of strength derived from divine authority. Once it was revealed that such power could be stored within a mineral, the demand for luminous ore skyrocketed from that day onward. With demand grotesquely exceeding supply, the price naturally soared as well.
“I want to participate in the auction.”
“Haha, it seems something caught your eye.”
“Is there any special qualification needed to participate?”
“Of course. However, they are conditions you need not worry about, esteemed customer.”
The man pulled out yet another document from within his robe.
“If you wish to participate, you only need to fill out this one form.”
“Give it here.”
I quickly filled in the blanks. After receiving the completed document, the man offered a gentle smile and said something incomprehensible.
“Haha, to think two people from the illustrious Winfred family will be participating. This auction is shaping up to be quite the event in many ways.”
Two people? There was someone else in this mansion participating in the auction besides me?
When I gave him a look that clearly said I needed an explanation, the man scratched the back of his head and added.
“Yes. Your esteemed sister also expressed her desire to participate in the auction.”
The tone suggested he was asking whether I really hadn’t known.
“Is that information certain?”
“Of course.”
Luna Winfred was participating in the auction? What could that crazy woman possibly need?
‘Fuck, what is this?’
Countless question marks flooded my mind.