The Auction (2)
“Miss! Wait for me!”
“Be quiet and follow me, Erika.”
The evening streets, cloaked in descending darkness, were strangely deserted. Shops and street stalls had all shuttered their doors as if by some silent pact, while the few scattered streetlamps cast pale pools of light across the pavement. Isabelle never once looked back as she strode forward. Erika hurried after her on short, frantic legs, with the family guards trailing behind to watch over the path.
“Miss, are you sure this is the right place?” Erika asked, still catching her breath.
Isabelle let out an irritated sigh and answered carelessly. “It’s not your first time at an auction house. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the way.”
“What are you talking about? When have you ever been to an auction house, miss?”
“…That’s not what I meant.”
Isabelle’s steps grew unsteady. After rounding a corner and slipping through a gloomy alley, an old, stately building came into view. A crowd had gathered at the entrance, and every person filing inside wore attire that spoke of serious wealth.
I never thought I’d return to this place…
The closer she drew to the entrance, the more restless Isabelle became.
Kyle…
Her sanity had worn dangerously thin over the past several days. Yet what drove her to the brink wasn’t Kyle’s icy demeanor toward her. It was the self-loathing. The yearning for him. The guilt that piled higher with every passing day. None of those alone.
Even while Kyle demanded their engagement be broken, she couldn’t bring herself to release him. That selfish contradiction—the hideous gap between what she wanted and what she deserved—had dragged Isabelle into an endless abyss.
Perhaps. If there was even the slightest chance. If there was any possibility at all that Kyle might look at her again, just once.
Clinging to that fragile thread of hope, Isabelle continued to burn herself alive.
Break the engagement? Just like this? No. She couldn’t. She would give him her body, her heart, everything—so please, just don’t leave her side. She would spend her entire life atoning, and even in death she would only look at him, so please…
“…Ah.”
She knew she was no longer sane. But Isabelle could not stop. Her life without Kyle was nothing but a heap of ashes—everything burned away, dry and crumbling, scattering in the wind.
“Miss, this way.”
Isabelle joined Erika at the back of the long line. She pulled her robe tighter around herself to conceal her identity, then brushed her fingers over the admission ticket in her pocket. The queue moved surprisingly fast, and soon it was her turn.
A moment later.
“May I see your ticket?”
A massive man flanked by knights on either side held out his hand. When she presented the ticket, his eyes widened.
“My apologies—I failed to recognize such an honored guest.”
The corners of his mouth curved into a polite smile.
“Please proceed inside and take the passage on the right. I hope you enjoy your time with us.”
Isabelle moved past the entrance and followed the indicated direction. This was the private corridor reserved for VIPs—those of noble blood.
“The auction hall is this way.”
After the passage, a waiting woman took over the guidance. At the end of the corridor, she drew back a heavy curtain, revealing a narrow staircase.
“Hoo…”
Isabelle descended slowly behind her. Erika, glued to her back, kept glancing around nervously the entire way down, as if expecting something terrible to leap out at any moment.
After what felt like an eternity, the stairs ended. Faint light leaked through the cracks of a door.
Creak—
When the door opened, a vast circular space resembling an amphitheater unfolded before them.
“You may sit here.”
Isabelle was led to a seat near the front. The area had been specially prepared for a select few nobles, offering an unobstructed, sweeping view of the entire auction floor.
“For bidding, please raise your paddle above your head instead of simply lifting your hand.”
The woman handed Isabelle an auction paddle, reminded her that any serious interest should begin with raising it, and then withdrew.
Erika scanned the surroundings with wide eyes before voicing her anxious concern. “Miss, I must remind you again—since we slipped out without the Count’s knowledge, you should only spend a reasonable amount…”
“I’m well aware.”
She felt sorry for Erika, but the thought of spending only a “reasonable” amount had never crossed her mind. To reclaim the ring, she was prepared to empty every last coin she carried.
“Welcome, honored guests! I am Jenald of the Auction Association!”
Whoosh—!
As the man on the platform finished his greeting, beams of light poured down from the ceiling and bathed the stage. The real auction had begun.
The items listed in the catalog appeared on stage one after another. The atmosphere shifted in an instant. Isabelle sat with a detached expression, watching the proceedings unfold.
“Ten thousand lupran! Ten thousand one hundred! Twelve thousand lupran!…”
The bids climbed without pause. Madness glinted in the eyes of those shouting their offers.
“Fifteen thousand lupran! Any further bids?”
The once-boiling auction hall fell into sudden silence.
“Sold for fifteen thousand lupran!”
Bang—!
The auctioneer slammed his gavel to declare the final sale.
The next item appeared. After another fierce psychological battle, it sold for an absurdly inflated price. The tedious cycle repeated, and Isabelle fought back a yawn.
And then.
“The item you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived!”
The long-awaited piece was placed upon the stage.
“A ring—and not just any ring! This is a top-grade piece set with a premium ether stone!”
Isabelle, who had been watching with indifferent eyes, shot up from her seat the moment she saw the ring.
There was no mistake. It was Kyle’s ring.
Murmurs rippled outward like a shockwave. At the same time, greedy, predatory gazes tangled together across the hall.
“What makes this ring truly special isn’t only the ether stone! It was personally crafted by the master artisan Skadi, and polished over many sleepless nights by the empire’s finest jeweler!”
Kyle’s voice—promising her only the very best—echoed in her ears. Cracks finally appeared across Isabelle’s carefully composed face.
“The starting bid is one hundred thousand lupran!”
One hundred thousand lupran. Enough to purchase a small mansion in the outer districts.
The insane sum left the crowd momentarily stunned.
“One hundred five thousand!”
The price skyrocketed at a terrifying pace.
“One hundred ten thousand!”
“One hundred fifteen thousand!”
“One hundred twenty thousand lupran! Any more?”
Isabelle’s eyes grew chillingly calm.
And then.
“Two—two hundred thousand lupran! We have two hundred thousand!”
Isabelle raised her paddle with absolute confidence. Two hundred thousand lupran—double the starting price.
Shock flooded the auctioneer’s face.
“Two hundred thousand lupran! Any further bids?”
An eerie silence crushed the entire hall. Every eye in the room snapped toward Isabelle.
Two hundred thousand lupran for a single ring. No matter how rare an ether stone might be, no sane person would burn the price of two mansions on mere jewelry.
“M-Miss! What are you—!!”
And that insane person was none other than the young lady she served. Erika leaped up and frantically tugged at Isabelle’s sleeve.
It doesn’t matter.
No matter the price. No matter who bid against her. That ring was hers. It was the gift Kyle had prepared when he asked for her hand—the one thing meant solely for her.
Isabelle clenched her fist so tightly that her nails pierced her palm. Blood trickled down her skin. The sharp sting made her frown for a brief moment.
Kyle must have suffered far worse. The thought that she was sharing even a fraction of his pain brought a faint, bitter comfort.
“Two hundred thousand lupran! I will close the bidding in ten seconds!”
The auctioneer began the countdown in a raised voice.
“Ten! Nine! Eight!…”
I miss Kyle.
“…Six! Five! Four!…”
If I bring this ring back, perhaps he’ll understand my sincerity, even a little.
“…Three! Two!…”
The auctioneer lifted his gavel to finalize the sale.
It was then.
“Two—two hundred fifty thousand!! Two hundred fifty thousand lupran!”
Someone had thrown down a gauntlet.
Isabelle’s lips parted in shock. She whipped her head toward the direction of the new bid.
The seat directly behind her.
A face far too familiar burned itself into her vision.
“…!”
Luna Winfred. She had raised her paddle.
Money…!
The Ustia family was wealthy, but that wealth did not belong entirely to Isabelle. She was merely one young lady of the house—not the heir, not anyone of true power. The maximum she had prepared beforehand was two hundred thirty thousand lupran, scraped together from every possible source.
The corner of Luna’s mouth curved into an elegant, confident smile. It overflowed with the relaxed certainty of victory.
“Ha… haha…”
Isabelle’s shoulders shook with an expression that could be neither laughter nor tears.
“Miss, it’s unfortunate, but perhaps we should give up at this—”
Isabelle closed her eyes. The word give up made her skin crawl.
Give up? On Kyle? How could she possibly?
Her chest tightened until she could barely breathe. She stood frozen, gasping harshly.
A way…
She had to find a way. But how?
Should she sell the jewelry she wore? Or perhaps even her own hair?
She could no longer tell what she was thinking. Only a single obsessive determination remained—to reclaim that ring at any cost.
In that near-mad state, one desperate solution suddenly flashed through her mind.
A loan…
Auctions hosted by the association offered certain conveniences to their clients. One such service was a loan—lending part of the bid amount to those with sufficient credit but insufficient funds on hand.
“Miss…?”
Isabelle gave a faint, bitter smile. With hands trembling so violently they looked ready to shatter, she raised her paddle once more.
And then.
“Three—three hundred thousand!! Three hundred thousand lupran has been bid!!”