Arthas April 11, 2024 No comments
Don't forget to rate and review the novel on Novelupdates
Sip!
I sat back and enjoyed the prepared wine.
— 120,000 Loups! Are there any further bids?
120,000 Loups.
It was neither too low nor too high, a fair price.
It was exactly as I had expected.
"Diana."
"Yes, you called?"
The ring will be sold for 120,000 Loups.
After all, no one in their right mind would drive up the price any further.
"Get ready."
"Understood."
I brushed off the dust on my collar.
The moonstone must have already been sold, and I had no further business here.
Just as I was about to get up from my seat...
— 2, 200,000 Loups! 200,000 Loups has been bid!
"Crazy."
So there was one.
A crazy person who raised the price here.
"200,000?!"
In the blink of an eye, the bid had doubled.
No matter how exquisitely the finest sunstone was crafted, this was simply too much; the one who raised the price was someone seated in the VIP section.
They were hidden by the robe, but judging by the fabric of the robe and the body shape that could not be hidden, they were undoubtedly a noble lady-in-waiting.
A smile crept onto my lips.
So this is what they call having deep pockets, is it?
I didn’t know which family’s idiot it was, but all that blind money would go straight into my pocket.
And then.
— 250,000 Loups!!
Someone had once again raised the bid by 50,000 Loups, resuming the auction.
The auctioneer’s eyes widened in shock and turned to a woman.
"Huh."
The person who raised the price was none other than Luna Winfred, Kyle’s sister.
I couldn’t help but blink my eyes at the unexpected identity.
Could it be that she had participated in the auction solely for this ring from the very beginning?
But why? What meaning could this ring hold for Luna?
That's when, as if to wake me up, the seats stirred once more, and cheers erupted.
— 3-300,000!! 300,000 Loups has been bid!!
The noble lady-in-waiting, whose identity was unknown, who wore a robe; she once again threw firewood into the dying fire.
'Who the hell is she?'
She’s burning that much money on a ring that has nothing special about it except the sunstone?
At this point, I couldn’t just simply dismiss her as an ignorant fool with deep pockets.
By the time I realized that, I couldn’t just sit there and watch.
".........."
The woman who had raised the price exchanged a few words with a man who seemed to be an association official.
At that moment, the robe that covered the woman slipped slipped, revealing her form
"...Isabel?"
Damn, what the hell was she doing there?
More importantly, where the hell did she get 300,000 Loups from?
I couldn’t help but sigh and pressed the bridge of my nose; a primal stress had suddenly surged within me.
— 300,000 Loups!! Sold for the highest bid of the day!!
Clang—
With the cheerful sound of the gavel, I remained seated, having earned 300,000 Loups.
I observed Isabel with a keen gaze.
Isabel, having successfully won the bid, immediately began filling out a document.
"Diana."
"Yes."
Diana's senses were exceptionally acute.
Originally, Diana’s five senses were described as being beyond the human limit in the game.
She could discern poisons mixed in food by taste.
She could eavesdrop on conversations from a distance.
She could sense danger and avoid it by sensing subtle killing intent.
More than half of her many achievements came from her keen senses.
Among them, Diana’s eyesight was literally at a superhuman level.
"Do you see the woman in the robe in front of you? Can you see what’s written on the document she’s writing, even if it’s just a rough idea?”
“I’ll try.”
Diana's brow twitched.
After briefly glaring at Isabel with her wide-open eyes,
Her tightly sealed lips parted cautiously, "A loan... Collateral...?"
"What?!"
Having completed the paperwork, Isabel put on the ring she had just won, flashing a somewhat unhinged smile.
"Well, I'll be."
Unbelievable, really.
* * * * *
"This way, customer!"
As soon as the auction was over, the waiting staff guided me personally; the reason was to receive the payment and that someone was looking for me.
I followed him, accompanied by Diana, to the reception room.
After walking down the dimly lit corridor for a while, the staff member abruptly stopped when he saw the decorative lights at the end of the dead-end.
"We've arrived."
Creak—
As I opened the doorknob, the colorful lighting that contrasted with the gloomy atmosphere of the hallway pierced my eyes; the reception room located deep inside the building was surrounded by beige wallpaper and red velvet curtains.
"Please have a seat here."
Two crimson leather executive sofas were facing each other across a long wooden table.
And there—
"Fancy seeing you again, brother."
—Luna, with a sly smile, was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.
She spoke coolly to the staff member who had guided me, "Quite the audience you've brought."
"...Excuse me. I hope you have an enjoyable time."
Thud—
The staff member hurried out of the room.
Only then did I come to my senses and frown, "What's your game?"
“Oh my? What game. Why don’t you sit down first?”
I sat down with a sour expression.
"Don't look so unhappy, you might hurt my feelings."
Talking about hurt feelings, how rich.
A twisted smile involuntarily escaped me.
"If you have no business, get lost," I shot back sharply.
Luna shrugged as if it didn’t matter and brought up the main topic, “Engagement annulment.”
"........"
"You haven’t done it yet, have you? It seems like persuading your fiancée has been put on hold for now.”
Luna slid a piece of paper over to me.
It was a loan contract, written in Isabel's handwriting.
"Your fiancée, she’s quite ambitious, isn’t she? No, maybe she’s just stupid. Borrowing such a large amount of money for a mere ring. These kids these days are scary, aren’t they?”
I roughly understood Luna’s intentions.
The reason she suddenly participated in the auction, the reason she raised the bid for a mere ring, and the reason she called me here as soon as the auction was over.
It was all to create a more solid justification for my engagement annulment.
Of course, 300,000 Loups was not a significant amount of money for the House of Yustia.
However, Isabel’s position within the family would be shaken, albeit slightly.
“A noble lady-in-waiting running to the auction house with such ambition and selling the family name by taking out a loan. And with that wicked auction association.”
"........"
“Isn’t it good enough? As a justification for an engagement annulment.”
If she took this and threatened the Count, the engagement annulment would be a free pass.
The hidden meaning in Luna’s words was simple.
“Persuasion? I guarantee it won’t work even in broad daylight. That girl is completely crazy.”
Luna was right.
It would be easier to blackmail the Count rather than try to persuade the deranged Isabel, who was willing to spend 300,000 Loups just to retrieve a ring.
"What do you think?"
Luna’s attitude, as if she was saying that she would help me with my engagement annulment, made me laugh bitterly.
"Luna Winfred."
"Go ahead.”
"I don’t understand what’s going on. Why are you helping me with my engagement annulment?”
"It's simple. If you break off the engagement, won't that mean you will stay at the ducal residence?"
"Why? Are you going to isolate me in the duchy and make me do your usual childish tricks?”
My sarcastic jibe caused Luna's face to contort horribly.
She looked like someone who had just heard something they desperately didn't want to hear; she soon continued her words with an expression of exasperation, "...It's a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?"
“I was young at the time, and there were reasons why I had to do that. Of course, I made a mistake, but Kyle’s background…”
A derisive laugh burst out.
Excuses. Pretexts, and Blame.
That was the entirety of the reasons for destroying Kyle's life.
“Ha.”
Luna Winfred was not a villain.
After all, Luna was a key figure decreed by the world, even a candidate for the heroine role.
— I saw Kyle wandering the hallway holding the safe keys at dawn.
— Who's your sister? Listen closely. It seems you're deluding yourself into thinking you're a member of the ducal family, but you're just a lowly worm, not even a servant.
— Are you that hungry? Then why didn't you even touch the meal I so painstakingly prepared for you?
Her past misdeeds were simply romanticized as the naive mistakes of a young girl; the wounds she inflicted on Kyle were eventually dismissed as if they never happened.
That’s right.
That’s…
“It’s convenient.”
“…”
"When you put false accusations on me, when you treated me like an idiot in front of the knights under the pretext of training, when you threw rotten food into the room as a meal.”
"..."
"Oh, it's because you were young. Because there was a reason for it, you see."
"That's not what I meant..."
"And because I'm a bastard child."
Luna's mouth snapped shut like a lie.
I looked at her with a cold, sunken gaze, "But what now? Help me? You?”
“.....…”
"Why don’t you just be honest? You need a target to vent your anger on. You need a trash can to relieve your built-up emotions whenever you want.”
Today, my patience was wearing thinner than usual.
Thinking of the stress Luna had put me through in previous playthroughs made it impossible to keep my composure.
That’s when it happened.
"...Alright, I admit it."
Thick veins stood out on Luna's temples.
"I was clumsy."
She admitted her mistakes as if she was doing a good deed.
But why?
But why did it feel like... I didn't feel glad, annoyed, sad, or angry at all?
I answered firmly, "So what?"
Damn this system.
I’m running out of time.
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”
"...Kyle Winfred."
“I told you last time. I don’t resent you.”
The frigid benevolence caused ripples.
Soon, it became a huge wave and swallowed Luna in front of me.
She expresses her emotions, and I endure.
As that simple proposition went awry, her face also collapsed miserably.
I felt like my intelligence was decreasing as I talked to her.
I gathered the documents on the table and stood up, turning my back without a second thought.
A moment later, facing the agitated Luna, I muttered an irritated remark.
“You’re not my sister.”
BANG!
The door of the reception room slammed shut forcefully.
Arthas April 11, 2024 No comments
Don't forget to rate and review the novel on Novelupdates
Sip!
I sat back and enjoyed the prepared wine.
— 120,000 Loups! Are there any further bids?
120,000 Loups.
It was neither too low nor too high, a fair price.
It was exactly as I had expected.
"Diana."
"Yes, you called?"
The ring will be sold for 120,000 Loups.
After all, no one in their right mind would drive up the price any further.
"Get ready."
"Understood."
I brushed off the dust on my collar.
The moonstone must have already been sold, and I had no further business here.
Just as I was about to get up from my seat...
— 2, 200,000 Loups! 200,000 Loups has been bid!
"Crazy."
So there was one.
A crazy person who raised the price here.
"200,000?!"
In the blink of an eye, the bid had doubled.
No matter how exquisitely the finest sunstone was crafted, this was simply too much; the one who raised the price was someone seated in the VIP section.
They were hidden by the robe, but judging by the fabric of the robe and the body shape that could not be hidden, they were undoubtedly a noble lady-in-waiting.
A smile crept onto my lips.
So this is what they call having deep pockets, is it?
I didn’t know which family’s idiot it was, but all that blind money would go straight into my pocket.
And then.
— 250,000 Loups!!
Someone had once again raised the bid by 50,000 Loups, resuming the auction.
The auctioneer’s eyes widened in shock and turned to a woman.
"Huh."
The person who raised the price was none other than Luna Winfred, Kyle’s sister.
I couldn’t help but blink my eyes at the unexpected identity.
Could it be that she had participated in the auction solely for this ring from the very beginning?
But why? What meaning could this ring hold for Luna?
That's when, as if to wake me up, the seats stirred once more, and cheers erupted.
— 3-300,000!! 300,000 Loups has been bid!!
The noble lady-in-waiting, whose identity was unknown, who wore a robe; she once again threw firewood into the dying fire.
'Who the hell is she?'
She’s burning that much money on a ring that has nothing special about it except the sunstone?
At this point, I couldn’t just simply dismiss her as an ignorant fool with deep pockets.
By the time I realized that, I couldn’t just sit there and watch.
".........."
The woman who had raised the price exchanged a few words with a man who seemed to be an association official.
At that moment, the robe that covered the woman slipped slipped, revealing her form
"...Isabel?"
Damn, what the hell was she doing there?
More importantly, where the hell did she get 300,000 Loups from?
I couldn’t help but sigh and pressed the bridge of my nose; a primal stress had suddenly surged within me.
— 300,000 Loups!! Sold for the highest bid of the day!!
Clang—
With the cheerful sound of the gavel, I remained seated, having earned 300,000 Loups.
I observed Isabel with a keen gaze.
Isabel, having successfully won the bid, immediately began filling out a document.
"Diana."
"Yes."
Diana's senses were exceptionally acute.
Originally, Diana’s five senses were described as being beyond the human limit in the game.
She could discern poisons mixed in food by taste.
She could eavesdrop on conversations from a distance.
She could sense danger and avoid it by sensing subtle killing intent.
More than half of her many achievements came from her keen senses.
Among them, Diana’s eyesight was literally at a superhuman level.
"Do you see the woman in the robe in front of you? Can you see what’s written on the document she’s writing, even if it’s just a rough idea?”
“I’ll try.”
Diana's brow twitched.
After briefly glaring at Isabel with her wide-open eyes,
Her tightly sealed lips parted cautiously, "A loan... Collateral...?"
"What?!"
Having completed the paperwork, Isabel put on the ring she had just won, flashing a somewhat unhinged smile.
"Well, I'll be."
Unbelievable, really.
* * * * *
"This way, customer!"
As soon as the auction was over, the waiting staff guided me personally; the reason was to receive the payment and that someone was looking for me.
I followed him, accompanied by Diana, to the reception room.
After walking down the dimly lit corridor for a while, the staff member abruptly stopped when he saw the decorative lights at the end of the dead-end.
"We've arrived."
Creak—
As I opened the doorknob, the colorful lighting that contrasted with the gloomy atmosphere of the hallway pierced my eyes; the reception room located deep inside the building was surrounded by beige wallpaper and red velvet curtains.
"Please have a seat here."
Two crimson leather executive sofas were facing each other across a long wooden table.
And there—
"Fancy seeing you again, brother."
—Luna, with a sly smile, was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.
She spoke coolly to the staff member who had guided me, "Quite the audience you've brought."
"...Excuse me. I hope you have an enjoyable time."
Thud—
The staff member hurried out of the room.
Only then did I come to my senses and frown, "What's your game?"
“Oh my? What game. Why don’t you sit down first?”
I sat down with a sour expression.
"Don't look so unhappy, you might hurt my feelings."
Talking about hurt feelings, how rich.
A twisted smile involuntarily escaped me.
"If you have no business, get lost," I shot back sharply.
Luna shrugged as if it didn’t matter and brought up the main topic, “Engagement annulment.”
"........"
"You haven’t done it yet, have you? It seems like persuading your fiancée has been put on hold for now.”
Luna slid a piece of paper over to me.
It was a loan contract, written in Isabel's handwriting.
"Your fiancée, she’s quite ambitious, isn’t she? No, maybe she’s just stupid. Borrowing such a large amount of money for a mere ring. These kids these days are scary, aren’t they?”
I roughly understood Luna’s intentions.
The reason she suddenly participated in the auction, the reason she raised the bid for a mere ring, and the reason she called me here as soon as the auction was over.
It was all to create a more solid justification for my engagement annulment.
Of course, 300,000 Loups was not a significant amount of money for the House of Yustia.
However, Isabel’s position within the family would be shaken, albeit slightly.
“A noble lady-in-waiting running to the auction house with such ambition and selling the family name by taking out a loan. And with that wicked auction association.”
"........"
“Isn’t it good enough? As a justification for an engagement annulment.”
If she took this and threatened the Count, the engagement annulment would be a free pass.
The hidden meaning in Luna’s words was simple.
“Persuasion? I guarantee it won’t work even in broad daylight. That girl is completely crazy.”
Luna was right.
It would be easier to blackmail the Count rather than try to persuade the deranged Isabel, who was willing to spend 300,000 Loups just to retrieve a ring.
"What do you think?"
Luna’s attitude, as if she was saying that she would help me with my engagement annulment, made me laugh bitterly.
"Luna Winfred."
"Go ahead.”
"I don’t understand what’s going on. Why are you helping me with my engagement annulment?”
"It's simple. If you break off the engagement, won't that mean you will stay at the ducal residence?"
"Why? Are you going to isolate me in the duchy and make me do your usual childish tricks?”
My sarcastic jibe caused Luna's face to contort horribly.
She looked like someone who had just heard something they desperately didn't want to hear; she soon continued her words with an expression of exasperation, "...It's a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?"
“I was young at the time, and there were reasons why I had to do that. Of course, I made a mistake, but Kyle’s background…”
A derisive laugh burst out.
Excuses. Pretexts, and Blame.
That was the entirety of the reasons for destroying Kyle's life.
“Ha.”
Luna Winfred was not a villain.
After all, Luna was a key figure decreed by the world, even a candidate for the heroine role.
— I saw Kyle wandering the hallway holding the safe keys at dawn.
— Who's your sister? Listen closely. It seems you're deluding yourself into thinking you're a member of the ducal family, but you're just a lowly worm, not even a servant.
— Are you that hungry? Then why didn't you even touch the meal I so painstakingly prepared for you?
Her past misdeeds were simply romanticized as the naive mistakes of a young girl; the wounds she inflicted on Kyle were eventually dismissed as if they never happened.
That’s right.
That’s…
“It’s convenient.”
“…”
"When you put false accusations on me, when you treated me like an idiot in front of the knights under the pretext of training, when you threw rotten food into the room as a meal.”
"..."
"Oh, it's because you were young. Because there was a reason for it, you see."
"That's not what I meant..."
"And because I'm a bastard child."
Luna's mouth snapped shut like a lie.
I looked at her with a cold, sunken gaze, "But what now? Help me? You?”
“.....…”
"Why don’t you just be honest? You need a target to vent your anger on. You need a trash can to relieve your built-up emotions whenever you want.”
Today, my patience was wearing thinner than usual.
Thinking of the stress Luna had put me through in previous playthroughs made it impossible to keep my composure.
That’s when it happened.
"...Alright, I admit it."
Thick veins stood out on Luna's temples.
"I was clumsy."
She admitted her mistakes as if she was doing a good deed.
But why?
But why did it feel like... I didn't feel glad, annoyed, sad, or angry at all?
I answered firmly, "So what?"
Damn this system.
I’m running out of time.
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”
"...Kyle Winfred."
“I told you last time. I don’t resent you.”
The frigid benevolence caused ripples.
Soon, it became a huge wave and swallowed Luna in front of me.
She expresses her emotions, and I endure.
As that simple proposition went awry, her face also collapsed miserably.
I felt like my intelligence was decreasing as I talked to her.
I gathered the documents on the table and stood up, turning my back without a second thought.
A moment later, facing the agitated Luna, I muttered an irritated remark.
“You’re not my sister.”
BANG!
The door of the reception room slammed shut forcefully.
