Chapter 14

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: The Princess Only Deals in the Real Thing 22

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공녀님은 진짜만 취급합니다

22화

It was pandemonium.

As an uproar broke out in the observer seats, Bidder 81 seemed to sense something and tossed his auction paddle aside, bolting for the exit.

But he didn't get far.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Ugh, argh!"

A man in a black mask had grabbed him and flung him away like trash.

The man peeled off the mask from Bidder 81, who had rolled into the wall, and tossed it far away. Then, with utter nonchalance, he lifted the bidder's ear.

"Well, well. What's this?"

"Ack, ugh... "

"Your choice. Let me shove this into your eardrum, or pull out that magic device from your ear yourself."

The man's tone carried a chilling pressure, as if he'd follow through without hesitation.

Trembling, Bidder 81 pulled out the magic device lodged in his ear and the connected gadget, offering them up.

As the black-masked man—Tesah—handed the devices and Bidder 81 over to the guards and turned to return to his seat...

"Oh my god... I never dreamed I'd get played by a shill. Colluding with the seller, no less. This is..."

Bidder 80 stood in his path.

She was a rather frail-looking woman. A bookworm, perhaps—she wore glasses over her mask, and cold sweat trickled down beneath them from the shock.

Tesah tried to brush past her, but her words snagged his ankle.

"I got so excited when I heard the book I wanted was up for auction today that I rushed in blindly, only for this to happen."

"You knew about the auction items in advance?"

"Yes. I received an invitation. It said Interpretation of Power would be in tonight's late auction. It was my first time at one, so I thought my love for books must've gotten around. I came all thrilled."

No. Private daytime auctions offered invitations, but not the late-night ones.

Someone had clearly targeted Bidder 80 on purpose.

And the man now being dragged out with a hidden transmitter in his shoe hadn't acted alone—Tesah had a hunch.

"Anyway, thank you so much. You saw it from the observer seats, right? If you hadn't stepped in, I'd have lost a fortune. Auctions can't be canceled, after all."

"No need to thank me. Someone else helped you."

"Oh? Who?"

"Over there..."

Tesah trailed off upon spotting the empty seat of the pawnshop owner.

"Please let me know if you find out who helped me. I'd love to thank them personally. I beg you."

Tesah rubbed his dry face as he turned over the business card labeled [Hanna Diego].

He'd been swamped with investigations, and the only reason he'd come to the auction house today was one: a telegram saying the pawnshop woman had shown up.

I thought she might be here to sell Rugenoht... but no.

It wasn't that.

The ruby clip had flickered faintly in her presence, but if she'd brought the real Rugenoht, it wouldn't have stopped at a single glint.

She never said why she was there, but she seemed to be there just for the auction.

Selling pawnshop items, studying the lots, and...

How do you pretend not to know when you clearly do?

Spotting the fraud and stopping it.

Hardly the words or actions of an Eivor collaborator.

A nagging thought crept in.

Maybe, just maybe, that woman is innocent.

Tesah shook his head. No. Impossible.

Eivor worked diligently for months, winning people's trust too.

No one had suspected he'd steal the holy sword.

So he couldn't swallow her words and actions hook, line, and sinker.

Besides, her reaction to the forest painting was odd. Need to watch her more.

And the clip was still faintly glowing, wasn't it?

Even if she hadn't hidden or touched Rugenoht herself, she was undoubtedly connected somehow.

Good thing it was a masked event.

Magic devices were banned inside, but he wasn't worried. He'd prepared.

The scar on his face was hidden by the mask, the tattoo by a high-necked shirt.

One concern remained: his eye color, unmasked by lenses—

Solved with ash-gray contacts, not magic. Made by duchy engineers. Can't wear them long, but...

Still, when the woman stared right at him a few times, it sent a strange shiver down his spine.

Even though there was no way she'd seen through him.

"How much to borrow you for an hour?"

Who asks for help like that?

Pushing aside the thought that it was partly his fault, Tesah unwittingly chuckled before schooling his expression.

She's just flustered from all her weird chatter.

In Tesah's hand was a telescoping baton.

When he reclaimed his deposited magic device, a guard had said, "Your companion's item," and thrust it at him. He'd taken it on reflex.

Gazing at the hefty baton, curiosity struck.

She said she'd handle the transmitter. How?

Was there something in that massive bag?

Tesah spotted her instantly on the night street.

She was the only one carrying a bag as big as her torso herself, without handing it off.

Why her slumped back and unusually red eyes tugged at him, though, he couldn't say.

I'm not concerned. Just observing for clues.

Returning, Tesah faced his waiting adjutant, Milton.

He'd always been a bit fidgety, but tonight he looked especially lost.

"No anomalies at the auction. So why the long face? New intel?"

"No, nothing from Moro."

"Then?"

"You left that business-card magic device at the pawnshop, right? No signals until now, but when I checked today—"

"It's morning there now, but the pawnshop owner was sobbing like that..."

Over the sniffling came an image of her curled up under the counter, weeping.

"It just cut off abruptly. Something happened, but I can't guess what."

Milton brightened, gauging his reaction.

"Ah! You saw that woman today, right? Maybe something's off, or her situation changed?"

Tesah had no answer.

None of his many questions to her had been about her well-being.

Tesah raked a hand through his hair roughly.

"No idea."

Why did that sting so much?

His heart pricked.

Late dawn.

After signing the permanent ban notice, Carlos Golt backed away at the sight of the rose-emblazoned carriage.

Too late. He was tossed inside like luggage.

"Cough, urk..."

"I heard about the mess you caused."

A cold voice.

Half-sprawled, Carlos looked up trembling.

Count Hugo Lionet huddled in the corner. As he glanced at Rozanne Viscountess opposite him, her heel ground into his back.

"I thought one disappointment from Hugo was enough, but you botched this simple task too. Do you know how much damage you've caused me?"

"S-Sorry, Viscountess! It was a total accident!"

"Think you can cover your screw-up with that word?"

"I swear! How could I predict the magic device breaking right then? And I never breathed your name!"

Carlos wailed like a child.

He was wronged. Why did it malfunction at that exact moment?

He started blaming others incoherently.

Bidder 81 had acted like an idiot, and some weird girl had rattled him, so he couldn't keep his cool. Plus, that bizarre painting hit 100 million gold and went unsold, overheating the auction and making it hard to read the room...

"Hold on."

Carlos's rambling stopped dead.

"A painting unsold at 100 million gold. Which one?"

"P-Pardon? Oh, uh, it was Forest of Colonya!"

Silence hung briefly.

"Out."

"Y-Yes! Right away!"

Carlos scrambled out, and the door shut.

"I planned to discard him anyway, but I thought he'd at least run an errand. What a waste. Couldn't even handle that pest Hanna Diego."

Rozanne clenched her fist, grinding her teeth.

"Hoo, we'll deal with that fool later... Hugo."

Hugo flinched at his name.