Chapter 14 – Auction (2)
[Translator – Peptobismol]
Chapter 14 – Auction (2)
“Miss! Wait for me!”
“Follow quietly, Erica.”
The streets, shrouded in evening darkness, were strangely quiet.
Shops and stalls seemed to have closed as if by agreement, and the few street lights illuminated the deserted streets.
Isabel moved forward without looking back, and Erica hurriedly followed her with her short legs, while the family guards followed behind, keeping watch over the street.
“Miss, are we really at the right place?”
Erica asked Isabel, gasping for breath.
Isabel sighed impatiently, as if annoyed, and replied indifferently.
“You’ve been to the auction house before. How could you forget the way?”
“What do you mean? When did you ever go to the auction house, Miss?”
“…I mean, that’s what people say.”
Isabel took steps forward, her mind preoccupied.
As they turned a corner and passed through a quiet alley, a grand building came into view. The entrance was crowded with people, and their attire was far from ordinary.
‘I never thought I’d come back here again…’
As they approached the entrance, Isabel became increasingly nervous.
“Kyle…”
Isabel’s rationality had been rapidly deteriorating over the past few days.
However, what drove Isabel to madness wasn’t solely Kyle’s cold attitude towards her.
It wasn’t just her self-loathing.
Or the longing for Kyle.
Or even accumulating guilt day by day.
It was none of those.
Even amidst Kyle demanding an annulment, Isabel couldn’t let go of him due to her selfishness.
The vicious contradiction arising from this gap plunged Isabel into an endless abyss.
Perhaps.
If by any chance.
If there was even the slightest possibility that Kyle could look at her once again.
On that slim chance, Isabel burned herself out.
Separation? Like this? No, I couldn’t.
I’ll give everything, body and soul, just please don’t leave my side.
I’ll repent for the rest of my life, and until the day I die, I’ll only look at you, so please…
“…Ah.”
Isabel knew she wasn’t in her right mind, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Her life without Kyle felt like an endless abyss, where everything crumbled like ashes.
“Miss, this way.”
Isabel and Erica joined the line that had formed.
Covering herself with a robe to conceal her identity, Isabel fidgeted with her entrance ticket in her pocket.
The long line shortened rapidly, and soon it was Isabel’s turn.
“May I see your entrance ticket?”
A large man, standing on the other side, extended his hand to her.
Isabel showed her prepared entrance ticket, and the man’s eyes widened.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize such an important person.”
The man’s lips curved into a smile.
“Please enter and proceed to the right corridor. I hope you enjoy your time here.”
Isabel passed through the entrance and followed the direction indicated by the large man.
It was an exclusive corridor for VIPs, the so-called nobles.
“The auction hall is this way.”
After passing through the corridor, a woman waiting there started guiding Isabel.
At the end of the corridor, as the woman peeled back the curtain, narrow stairs revealed themselves.
“Hah…”
Isabel followed behind her, descending the stairs slowly.
As they descended the narrow stairs, Erica, clinging to Isabel’s back, looked around anxiously.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the end of the stairs, and dim light seeped through the crack in the door.
Creak—
As the door opened, a vast space reminiscent of a circular theater revealed itself.
“You may sit over here.”
Isabel was guided to the front seats.
This specially arranged area for nobility provided a clear view of the entire auction hall.
“When bidding, simply raise the paddle to the level of your forehead.”
The woman who seated Isabel handed her the auction paddle.
If she intended to make a purchase, she was advised to hold up the paddle, and then the woman left.
With a surprised expression, Erica looked around and expressed her worried concern.
“Miss, I must remind you again, since you came here without the Count’s knowledge, you should only spend a reasonable amount…”
“I know that much too.”
Isabel felt sorry for Erica, but she had never intended to spend just a reasonable amount.
If it meant retrieving the ring, she was even willing to empty all the money she had.
“Welcome, distinguished guests! I am Gerald from the Auction Association!”
Bang—!
As the man standing on the platform finished his greeting, a cascade of light from the ceiling illuminated the platform.
The auction began in earnest.
One by one, items listed in the catalog were brought up onto the platform, and the atmosphere quickly became intense. Isabel sat and watched the auction with a blank expression.
“Starting at 10,000 Rupees! 11,000 Rupees! 12,000 Rupees!”
The prices began to rise without pause, and the bidders’ eyes gleamed with greed.
“15,000 Rupees! Any further bids?”
The heated auction hall fell silent.
“Sold for 15,000 Rupees!”
Daaang—!
As the auctioneer struck the gavel, he announced the final bid.
Next item.
Following a fierce psychological battle for the winning bid,
Eventually, the item was auctioned off at an absurdly inflated price.
Amidst the prolonged repetition of boredom, Isabel stifled a yawn.
And then,
“Finally, the item I’ve been waiting for has appeared!”
The long-awaited item was placed on the platform.
“A ring, and not just any ring, but one crafted with the finest-grade gemstone!”
Isabel, who had been watching the auction indifferently, suddenly stood up as soon as she saw the ring on the platform.
There was no mistaking it.
It was Kyle’s ring.
A murmur of excitement spread like ripples.
At the same time, greedy eyes seeking the prey intertwined.
“The special feature of this ring is not just the gemstone! Crafted by Skadi himself! A ring crafted by the best craftsman in the Empire for over several days!”
Kyle’s voice, promising to give her the best, echoed in Isabel’s ears.
A crack appeared in Isabel’s calm face.
“The starting bid is 100,000 Rupees!”
100,000 Rupees.
An enormous sum that could purchase a small mansion in the outskirts.
For a moment, Isabel was astonished by the outrageous amount.
“105,000!”
In no time, the price soared.
“110,000!”
“115,000!”
“120,000 Rupees! Any further bids?”
Isabel’s eyes sank coldly.
[Translator – Peptobismol]
And then.
“200,000 Rupees! We have 200,000 Rupees!”
Isabel confidently raised her auction paddle.
200,000 Rupees, twice the starting bid of 100,000 Rupees.
The auctioneer’s face showed profound astonishment.
“200,000 Rupees! Any further bids?”
A chilling silence fell over the auction hall.
All eyes turned to Isabel.
200,000 Rupees for one ring.
No one in their right mind would spend such an insane amount on just one ring.
“Ah, Miss! What on earth…”
And the insane person was none other than the lady she served.
Erica jumped up, pulling Isabel’s sleeve.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
No matter the price, no matter who bid how much.
That ring belongs to her.
It’s the gift Kyle prepared for her, asking for her hand in marriage.
Isabel clenched her fist tightly.
Soon, her nails pierced her skin, causing blood to trickle down.
She furrowed her brow slightly at the slight pain.
Kyle must have suffered much more.
The thought of sharing even a fraction of his pain brought her some small comfort.
“200,000 Rupees! Sold in 10 seconds!”
The auctioneer began counting down with a raised voice.
“10! 9! 8!…”
She wanted to see Kyle.
“…6! 5! 4!…”
If she could retrieve this ring, would he perhaps acknowledge her sincerity a little?
“…3! 2!…”
As the auctioneer prepared to strike the gavel for the winning bid.
That’s when it happened.
“225,000!! We have 225,000 Rupees!”
Someone threw down the gauntlet.
Isabel’s lips parted in astonishment.
She turned her head urgently in the direction everyone’s gaze was focused on.
Right behind her seat.
A face too familiar to her was engraved in Isabel’s pupils.
“…!”
Luna Winfred.
She raised her paddle and increased the bid.
‘Money…!’
The Yustia family is wealthy.
But the Yustia family’s wealth does not entirely belong to Isabel.
She’s just a mere heiress of the family, nothing more.
The amount Isabel had prepared in advance was 230,000 Rupees.
This was also the accumulated amount she scraped together.
A graceful curve formed at the corner of Luna’s mouth.
Her smile was filled with confidence, as if she were certain of victory.
“Ha… Haha…”
Isabel shook her shoulders with a face that couldn’t be described as either laughing or crying.
“Miss, it’s a shame, but it’s time to give up…”
Isabel closed her eyes.
Every time she heard the word ‘give up,’ her skin itched.
Give up? Kyle? How could she?
Her chest felt tight.
She stood still, only breathing heavily.
‘A way…’
She must find a way.
But how?
Should she sell her jewelry? Or maybe even her hair?
She couldn’t even distinguish what she was thinking right now.
Only the stubborn determination to retrieve the ring occupied her mind.
In the midst of the almost maddening situation, suddenly one method crossed her mind.
‘Loan…’
Among the services provided by the association hosting the auction, there is one for the convenience of customers.
And that is the loan.
For those lacking money, assuming they have sufficient credit, the association lends a portion of the bid amount.
“Miss…?”
Isabel suppressed a smirk.
She raised the paddle with trembling hands.
And then.
“330,000!! We have 330,000 Rupees!”
[Translator – Peptobismol]
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