🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 4
After that, I locked myself in my room again.
No matter what I did, Isabella seemed determined to stick to her “character,” and men kept getting tangled up around me no matter how hard I tried.
As a result, I learned nothing about sensing mana—and before I knew it, the day of my appointment with the manager arrived.
Knock knock.
“Is the mage present?”
“….”
“Great Ma—”
Before he could even finish, I opened the door with a hollow expression.
My already cold face looked even sharper from lack of sleep.
Yet even in that low mood, the body I now inhabited still looked almost unreal—radiant in a way that made it hard to stay gloomy for long.
My thick crimson hair, which fell to my waist, was inconvenient, so I loosely tied it back like a horse’s tail. On another noble lady, it would have looked rough—but on Isabella, it instead gave off a strangely strong, commanding impression.
The manager glanced at me briefly before speaking.
“…As I mentioned, although the auction is tomorrow, today you are scheduled to meet the security guild to familiarize yourself with the venue layout.”
He said it as if repeating it yet again might help me remember.
Soon after, I boarded the Monteo Garden carriage and headed to the grand theater.
The Grand Theater, one of Midtown’s most famous landmarks where tourists flock year-round, had been entirely reserved for the auction. Its scale was clearly enormous.
The carriage stopped at the entrance. The manager offered his hand to assist me, but I ignored it and stepped out on my own without difficulty.
He awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Together, we entered the theater.
Inside, several mages from the security guild had already arrived.
The moment they saw me, they rushed over.
“Lady Isabella, it’s an honor to meet you.”
“I am Jurek of House Morris.”
They eagerly introduced themselves, clearly trying to leave a good impression. I gave a slight nod in response.
My arrogant demeanor seemed to be interpreted differently by them—it was clear that admiration for Isabella still lingered.
From Alzuro, I had learned an important fact: this was roughly four years before the main story began.
<Desire Not> started when Adrian, the third prince and main male lead, gained fame during a dragon subjugation at age 23.
Right now, he was only 19 and about to undergo his coming-of-age ceremony.
In other words, I still had time to avoid Isabella’s original tragic ending.
The villainess Isabella was already infamous by the start of the story, having accumulated years of misconduct that left her far from being respected.
Later, in the mid-story “incident,” she would lose even her title as Great Mage at the hands of Yurie and fall into ruin.
“It’s not like I can afford to just enjoy what time I have left…”
I muttered without realizing it as I followed the mages.
The manager beside me responded.
“You should simply enjoy yourself, Great Mage. What is there to worry about?”
“Hm?”
“We’ve prepared a prime viewing spot for you. You only need to enjoy the festival from there.”
He clearly misunderstood my words.
At that moment, wooden boards flew through the air as workers used magic to reorganize the stage.
From simple levitation spells to structured formations creating platforms—it was far more practical than I had expected.
Magic in this world wasn’t just flashy destruction; it was deeply integrated into everyday labor.
Even commoners could use basic spells.
If I, a supposed Great Mage, couldn’t even feel mana and ended up losing my title like in the original story, the thought alone was dizzying.
I forced myself to steady my thoughts.
No. Focus.
I had to finish this job properly, repay Isabella’s absurd five-million-gold debt, and avoid the worst possible ending.
I prayed silently that nothing would go wrong until the auction ended.
Following the auction director Jeffrey’s guidance, we moved behind the stage.
A black tent stretched before us. From within, faint sounds of sobbing could be heard.
I froze.
Jeffrey spoke.
“Beyond here are the goods for tomorrow’s closed companion auction.”
“Companion auction?”
I repeated the words instinctively.
Jeffrey, mistaking my interest, brightened and continued.
“Yes. The main auction is open to the public without entry restrictions. However, the later companion auction is limited to invited guests only. The goods are… delicate, so we must handle them carefully.”
“……”
Goods. Delicate.
No matter how they dressed it up, it was clearly no different from a slave auction.
Wait… how does Alzuro even know about a secret auction like this?
The thought tightened my brow.
The manager leaned in and whispered,
“As a token of gratitude for your participation, Great Mage, an invitation has been issued to you as well. Please enjoy the auction.”
At the end of his words, his gaze turned disturbingly greedy.
I disliked it immediately.
Then Jeffrey suddenly spotted someone, his eyes widening as he hurried past me.
“Why would someone of your stature come to a place like this?”
Following his excited voice, I turned my gaze.
A middle-aged nobleman stood a few steps away with his attendant.
Brown hair, blue eyes. A scar ran beneath his right eye.
I recognized him instantly.
He was the Duke of Rosenberg—the heroine Yurie’s father in <Desire Not>.
Why is he here?
My expression stiffened reflexively.
The Duke looked at me with visible displeasure before speaking to Jeffrey.
“The item I requested.”
“It is inside.”
“I would like to inspect it beforehand.”
From their brief exchange, I could easily infer there was some kind of deal.
Duke Rosenberg—the Empire’s sword. A noble house that rejected magic entirely, rumored to be incapable of sensing mana across generations.
As a result, they relied heavily on physical strength and military power.
His imposing physique, even in his fifties, made that obsession very clear.
It was no surprise he disliked Isabella, the reckless Great Mage.
Jeffrey hesitated, glancing between us.
Normally, Isabella would likely have asserted herself arrogantly even in front of a duke—but this was the heroine’s father.
I had no desire to earn the attention of someone tied to the main characters.
I placed a hand on my chest and offered a greeting that was neither overly polite nor outright rude.
“Isabella.”
“I know.”
His voice was cold enough to chill the air.
I continued calmly.
“I am in charge of security for this auction. I will ensure tomorrow proceeds without issue. I also require access inside for inspection. I do not need an escort, but may I enter with you?”
The manager’s eyes widened in shock. He clearly never expected Isabella to speak so formally.
The Duke clicked his tongue but turned and walked ahead.
I bowed slightly and followed him in.
The moment I stepped inside the black tent, my composed expression faded.
As expected.
Rows of iron cages lined the space like animal enclosures. Inside, children and barely-adult youths sat curled up in despair.
The fact that this novel carried an R-rating wasn’t just because of romance scenes.
Even knowing what awaited me, I couldn’t suppress the discomfort.
I forced my expression back into neutrality and followed the group.
Up ahead, I saw Duke Rosenberg and Jeffrey.
The Duke had mentioned inspecting a “requested item.”
What item was he referring to?
One fragment of the original story surfaced in my memory.
Noah.
A boy the Duke had picked up during a hunt and assigned to protect Yurie as her shadow. Quiet, obedient, and largely overlooked in the narrative.
A minor character with almost no presence—
But to me, right now, he felt like something far more important.
Because he was the one who would be…
