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chapter 44
A presence so imposing that an ordinary human could hardly handle it.
The doorman swallowed hard. Suddenly, his legs began to tremble, and cold sweat ran down his back.
Such presence… He couldn’t shake the thought that the person in front of him had to be a prominent figure from the underworld.
The doorman hastily stepped aside.
“Excuse me. Please, go on in.”
“Thank you.”
Caesar, lowering his hat again, led the children through the doorway that the doorman had politely opened.
At that moment:
“Um, the item that the little lady is holding…?”
Overwhelmed by Caesar’s aura, the doorman had only now noticed the doll in Lilian’s arms and spoke up.
Lilian turned around.
Just as Caesar, frowning, was about to clamp a hand over the doorman’s mouth, Lilian preemptively spoke first.
“This is Rose.”
“Eh?”
“She’s a Moonlight Witch. When she transforms, she uses the Flora Moon Ruby Wand! It sparkles so much! Her favorite food is Moonlight Tart, her favorite color is gold, and her favorite person is Jin…”
And as her words spilled endlessly, the doorman felt his mind going blank.
“Over here she did this, and that time she did that, and oh! Mister, do you know what Rose says when she transforms?”
Lilian stared intently at the doorman.
Unable to stop her from giving a serious explanation, Caesar’s companions instinctively sensed what would follow.
“I-I don’t know,” the doorman stammered.
“How could you not know that?”
Lilian, seemingly disappointed, turned her back.
And silence fell.
The doorman, his voice drained, whispered:
“Please… enter.”
“Then, let’s go.”
The duke and duchess quickly led the children into the auction hall.
In contrast to the shabby city outside, the corridor was decorated lavishly with luxurious embellishments.
A dazzling chandelier illuminated the ceiling, while priceless paintings, artifacts, and jewels were displayed everywhere—too many to list.
As they passed through the extravagant scenery, Caesar cautiously asked, worried that his daughter might feel disappointed.
“Princess, are your legs tired? Do you want Dad to carry you?”
“I can walk.”
Lilian confidently replied before adding,
“No, Dad, carry me.”
She looked up at her father, arms outstretched.
Caesar’s face lit up.
He quickly scooped his daughter into his arms.
The soft, childlike scent of her hair melted the heart of “the cold, calculating underworld figure, Count Rose.”
“Oh, my little darling. Did you want to be in Daddy’s arms? Huh?”
“Yes. I’m the prim little Miss Luna today.”
“Hahaha! That’s right, prim little ladies should be carried around.”
Watching Lilian fully immersed in her “spy play” and her husband brimming with affection, Lessa smiled softly.
She turned to Illey, who was walking steadily beside her, and asked:
“Do you need help? Shall I carry you?”
“…No!”
He waved his hands in embarrassment.
Soon, they reached their assigned room.
Since many dangerous individuals came to the auction, there was no public bidding.
Everything was conducted in secrecy.
They observed the auction from their room, pressing magical devices to bid when desired. It was easy to see why this auction had gained fame in the underworld over the past year—shady people love secrecy.
“Wait a moment.”
Caesar raised his hand to guard against eavesdropping, and everyone fell silent.
Lilian hugged the Rose doll to her chest, holding her breath with a pounding heart.
“It’s just like the scene where Rose infiltrated Cookie Garden!”
Suppressing the twitch of a smile, Caesar used a detection spell.
“All clear.”
“Is there an eavesdropping device?”
“Yes. The guest treatment is poor, and there might be surveillance, but turning it off could look suspicious. Eavesdropping is gone, so you can speak freely.”
Immediately, Caesar planted a kiss on Lilian’s puffed cheeks from holding her breath.
“Princess, you can breathe now.”
“Phew!”
“Look at our daughter’s flushed face. Why is she so cute, hmm?”
As Caesar tried to pepper her with kisses, Lilian pushed his face away firmly.
“No.”
“Why not!”
“Because Luna is shy.”
Everyone burst into laughter at her answer.
“Still, don’t remove the brooch. I’ve cast a spell to prevent facial recognition.”
“I hope it works until the end.”
“We’ll leave right after the bidding anyway.”
They chatted quietly until the auction began.
Lilian jumped down from her father’s arms and ran around the room.
Illey hurriedly chased after her.
“Wow, it’s so big!”
“Don’t run!”
At that moment, lights began to go out one by one beyond the glass windows.
The space was a giant dome, with no separate audience area, just dozens of independent rooms, resembling a three-story-high grand opera house.
As the lights went out, the entire auction hall was plunged into darkness.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice echoed through the air.
“Welcome to the Kunkart Auction!”
Then, a single stage at the center was illuminated with brilliant light.
“Wow!”
Lilian pressed her face against the glass, marveling at the sight.
Illey tugged her arm.
“Don’t stick too close. It’s dangerous.”
“Illey, look! It’s sparkling!”
The colorful lights reflected off the glass.
Seeing Lilian’s eyes sparkle even brighter than the lights, Illey eventually gave up trying to restrain her.
They both stood side by side in front of the glass.
A small pair of binoculars floated toward them in midair.
“You can use this.”
Turning back, the duke and duchess held identical binoculars, watching the stage.
Curious, Lilian examined the binoculars and raised them to her eyes—
“…What is this?”
“Ugh, I can’t see anything except the silver sparkle!”
“That’s because you’re looking at me! Turn it toward the stage.”
She had been observing Illey’s hair instead of the stage.
Sighing, Illey turned the binoculars back toward the stage.
“Once again, we thank you for gracing this event with your presence. Let the auction begin. The first item up for bid is the Crown of Greed.”
The announcer cleared his throat and began the description.
“In ancient times, there was a tyrant of a nameless kingdom. This tyrant indulged in daily luxuries while treating his people like slaves. As death approached, he sought forbidden powers to attain immortality.”
At the mention of “forbidden power,” Lilian’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
“This is the legendary crown of Belbork, the Lich King of Greed! It is said to be the crown he wore until the very end.”
The auction proceeded faster than expected.
Whenever someone bid, the lights in the corresponding bidder’s room lit up, and the announcer called out the amount.
“Boring.”
Lilian pouted.
At first, she had been fascinated, using the binoculars here and there.
But with the bell ringing, the announcer calling amounts, and the cycle repeating endlessly, she grew bored.
“Isn’t there anything fun to do?”
Her parents and Illey were all focused on the stage.
Not wanting to disturb them, Lilian decided to play on her own.
While everyone concentrated on the binoculars, she scampered about in her small stature, unnoticed.
“What’s that?”
Peering around the lavish room, she noticed something sparkling in a framed picture on the wall.
“Sparkly!”
Her eyes lit up at the ruby-red object.
Standing on tiptoe, she tried to reach it, but at five years old, she couldn’t.
“I won’t give up.”
Her determination ignited.
Scanning the area with burning eyes, she spotted a chair in the corner.
She pushed it to the wall and climbed, still falling short by about two spans.
“Ugh!”
But giving up wasn’t in Lilian’s vocabulary.
Trembling on tiptoe, she bit her lip in frustration at her failed attempt.
She jumped down from the chair.
Her eyes then fell on a thick cushion on the sofa where her parents sat.
“That looks like the ring Lady Amelia lost. And here it is.”
“Indeed, there seems to be a lot of loot. We should investigate and take it.”
“What do you think, Illey?”
“I remember that in the future, the seventh star attacked, and the auction hall itself disappeared. I don’t know exactly when, but it was after the sacred artifact appeared. We need to act fast…”
“They said the culprit was caught here. Maybe they’re here today.”
Her parents and Illey were still engrossed in their binoculars.
Lilian stealthily crept under the sofa using her assassination training.
When her view reached her parents’ legs, she stretched up and snatched the cushion.
With two cushions in hand, she moved out of her parents’ sight.
Back at the chair, she stacked the cushions and climbed.
“Got it!”
Finally, Lilian reached the perfect height to reach the red object.
Though the two cushions wobbled precariously beneath her feet, Lilian, a master of balance, was fine.
She stared at the object, disguised as a jewel but glowing an unmistakable red.
Wide-eyed.
“…What’s that?”
Beyond the ruby-disguised surveillance magical device, those monitoring each room suddenly broke into sweat when a face filled the screen.
