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Chapter 06
He was a man with a cold impression. Unlike Eric, who always slicked his hair back, this man’s blond hair fell softly beneath his brows, swaying lightly.
“A seat? Since when did an auction house have assigned seats?”
The moment his words ended, a chill seemed to spread through the auction hall. Had it suddenly grown quiet, or was that just Rosé’s imagination? She swallowed hard and looked up at the man. His blue eyes, like those of a ferocious beast, were fixed coldly on her.
…He seems scary somehow.
The instant their eyes met, Rosé hurriedly averted her gaze. But she couldn’t just back down like this. That seat had to be hers. She fidgeted with the number plate in her hand, then clenched it tightly as if steeling her resolve.
“It says number 38 here.”
Rosé held out her number plate toward the man, fully believing that it indicated her seat number. When she didn’t retreat, the man’s expression grew even colder.
“Madam! Please, wait!”
At that moment, Cern—who had been watching the man’s mood—turned pale and stepped in front of Rosé. Fidgeting anxiously, he tugged at her arm and whispered urgently.
“Madam, that’s not a seat number. It’s a bidding number. When an item you want comes up, you raise it and state your price.”
“A b-bidding number?”
At Cern’s rapid explanation, Rosé’s face flushed with embarrassment. Ignoring the man’s piercing stare as best she could, she whispered back.
“Then what about the seats?”
“You can sit anywhere. There are no assigned seats.”
Cold sweat broke out on Rosé’s back.
Then… that means I told someone who was perfectly fine sitting there to move?
She forced the corners of her stiff lips upward and blinked awkwardly. Was the scary-looking man still staring at her? She darted her large eyes to the side. He was still looking straight at her.
At this rate, I might get into serious trouble.
Cern, still tense, stared at the man. His gaze toward Rosé was distinctly threatening. The glint of his eyes between strands of blond hair… Perhaps the nickname “the Madman of the North” wasn’t an exaggeration. Cern bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle and apologized, thinking only of getting Rosé out of there as quickly as possible.
“We apologize for the offense, Duke Arteum.”
At the name “Duke Arteum,” which escaped Cern’s lips, Rosé’s already large eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
Duke Arteum…!
The bloodless, tearless mad murderer her tutor had repeatedly warned her never to get involved with. And that very man was sitting right in front of her now. The auction hall fell deathly silent. Everyone stole glances at Rosé and the duke, holding their breath.
They were curious who had dared to provoke Duke Arteum—and what grotesque thing he might do to them.
Duke Arteum rose casually from his seat and extended his pale, bloodless hand toward Cern, who was still bowing. The moment he reached out, Rosé’s mind went completely blank.
What is he trying to do to Cern?!
If young Cern were to suffer something terrible because of her, Rosé would never be able to sleep from guilt. As horrifying images flashed through her mind, she grabbed the duke’s lapel just before his hand reached Cern.
“……”
Duke Arteum stopped and frowned, turning to look behind him. Rosé stepped forward and positioned herself protectively in front of Cern. The duke’s gaze shifted from Cern to Rosé. Already on edge, Rosé began trembling all over when their eyes met.
“I apologize for the offense.”
Her voice trembled, but she didn’t avert her gaze. She straightened her back, trying to look dignified, and everyone present could tell—Rosé had stepped forward in spite of her fear.
“……”
The duke’s eyes flashed with an oddly unreadable light as he looked at her. What on earth was he thinking? Watching his expression, Rosé noticed the faint upward curve of his lips and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He doesn’t look offended. I apologized, so I should be able to leave now, right?
Thinking that, she tried to slip away—but when she turned around, she realized something. The area behind her was already packed with people, with no gap to squeeze through.
Then… should I go forward?
Unlike the crowded back, the front was strangely empty. Rosé tried to move forward with hesitant steps, but a voice from behind stopped her cold.
“Sit.”
It was Duke Arteum’s voice. A chill ran down her spine. Surely he wasn’t talking to her… She took another step forward.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to sit?”
The voice came again. Though she told herself it couldn’t be meant for her, she glanced back just in case—and locked eyes with Duke Arteum staring straight at her, his lips curled into a crooked smile.
He really was telling me to sit?
…Why?! She felt like grabbing his shoulders and asking. But she didn’t want to offend him. Swallowing the words rising to her throat, she asked in a trembling voice, praying he hadn’t meant her.
“Are you… talking to me?”
“Yes. Is there anyone else standing here besides you?”
“There are lots of people standing—”
She muttered as she glanced around the hall. Contrary to his words, there were indeed many people standing. But only for a moment—those who had been peeking over like meerkats quickly sat down, faces pale, clearly pressured by Duke Arteum’s murderous glare. Now only Rosé and Cern were left standing awkwardly.
To make people tremble with fear using nothing but a look… Rosé felt even more afraid of the man in front of her.
“I was planning to sit in the front…”
She forced an awkward smile, trying to avoid sitting beside him. But his next words stopped her.
“Do you intend to block my view from the front?”
His sharp voice pierced her ears.
Maybe it’s better to sit here quietly like I’m invisible and leave later than to offend him up front.
At his chilling tone, Rosé had no choice but to sit beside him. Soon after she sat down, the auction began. Tensing in fear that he might do something to her, she relaxed only after seeing that the duke made no move at all. Only then could she focus on the auction.
She didn’t have anything particular she wanted to buy, but it was fascinating to see such rare items.
“Thirty million Res.”
“Thirty-five million Res!”
The voices of bidders rang out. As expected of nobles, the prices were on a completely different scale from the start.
They said a lower noble’s yearly living expenses are about one to two thousand Res. Ordinary commoners need about a million Res per year…
At bids exceeding three times a lower noble’s annual expenses, Rosé’s mouth fell open.
The nobles gathered here really do live on a completely different level from ordinary people.
She still hadn’t realized that she herself now belonged to that level, and she watched them with awe.
“Any higher bids? Then we’ll begin the countdown. Three, two, one.”
If no higher bid is made before the countdown ends, the item goes to the last bidder. Bang, bang, bang.
“This item has been sold for thirty-five million Res.”
Once the sale was finalized, a maid approached the winning bidder and took his bidding plate.
So you can only win one item.
Without a bidding plate, you can’t bid again. Thinking she should choose carefully, Rosé scanned the auction catalog. The only item she recognized was “Luna’s Tear.” But she had no intention of buying it. Coincidentally, the auction for Luna’s Tear began.
“This is Luna’s Tear. We’ll start at fifty million Res.”
At the auctioneer’s words, the bids quickly climbed.
“Fifty-five million Res.”
“Sixty million Res!”
“Sixty-five million Res.”
“Eighty million Res.”
That thing is fake anyway…
Watching people obsess over a counterfeit, Rosé clicked her tongue inwardly at the rapidly rising price. Then the previously silent Duke Arteum raised his bidding plate.
“One hundred million Res.”
He jumped straight from eighty million to one hundred million. It was an enormous bid, but the other nobles didn’t back down.
“One hundred twenty million Res.”
“One hundred twenty-five million Res!”
As the price kept climbing, the duke picked up his bidding plate again. Sitting beside him, Rosé couldn’t help but be bothered. She couldn’t stop everyone in the hall, but Duke Arteum was right next to her. In no time, the price soared to three hundred million Res.
What should I do… This bothers me.
She kept glancing at him. After all, he was about to spend an absurd amount of money on a fake. When he raised his hand to bid again—
“Don’t.”
Rosé blocked his hand and shook her head.
“What is this?”
Annoyance flashed across the duke’s face. Faced with his icy expression, Rosé regretted interfering—but even so, she squeezed her eyes shut and spoke in a tiny voice.
“Don’t buy that.”
“And why should that concern you?”
As expected, his voice bristled with hostility. Sweat poured down Rosé’s back as she scolded herself for meddling.
I really need to fix this habit… I always step in without thinking. I should’ve just ignored it.
She looked timid and quiet on the outside, but she was naturally kind—always volunteering for things others avoided, helping before anyone even asked. She couldn’t pass by someone in trouble.
The duke must have plenty of money anyway.
He was once the crown prince. It was impossible to imagine how much wealth he possessed. Whether he spent three hundred million or a billion Res on a fake, it might not mean much to him. But regret came too late.
Should I just tell him to buy it again?
Glancing at him, she clamped her mouth shut. He was glaring at her as if he wouldn’t let it slide if she bothered him over something trivial. In the end, Rosé decided to tell the truth—whether he believed her or not.
“That’s a counterfeit.”
“A counterfeit?”
“Yes.”
“How would you know that? Are you saying these people are deceiving the nobles here?”
“No… It’s just that they don’t seem to know it’s fake either.”
She muttered timidly that he could buy it if he really wanted. But perhaps her words had lingered with him—the duke slowly lowered his bidding plate.
“Countess Wens.”
Rosé jumped at the sound of her name from his lips.
He… knew who I was?
“Yes?”
At her dazed reply, he spoke quietly.
“If that were genuine… you would pay dearly for interfering.”
His low voice made her body stiffen. Even knowing it was fake, Rosé felt her throat go dry under his beastlike gaze. Duke Arteum—the Madman of the North. An uneasy feeling crept over her, as if she had crossed paths with someone she never should have.
