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Chapter 30
“Shh.”
Before I could resist, a cautious voice came.
“The lady sent me.”
“!”
Only then did my strength leave me. Holding my breath, I slowly turned around, and the slender attendant bowed his head. He removed his hand from my mouth and offered me a robe that seemed to have been prepared in advance.
“Please put this on and follow me.”
“……”
I quietly nodded and took the robe. This was the best way to hide my appearance from them.
I quickly pulled the robe over myself and stuck close behind the attendant.
Just as we stepped into the corridor—
“Go over there and look… Hey!”
One of the men who had been searching for the intruder approached us.
Feeling guilty like a thief caught in the act, I swallowed my breath to avoid being discovered.
The attendant who hid me behind his back asked politely, as if nothing had happened.
“What is the matter?”
“Here.”
The man motioned towards me with his chin.
“Who is this?”
“She is a distinguished guest participating in the auction.”
“And her seat?”
“Side V-1 on the 4th floor.”
Hearing that, the man looked a little surprised and then cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Apologies, madam. We were conducting a search due to an intruder.”
Fearing that saying more might give us away, I just nodded lightly.
Fortunately, since many nobles were in this place and used to such greetings, he passed by without further suspicion.
‘I guess I really have no talent for sneaking in…’
At first, I thought I could handle anything, but actually doing it proved it wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Holding my breath until he completely passed, I stuck close behind the attendant.
Just when I was starting to relax—
“Wait.”
The man stopped and turned toward us.
“But…”
“……”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
His footsteps came closer to us.
“Where did you gather before the auction started?”
gulp The attendant swallowed dryly. It was obvious he didn’t know.
To make matters worse, the longer the answer was delayed, the darker the man’s gaze became.
‘Damn.’
I had no choice.
I took a deep breath inside.
“Why can’t you answer…?”
“Hey.”
The man’s gaze suddenly locked on me.
“What are you? What’s your problem?”
“G-guest.”
Startled by the sudden confrontation, the attendant was taken aback. Seizing the opportunity, I pushed forward.
“Who do you think you are blocking the way?”
The man lowered his rapidly shaking eyes and answered.
“This auction is conducted with extreme secrecy, so security is tight…”
“Then.”
I scoffed arrogantly.
“Do you expect me to care about your troubles too? Are you going to take responsibility if I miss out on what I want?”
“N-no!”
The man yelled in panic and hurriedly took a step back, bowing deeply.
“You may enter. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Really annoying.”
After glancing him over from head to toe one last time, I sharply turned my body. The attendant naturally guided me to the room entrance.
Meanwhile, the man quickly retreated out of sight.
Only after confirming no one was around did I finally let out a shaky sigh.
“Thank you, Miss.”
The attendant whispered softly.
“You weren’t awkward, right? I’ve never said that before.”
“You were far better than any actor.”
“Thanks…”
Thanks to that, my acting skills had been acknowledged.
After many twists and turns, I finally entered the side room and faced a familiar face.
“Oh my, you’ve come…”
Madam Odilon, who greeted me, paused for a moment. I awkwardly smiled as I took off the robe I was wearing.
“I- I don’t look good, do I?”
After going through so much, I could tell roughly by how I felt even without looking in a mirror.
I roughly brushed back my hair and hurriedly sat where she showed me.
I thought we’d immediately talk about the auction, but—
“What’s wrong with your hand?”
Madam Odilon immediately noticed my hand looked strange.
“W-what about my hand?”
I quickly hid my hand under the robe, and she narrowed her eyes.
“You came all this way with hands like this?”
“……”
Keeping silent, her gaze grew sharper. She called her attendant who was nearby and ordered him to bring ointment and bandages.
“It’s fine. It’s just a little scratch.”
At that, Madam Odilon frowned. It meant ‘don’t talk nonsense.’
“Yes…”
While I kept quiet obediently, the attendant who had fetched the medicine approached.
“We’ll treat the urgent parts now and finish the rest back at home.”
“……”
“How’s the auction going? What about the necklace and the other items?”
“They’ve all been swapped for fakes… Ow!”
The disinfectant stung the wound like fire. Madam Odilon clicked her tongue and continued.
“You’ll need some help for a while. It’s this bad even in the dark.”
She scolded me, wondering how much worse it would be in the light.
“I didn’t give you the whistle for nothing.”
“Well… I was planning to use it in a better situation.”
“And it’s fine that your hand got hurt like this?”
“……I’m sorry.”
“Next time, just use it. That’s what the knights waiting around are for.”
I quietly nodded. After disinfecting the wound urgently, the attendant put gauze on it, and only then did my hand finally feel free.
Madam Odilon finally sighed deeply and got to the point.
“But something’s strange.”
“Strange?”
“I ordered my attendant to look for him and Young Lady’s uncle, but we can’t see where they’re hiding.”
“What?”
“Before the auction started, I took a position to watch, and I confirmed that he and Young Lady’s uncle came in, but I don’t know where they’re seated. Maybe they arranged a separate private room.”
Madam Odilon added that she wanted to get a list but would have had to reveal her identity, and she frowned.
“Where on earth could they be? The reason I couldn’t call the knights immediately is probably because of this.”
“……”
“Or do you have any guesses?”
“Any guesses…”
Hearing her, I furrowed my brows.
“Of course.”
I didn’t know if both of them were together.
“But I think I know at least one of them.”
Xavier was trying to sell his mother’s belongings personally, not through the auction.
If that’s the case, he wouldn’t show himself in such a public place.
‘Somewhere more secret.’
He would have private meetings with some important figures.
“A traitorous hunting dog who wants to survive long must act so the master never finds out about the betrayal.”
That left only one place.
“We need to check the opera waiting room.”
“The waiting room?”
Madam Odilon asked with surprise. I nodded.
“There’s a staff passage there.”
Meaning they could move around unnoticed by other guests.
“It’s a perfect place to smuggle items.”
