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Chapter 32
And now, back to the present.
“D-D-Dear…?”
Looking at Marquis Odilon slumped on the floor, I swallowed a cough with a khm.
As expected.
Just as I had anticipated, the two of them were together.
Rather than an auction house where things were conducted openly, a marquis like him would be far more interested in this waiting room, where everything proceeded discreetly.
When I thoroughly investigated the household ledgers, there had been several artworks sent to Marquis Odilon—and the person who sent them was none other than Xavier.
Which means…
The two had already been in contact for quite some time. And if there had been a plan to sell items privately, then if I were Xavier, I would have targeted Marquis Odilon, who was steeped in indulgence and extravagance.
Putting all those circumstances together, it naturally led to the conviction that the two of them would be together.
“W-Why are you here…!”
The marquis muttered as he looked up at his wife, his face pale enough to faint at a single tap.
As if he couldn’t believe this entire situation, the expression with which he stared up at her was still utterly foolish.
Lady Odilon, who had been watching her husband with evident amusement, smacked her lips briefly, then stretched her mouth into a smile.
…Wow.
That smile makes her even scarier.
She almost looks less frightening when she’s angry.
Seeing her smile silently like that made even my knees feel weak.
“Y-You crazy—!”
At that moment, Xavier, who had also noticed me, glared with bulging eyes and raised his hand.
But just before he could grab my hair, the knight beside me skillfully blocked him.
Seeing his wrist seized, Xavier twisted his upper body and roared in fury.
“Let go of me! Shit! What the hell—who the hell are you people?!”
“What else?”
We’re here to take out the trash.
I smiled thinly at him on purpose. Seeing that, Xavier flew into an even greater rage, but it was already over—there was nothing left to fear.
I turned my body toward Xavier, who was shouting about how dare anyone lay hands on a noble.
Perhaps his temper had flared up completely; his face was bright red as he resisted, and it was rather entertaining to watch.
When I glanced to the side, I saw the other nobles also in a state of panic, pointing fingers at the approaching knights and resisting.
A few kicked off the ground in an attempt to flee, but they were immediately caught by the strong knights.
Leaving the scene that had turned into utter chaos behind me, I looked back at Xavier.
“There’s no point in wasting your strength.”
Xavier frowned, not immediately understanding my words. At his still shameless face, a hollow laugh escaped me.
He still hasn’t come to his senses.
Well, what could one possibly expect from him?
Clicking my tongue, I decided to make him face the reality of what was happening right now.
“Looks like you didn’t hear the report about an intruder at the auction house?”
“…What?”
At my words, confusion spread across Xavier’s face.
His violently shaking pupils lost their focus for a moment. It seemed he really hadn’t been informed.
Figures.
To hear that kind of news, you’d have to stick close to the auction house. Hiding like a rat like this, of course you’d be slower than everyone else.
I cast a sidelong glance at the money pouches scattered across the floor.
“Looks like you made quite a haul.”
“!”
Only then did Xavier seem to remember the money he had just earned, hurriedly bending down to scan the floor.
But since he was already caught, there was no way he could retrieve it. After flailing his arms uselessly in the air, Xavier glared at me viciously.
I glanced sideways at the knight who was busy tidying up nearby. Receiving the signal, the knight began collecting the money bags strewn across the floor one by one.
Xavier, aghast, waved his hands frantically in the air, demanding them back.
“Did you sell the necklace well?”
The hand that had been desperately chasing after the money froze midair.
“From what I can see, you sold the bracelet and everything else cleanly, too.”
“H-How do you know that…?!”
Instead of answering, I took out the accessories I had prepared in advance from my pocket. As Xavier watched the items spill out in a cascade following my hand, he swallowed a scream.
The very items he had just sold off were sitting right here in plain sight.
Seeing this, Xavier drew in a sharp breath. Then, as he slowly began to grasp the situation, the eyes that had looked as though they might faint gradually filled with rage.
“T-This—this—what is this! Where did you get this—! Aaaagh!”
The man who had tried to rush at me flipped backward in an instant. The knight who had swiftly subdued him turned to look at me.
At his questioning gaze, I beamed a bright smile.
“Please take him away quickly.”
He might have been excited about getting his hands on some money just moments ago.
But from now on, the difficulty level of his life would go up a little—no, a lot.
Leaving him to the knight, I turned toward Lady Odilon.
Over there as well, it seemed the situation was much the same; I could see the marquis struggling, refusing to be dragged away to the very end.
But judging by how delighted his wife looked at the sight, I turned away without much worry.
That was when it happened.
Thud—.
Something dug into my flesh.
“…?”
I reflexively stopped and pressed a hand to my abdomen. For a brief moment, I couldn’t even guess what had just happened.
“Y-You bastard! How dare you toy with me like this…?!”
The voice, thick with resentment, was rough, as if scraped against sandpaper. When I cautiously turned my head, I saw my uncle, stripped of his sword by the knights, screaming in fury.
Moments later, screams rang out around me. Only when I felt my palm grow slick did I fully understand the situation.
But by the time my vision, which had briefly gone hazy, snapped back into focus—
“M-Miss! Miss!”
My body had already fallen into that abyss long ago.
.
.
.
Enraged by the realization that he had been toyed with all this time, Xavier grabbed the knife he carried for self-defense without hesitation.
Then, taking advantage of the brief moment when the knights’ attention was diverted, he attacked his niece who had deceived him. It happened in an instant, before anyone could stop him.
Aria, stabbed straight through the abdomen, collapsed on the spot, and the scene quickly descended into chaos.
But with a bleeding victim before them, the knights could not move rashly.
They were hastily attempting to stop the bleeding, but there was no hospital they could go to at the moment.
“B-But shouldn’t we move her right away…?!”
“It’ll take far too long to get to a hospital from here!”
Of all places, this was on the outskirts of the capital.
The few hospitals that could be reached were all closed at this hour. The only places open at night were several hours away by carriage.
The probability that she would die on the way was extremely high.
“Then where on earth should we—! Ah!”
Just as everyone was racking their brains together, one of the knights came up with a clever idea.
“There—there’s a faster place!”
Even if not surgery, at the very least they needed to administer emergency treatment first.
And the closest place from here, right now—
“Let’s go to Renestier!”
There was no other choice.
