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Chapter 46
The Lady Only Deals with the Real Thing
Rozanne glanced around and ground her teeth.
What kind of stupid swarm of flies gathered around that painting?!
At the last auction, everyone had laughed.
Who would ever buy something like that, they had said.
And yet…
Damn it. It must have become a hot topic after the last auction!
On top of that, people were sneaking glances at Rozanne.
Even if identities were hidden in an auction, one couldn’t conceal everything—the clothing, the accessories, those gave away more than enough.
The fact that Lady Rozanne, known for her deep appreciation of art, had bid on The Forest of Colonia was making people think, It must be a fine painting! I was the only one who didn’t know! So they were now all rushing in.
She had shot herself in the foot.
But she couldn’t back down now. Biting her lip, Rozanne raised her paddle again.
And the result—
“The Forest of Colonia, sold to Guest No. 6 for 170 million gold!”
Rozanne had bought it for an astounding 170 million gold.
Damn it!
Even if the painting contained clues to her uncle’s hidden fortune, 170 million was absurd.
Still seething, Rozanne abruptly stood.
Her business here was finished anyway. Once she received the painting, she’d never again set foot in such a shabby night auction.
As she walked irritably, her foot caught on something and she stumbled.
“Urgh…!”
“Oh my, are you all right?”
She turned and saw an elderly woman seated in a wheelchair.
“You must have been in a hurry. Can you stand? I’m sorry I can’t help you up.”
It was then Rozanne realized—she’d tripped on the woman’s wheelchair.
She snarled viciously.
“If your body is crippled, you should stay cooped up at home.”
The old woman’s orange eyes widened.
Strictly speaking, Rozanne had fallen because she had been walking hastily, but such was the nobility.
The first to apologize was the one who lost.
And this was merely a guest at some second-rate night auction. Rozanne could trample her as much as she pleased.
“How could you say such a thing!”
“…Enough. Don’t make a fuss.”
The butler-looking man had jumped up angrily, but the old woman stopped him.
Struggling to her feet thanks to her cumbersome dress, Rozanne glared at them as she walked off, but then froze.
Wheelchair? Orange eyes?
A face flickered through her mind, but Rozanne shook her head.
Impossible. That “someone” had been virtually in hiding for ages.
They wouldn’t just show up in a place like this.
“Bring me The Forest of Colonia.”
Arriving at the collection desk, Rozanne crooked a finger.
Her servant brought two large bags and laid them on the table.
One was filled with 170 million gold, the other held a replica of The Forest of Colonia for comparison.
“Yes, here it is. Once sold, auction items cannot be canceled under any circumstances—”
“You think I don’t know that?”
Snapping irritably, Rozanne snatched up the original.
Let’s see what Nicholas missed.
She examined the two paintings for a long time.
But then—
“What… what is this…”
They were identical.
The texture, the colors, even the cracks.
There wasn’t a single difference.
“No, impossible. Impossible!”
How could this be?
There had to be some difference—otherwise it didn’t make sense.
Otherwise the fact that nothing had been hidden in the coniferous forest would be Nicholas’s fault for painting the replica wrong, not her mistake!
Just as Rozanne, pale, lifted her head, she heard the auctioneer’s voice through the slightly open door.
“…It’s a very special work in many ways. Not only is it painted on porcelain instead of canvas, but it is both the comeback and debut piece of a previously unknown artist. Introducing Life, depicting a northern waterfall, by Baron Nicholas Raum!”
“What?!”
Rozanne flung open the door and dashed out.
“Five million gold. Five and a half. Six million. Bidding increases by one million! Seven million. Eight million…”
Auction paddles shot up in waves, as though showering applause upon Nicholas’s painting.
“Sold to Guest No. 1 for sixteen million gold!”
Rozanne’s head turned stiffly.
The one approaching to collect Nicholas’s painting was—
“Thank goodness. I fell in love at first sight and worried I might not be able to buy it.”
“Your Grace the Duke, forgive me for asking, but what is it about this piece that pleases you so much? You already have many landscapes gifted to you.”
“They were all beautiful, yes. But every single one was large—always forcing me to look up, which only reminded me of my condition.”
“Your Grace…”
“But this piece, Life, painted on a plate, is something I can keep by my side for comfort. That is why I liked it. Of course, the painting itself is also excellent.”
The Duke of Alchemia!
So the old woman in the wheelchair just now had been the Duke of Alchemia!
The cruel words Rozanne had spat at her echoed in her ears.
As the Duke passed her stiffly frozen figure, she glanced at Rozanne.
And then—
“But why hasn’t such a talented man produced any works until now…?”
The Duke’s lips, which had been smiling the whole time, pressed into a cold line.
“That really is curious.”
Once the Duke departed, a chill ran down Rozanne’s spine as she staggered outside the auction hall.
Throwing off her mask, she headed for her carriage.
She had to find out.
Why the original Forest of Colonia was identical to the replica.
And why Nicholas would pull such insane stunts!
“S-sister!”
But when she saw Hugo’s pale face waiting at the carriage, Rozanne knew at once that things were not going well.
“Uncle’s pawnshop… it’s found a guarantor! The license renewal has been completed!”
“…What?”
There were only two possible guarantors.
Either family by blood, or a noble—a living symbol of honor.
But she had confirmed it herself.
Michele Fiocedad Lionet had not appeared in the city.
So how? By what means?
“That’s not all! Not only Uncle’s pawnshop—the entire Ashen District applied for license renewal with the same guarantor!”
“What nonsense is that?!”
“You didn’t know, sister?!”
Didn’t know?
As Rozanne replayed Hugo’s words in her head, she felt as though struck with a hammer.
“Your husband! Baron Nicholas Raum! That man guaranteed the entire district!”
Nicholas!
Rozanne clenched her fists until they cracked.
That bastard had truly lost his mind.
Without me, you’re nothing. Do you really think anyone else would recognize someone like you?
Otherwise—why would the man who had only wept at those words now dare to humiliate her so openly?!
“What on earth is happening… No, but we still have The Forest of Colonia, don’t we?”
Hugo, uneasy, forced cheer into his voice.
“As long as we have that painting, we can get Uncle’s fortune, so what does it matter what happens to the pawnshop? Was there a code? A mark?”
“….”
“Sister? Why aren’t you saying anything…?”
“We’re… going back. To the estate.”
“S-sister?”
“I said we’re going back to the estate!”
Yes. She would check the painting again later—after she had cut Nicholas to pieces.
If compared thoroughly, surely there must be a difference between the two paintings.
Her sly uncle must have hidden the clue so well it couldn’t be seen by the naked eye. That was it.
Several hours later, Rozanne—shaking with fury—and a terrified Hugo arrived at Baron Raum’s estate.
“Nicholas!”
Rozanne tore through the mansion like a madwoman.
“After pulling this stunt, you dare hide?! Come out! I said come out right now!”
“M-my lady…”
Her trembling maid, following like a quaking aspen, spoke hesitantly.
At Rozanne’s glare, the maid gasped and, on the verge of tears, said:
“I-I went to open the atelier to prepare dinner, and f-found this…”
Rozanne snatched the paper from her hand.
Her face drained of all color.
What she saw was—
[Turns out, there was someone who could recognize me.]
Divorce Papers.
Signed by Nicholas Raum.
