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CHAPTER 88…
“W-What? How did this happen…?”
Only then did the attendants who had brought the painting realize it was a fake and became flustered.
‘It was definitely authentic when I checked it earlier.’
Right before the bazaar began, just as the nobles were arriving, I had made one last round to inspect the auction items.
I couldn’t allow any problems to arise with the donations, given in such good faith.
“W-When on earth did this happen…?”
Even Mikael looked shaken by this unexpected turn of events. At that moment, I faintly heard the voice of the auctioneer from the stage.
“The Duke of Del Lua has just won the necklace for an astonishing 10 million gold!”
“…”
“Oh my, to think we’d see 10 million gold at today’s auction… That’s an amount I could only dream of saving up for my entire life!”
“…”
“So can we take this to mean the Duke loves his partner that much? Of course, love is a priceless treasure that can’t be measured by gold, but still!”
The host was clearly talking about Idris, but I couldn’t hear a word of it.
Because what mattered most now was the issue right in front of me.
‘At least the painting wasn’t discovered to be a fake after it was sold… That would have been the worst-case scenario.’
Still, I couldn’t possibly put a fake item up for auction.
But I also couldn’t reveal that the item had been stolen.
That would be seen as negligence on my part in managing the donations—or worse, a security issue within the Imperial Palace.
‘…Which would completely ruin the atmosphere of the bazaar.’
That was absolutely unacceptable.
For the people who had practiced so hard for this day, and for Her Majesty the Empress, who entrusted me with this event.
‘Come on, Leticia, think. Find a solution—fast.’
Clearing my mind, which had gone blank with shock, I desperately searched for a way to resolve this.
And just as a potential solution came to me—
“The final auction item for today is…!”
The auctioneer turned toward us and shouted.
I shook my head and gave him the rehearsal hand signal for “pause.”
The host looked puzzled but seemed to understand the meaning and smoothly improvised.
“…We were going to unveil it! But wouldn’t it be more fun to keep the tension going until the very end?”
“…”
“The final auction item everyone’s been waiting for will be revealed… after a short break!”
Disappointed murmurs and light jeering came from the audience.
“This last item is truly something everyone will covet, so please use this break to discuss the bidding amount with your spouse. If you miss it… you might just sit up in bed in regret for weeks!”
With that perfect ad-libbed closing remark, the host stepped off the stage and came backstage.
“What’s going on? Why the sudden break…?”
“We’re short on time, so I’ll make it quick, Robinson.”
Taking a deep breath, I continued.
“The auction item was stolen.”
“What?! Then the auction…?”
“But the thief probably hasn’t gotten far. So now, we’re going to find them.”
The last time I had checked the painting was right before the auction began.
At the time, the auction items were under the guard of Imperial Palace knights.
‘That means the thief must be one of the palace knights or a royal attendant.’
They wouldn’t try to sell the painting right away—it would make them an obvious suspect.
So, the real painting must still be in their possession.
‘And considering how I could “see” the change in the painting’s appearance… maybe the culprit sees it that way too.’
I couldn’t be sure, but…
‘It’s worth a try.’
Better than letting the bazaar fall apart.
“Robinson, you need to keep the atmosphere going. Just like you’ve been doing so far.”
“What exactly should I do?”
“For now, change the order and present the new product showcase first. Try to stall for time as long as you can.”
He looked at me with clear nervousness but gave a nod.
“That’s actually my specialty in the troupe—stalling for time. I’ll give it a shot.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
Leaving Robinson behind, I exited the hall through the side door.
“Lady Chloe.”
Mikael followed after me.
Only then did I remember him, and I stopped to turn toward him.
“Lord Hildes, it’s best if you stay here.”
“What? But wouldn’t having more people searching help us find the thief faster?”
“Finding the thief is important, but so is managing the bazaar until then.”
“Well, yes, but still…”
“That’s why one of the people in charge must stay in the hall. Those people will be looking to you for instructions.”
Mikael seemed to realize the logic in my words and didn’t argue further, though he clearly felt uneasy about letting me go alone.
He hesitated for a moment, opening his mouth as if to say something—
“Leticia.”
Footsteps approached quickly—Idris had appeared.
“What happened?”
His unexpected arrival startled me. My eyes widened.
“How did you know?”
“The order changed from the rehearsal.”
Ah, right. He had watched the rehearsal.
It seemed Idris had already pieced together most of the situation, so I got straight to the point.
“The auction item was stolen.”
“What? Which lunatic—”
“And now I’m going to catch that lunatic.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Idris grabbed my hand—as if there was never any other option.
He had always been this way, but in that moment, the firm grip of his hand felt especially reassuring.
‘Actually, this might work out better.’
Having Idris come with me would be to my advantage.
He could use his power to pressure suspects, or even resort to force if necessary.
I nodded and turned to Mikael.
“Then I leave it to you, Lord Hildes.”
He looked back and forth between me and Idris with a somewhat bitter expression before replying.
“…I’ll be waiting. Please be careful.”
After parting ways with Mikael, we headed to the second-floor auction storage room.
With all the items already removed and the Imperial knights preparing to return to security duties, they looked puzzled by our sudden arrival.
“Lady Leticia? What brings you here?”
“Were there any people in the room aside from the attendants who carried the items?”
“No, only the attendants. We wouldn’t let in anyone suspicious.”
The room was a sealed chamber with no windows.
That narrowed the suspect pool to the attendants who had transported the painting.
“Where are those attendants now?”
“Now that their job is done, they’re either serving in the hall, packing the items, or returned to their assigned palaces. Why do you ask?”
I bit my lip.
‘If they were all gathered in one place, I could identify them more easily…’
Just as I was lost in thought, Idris seemed to arrive at the same conclusion and gave the knights an order.
“One of the auction items was swapped for a fake. Bring all the attendants back here immediately.”
I quickly stopped him.
“That won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“If you call everyone here at once, people will notice something is wrong.”
“If we don’t tell the attendants why, there’s less chance of that happening.”
“But if the culprit realizes we’re onto them, they might flee.”
Of course, we could capture them if they tried to escape—but that would blow the whole thing wide open.
‘And that would completely ruin the bazaar.’
Only then did Idris grasp the implication of my words and fall silent.
“Then what’s your plan?”
