"Have we met somewhere before?"
Astin tilted his head.
His deep-set eyes showed no particular interest.
"Who knows? We might have."
His voice was indifferent and dry. Lucia accepted that as a reasonable possibility.
Astin was the legitimate child of the Grand Duke's family, which held sway over the Empire's West.
They had probably crossed paths by chance at one of the many social events or balls in the past.
They simply hadn't remembered each other, though the encounter had unconsciously stayed with them.
Lucia briefly searched her memories. For some reason, she wanted to figure out exactly when it had happened.
'No, that's not what's important!'
She quickly came to her senses.
Wasn't this the thug who had beaten her close friend to a pulp?
"W-what you did to Azelin... I know all about it."
"Is that so? I'd almost forgotten about it already."
Astin's nonchalant response made Lucia's brow furrow. He showed not the slightest hint of remorse. Lucia narrowed her eyes at him.
"His Majesty the Emperor approaches!"
The chamberlain's announcement rang through the ballroom.
All the noise filling the hall stopped at once.
The nobles turned their eyes toward the entrance, as did the four men who had been watching me with murderous glares.
"Enjoy yourself, Lady Lucia."
While Lucia was distracted, Astin quietly disappeared into the crowd.
She wanted to rush over and grab him—to smack him upside the head. But she couldn't cause a scene in front of the Emperor.
Lucia pressed her lips together and turned toward the throne for the audience.
"Lady Lucia."
Crown Prince Zenon had been cautiously trying to close the distance.
At last, he came over and spoke in a subtle voice. His eyes were full of suspicion toward Astin.
"What sort of relationship do you have with that young master from Kardenos?"
"We don't have any relationship. If I had to say..."
Lucia shot Astin a glare.
"We're enemies. He's the enemy who insulted my friend."
"Hahaha! That's a relief. I was worried that brutish fellow might have designs on you."
Lucia merely nodded in response.
She watched Astin's back recede into the crowd, biting her lip.
'Astin von Kardenos.'
According to the rumors, he was a wastrel who spent every day drifting between pleasure houses, steeped in debauchery.
A thug who had raised his hand against his fiancée after obsessing over her and being rejected time and again.
With his rugged features and dissolute appearance, he looked every bit the part.
"He looks like a chain-smoker."
He looked like the sort who'd seduce an innocent young lady, have his way with her in bed, then put a cigarette between his lips.
Lucia had a better sense of smell than most people.
She'd expected him to reek of stale tobacco, but his scent was slightly surprising. Astin carried only a clean scent.
Maybe he took pride in his natural scent, because he didn't cover it up with perfume like the other nobles.
Of course, no matter how he smelled, that guy still needed to be taught a lesson.
***
"Phew."
I quietly swallowed a sigh of relief.
I'd expected Lucia to react like that.
From her friend's perspective, it was more than enough to make her see red.
No matter what the truth of the matter was, it was only natural to believe your friend first.
Luckily, I got away at just the right time. If not for the Emperor, we would've gotten into an argument.
"Brother."
Celine came hurrying over from far away.
Young ladies really were exhausting.
She'd spent hours getting dressed up at the family estate.
And even after arriving at the Imperial Palace, she'd touched up her makeup, straightened her dress, fixed her hair, and checked her gloves and fan.
"You look like a whole new person."
Still, Celine had become so beautiful that the long wait hadn't been for nothing.
"Now go do your best. This is your debut."
"W-what should I do?"
"Go make connections."
Celine's eyes darted around uncertainly.
She didn't seem to want to leave my side. She fiddled with her skirt and even tried to hide behind me.
"Ah...!"
I quickly stepped away and gave Celine a push on the back.
If she hid behind someone else, she'd be no better than a sack of grain left in the corner.
An aristocratic young lady had to mingle on her own and lead conversations if she wanted to build a good reputation.
That was noble society for you.
"Don't be scared. There's nothing to be nervous about."
"..."
Celine nodded as if she'd given up.
She took a deep breath, then cautiously headed toward a group of young noblewomen.
I hoped they wouldn't look down on her or bully her for being a Bastard.
If there were any airheaded young ladies like that, I wasn't going to stand by and do nothing.
"Whoa, you scared me."
I turned my gaze and flinched. Four men were glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me.
Right. I knew all their faces.
They'd been like that ever since I exchanged a few words with Lucia.
"Lady Lucia, you're as beautiful as ever!"
"Ahaha... Thank you. You're lovely too, Young Lady."
Lucia was also glancing in my direction.
She was buried in the crowd and only glaring at me for now, but she looked ready to come over the moment she got the chance.
"Ahem."
Their gazes were sharp. Very sharp.
I'd given up on clearing up the misunderstanding in person.
Was I worried Lucia would say, 'How can I believe you?' That wasn't it. It was because of those four men.
The Crown Prince was glaring at me like he wanted to kill me too. I had to be careful.
I pretended not to notice those five and started walking.
Even if I was a wastrel with a reputation scraping the bottom of the barrel, I had to show my face now and then.
I picked up a champagne glass and strode confidently toward the center.
"Ahem."
"Oh, my!"
The crowd split apart like the Red Sea the moment I appeared.
When our eyes met, people jumped and looked away, then slowly backed off.
They treated me like I had some contagious disease.
"Honestly."
Now that I thought about it, I wasn't in any position to worry about Celine.
A wastrel of a young master who'd smashed a delicate young lady's face to a pulp.
I couldn't help laughing bitterly.
Forget noble duty and all that. Should I just hide in a corner and sip the rest of the wine?
So I spent some time alone. More or less by force.
-Ahem. May I have your attention, please!
The social gathering was in full swing.
-Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for waiting!
Click
The hall lights went out, and the auctioneer's voice rang through the room. The noises from all around gradually died down.
The auctioneer offered the customary thanks for the Emperor's generosity, then made a few remarks about all the esteemed guests who had graced the event.
Anyway, the Founding Day Festival's commemorative auction of personal treasures had begun.
-We can't waste even a second of our esteemed guests' time! Please take your assigned seats!
The guests took their seats, some more cautiously than others, and each took a bidding paddle in hand.
Even though I knew the Founding Day Festival only through a novel, I had a good grasp of how it went.
Usually, the auction portion followed the cliche of the protagonist getting first pick of some hidden gem no one else knew about, or a slave with potential.
But the Founding Day Festival I'd read about in those scraps of text had nothing like that.
All I remembered was the socializing, the young ladies with their sausage-roll hairstyles giggling, the third-rate villainous nobles, and Lucia's debutante ball at the end.
The auction and other trivial side events were skipped right over.
-Our first item is a treasured possession of a renowned jeweler, known to everyone here! An opal crystal crafted with the skill and care of the master craftsman Thermion! Bidding starts at 5 million shillings!
If there had been a hidden gem, the protagonist Lucia would have gotten it first. The fact that she hadn't meant there wasn't one.
So I didn't have much hope for the auction.
-Sold for 8 million shillings! Our second item is a treasured possession of the Valdiac court count! This censer was unearthed from the ruins of the Principality of Arken! Bidding starts at 7 million shillings!
Jewelry touched by the hands of the finest craftsmen. Rare Artifacts excavated from ancient ruins.
One after another, luxuries the nobles would go wild for were brought onto the stage.
The atmosphere was electric, and bidding paddles flew up nonstop.
Among the items were weapons forged by renowned master craftsmen.
I wasn't very interested. I had better stuff at home.
-Our next item is the twelfth lot!
The auction had passed its midpoint.
-An Artifact accessory personally crafted by the Imperial Academy's top student and the rising star of high society, Lady Lucia von Elzerna! Bidding starts at 10 million shillings—
"12 million shillings!"
The bidding began before the auctioneer had even finished speaking.
There were plenty of nobles eager to win Lucia's favor.
Sure enough, countless nobles raised their paddles and called out their bids.
"15 million!"
"I bid 20 million!"
"30 million!"
The four men were by far the most heated, their veins bulging as they competed.
Their glares were murderous, and their paddles stabbed at the air.
Money really did grow on trees.
Were they trying to buy the item, or a woman's heart with their money? I could guarantee it was the latter.
The original novel never revealed who won this chaotic bidding war. The entire auction section had been skipped.
Well, I didn't need to think hard to guess the result.
'It'll obviously be the Crown Prince.'
No matter how powerful a great noble or merchant guild master was, their opponent was the Empire's future sun.
There was no way an individual or family could compete with the Imperial Family's overwhelming wealth.
"50 million shillings."
The relaxed bid crushed the competition in one go.
Crown Prince Zenon's words silenced the room as if cold water had been thrown over it.
Just as I expected.
-50 million shillings! Any other bids? Anyone? 3, 2, 1! Sold! The item goes to His Highness the Crown Prince for 50 million shillings!
The Crown Prince burst into hearty laughter. His sticky gaze was, of course, fixed on Lucia.
Lucia's lips quivered as she clapped with an awkward smile.
At this point, she was uncomfortable around men. It was obvious, even to me.
But no matter how she acted now, Lucia would choose the Crown Prince at the debutante ball.
According to the original story, the two of them would dance at the debutante ball.
Then, little by little, she'd give her affection to the other men as well, building a reverse harem.
That was Lucia, the protagonist of the romance fantasy I knew.
"Ugh, just thinking about it makes me feel sick..."
The thought of having to watch that sickening display.
-We'll disclose everything transparently! After the commission is deducted, 85% of the winning bid, or 42.5 million shillings, will go to the item's creator, Lady Lucia. At Lady Lucia's request, this amount will be donated to those in need!
Applause broke out.
"Just as you'd expect from Lady Lucia. She has such a kind heart."
"To donate such a huge sum in full... I don't think I could even donate half."
"Isn't that why His Highness the Crown Prince is so generous with his affections?"
She had done a good thing. I clapped too.
Lucia was the protagonist, and the protagonist was always on the side of good.
Even though she'd been fooling around with men until the apocalypse broke out.
She was kind at heart, at least.
She knew how to fight for a cause. Lucia was the only one who fought alongside me until the very end.
-Our next item is a personal effect of the late General Vermang, former commander of the Imperial Regular Army's 3rd Corps. It is the General's Star Sword of the Ring!
The heated atmosphere cooled slightly.
The item brought onto the stage was clearly different from the magic swords that had received praise before.
An old sword, its age showing, with plain decoration. I studied it closely.
"What is that?"
"It just looks like an old, beat-up sword..."
"Who was General Vermang again? Some old general?"
"He was a general from more than ten years ago. I only know the name."
General Vermang. Any knight would naturally know that name.
Before he was a retired soldier, he was a knight who had adorned the Ring's golden age.
Even as he drew his last breath, he'd donated his entire fortune to the knighthood and put up the sword he'd carried all his life for auction.
His will stated that all the proceeds should be used to train the next generation.
-Bidding starts at 4 million shillings!
4 million could be considered cheap.
If you thought you were buying his honor and his years of service along with the sword.
I glanced around without thinking.
"Ahem..."
"4 million, huh."
The nobles who had been raising their bids until now fell silent. The same people who'd bid over 5 million for luxuries.
The reason was simple. That sword couldn't be a luxury item.
Knights couldn't even use it in actual combat.
The sword hilt was rusted in several places, and the blade was too chipped to restore.
It could only be used as a decoration or a ceremonial sword.
Gulp—
I heard someone swallow hard from a corner of the room.
A group of white-haired old men sat there, their faces tense.
The signs of their well-trained bodies told me they were old comrades of General Vermang.
They watched their fallen comrade's sword on the stage with anxious expressions. They eyed the crowd's reaction and swallowed nervously.
Their eyes pleaded for someone to put a high value on the sword. They desperately wanted someone to preserve their dead comrade's dignity.
"...4.2 million shillings."
"4.5 million."
"Here, 4.7 million shillings."
A few bids came from the crowd. Even then, they only raised the price by a little at a time.
The wealthy were tossing out sympathy bids, figuring they might as well help preserve appearances.
The General's Star Sword was a somewhat specialized renowned sword, connected to the Solar Ring.
And the Solar Ring's legacy was treated like junk everywhere.
Even now, the nobles were whispering that it was an "outdated relic."
They didn't know that Luna was a nameless thread puppet of the Outer Gods.
But ignorance was no excuse to undervalue it.
Nor did it show respect for the honor of knights who endured a life of hardship.
The Solar Ring deserved respect in its own right.
"...Why don't we pool our funds together?"
I looked toward the old knights. They'd already bowed their heads, seemingly resigned.
"That's what we should do. We can't let General Vermang's sword go to ruin like this."
"Then let's combine what we can all afford. If we sell my gold ring too, we should manage... about 1 million."
"I can put in 1.5 million. How about you?"
They wanted to preserve General Vermang's dignity.
I couldn't let that happen. Anyone who knew better would see through it and laugh at those old knights.
-5 million shillings! Any other bids? If not, then it will be sold—
The auctioneer stopped speaking. His gaze landed on me.
I sat up from where I'd been leaning against the backrest. I waved the bidding paddle I'd raised high.
-Number 326! Please state your bid!
"50 million shillings."
Every sound in the hall stopped. I could feel the weight of everyone's stares, sharp enough to sting my skin.
Among the countless people staring at me, Lucia was looking at me with a shocked expression.
Even when our eyes met, she just kept staring.
Something about this...
Was she upset that I'd bid the same amount as she got for her item?