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After looking through the menu, Keira ordered a sweet treat. Miranda took back the menu and quietly went outside.
Meanwhile, the auction on stage was in full swing.
“It’s time to lighten up the mood! Our next item is one of the Red Sea series!”
Oh! Keira exclaimed. She didn’t expect that such an item would come out here.
Unsurprisingly, the bids began to soar to the roof.
“150,000 pesos![1]“
A considerable amount of money popped up from the box seat on the opposite side. Ludwig muttered.
Ludwig: “So it’s Her Highness, Princess Arabella.”
Keira: “She likes Sidica’s works.”
Even the items that His Grace gave the Princess as a birthday gift every year were made by Sidica.
‘Her taste didn’t change,’ Keira thought as she watched the Princess win the bid for the necklace.
Ludwig: “Keira.”
Keira: “Yes?”
It’s been a while since Keira heard him address her by name, so she was taken aback. But, fortunately, her surprise didn’t show, and for that, she was grateful.
Ludwig: “You mentioned you wanted to socialize to find a husband, but it doesn’t seem like that, looking at it today.”
Keira: “Because of the situation… I’m putting off looking for a husband for a while.”
Did he still care about that? Truthfully, Keira thought he had already forgotten.
Keira: “It hasn’t even been determined who the real daughter is, so there’s no way they’re willing to marry me. Ah, of course, that’s how others would think of the situation.”
Ludwig: “…Right.”
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It would not be an exaggeration to say that he had contributed to the situation. If he hadn’t accepted Cosette, Keira wouldn’t have been suspected.
Keira hadn’t said it in a blaming tone, but somehow, Ludwig couldn’t help but feel a stabbing sensation in his conscience. Ludwig bit his lip, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his seat.
An awkward silence fell again.
Restless, Miranda said.
Miranda: “Ah, I think the food you ordered has arrived…”
Keira: “Oh.”
They seemed to have missed the knock from the staff when they were busy watching the auction.
Keira: “Tell them to serve it.”
Miranda: “Yes, milady.”
The auction house staff delivered a tray of food, and Miranda brought it to their seats. She served the coffee to Ludwig and the plate full of snacks and a glass of juice to Keira.
Ludwig didn’t even pay attention to the coffee he ordered. Instead, he just stared straight ahead, a complicated look on his face.
Keira took a bite from the macaron, hoping that the host wouldn’t accidentally meet Ludwig’s eyes and get scared.
“Here’s a beautiful amethyst brooch for men!”
An amethyst brooch secured in a glass box came up on stage.
‘That would suit Zeke.’
Zeke’s eyes were purple, which he had inherited from his mother. So pinning the brooch on his chest would be perfect.
Keira purchased the brooch at a reasonable price and filled out an order form. Then, the auction house employee took it and left.
As she returned to her seat, she felt someone’s gaze on her. It was from the seat beside her.
‘He must be wondering who it’s for…’
While Ludwig seemed curious, he didn’t seem to be able to ask her about it.
The quick-witted Miranda asked instead.
Miranda: “Are you planning to give it to Master Zeke?”
Keira: “Yes. Unfortunately, he couldn’t join me in the auction because he’s preparing for the knighthood exam.”
Miranda: “I think it would suit him well. I’m sure he’ll be delighted!”
Keira: “I hope so.”
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The amethyst brooch came out near the end of the bidding, and shortly after, there was a break in the program.
After the break, the second part of the theatrical performance would begin.
Keira stood up and said.
Keira: “I’ll go out for a while and get some air.”
Erez: “Haa… My body is sore.”
It was quite taxing to stare blankly at an auction he wasn’t interested in for three hours.
Even if a rare old book had come out, the items on stage didn’t pique Erez’s interest.
‘I hope the second part of the performance will be better,’ Erez thought as he stood up from his seat.
Erez: “I’ll wash my hands and come back, Miss Claire.”
Claire: “Oh, I was thinking of leaving too. Let’s go together.”
Claire, who stood up while saying that, had a strangely dark expression on her face.
Erez stared at her and remembered that her mood had changed even before the auction started.
After returning from the bathroom, her complexion had changed. Did she gossip and speculate with all the other ladies?
As Erez stepped out of the auction eyes, he felt narrowed eyes on him.
‘W-what?’
Seeing that Claire acted a little withdrawn, Erez was certain he didn’t imagine things.
He could hear the whispers as they continued to look his way.
Erez: “The atmosphere is strange.”
Claire: “Y-yes…”
Erez: “We should head back as soon as we’re done with our business.”
At least in the dimly lit auction house, he wouldn’t be able to feel their gaze.
They hurried to their respective destinations.
Because of that, they didn’t notice the auction house employee sneaking into their box seats.
Erez walked to the men’s break room upstairs.
As he made his way through the steps, the crowd around him decreased significantly, and the stares lessened.
He scratched his head and murmured to himself.
Erez: “What’s going on…”
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He barely paid attention to society and its happenings, so he had no way of knowing why people were whispering behind his back.
This was exactly why he wanted to leave the capital earlier– such a thing happens all the time whenever he’s here! If he stayed in his lab, he wouldn’t be in this mess!
As he continued to lament about his predicament, his eyes stopped at one place.
Erez: “Lady Keira?”
Lady Keira was about to enter the balcony as if she went out to get some fresh air.
Keira turned to him.
Keira: “You again.”
Erez: “It’s natural to run into each other when you’re in one building. Wow, people keep staring at me. What’s wrong? Social gossip doesn’t reach me fast enough so I have no idea what’s going on.”
Keira: “Well…”
Seeing Keira hesitate meant that a real problem had arisen.
Keira: “It seems that this was the intention.”
Erez: “What is? What are you talking about?”
Keira: “There’s no better way to slander the honor of an unmarried noblewoman than with an issue about a man.”
Erez: “What are you…Ah.”
He soon realized what she meant and groaned.
Before the auction began, he recalled the Countess’s words. The Countess talked as if he and Keira had a deep relationship before talks of a marriage between the Shore and Neal family started.
Erez: “What should we do?”
Keira: “What do you mean, what should we do? Should we put an appeal on the capital city walls because it’s not true? It’s best to just stay still.”
Although there were fewer people than on the lower floors, people still passed by.
Some people glanced at the two.
Erez: “…I don’t think this is the time to be together like this.”
Keira: “I agree. From now on, don’t approach me until I say it’s okay.”
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Erez: “But what if there’s urgent news? Did you forget? There are more important issues.”
Keira: “Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s going to take long.”
“…?”
Even if gossip came and went so easily in the social world, would such a rumor fade so quickly? Especially one where the daughter of the Grand Duke was involved?
Erez: “Well, you seem like you have a plan, so take care. I should get going then. People have been staring daggers at me for a while now.”
I’m going to get a hole in the back of my head like this, really. Erez grumbled to himself and left.
Even after he was gone, the gazes on Keira did not disappear.
The whispers were getting annoying.
“Wow. Seeing him go to Her Ladyship while he was with his prospective fiancee… don’t you think the rumors have credibility?”
“Just what is going on? It’s an unexpected combination.”
“Only Miss Claire looked embarrassed.”
Their conversation was expected.
It was true that there were blind items in the tabloids, but until they had arrived here, such a gaze didn’t exist.
The charity auction might as well be called a social gathering because it was an excellent place to gossip and chat.
It seemed that the Countess of Rheol took advantage of this opportunity to show off her ability to control public opinion in social circles to the fullest.
[1] the author used 페소 (peso) as the currency.