Chapter 12
“The first item.”
It was a painting wrapped in white cloth. As the cloth was lifted, several people gasped in awe. It might be a famous painting or something, but of course, this wasn’t my target.
“How do you know that person? He’s not someone you’ve associated with before.”
“He helped me earlier. It’s my first time meeting him today.”
The auction proceeded smoothly, and the painting was acquired at a reasonable price, then the next item was introduced.
“What happened that you needed his help?”
“I felt dizzy for a moment…”
“I knew it—you’re not feeling well. You should head back. I’ll get what you need for you.”
“I’m alright now.”
I knew that it would be better if Redcliffe saw me win the bid myself rather than for Dalton to do it. I made some calculations in my mind… I hope my funds won’t fall short…
“The next item.”
“Tess, you don’t look well. We should really head back.”
“No, I’m fine. I’d like to see the rest of the auction.”
Obviously, just as Dalton said, I wasn’t feeling well. The presence of the third ghost hit me much harder than I expected. Considering the gentleman looking back at me, trying to make eye contact…
“You look like you’re about to faint.”
“Here is the next item.”
At last, the red diamond came up, and people became enthralled. There seemed to be more people than I thought who were interested in it because of the rumors surrounding it.
“The starting bid is 1000 gold.”
A well-kempt middle-aged man offered the first bid. The crowd was abuzz with hushed commotion—it must be a high amount. But I can’t lose.
“3,500 gold. The new bid is 3,500 gold.”
I raised my panel, then the host pointed to me as I gestured for this amount. Every time a panel was lifted, the bid would rise in 500 gold increments.
So far, I’m still pretty relaxed, but when I began to participate in the bid, everyone around me stirred in excitement.
The auction’s progression was quick. The next amount was called.
“4000 gold.”
The one who raised to 4000 was Lord Wilhelm. He held up his panel as if to see if I had any intentions of giving up the bid.
“4000 gold is the current bid. Going once—or is there anyone who would like to raise it to 4500 gold?”
But I didn’t give up. Instead, I raised my panel.
The host pointed at me and said, “4,500 gold is the current bid. Would anyone like to raise this—5,000 gold. 5,000 from number 315.”
He didn’t seem to be thinking of backing down either. The bid went higher and higher because of numbers 315 and 104. Right now, the bid had already risen by thousands.
“8,000 gold. Would anyone like to bid 9,000 gold?”
Excited by the unprecedented and unexpected turn of events, the host’s voice went higher and he talked faster every time the bid rose. Spectators were now more interested in the two people who had no intention of losing, rather than the item itself. They were wondering just how far we’d go.
Now, the bid went up by 5,000 gold increments.
“20,000 gold. Number 315, would you like to bid 20,000 gold?”
I thought he’d let up soon, but 315 really seemed to have no intentions of losing this bid. What was that about? 315—the man named Wilhelm took a glance at me, but it was more of a cautious look than a greedy desire for the red diamond.
Was he doing this because he was at odds with the von Cadors? But those personal feelings were getting in my way!
“35,000 gold. Number 104, would you like to proceed with 40,000 gold?”
This was the end. The money I can use was only approximately 40,000 gold. It’s a close call and I know I was overdoing it, but I shot a smile at 315 and held my panel up high.
“Number 315 has bid 45,000 gold. Number 104, would you like to proceed with 50,000 gold?”
Ah, it’s my loss. I had no more money for it. When I hesitated to raise my panel, the host urged me again.
“Number 104, the next bid is 50,000 gold. Would you like to stop here? Won’t you regret it?”
I looked over to 315 and saw that he was smiling with a gloating expression. He must be very proud about winning against a young lady. Good for him, I guess.
“The winning bid goes to number 315 at 45,000 gold. Congratulations!”
Tak! After the sound of a gavel striking the wooden board, applause filled the great hall. The spectators clapped for 315, who finally won the tight bid that never seemed to end. Everyone looked happy—except for me.
In the end, I was robbed of the red diamond. I lost all the energy in my body, and all at once, I felt a sudden sense of fatigue. Right now, instead of the diamond, all I wanted was to go back to the castle.
“Tess, let’s go back now.”
Dalton looked down at me with a worried expression and helped me out the hall.
…A worried expression?
Well, I couldn’t get the diamond after all that, but Dalton probably had more money than I did. If he was so worried, why didn’t he bid on it for me? Even when the bidding went higher than people thought, Dalton didn’t even pick up his own panel.
His actions were so contradictory, pretending that he was concerned for me but at the same time he held on tight over his own bank account. It looked a bit hypocritical…
“Alright.”
I replied coldly, even as I was in turmoil. I needed to find a new way to approach Redcliffe now. We were at least acquainted with each other, so I could perhaps meet with him again by attending another event where there was even the slightest possibility that he’d come.
Another day was wasted. There’s only a little more than a week before the Crimson Moon would rise…
“Ohhh…”
People applauded again and cheered for the next item that seemed to have been sold at a good price. Looking furtively to the side, I saw that the winning bidder was the woman who I bumped into earlier, the one who had a bad complexion. The object she won was a strange looking mask.
There was a younger girl by the woman’s side who looked worriedly at her, but if she was so worried, why didn’t she just talk to the woman?
With my gaze still lingering on the ongoing auction, Dalton steered me out of the hall.
I staggered as though I was a soldier who lost a battle. I couldn’t wait to go back to the castle and rest. Dalton kept fussing over me, asking me about my condition. Well, I guess that’s all there was to his concern.
I could feel Dalton’s gaze on me as I looked even more fatigued. When his eyes turned away from me, I looked at him, but it seemed like he was thinking of something else.
“Go back quickly.”
Dalton said this to the horseman, then reached out to help me get into the carriage. I had no idea what Dalton’s expression just now meant. He didn’t seem to be the kind of man who would put up pretenses just to seem like a good person to other people, but I still didn’t think he truly cared for me—for Tess.
What’s scarier than hostility was indifference.
Dalton’s attitude towards me seemed friendly at first, but at the core of it all, I could feel his indifference. Knowing what kind of treatment Tess was being subjected to by that quack doctor, not looking for me after I disappeared earlier from the great hall…
I wasn’t even far from the banquet hall in the first place. I had been perfectly in a place where I’d be easily found if he wanted to find me.
“Tess, we’ve arrived.”
I realized that I dozed off a little in the carriage even as Dalton was sitting right across me. When I opened my eyes, I saw the Dark Castle out the window.
When I first possessed Tess’ body, the Dark Castle looked absolutely terrifying. But right now, it was completely different.
The Dark Castle was my sanctuary now. I would never encounter spirits here—all except for the night of the Crimson Moon.
Having exhausted my stamina along with feeling the bitter taste of defeat, I slowly trudged towards the castle with tired steps. Dalton walked alongside me, matching my pace. Then, in front of the door, the maids looked at us with their hands clasped together.
“Milady.”
The grim-faced maid corps welcomed me despite my defeat at the battlefield. I couldn’t even raise my head in front of them.
“Why is Milady…”
After seeing my downcast expression, they realized that I hadn’t achieved my goal for the night. Then, the maids became as equally sullen as me.
“You guys did a good job.”
“Milady!”
One might think that I truly came back from war. The maids were picturesque in their tearful gazes. Then, they also made a quiet declaration.
“We can try harder next time.”
No, wait. It’s not what you think.
3. Date
Now that I was back in my bedroom, I changed out of my stuffy dress and turned to Donna.
“How close were Young Lady Soph and I?”
“Lady Soph?”
Hmm, was this kind of prompting not working anymore? Now that I think about it, this kind of questioning made me think about the way Soph spoke. Damn, that charity party really was a series of defeats.
“What kind of person is she? I’ve never heard you mention her before?”
“Oh?”
So Tess didn’t tell Donna about Soph. Well, she didn’t have to report everything to her maid after all. If only she had a diary that recorded her days…
“Did Milady make a new friend? That’s really good. You haven’t appeared in high society for a year. When did Milady have a chance to make friends?”
But didn’t Soph say it’s only been half a year since she met me?
’It’s already been half a year… By the way, you’ve changed so much that I couldn’t recognize you at first.’
As I looked back, Soph’s smile back then was more of a sneer. Ah, so she’s that kind of person.
I was curious about Lady Soph, but apart from that, I wanted to know what kind of person Lord Wilhelm was.
And the blue-faced young lady I encountered at the party was also weighing on my mind.
In that sense, I wanted to visit the Midnight Guild again, but I couldn’t move freely.
At this moment, Dalton was still staying at the eastern wing of the Dark Castle. When we ate a meal together, he didn’t say much about why he was here, so his presence was highly suspicious.
Maybe he’s here to monitor me?
I could see the Crimson Moon gradually becoming fuller in the dark night sky. The blood-red moon was surprisingly wondrous, but it gave off an ominous feeling. It was like a faithful countdown to my struggles.