Chapter 126
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127.
'It's almost like... the House of Obelia.'
It wasn't perfectly identical, but from a distance, it would certainly give the impression of a harmonious household.
So he began, however clumsily, to emulate Rebecca.
Whenever he displayed kindness, the servants still seemed to grow more anxious around him.
Yet a faint hope bloomed within him—perhaps with continued effort, they would at least stop fearing him.
He affixed a mustache and pressed a cylindrical black hat firmly onto his head.
With the monocle in place, he appeared to be a middle-aged man of considerable years.
Julian quietly closed the bedroom door behind him and stepped out.
Waiting before the door was Croa, similarly disguised.
* * *
The Auction House in the early morning was relatively quiet compared to the afternoon.
Since the most coveted auctions began in the afternoon, the items displayed in the morning were mostly those lacking appeal.
But today was different.
The Auction House had been ablaze with fervor since the early hours.
The auctioneer found himself wiping beads of perspiration from his brow with a handkerchief, overwhelmed by the bidders' intensity.
"1,200 gold."
"1,300 gold!"
As Pablo casually called out the maximum bid, Tanisha's sharp eyes fixed upon him with a glare.
Between them, it seemed as though sparks were flying.
The two other men who had come to bid on the abandoned mine had long since forgotten about the auction itself.
Instead, they watched with keen interest as Tanisha and Pablo exchanged volleys.
The clash between the youthful-looking girl and the seasoned nobleman was quite the spectacle.
"If you continue bidding like that, then I have no choice but to call 1,800 gold. Auctioneer, 1,800 gold!"
"Yes. 1,800 gold on the floor. Do I hear anything higher than 1,800 gold?"
At her sudden declaration, Pablo let out a groan of displeasure.
Having been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Tanisha before, Pablo had been carefully monitoring the movements of the Tanisha Company.
The company indiscriminately purchased worthless items like Tamara's ladybugs.
At first, Pablo had scoffed at her absurd investments.
But it wasn't long before the prices of everything she acquired began to skyrocket without fail.
The Tanisha Company's enormous profits went without saying.
After this pattern repeated several times, he could no longer dismiss her.
Pablo was sick with envy.
'If the Duke of Johannes is backing her, then of course she can manage such things...'
Investigating Tanisha Chenister's background hadn't been particularly difficult.
The Chenister Family had long established themselves as retainers of the House of Johannes.
Though rumors circulated that she had become independent from the House of Johannes, Pablo didn't entirely believe it.
Without the Duke of Johannes behind her, there was no way a small trading company could circulate such enormous capital.
Living as a retainer under Zeppelin, he had always believed he had chosen his allegiances wisely.
But watching Tanisha's meteoric rise, regret washed over him.
Since the autumn ball incident, the prestige of House Devonshire had not been what it once was.
The development of a new resort island had consumed astronomical sums of money.
However, having failed to secure investors at the autumn ball, the Earldom of Devonshire now faced severe financial deficits.
In such circumstances, Zeppelin had even undertaken a massive renovation of the entire mansion.
The repercussions fell squarely upon the retainers who oversaw various business ventures.
The excessive expenditures of House Devonshire had drawn laments from the lips of his subordinates.
Pablo was among those victims.
While it was premature to say House Devonshire had collapsed, he sensed it might not be long before it did.
There was nothing more perilous than dwelling within a crumbling fortress.
He wished to extricate himself swiftly, yet having ventured so deeply, it was far from simple.
Moreover, he feared Zeppelin's retaliation should he betray him.
Thus, he clung tenaciously to the heels of Tanisha Company.
He had even obtained advance information and swiftly snatched up items they sought to purchase.
Thanks to this, he had been reaping steady profits of late.
Today was no exception.
Upon hearing that Tanisha herself would attend the auction, Pablo surmised that today's offerings must be extraordinary.
Yet disappointingly, the item that captured Tanisha's interest was an abandoned mine—scarcely worth one hundred gold.
It had originally been a coal mine, but the seam had long since exhausted itself, leaving it abandoned for decades.
"If no one offers 1,800 gold, then—"
Just as the auctioneer raised his gavel, Pablo cried out.
"2,000 gold!"
He had called out the sum by completely draining his emergency reserves.
Though it pained him, the fervor with which Tanisha pursued it made it abundantly clear that the abandoned mine must contain something of immense value buried within.
He could not possibly let it slip away.
'What on earth is that man thinking? Has he lost his mind?'
Tanisha had anticipated the abandoned mine would fetch at most around 200 gold.
Yet from the moment Pablo appeared—apparently having learned of it from somewhere—the situation had taken an unexpected turn.
The auction, which she had expected to proceed smoothly, had become far more competitive than anticipated.
No matter how successful a businessman Pablo might be, he remained merely a retainer of House Devonshire.
His financial circumstances were transparent to her.
Yet he had casually bid an amount exceeding a small enterprise's monthly budget.
'Does he have money hidden away somewhere?'
True, she had heard he had earned some spending money by dogging her steps.
But that would never be enough to outbid her.
This was the mine Rebecca had specifically instructed her to acquire.
Upon conducting a discreet investigation, she had discovered remarkable deposits of iron ore.
And just as Rebecca had indicated, recent movements from the Caribana Kingdom had been ominous.
There were reports of weapons being purchased from various quarters.
'But 2,000 gold is rather steep...'
Tanisha calculated the liquid capital she could mobilize at present.
I had scraped together around 3,000 gold, but it would be tight to cover the cost of tomorrow's purchases.
There was a way to ask the Duke of Johannes for funds, but my pride wouldn't allow it.
Tanisha groaned and fretted before finally, reluctantly, deciding to raid her own vault.
"2,100...."
Just as Tanisha was about to call out boldly, Pablo beat her to it.
"2,500!"
Beads of sweat formed across his forehead.
Now he'd even drawn from next month's living expenses. He'd truly given everything.
If that mine didn't contain something worth a fortune, he was as good as bankrupt.
Though he knew it was reckless, Pablo couldn't stop himself—like a gambling addict raising the stakes.
Watching Tanisha's face stiffen at the amount I'd called, I found myself humming in triumph.
Just as I was savoring the scent of victory, a heavy, measured voice cut through the air.
"3,000 gold."
An unexpected gentleman had appeared and called out an impossible sum.
The auctioneer's gavel slipped from his startled hands and clattered loudly to the floor.
"Is there anyone willing to bid higher?"
The gentleman stroked his mustache and smiled with ease.
With his imposing frame, he was someone even the well-connected Pablo had never seen before—perhaps a nouveau riche.
'What nuisance has shown up now....'
Tanisha turned her head sharply, irritation flashing across her face as she examined the gentleman.
But it was his companion, hovering uncertainly behind him, who captured her attention.
The companion discreetly traced a V-shape with his finger toward Tanisha.
It was a sign the siblings had used since childhood to recognize each other during their frequent disguises.
Then that towering man must be....
"Since no one else seems inclined to bid, please award it at once."
Julian called out suddenly.
Pablo quickly studied Tanisha's expression.
Her face flushed and paled in turns—clearly she didn't have that much capital either.
Laboring under this profound misunderstanding, Pablo held his tongue.
Better that unknown gentleman take it than have it fall to Tanisha.
Besides, his reason, which had been swept away by competitive fervor, was gradually returning.
To pour 2,500 gold into that abandoned mine—he must have been temporarily mad.
"Ah... yes, yes! Then the Auzen Abandoned Mine is hereby sold to the gentleman who bid 3,000 gold!"
The auctioneer quickly retrieved the gavel from the floor and brought it down three times.
Tap— tap— tap—
The crisp sound of the wooden hammer filled the auction house.
Soon the auction house grew somewhat chaotic as the next item was being prepared.
Julian examined the silver revolver being brought in on the display stand with careful attention.
Pablo, catching a glimpse of him, rose from his seat with a smile. Then, his face full of mockery, he approached Tanisha.
"This time things didn't go your way, did they? The world doesn't always flow as smoothly as one might wish, little one."
"Get out."
At Tanisha's cold-edged tone, Pablo's shoulders flinched involuntarily.
For someone she called a child, her expression had turned rather menacing.
Pablo couldn't believe he had actually felt fear in the face of her momentum.
He coughed awkwardly several times before hastily departing the Auction House.
Once Tanisha confirmed Pablo's exit, she strode purposefully toward Julian and Croa.
"That was something I could have handled alone. Why did you interfere?"
Croa pressed her forehead at the sight of her younger sister glaring openly at the Duke.
Having heard nothing but praise for her talents since childhood, she despised losing and being meddled with more than anything.
Moreover, for reasons she couldn't quite fathom, she had always harbored a deep dislike for Julian.
Croa spoke through gritted teeth.
"T-Tanisha. Shouldn't you greet the Duke first? And shouldn't you speak more respectfully?"
Tanisha glanced dismissively at Croa, who clung to Julian's side and stammered nervously.
She still didn't like it.
During her childhood when Tanisha most desperately needed her family's love, Julian had monopolized it entirely.
He was supposed to be family.
Yet her parents, and even her beloved older brother, had been too preoccupied caring for the orphaned Julian to notice her.
Because of this, Tanisha had to navigate everything alone.
From learning to use the privy to mastering letters and speech—Tanisha had accomplished it all by herself.
Her family seemed to have simply forgotten about her.
Whenever Julian's birthday coincided with the Academy graduation ceremony, her family would naturally flock to the Duke's Residence.
And at Tanisha's graduation, a hired attendant she'd never met before had attended in their stead.
Still, Tanisha had chosen to forgive her family's behavior a hundred times over.
Serving the Duchy of Johannes was the family's calling.
But what truly grated on her nerves was Julian's attitude.
It was pitiful that he'd lost his parents at such a young age, but that didn't give him the right to treat her family carelessly.
Regardless of his station, shouldn't he maintain at least basic courtesy?
Tanisha resented Julian for so casually dismissing her parents' goodwill.
And even after she began working as the Duke's attendant, her anger toward him never subsided.
Every time she witnessed Croa being mistreated, her fury toward him burned anew.
The runaway countess has returned.
E-book publication.
January 12, 2022
The author.
Long night sky
Publisher.
Desert Fox
Publisher.
Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submissions accepted.
naver.me/54VzzLSn
Blog.
blog.naver.com/wj_fennecfox
Twitter.
@wjt_fennecfox
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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