“The starting price for the auction is 500,000 ruts per unit, with a total quantity of 500 units.”

The announcer’s declaration of the starting price signaled the official beginning of the transaction.

At that, an elderly gentleman wearing a pressed gray fedora exclaimed in apparent displeasure:

“What? A starting price of 500,000 ruts for special carriages that won’t even sell? I came hoping to buy them dirt cheap and at least get scrap value, but this is absurd!”

After his irritated outburst, he ultimately stormed out of his seat and left.

As the old gentleman said, it was an excessively high starting price considering the current value of special carriages.

However, it was certainly a much cheaper amount compared to the price of regular carriages, which easily exceeded 3 million ruts per unit.

‘Moreover, once the imperial court makes an official announcement soon, the value will only skyrocket… That foolish old man.’

Camilla sneered as she watched the retreating figure of the elderly gentleman.

Now, only Camilla, Henry, and Duchess Rebecca remained in the auction hall.

‘Beating that stupid duchess will be as easy as eating cold porridge.’

Camilla looked at Henry and smiled leisurely.

“Since this item will be ours anyway, shall we play around a bit with the bored duchess?”

Camilla and Henry had prepared enough investment funds to afford up to 1.5 million ruts per unit.

According to their information, Duchess Rebecca had prepared an amount just over 1.3 million ruts per unit.

‘No matter how much of a duchess she is, she couldn’t possibly have any funds left after all her extravagant spending. And there’s no way the Duke would trust such an amateur and provide investment funds.’

A cunning smile spread across Camilla’s face.

Normally, Henry would have complimented such an expression as cute, but this time his reaction was different.

Henry shrugged with a thoroughly displeased expression.

“Do as you wish, Camilla. It’s not like my opinion matters anyway.”

Glaring at Henry, Camilla elegantly raised her paddle.

“Yes, the lady in the front.”

“600,000 ruts.”

“We have 600,000 ruts. Is there a higher bid?”

In response to the auctioneer’s question, Duchess Rebecca raised her paddle.

“Yes, the lady in the middle.”

“Six hundred… and fifty thousand ruts.”

Camilla struggled to hold back a derisive laugh that threatened to escape.

‘Tsk, raising it by only 50,000 ruts? Well, I suppose she’d be nervous with such limited investment funds.’

With that, she jabbed Henry, who still wore a disgruntled expression, in the side.

“Henry, what are you waiting for? Hurry and call out the next price. Bid 800,000 ruts.”

Henry reluctantly raised his paddle.

“Yes, the gentleman in the front?”

“800,000.”

“Yes, 800,000 ruts! Any further bids?”

Camilla turned to observe the duchess.

She was whispering with a blond man who had accompanied her, looking flustered.

‘Surprised by how quickly the price is rising, Your Grace?’

Camilla snorted and called out to the auctioneer again.

“Over here. One million ruts.”

“The lady in the front, one million ruts!”

Next, as per their planned script, Henry raised his paddle.

“1.2 million.”

“Yes, 1.2 million ruts! Any further bids?”

Camilla was certain victory was approaching.

Once the duchess Rebecca had bid her entire prepared investment amount, Camilla would only need to raise it slightly higher to end the game.

The winner would be herself, the loser would be Duchess Rebecca.

Although the outcome was already decided, the process was far from boring; rather, it filled her with a lingering sense of exhilaration.

“Yes, the lady in the middle?”

The auctioneer called out to Duchess Rebecca.

‘It seems she’ll go to the very last of her prepared funds.’

Just as Camilla’s lips were curving up in a relaxed smile, it happened.

“One… one million two hundred and fifty thousand ruts…”

The duchess’s voice lacked even a hint of confidence.

She looked confused, as if uncertain whether she should be investing such a large sum.

‘That’s right, you should have just lived as you always have, indulging in luxury and enjoying gambling. Why are you trying to do something that doesn’t suit you now?’

As Camilla inwardly mocked and insulted the duchess, she raised her paddle with a leisurely smile.

“Yes, the lady in the front. How much would you like to bid?”

Camilla deliberately took a long breath.

It was to fully savor this moment, just before crushing the duchess’s nose flat.

After savoring the tension while catching her breath, Camilla soon declared in an elegant voice like a stage actress:

“One million five hundred thousand.”

An excessively high amount for an investment in special carriages.

It was a sum that had jumped far beyond the amount proposed by the duchess, and most of the investment funds that Camilla and Henry had prepared together.

The auctioneer exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement:

“One million five hundred thousand ruts! How extraordinary!”

Even the auctioneer seemed to believe without a doubt that Camilla was the winner of this competition.

“Is there perhaps anyone who would like to raise the bid further?”

He seemed eager to end the auction quickly, as if worried Camilla might change her mind.

“One million five hundred thousand ruts! No one else?”

Camilla covered her mouth with a fan to hide the smile that kept escaping.

‘As expected, the heavens are on my side.’

This was the perfect opportunity to finally flatten Duchess Rebecca’s nose.

“If there are no further bids this time, I will promptly conclude the auction. Really, no one else?”

Camilla held her breath, waiting for the moment when the auctioneer would announce her victory.

Just as tension filled the vast Hestia Hall at that very moment.

“… Pardon? Are you certain?”

The auctioneer asked with wide eyes, looking towards the center of the hall.

‘It can’t be…’

Camilla’s face contorted fiercely in an instant as she turned her head.

‘Impossible… As far as I know, the duchess doesn’t have enough funds to raise the bid any higher?’

Camilla, nervously biting her lip, shook her head calmly as she tried to regain her composure.

‘No, even if the duchess managed to secure more funds, she couldn’t possibly outbid me.’

In fact, before coming here, Camilla had secretly prepared additional personal funds without Henry’s knowledge.

Of course, she had to resort to high-interest loans to do so, but if she could win the right item, she could easily repay such trivial interest.

‘I can comfortably bid up to 1.8 million ruts per special carriage. But the duchess can only go up to…’

1.6 million ruts at most?

Heh. Just as a sneer was about to escape Camilla’s lips, it happened.

“My lady, what price would you like to propose per unit?”

The auctioneer asked Duchess Rebecca, and all eyes turned to her lips.

As an inexplicable tension filled the hall along with silence,

Rebecca’s voice softly rang out.

“Two million ruts.”

The eyes of everyone in the hall widened simultaneously.

Surprised, Camilla and Henry unconsciously blurted out to themselves.

“T-two million ruts?!”

“Investing two million ruts per unit to purchase 500 units? And for special carriages at that?”

They weren’t the only ones shocked by the amount that far exceeded expectations.

“Madam, t-two million ruts, you say? Of course… you’re aware that the transaction cannot be withdrawn once confirmed? Even if the investment funds fall short…”

The auctioneer’s lips trembled as he asked.

However, Rebecca, who had stunned everyone, remained nonchalant.

“Of course. I have no intention whatsoever of withdrawing from the deal. And there’s even less chance of insufficient investment funds.”

Duchess Rebecca’s red lips curved upwards.

“Please hurry and ask if anyone else has any intention to bid. Someone might propose an even higher amount than me, you know?”

Camilla bit her lower lip in frustration as she watched the duchess wink at her with composure.

The auctioneer urgently asked Camilla:

“My lady, do you perhaps have any intention of proposing a higher amount?”

“…”

“Pardon?”

Despite the auctioneer’s urging, Camilla could only remain silent.

At that moment, Henry’s grumbling from the seat next to her pierced Camilla’s heart sharply.

“Haah… You were so confident, but it ended up like this.”

Glaring at Henry while biting her lower lip, Camilla slowly shook her head.

“I… withdraw…”

As Camilla raised the white flag, the auctioneer nodded with satisfaction.

Then he announced to the audience in a booming voice:

“Sold at two million ruts per unit! The special carriage futures transaction has successfully concluded!”

* * *

Around the same time, inside the Duke’s office.

The servants kept glancing at Cedric and then lowering their heads repeatedly.

It was because of his behavior, which was somehow different from usual.

Although Cedric always maintained a neat demeanor no matter where or when, today he showed signs of losing concentration from time to time.

Even now, Cedric kept making gestures as if trying to drink from an already empty teacup.

Unable to simply stand by and watch, the head maid carefully approached him with a teapot.

“Um, Your Grace…”

“What is it?”

“I’ll pour you some more tea.”

“…Tea?”

Cedric stared blankly at the teacup.

Realizing his absent-minded action, he stood up with a low sigh.

Pacing by the window while stroking his eyebrow, Cedric turned around again.

An unexpected name flowed from his lips.

“Has Rebecca not returned yet?”

The aide tilted his head with a subtle expression at Cedric’s question.

It was surprising enough to hear his master inquiring about the duchess, but the fact that the same question had been repeated several times already was quite astonishing.

The aide carefully approached Cedric and answered.

“No. Only ten minutes have passed since you last asked, Your Grace.”

“…Ah.”

Cedric nodded slowly, murmuring, “Was that so?”

Then he took a step as if to return to his desk in the office.

But he soon stopped and looked at the aide again.

“She left with Adrian, didn’t she?”

Another question that had already been asked several times.

However, the aide could not hide his bewilderment as he watched Cedric ask as if it were the first time every time.

“Yes, as I mentioned earlier…”

Only then did Cedric nod slowly, as if remembering the answer he had heard from the aide earlier.

Finally returning to sit at his desk in the office, he skimmed through a few documents.

However, even to the head maid who knew nothing about the duke’s work, it was evident that he was barely pretending to look at the documents.

Eventually, Cedric pushed aside all the documents he had been looking at.

“…I can’t concentrate on work at all.”

Muttering as if to himself, Cedric finally stood up from his seat.

“I think it would be good to go for a walk.”

As soon as Cedric’s words fell, the maids hurriedly returned with his coat.

Just as he was about to leave the office after absently receiving the coat,

Cedric’s feet paused for a moment in front of the door.

“Ah, Riemann.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As the aide brought his ear close at Cedric’s beckoning gesture,

Cedric asked in his characteristic low voice, almost whispering:

“If I want to go to the path where the duchess will return… which way would be faster to walk?”