Reforming the Villain Family - Chapter 49
The first item to start the auction was the dice said to contain a soul.
“Now, everyone, please focus! This dice will roll the number you desperately wish for!”
The MC who had appeared first, called Kiki-jang, had gone back in. Instead, a smaller and shorter man came out to lead the auction.
“300 gold, 350 gold! 350 gold! No more? 350 gold, 350 gold, 350 gold! Good, it’s been sold at a very reasonable price!”
Things I wouldn’t take even if given for free were being sold at astounding prices.
‘350 gold…’
To think that a dice smaller than my palm would sell for that price, is this even real?
“Child, if there’s anything you like, tell me.”
Clemens mumbled softly beside me. I nodded and firmly resolved.
‘I must absolutely not open my mouth.’
I still remembered how my small slip of the tongue had filled the dressing room with clothes and accessories.
“Thank you so much for your enthusiastic participation! Now, let’s move on to the next item!”
Fortunately, the order moved quickly. The auctions ended fast, and people didn’t drag it out if it seemed impossible, giving up quickly.
As time passed, I grew increasingly anxious.
‘Please, anything but the silver snake.’
It was the second to last item. When it was finally sold, I took a deep breath.
“Now, everyone, Kiki-jang has returned−!”
The man who had first appeared on stage showed himself again. He had a smile that reached his cheekbones.
“Now, it’s the last item! As it’s a product we’ve been preparing for a long time, I thought I should introduce it myself, so I’ve come up here! Everyone, please welcome me with applause!”
Applause poured out. Suddenly turning my head, I spotted an unexpected figure again.
‘That person came back.’
The man wearing the white mask who had been staring at me at first had returned to his place.
This time, his mask was facing straight ahead.
At that moment, two staff members standing behind the MC pulled out a cart.
Covered with a red cloth, it was impossible to see what was inside the cage.
“Thank you for welcoming me−! Now, as I’ve already given an explanation about this item, I’ll show it to you right away!”
One of the staff lifted the red cloth covering the cage.
Inside the large square cage, I could see the small and thin silver snake that was now familiar to my eyes. Seeing it, I let out a deep sigh.
“The special product that our Kiki auction house confidently presents! The elixir of eternal youth! It’s the white snake from the legend!”
Some of the applauding audience stood up. It was exactly as the MC said, the appearance of a white snake born under brilliant moonlight.
However, I knew that this white snake was not an ordinary animal, but a divine beast.
“It’s real, Kiki-jang! You were right! To think I’d see such a thing with my own eyes in my lifetime!”
“It looks very tasty! If you boil that in water, forget eternal youth, eternal life might be possible!”
‘No, no. If you boil it like that, you’ll be punished by heaven…’
Even amidst the commotion, the divine beast didn’t move at all. That’s when I felt something a bit strange.
‘Why isn’t it moving?’
“I’m really glad I didn’t disappoint your expectations. Now do you believe what this Kiki-jang says!”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to examine the appearance of the divine beast in the cage.
‘Surely, it’s not de, dead?’
Even though I thought it couldn’t be because it was a divine beast, I was anxious at its complete lack of movement.
“But what’s this, why isn’t it moving at all? Could it be fake?”
“Eh, you doubt even when I show it to you so openly! I’m really disappointed!”
“Then why is it just lying there without moving a muscle! Could it be dead? I need to go check for myself!”
“That’s not allowed! If you insist, I’ll let you check after you win the bid and before you pay!”
I was too busy staring at the divine beast to look around. At that time, I really didn’t notice that Clemens glanced at me once.
“This time, I won’t add any further explanation! We’ll start the auction right away! This item starts at 1,000 gold!”
Perhaps because everyone’s attention was focused at once, the starting price was the highest among all the items so far.
“It goes up by 50! 1,050 gold, 1,100 gold, 1,150 gold! Wow, at this rate, could this be the highest-priced item since our Kiki auction house was established?”
Even with the mask on, it was clear that the MC was beaming with excitement.
As the price rose, and people rushed in as if willing to sell their souls to buy it, my anxiety grew.
‘Did something really happen?’
Could it have been seriously injured while being caught by those people? Is that why it’s lying there like a corpse, unable to do anything?
I didn’t feel good. With its eyes tightly closed, at a glance it could be mistaken for a statue.
‘Why did you leave the house on your own?’
I bit my lower lip hard.
‘Silver snake, you fool.’
At that moment, the silver snake’s tail twitched slightly.
Seeing this, cheers spread like waves among the people. The MC spoke, unable to hide his excitement.
“Did you see that, everyone saw it, right? Just now, this white snake’s tail moved! See? Dead, you say! To the legendary elixir!”
The auction became even more fierce. The bidding had already soared to ten thousand gold. Suddenly, I came to my senses.
‘I can’t let a divine beast be sold for ten thousand gold!’
“Now, is there no more! Fifteen thousand gold has been offered! Now, fifteen thousand gold, fifteen thousand gold, is there no more after this?”
“One hundred thousand gold.”
At that moment, someone murmured a price. The surroundings buzzed.
The person who called out a price far exceeding the bid was the man wearing the white mask.
“Uh…, this is becoming a bigger deal than expected. One hundred thousand gold has been offered. This might be the highest price ever for an item at our Kiki auction house.”
One hundred thousand gold was an amount many people would die without ever touching in their lifetime.
Even if everyone here was a masked nobleman, it wasn’t a price that could be called out so easily.
“Now, one hundred thousand gold, any one hundred and ten thousand gold?”
I swallowed hard. The calculator in my head was busy. If I combined all the small accessories I had collected in my bag, wouldn’t it be a little more than that?
‘…More than what, it’s not even close.’
One hundred thousand gold was far beyond what I could manage.
“One hundred and ten thousand gold, one hundred and ten thousand gold, now, this is the last call!”
“One million gold.”
At that moment, an enormous price popped out from beside me. The audience, who had been buzzing until just now, all fell silent.
And it was the same for me.
‘Why is Clemens…’
Does Clemens also want eternal youth…?
There was a moment of silence. The MC spoke, his mouth gaping.
“O-one, one million, one million gold has been offered. Now, if there are no more bids here…”
“One million one hundred thousand.”
At that moment, the man wearing the white mask called out a price again. Before the MC could point to him, Clemens spoke the price again.
“Two million gold.”
Even I, who didn’t know much about auctions, could tell. This was an attitude of not accepting competition at all.
It was saying, no matter what price you call, I’m going to buy that item, so give up.
“T-two million gold, two million gold has been offered. Now, if there are truly no more bids, I’ll confirm this as the final price. Two million gold, it’s been sold to you, sir…”
Perhaps because it was an unimaginable price, the MC seemed unable to believe the current situation.
And it was the same for me. I turned my head towards Clemens, and it seemed he was looking at me too.
Our eyes met directly. But his eyes were sparkling, as if…
‘It seems like he’s expecting praise.’
Of course, that must be my imagination, right?
“Clemens, did you come to buy that too?”
“No, I’m not particularly interested.”
“Then why two million gold…”
“You seemed to want it.”
Clemens’s eyes curved gently behind his mask.
“I bought it for you.”
[This is the timeline separator]“You can proceed with the payment in the back. If you’re curious, you can check first if the white snake is alive, but you clearly saw it earlier, didn’t you? The white snake’s tail moving, I mean.”
The MC said to Clemens, rubbing his hands gently. Clemens nodded.
“Guide me.”
While Clemens went to pay, Sophia readjusted my attire.
I rolled my eyes around and then quietly asked Sophia.
“Sophia, is it really true that Clemens isn’t interested in eternal youth?”
At my question, Sophia nodded slightly, keeping her lips tightly closed.
“Yes, he said so earlier. I heard it too, so don’t worry.”
I finally calmed down at Sophia’s answer. To be honest, I had been anxious in one corner of my mind. Wondering if Clemens had bought the divine beast using me as an excuse.
‘Sophia says it’s not true either.’
On the other hand, thinking about everything that had happened so far was really dizzying.
If I hadn’t come along, the silver snake would have been sold to that man in the white mask earlier.
‘And then off to divine snake soup…’
At the sudden terrible ending that came to mind, I shook my head vigorously.
At that moment, someone knocked on our table.
It was the man in the white mask who had briefly attempted to compete with Clemens earlier, only to be miserably defeated.
“What is the matter?”
Sophia spoke, shielding me. The man glanced at me and replied.
“I’d like to have a word with the little lady behind you.”
“That’s not possible. If you have business, please speak to me,”
“Isn’t that young lady your master? But why does it seem to my eyes that you’re the one holding the decision-making power?”
“Sophia, I’m fine.”
At my words, Sophia reluctantly stepped back.
‘It’s okay.’
Yan and Sophia were right behind me, within arm’s reach.
Even if that man tried to harm me, he couldn’t do it here.
“What do you want to say to me?”
Until Clemens joined the auction, that man had been in an overwhelmingly advantageous position.
But from the moment Clemens joined, the tables turned. In this situation, there was only one thing the man could say.
“The white snake that was just sold. I’d like you to transfer it to me.”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
