As soon as I arrived home, I headed straight to the bathroom. The smell of drool clinging to me was overwhelming.

I soaked in the tub for a while, and when I finally stepped out, I noticed it was already midnight outside the window. It had been a long day.

Towel-drying my hair, I turned my attention to the card on the table.

After rummaging through my bag, I finally found the card, which was fortunately intact without any tears.

However, I still couldn’t figure out the location of the auction or how to get there.

I should have asked for the location back then.

“Who might know about the auction?”

As I tapped the card on the table, I thought of the people imprisoned in the Imperial Prison.

They might know something. The problem was they all hated me, so would they even agree to see me?

While pondering whom to visit, I became curious about why Royden was interested in such a secret auction.

Could he be interested in humans like Ceras was, or was he treating humans as playthings?

Judging by the unusual nature of the dragons I’ve met so far, the plaything theory seemed more plausible.

If that were the case, I couldn’t be sure he’d grant my request. It didn’t seem like he was particularly close to Spinel either.

I had found a clue, but the mountain to climb was daunting.

“Why do I have to go through all this trouble?”

I thought I had defeated Klaus and removed the death flag, yet all that remained was the memory-lost Ilion! How could the reward be like this?

“That damned Klaus.”

As expected, sending him off to the afterlife so gently was a once-in-a-lifetime mistake.

***

Even though everyone had lost their memories, the affairs of the mansion continued. If asked whether things were running smoothly, it would be hard to say yes, but people were fulfilling their roles amidst the confusion.

Only Spinel and I remained at the mansion, unable to blend in with the others.

“Should we try scorching it with fire?”

I asked, sitting across from Spinel with the card between us.

Spinel lightly scorched the card’s surface with a weak flame. The paper showed no change.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything written on the surface.”

“Hmm…”

Even when I held up to the light or scorched with fire, there was no reaction…

“Should we visit the Imperial Prison?”

Though the snow hadn’t completely melted, visiting the Imperial Palace wouldn’t be difficult with Spinel’s help. I was contemplating whether to go right away when,

“How long are you going to stay here doing this?”

Ilion, finally losing patience, spoke up. He seemed displeased with us sitting in his office for hours, disrupting his work.

“Until we find a way. Why don’t you help us think, too?”

I added, observing his unenthusiastic expression.

“Who are we doing this for, anyway?”

That seemed to have an effect, as Ilion reluctantly rose from his seat and approached us. Fortunately, he still had some conscience left.

Just yesterday, Ilion had been shocked by the news of the new Emperor and the fact that he had enthroned him. Surprisingly, he was quickly coming to terms with the memories he had lost.

The fact that he was a dragon’s child, that Spinel had saved him, and that what he suffered from wasn’t a curse.

He, too, was working tirelessly to fill the gap of the past six months.

It’s a shame that his efforts to love me were missing from that endeavor.

“So, what are you trying to find out?”

His attitude had softened considerably compared to six months ago, but his tone remained the same. The cold voice I hadn’t heard in a while was almost nostalgic.

“Your Grace, could you speak to me a bit more kindly? I miss the way you whispered to me, calling me your little baby bird.”

“It would be wise not to tell lies that will cause trouble when they get exposed later.”

“……”

How he could so astutely detect lies without any memory was beyond me. His intuition was sharp in the most unnecessary areas.

“It’s an invitation to a secret auction, but I don’t know the location.”

I answered curtly to Ilion, who didn’t respond to my joke.

“What are you planning to do there?”

“I’m looking for Royden.”

“Royden?”

Ilion took the card from me and asked again.

“Yes. He’s a dragon with the ability to read memories.”

“How are you going to find him?”

I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I was stuck on how to get to the auction in the first place.

“First, I plan to observe the guests at the auction.”

“What if he doesn’t show up at the auction?”

I came up with a suitable answer to Ilion’s question.

“Then I’ll ask the auction staff.”

“It’s a secret auction. Do you think they’ll just tell you about the guests?”

“That’s why you should help!”

I shouted, frustrated by his constant criticism instead of offering help, but Ilion didn’t even blink.

“Fine. If you’re not going to help, at least return the card.”

“I can’t do that. It’s too dangerous for just the two of you to go if your destination is the auction.”

If he thought it was dangerous, he should be more cooperative!

Annoyed by Ilion’s constant criticism, I reached out to grab the card he was holding.

However, Ilion didn’t let go of the card, and we ended up glaring at each other over the single card.

“You weren’t planning to help anyway. What difference does it make to you whether I go alone or with someone?”

“I’ll conduct a separate investigation on the card. You…”

“That’ll take too long.”

I interrupted him. Ilion looked at me as if he couldn’t understand.

“There’s no need to rush like this.”

“Do you really think that?”

How can he say there’s no need to rush… Just looking at the change in how Lily and Sebastian treat me feels like a thorn in my side… yet he can speak so casually about it. But it was also ridiculous to ask someone without memories to understand my situation. They wouldn’t empathize anyway.

“Of course, Your Grace without memories would think that way. Just give me back the card. I won’t bother you anymore.”

Even though I said not to worry, Ilion still seemed unwilling to hand it over. Why was he being stubborn when I said I wouldn’t bother him?

“Please just give it back…!”

Rip.

In a moment of rising irritation, I tightened my grip, and the card couldn’t withstand the force and tore apart.

“Ah…!”

Seeing the last clue torn neatly into two pieces, a groan escaped my lips.

If you’re not going to help, at least don’t get in the way.

Just as I was about to complain about what to do now, a bright light burst from the card.

And moments later…

I shivered at the chill that crept into my clothes and looked around.

“This is…”

It was the middle of an unfamiliar forest.

“It seems the invitation was an artifact.”

An artifact that activates when torn. Now I understood why the card piece Royden left behind was so tattered.

Ilion, who was looking around, crouched down.

“What is it? Is there something there…?”

When I asked, puzzled by his actions, he signaled me to be quiet by putting a finger to his lips.

I wondered what was there that made him act this way, so I quietly walked over and sat next to Ilion. In the direction of his gaze was a white building contrasting with the black forest.

Even if it were built in the middle of a bustling city, it was large and splendid enough to stand out. In front of the building, dozens of carriages were lined up, waiting their turn.

“The auction house is more extravagant than I thought.”

“They must have a lot of money and be confident they won’t get caught.”

According to the empire’s law, such secret auctions were illegal. If they thought they might end up in prison, they wouldn’t have been able to build such a splendid building.

But the Emperor who had been in power until now was none other than Klaus, and he was someone who had even sent Artia to the auction.

With such backing, they must have been confident they wouldn’t get caught.

“Do you see anyone who looks like Royden?”

I’ve been watching the people getting out of the carriages for a while, but I haven’t spotted anyone matching the description Spinel gave.

To hide their identities, they all wore masks.

“Achoo!”

Instead of answering, a sneeze came out first. Having come straight from the mansion, my thin clothes weren’t sturdy enough to block the mid-winter wind.

While I unconsciously sniffled from the cold, Ilion looked at me with slightly worried eyes.

At this rate, I might really freeze to death…

“Should we just go inside? We have the invitation.”

“I doubt they’ll let us in.”

I was about to ask why not, but seeing Ilion’s face made me close my mouth.

Ilion was the one who had recently captured the pro-Emperor nobles. If he appeared at a place openly committing illegal acts, people would naturally be on guard. The auction would likely be canceled with high probability.

Why did I come with Ilion instead of Spinel? I did ask for his help first, but I didn’t expect him to be this unhelpful.

“It would be nice if we had a mask…”

While I was muttering to myself, Ilion pointed in one direction. There, I saw a maid who had come out to throw away the trash.

“It would be good to disguise ourselves as her.”

“…As a maid? You, Your Grace?”