Chapter 11. The Golden Invitation

The desk was made of wood that looked sturdy and of good quality at a glance. It couldn’t have made such a sound just from Ailexia’s frail body hitting it. There wouldn’t have been any impact in the first place.

Iella knelt down and inspected the source of the sound. She saw a gap in the bottom part of the desk, as if a lid had opened.

“What is that?”

She reached out and widened the gap, opening the lid further.

Then, thud, an unknown object poured out onto the floor. There were dozens of them, all of the same shape and size. Iella picked up one of them and stood up.

“A letter?”

In the light, it was an envelope with traces of having been checked.

When she pulled out the paper corner that stuck out from the neatly cut top with a paper knife, a golden invitation on a wine-colored background came out.

“You are invited to an atelier filled with rare items.”

Iella murmured the phrase written at the top and slowly read through the contents of the invitation. It didn’t take long as it was a simple message with the place, time, and an unexpected word below a brief greeting.

However, when she read the last postscript, Iella unconsciously gaped.

“……Did she really frequent such places?”

{ The items to bring are a ‘mask’ and a small ‘gift’ to help you possess an item that satisfies your heart. }

This was an invitation to an illegal auction.

* * *

The auctions permitted by the Empire were in the form of charity events with a sense of noblesse oblige.

The good intention was to help the imperial citizens who recently suffered from floods or the impoverished poor with the high-priced auctioned items.

However, if you looked behind the scenes, it was actually just one of the most glamorous social gatherings. No matter how much you spent on auction items, it could be disguised as good intentions rather than extravagance by calling it ‘heart.’

There was no better place for nobles who liked to show off their wealth. Thanks to this, whenever an auction was held, it boasted an enormous scale that could make one’s eyes widen.

Iella could tell that the invitation was for an illegal auction because of this very reason.

Due to its large scale, the number of auctions held was less than three times a year at most.

Among them, one official auction event was always hosted by the imperial family at the end of the year. Because of this, it was rare for nobles to hold personal auctions unless it was something significant.

Even if they did hold one personally, the money spent on preparation alone was several times that of a normal banquet. It was practically impossible to hold one unless you were a very high-ranking noble with substantial wealth, such as a Grand Duke or Duke.

But the dates stamped on the invitations she found were all different. That too, on a monthly basis. This meant it was not an officially sanctioned auction.

Moreover, the postscript mentioned ‘masks’ and ‘gifts.’ This was the opposite of the imperial auctions, where people openly showed their faces to flaunt their wealth and used the term ‘heart’ to maintain noble honor instead of materialism.

‘I’m glad I diligently attended the lessons.’

Among the basic lessons she took from her family, there was one about social circles. She learned about auctions then.

At the time, she wondered why she needed to learn about auctions, but now she was grateful. Thanks to the detailed explanations, just like other large and small banquets or tea parties, she could recognize it immediately.

With this, Iella realized where Ailexia brought people of lower status from. In illegal auctions, people also became items.

‘If she was normal, she wouldn’t have thought of buying people at auctions.’

The more she knew, the more Ailexia seemed extraordinary in a different sense. For example, like the Emperor or the Grand Duke, she seemed quite insane….

“Anyway, this is not what’s important.”

Iella picked up one of the invitations placed on the desk. It seemed to be the most recent one, as the auction date written inside had not yet passed. Iella rested her chin on her palm and fell into thought.

“She wouldn’t have sent someone else to the auction.”

Ailexia’s criteria were all about what satisfied her heart, first, second, and third. Naturally, she would have attended the auctions herself to pick someone who satisfied her. In that case, there must have been a route between the secondary palace and the auction house. If so…

Iella’s deep pink eyes sparkled as she pulled the bell rope.

Soon, Vanessa knocked and entered the room.

“Do you have any orders?”

Iella smiled as she looked at her, who was bowing her head with her hands clasped politely.

The secondary palace was under the surveillance of the imperial guards by the Emperor’s order.

Even if it was rare, it would have been difficult for Ailexia to sneak out regularly every month on her own. No matter how many secret passages or back doors there were.

However, her outings had been consistently ongoing until now. The fact that auction invitations arrived monthly was proof of that. If she missed even once, she would have to go through a cumbersome process from the beginning to receive another invitation, which took a very long time.

So there was only one answer. There was an accomplice helping her from the inside.

Iella was almost certain that the accomplice was Vanessa.

Not just because she was Ailexia’s direct maid. Ailexia wasn’t someone who would trust someone for such a simple reason.

Iella became convinced when Vanessa personally moved to handle the Grand Duke’s visit.

Ailexia treated the Grand Duke’s visit less than a stone on the street and acted arbitrarily, but in reality, it wasn’t easy to treat the second most powerful person after the Emperor that way. Especially for a servant who had to face the Grand Duke directly.

Even if she was just delivering her words, it was something that could lead to the underworld if the Grand Duke got upset.

But Vanessa had repeatedly stepped up to resolve the situation. That proved she had the capability to handle tasks successfully even against the Grand Duke and had considerable grit.

Naturally, Ailexia would have no choice but to trust her. Most of the things she did were troublesome like that.

Of course, she didn’t intend to jump to conclusions hastily. There was one more hypothesis that came to mind.

“I’m thinking of going out.”

Iella spoke in a monotonous voice as if she was making a casual remark about the weather being nice today.

Vanessa’s polite demeanor showed a faint tremor. It was so fleeting that it would be hard to notice unless one looked closely. But Iella, who had been watching her intently since she entered, caught it easily.

“By going out… Ah, are you planning to visit the harem after a long time?”

Vanessa, who had tightened her clasped hands, slowly raised her head. She extended her words while keeping her gaze at Iella’s feet, then quickly continued as if she realized something.

“Everyone has prepared thoroughly for the time when no one was allowed in. If you go see those you haven’t visited for a long time, it will feel different.”

Iella was almost taken aback by Vanessa’s completely off-the-mark answer. However, she didn’t start this to back down now. She quickly regained her composure.

“No. I’m not going to the harem.”

“What? Then.”

“Once a month…….”

The words that were about to continue with a more explicit explanation suddenly stopped.

One of the hypotheses she had considered.

‘What if the Emperor already knows about Ailexia’s secret outings and is condoning them?’

Under the Emperor’s surveillance, how far could she have been free?

She believed that the Emperor condoned Ailexia’s actions not only because it was beneficial but also because he had created thorough surveillance and a solid cage. Therefore, it was quite possible that there was surveillance she was unaware of during the secret outings as well.

‘If this hypothesis is correct, it means the Emperor gains something from Ailexia’s outings.’

She didn’t know what that was. But she was certain that if it weren’t beneficial, the outings wouldn’t have been condoned.

“Ailexia?”

Vanessa called her cautiously. Iella lifted her gaze, which had been lowered in thought.

If her hypothesis about the Emperor’s condoning was correct, Vanessa might not know about Ailexia’s outings or the auctions. Ailexia could have easily slipped out of the secondary palace without an accomplice. Moreover, she wasn’t the type to explain everything to Vanessa even if she brought someone from the auction.

In that case, there was no need or reason to explicitly mention that she went out once a month. No, she shouldn’t. There was no need to risk revealing that Ailexia participated in illegal auctions.

“I need something new.”

But which hypothesis was correct? Or could both be correct? She couldn’t be certain yet. Hence, she had to be cautious. She couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Vanessa was Ailexia’s accomplice.
So she changed her words ambiguously.

If Vanessa knew about the outings, she would understand what Ailexia brought back from them with just this much information.

Her deep pink eyes gleamed sharply as she stared intently at Vanessa.

Vanessa, who had lowered her gaze to Iella’s feet, blinked and hesitated, her lips moving slightly. The prolonged silence made Iella increasingly anxious. Depending on what came out of her mouth, she could plan and decide her next actions.

Just before her anxiety could consume her, Vanessa finally spoke through her hesitating lips.