Chapter 21. Chase

Just a few minutes ago.

“3 million gold.”

Iella, who had been staring intently at the woman who looked like her, widened her eyes as soon as the clear voice flowed out.

It was because she was the one who had offered an unheard-of amount.

‘3, 3 million gold? That amount could easily sustain our territory for decades!’

The territory of the Shua Viscounty was modest and could sustain a lifetime if managed well with that large amount.

‘Did she dye her hair dark and come all the way from the northern viscounty just to buy that?’

For the first time, her deep pink eyes turned to the stage. At that moment, the gem emitted a brilliant mix of mysterious blue and golden light.

Suddenly, Iella’s heart, which had been fine, started pounding loudly. It thumped so hard, like a drum, that she reflexively clutched her chest.

However, she couldn’t take her eyes off the gem. As the light moved and the blue light from the gem faded, replaced by a deepening golden hue, her heart pounded even more fiercely.

“3 million gold has been offered. Any higher bids?”

Finally, the gem emitted a complete golden light.

— ‘No.’

Simultaneously, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly dominated her mind. It was different from the voice she had heard before spending the night with Allen.

“If there are no more bids, I will call it three times and end it.”

— ‘You must not let the gem go.’

“3 million gold, 3 million gold, 3 million…”

— ‘Absolutely not!’

“3.2 million gold!”

And as if controlled by that voice, she found herself uttering an amount she had never handled before she realized it.

‘Am, am I crazy? What have I done?’

As soon as she realized what she had done, all the blood drained from her body. Iella stared blankly into space with a pale face.

“Yes, 3.2 million gold has been offered!”

“3.5 million gold.”

But the opponent did not wait for her to fully regain her senses. A voice, hardened by discomfort, immediately raised the price.

“3.8 million gold!”

The problem was that Iella’s mouth continued to cause trouble without the owner’s awareness.

“4 million.”

“4.2 million.”

“4.5 million.”

Please stop… Iella wanted to stop her mouth, which seemed to act on its own—though it wasn’t hers—but reality was different. Due to the voice ringing in her head, she was responding to the auction even more passionately. She felt like crying. She wanted to grab herself by the collar and shake herself to her senses.

“5 million!”

“……”

In the end, her rebellious mouth shouted out ten times the starting price. That amount was enough to buy several large townhouses in the capital.

“5 million gold has been offered! Will you continue?”

Not only the auctioneer’s gaze but also the eyes of the attendees, who had been following the competition like a tennis match, all turned to the woman in the deep purple mask.

The woman did not falter under the numerous gazes, but she did not open her lips as she had so far. Thanks to this, Iella, who had been anxiously clasping her hands together with cold sweat running down her back, received good news.

“5 million gold, sold!”

No, it didn’t seem like good news.

But before she could take any action, a staff member quickly approached her location, explaining and guiding her in a whirlwind before disappearing like the wind.

She had just nodded her head without understanding what they meant by handling it as usual, and everything was over before she knew it.

‘Is this real? It’s not a dream, right?’

Feeling utterly drained as if she had done intense exercise, she slumped into her chair. She was finally free from the voice that had forced her to move, but it felt like she was tied to another leash.

‘A leash worth 5 million gold…’

As she felt overwhelmed by how to handle such a large amount, Aster spoke in a deep, sighing voice beside her.

“I believe I asked you not to do anything conspicuous.”

His voice felt more chilling than when he had issued his warning. But at that moment, Iella, who was more terrified of the 5 million gold than Aster, couldn’t think of anything.

“Yeah. Why did I do that…”

“Are you seriously saying that now?”

Aster frowned at her strange reaction, as if her soul had left her body. She didn’t even think about pretending to be Ailexia at that moment.

Then, a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce her skin was directed at her.

Even in her dazed state, the blatant stare made her straighten her slumped back. Beyond the deep purple mask, shadowed light pink eyes were fixed on her.

Then, she quickly exited the auction hall.

“…Wait!”

Iella, who needed to catch her body, hurriedly got up from her chair, causing it to clatter, and chased after her.

“Ailexia!”

Aster, who had risen to follow her sudden action, stretched his long legs and reached out to Iella, who had not yet completely left her seat. But in the end, Iella did not get caught by Aster’s grasp.

“Now for the final item of the day! A beautiful piece that looks like it was melted from moonlight!”

At that moment, the auctioneer’s words stopped him.

***

Iella, who had come out into the hallway, immediately went down the stairs and looked around. But she couldn’t see the dark-dyed hair anywhere.

She hurriedly crossed the hallway, almost running, but there wasn’t even a room with signs of anyone inside.

‘Where did she go?’

Eventually, Iella, who had stopped in the middle, took a deep breath to calm her rising breath and was about to turn to find another path when she saw someone disappearing at the end of the hallway.

She couldn’t be sure if it was her. But since only the two of them had come out while the auction was still ongoing, it was a possibility.

Iella immediately ran toward that direction.

‘I must meet her. She might know something about the current situation.’

Her reason for bidding on the Tear of Grace might also be related to the current situation.

Although the voice that had rung in her head momentarily bothered her, Iella decided to chase something more tangible. She couldn’t let herself be swayed by something intangible and miss what was right in front of her.

As she reached the corner, she encountered a staircase she had never seen before, different from the one she had come up. It only led downward, suggesting a path to the basement. The area below was darker and more eerie.

Iella paused for a moment, swallowed the saliva that had pooled from her tension, and slowly took a step forward. She descended the stairs.

Fortunately, it wasn’t as dark as she had thought when she reached the bottom. Although there were fewer lights, unlike the upper floors where candles were hung, this area used magical lamps, making it actually brighter.

But the problem lay elsewhere. Unlike the upper floors, where the corridors were simple and straightforward, this place was a maze of intertwined paths.

“It’s complicated.”

She couldn’t figure out where to go. Standing at the center of a fork in the path, Iella quickly began to move.

Within the limited time she had, deep thought was a luxury, and she decided it was better to act than to think.

How long had she been wandering?

Just as her feet and legs began to ache from the high heels, she suddenly stopped moving.

Iella immediately took a few steps back.

She saw the hem of a robe disappearing around a corner.

‘Found her!’

Iella quickly turned and ran. She didn’t even feel the stinging pain in her heels. As she chased the fluttering hem of the robe, the distance between them gradually narrowed.

However, just as she was about to catch up, the gap remained frustratingly constant. Iella suddenly changed her course and sprinted in a different direction, planning to get ahead of her.

Walking far enough to make her feet hurt wasn’t in vain. The path appeared as she had hoped.

‘Just around this corner!’

Increasing her speed, Iella reached out her hand to catch her.

“Got you?”

But what her outstretched hand touched was a hard surface, positioned around chest height.

Sensing something was off, Iella looked up to see light gray eyes looking down at her from beneath a dark gray mask.

Dark reddish hair, tied in a half-ponytail, sparkled under the lamp.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Iella hastily withdrew her hand and apologized. Her original manner of speaking slipped out due to the unexpected situation, but she didn’t show much surprise.

In the illegal auction house, it was common for people to change their appearance completely to perfectly conceal their identity. What was needed for participation was an invitation and the password written on it, not one’s appearance.

This was why Iella wasn’t worried about someone recognizing Ailexia at the auction. Even if someone knew Ailexia’s appearance, with a mask on, they wouldn’t be certain it was her, and even if someone did recognize her, she could claim it was a disguised appearance.

‘This isn’t the issue right now.’

Feeling the urgency of potentially losing Ailexia forever, Iella quickly apologized again and tried to pass by him.

But he grabbed her arm firmly.

“Excuse me, I’m in a hurry. Could you please let go of my hand?”

Iella, flustered by the sudden contact, looked back and forth between the part he was holding and his face. She showed a troubled expression, hinting for him to let go, but he just stared at her intently.

“Who are you looking for?”