Chapter 1 (Part 2)

The assigned seats were close enough to the stage to allow a detailed view of the auction items. Sienna, raising her eyebrows in satisfaction, sat next to Montague and picked up the paddle placed on the front table, turning it around. Sienna’s number was 17, and Montague’s was 16.

“There are more people than I thought.”

“Indeed. Is it because of the rumor?”

Montague, who was turning the paddle marked with number 16 in the same manner as Sienna, spoke. Sienna’s ears perked up at the story she was hearing for the first time.

“What rumor?”

“Well, there’s a rumor that something surprising will be up for auction. I don’t know the details. Oh, it’s starting.”

The lights that illuminated the entire auditorium shifted to the center of the stage. The auctioneer came out, greeted the audience, and began introducing the auction items. The first auction item was a golden mask donated by the Student Council President.

“It’s a treasure donated by our Student Council President, Darus Goldman. It’s 99.9 percent pure gold! You can’t miss this opportunity. The starting bid is 2 million Er. Now, let’s start the bidding!”

The golden mask was sold to a female student, and the auction proceeded smoothly thereafter. Since the items came from the historic academy festival, they each had their own history or value, making it enjoyable to watch even without participating.

After a long wait, the Mandrago’s Sigh that Sienna desired was finally up for auction.

“Now, it’s a rare magical plant that you can’t obtain every day. It’s the Mandrago’s Sigh! Its value in magical potions varies depending on how you use it. Let’s start at 500,000 Er!”

“5 million Er!”

At Sienna’s voice, shouting ten times the amount while holding the paddle, the auditorium fell silent for a moment. Others who were contemplating with their paddles began to lower their hands one by one, thinking that the Mandrago’s Sigh was not worth 5 million Er. As planned, the Mandrago’s Sigh was easily sold to Sienna.

“Yes. Mandrago’s Sigh, sold to bidder number 17 for 5 million Er!”

“Sister, you sometimes waste money on strange things.”

Montague shook his head. Having achieved her goal, Sienna shrugged her shoulders, indicating she didn’t care, and stretched her back.

Having achieved her purpose, she had no interest in the rest of the auction items. She needed to return to the laboratory and resume her experiments. Sienna nodded her chin, indicating they should start getting up, but Montague frowned and sat her back down, asking what she was talking about.

“That surprising item hasn’t come out yet. It must be the last item.”

“I’m not interested…”

Montague grumbled, starting again. He had also felt a strange tingling in his lower abdomen for a while now, thinking he might as well get up, but his curiosity about what the surprising auction item was overcame his discomfort. He had to utter the magic words to seat Sienna again.

“It might be a surprisingly rare magical plant, right?”

Surrendering to the words ‘rare magical plant,’ Sienna sat quietly in her seat without further complaint.

Right on cue, the auctioneer, who had briefly disappeared behind the stage, reappeared. Whatever had happened backstage, the auctioneer’s expression looked particularly flustered. Curiosity flared in Sienna’s previously indifferent eyes.

“Uh, so. The last. Yes. The last auction item, ahem, will be started, no, introduced, no, presented.”

“Why is he like that?”  

The auctioneer was noticeably stammering, wiping cold sweat with his sleeve. Finally, his trembling voice caused a quiet stir in the hall.  

What on earth could the last auction item be…? 

The curtain was drawn back in front of the murmuring crowd. Sienna, who was watching the stage with eyes full of curiosity, momentarily forgot to speak and gaped at the scene unfolding before her.  

The last item, brought to auction with royal knights, was a person bound in restraints.  

“Wow!”  

Sienna snapped back to reality at Montague’s strange scream. However, it was a scene that made her doubt her eyes even upon a second glance. The man, looking around the room with striking red eyes, was a head taller and broader than the five royal knights standing on either side of him.  

Whether he had been caught in a hurry, his thick black hair was slightly disheveled, and a couple of buttons on his shirt were undone. Yet, even in that disheveled state, he was a handsome man who looked both elegant and decadent.  

There was no way there could be two people who looked like that in the empire. Recognizing his identity, Sienna gulped and widened her eyes.  

One of the only two Dukes in the empire and the Emperor’s nephew. Why was Eden Felice, the empire’s greatest swordsman and magician, bound like a slave at the auction?  

“Wow! Eden Felice!”  

A commotion erupted in the auction house. Those who recognized Eden couldn’t hide their surprise and buzzed with excitement.  

Among them, the loudest was undoubtedly Montague. Sienna showed a slightly exasperated expression at her brother, who was shouting as if welcoming a deity.

“Could you keep it down because it’s embarrassing?”  

“How could Lord Eden…! I can die without regret now. Wow. What on earth is going on? Is this perhaps that? That?”  

“What’s that?”  

“Slave Mate!”  

Montague shouted with eyes full of madness.  

Slave Mate was once a popular event, known as the highlight of the Ver-Arche Festival. In other words, it was an auction held to gather charity donations where popular male and female students would come up, and the bidding was conducted with a date with them as the condition. The highest bidder was given the opportunity to ‘wholesomely’ date the Slave Mate for three days.  

Occasionally, couples would actually develop into real lovers from the Slave Mate event, and such cases were so rare that a few couples are still talked about as legends of the academy.  

Hearing Montague’s exclamation, Sienna frowned slightly. Certainly, seeing a person come up for auction could lead one to think that the Slave Mate event was being restarted, but  

“However, it was abolished due to various controversies, so it remains only as a legend.”  

Besides, isn’t the Duke not even a student of the academy? Does this make any sense?  

However, as Montague mentioned, the handcuffs on Duke Eden Felice’s wrists unmistakably reminded one of the Slave Mate auction, leaving Sienna even more confused.  

As if to end Sienna’s confusion, the auctioneer hurriedly wiped his cold sweat and took the microphone.  

“So, uh. That is.”  

The contrast between the host, who seemed to be choosing how to start his words while trembling, and Eden Felice, who stood motionless with piercing eyes, was striking. The host, as if firmly resolved, closed his eyes tightly and continued.  

“We will now start the Slave Mate auction, hoo, start. Today’s sla, sla, slave is His Grace, Duke Eden Felice!”

The auction house became noisy once more. However, it seemed that no noise reached the ears of the highly tense auctioneer. He glanced fearfully at Duke Felice and hurriedly began the auction.  

“His Grace, Duke Felice, will be awarded to the person who bids the highest amount. By imperial decree, the period is set to be a fortnight, not the usual three days. Now, let’s start the bidding at 1 million Er!”  

“What?”  

“5 million Er!”  

“6 million!”  

“We have 6 million. 7 million? 7 million!”  

Sienna doubted her ears. 

Imperial decree? A fortnight? Why is there suddenly an imperial decree? And why is the slave period as long as a fortnight?  

Even as she was in shock, Eden’s price was steadily rising. Nearly half of the people in the auction house were holding paddles and eagerly shouting out amounts. The majority were women, but among them, the rough and familiar voice was….  

“10 million!”  

Sienna quickly turned to the side at the booming voice. Her only younger brother was eagerly raising his paddle with gleaming eyes to win Duke Eden Felice.  

“Montague?”  

“Don’t talk to me, sis. I’m serious right now. 13 million!”  

“Crazy….”  

Anyone interested in swordsmanship would naturally admire Duke Eden Felice, but those terrifyingly fierce and sticky eyes were something Sienna had never seen in Montague before, giving her chills. Sienna unconsciously rubbed her arms.  

The bid had now far surpassed 10 million, reaching 40 million Er. Even so, looking around, there were still over a dozen bidders remaining.

Isn’t this going to hit the highest bid? 

While mumbling, Sienna turned her head towards Montague and her eyes suddenly widened. Her brother’s arm, holding the paddle, was trembling, and cold sweat was streaming down between his short blue-gray hair.  

“Can you handle it with your allowance, Montague? Why does your complexion suddenly look like that?”  

“Ugh, don’t talk to me, 42 million!”  

“Are you okay?”  

“Ha, the spicy noodles I ate yesterday, damn it, why now of all times…! Hoo, hoo, 46 million!”  

From earlier, something didn’t seem right, and now he started seeing the restroom in front of his eyes. Montague’s mind was becoming increasingly hazy.  

It seemed like the spicy chicken noodle challenge he attempted at yesterday’s eve festival was causing trouble. Because his crush, Penelope from the magic department, was watching, he had forced himself to eat all the spicy food, and now he was in this predicament. If he delayed any longer, he might end up with the unprecedented disgrace of being known as the person who soiled himself at Duke Eden Felice’s auction.  

However, aside from that, it was unbearably regrettable to give up here. The chance to have a private meeting with Duke Eden Felice! Moreover, the period to be together was as long as a fortnight.