Chapter 2 (Part 4)

“Juliet, you’re back just in time.”

As she was about to enter her room, her mother called her in an urgent voice. She turned to her mother with a puzzled expression. Her mother carefully examined her attire and nodded.

“You can go out as you are. It’s fortunate you don’t need to prepare.”

“Where are we going?”

“I heard news that a new Masterpiece has been released at the auction. We must go quickly.”

She tried to hide her disappointment.

Her mother was a well-known collector of Masterpieces. There were only a few houses in the capital that could fill a ballroom with Masterpieces.

And it was her duty to accompany her mother whenever she rushed out upon hearing of a new Masterpiece. There wasn’t much she did as an assistant.

It was unreasonable, but a married woman wandering outside alone could create bad rumors. So wherever her mother went, she would follow and stay by her side.

She wasn’t particularly interested in Masterpieces, but now she was sick of them. And now she had to go to an auction to acquire a Masterpiece. She followed her mother reluctantly.

As they arrived at the auction, many eyes followed them. The hosts didn’t hide their delight, while some participants openly showed their wariness. Considering the money her mother had spent on auctions, it was only natural. Her mother enjoyed the attention as she entered the hall.

Her mother immediately took out the auction pamphlet as she sat down. She quickly flipped through the front pages and stopped at the page with the Masterpieces.

There were two Masterpieces in this auction. It was a rare occurrence.

As rare as creating a Masterpiece was, selling one was even rarer. There was a reason artists were reluctant to sell their Masterpieces. But more importantly, many Masterpieces were inherently unsellable.

First, Masterpieces from intangible arts couldn’t be sold. Just because a dance performed by a dancer became a Masterpiece didn’t mean you could capture and sell the dancer.

Even tangible arts didn’t always take a sellable form. If the ability of a Masterpiece was one-time use, by the time it was recognized as a Masterpiece, the ability was often already exhausted.

Lastly, there were cases where it wasn’t revealed as a Masterpiece. This was a new case she had come up with. An example in this category was William’s ‘Romeo and Juliet.’

The script William was writing was a Masterpiece with immense power to control people’s lives, but even when completed, no one would realize it was a Masterpiece. Except for her.

Her mother seemed to have decided what to purchase. She handed her the pamphlet. She wasn’t particularly interested, but it was better to pass the time with something than doing nothing. She flipped through the pamphlet page by page.

Gems from the Queen’s crown. How do they even acquire such things? The arm of a 700-year-old mummy. What is the buyer thinking? The last pill made by a legendary pharmacist who died 100 years ago. So it’s spoiled, isn’t it?

As she skimmed through the pamphlet, she realized there was nothing in the auction she could understand. Including the people who came to buy these items.

She flipped through the pamphlet absentmindedly, the speed of turning the pages gradually increasing. At this rate, she couldn’t even pass the time properly. As she quickly flipped through the pages, her hand suddenly stopped. Like her mother, she stopped at the page with the Masterpieces.

Her eyes were fixed on the description of one Masterpiece. She read its description. Over and over again. And finally acknowledged a possibility.

This Masterpiece might be able to break the spell on William and Romeo.

* * *

[I wish the person Romeo liked wasn’t Juliet, but you.]

* * *

“Mother, are you planning to bid on both Masterpieces in this auction?”

She asked in an expectant voice. It was the first time her mother’s love for Masterpieces felt so fortunate. Her mother had never passed up a Masterpiece that caught her eye, so she was sure she would purchase both this time as well.

“No. We recently held a ball, so we should restrain ourselves for a while. I plan to buy only one this time. Fortunately, I’m not particularly drawn to the other one.”

But her mother gave an unexpected answer. This wasn’t good. She spoke again with a sense of unease.

“Then which one are you planning to purchase?”

“Of course, ‘The Lovely Person.'”

Of course. Without the issue with William and Romeo, she too would have chosen ‘The Lovely Person’. As her mother said, that choice was perfectly reasonable.

“Here it comes.”

While she was flipping through the pamphlet to pass the time, the auction was reaching its climax. Someone dressed a bit more formally than before came out, pushing a movable table. Something was placed on the table, covered with expensive silk. The silk or table decorations alone would surpass the price of the previous auction items.

“Thank you for waiting. Finally, the main stage of today. The Masterpiece ‘The Lovely Person’!”

The auctioneer dramatically removed the silk. Underneath the silk, a small perfume bottle was revealed.

“‘The Lovely Person’ is the ten-thousandth creation of a perfumer who spent a lifetime making perfumes. His efforts finally bore the fruit of a Masterpiece. True to its name and fragrance, the magic it holds is incredibly lovely. When you spray the perfume, as long as the fragrance lasts, you’ll appear as the person most loved by anyone.”

The hall buzzed. It was a charming ability that ladies would surely love. Personally, she thought it was an ability perfect for causing marital discord.

“Perhaps you can’t quite grasp it just by hearing about it. Would you like to experience it firsthand?”

The auctioneer sprayed the perfume on his wrist. Those participating in the auction blushed or murmured someone’s name.

“Mr. Capulet…”

Her mother murmured her father’s name. Fortunately, it seemed that their family wasn’t one to face domestic discord.

She turned her head to look at the auctioneer’s face. He had taken on Romeo’s appearance. It was only natural, given that she was under the spell of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ She sighed, feeling somewhat let down.

At that moment, Romeo’s face began to blur. Like mist, the area around his face became hazy until nothing was visible.

She looked around in confusion, but everyone else was still staring at the auctioneer’s face with unchanged expressions. It seemed she was the only one unable to see the face.

She turned her gaze back to the auctioneer. Through the mist, a silhouette began to emerge. 

Who could it be?

She focused on trying to see the face beyond the mist, but before she could see anything, the duration of the perfume’s effect ended. The silhouette in the mist vanished, leaving only the auctioneer’s face. It felt futile.

“The duration is short because of the distance. But if you’re close, it’s a different story. As long as the person can smell the fragrance, the effect lasts. Now, let’s start the bidding!”

The auction price soared endlessly. She watched the scene without much tension. Her mother had declared she would win ‘The Lovely Person.’ So no matter how high the bids went, her mother would win in the end.

“Yes, number 27, sold!”

Without much drama, the auctioneer called her mother’s number. An auctioneer approached and handed her mother the transfer medal.

“Now, shall we look at the next auction item? This one is also a Masterpiece.”

At the auctioneer’s signal, two people came out pushing a cart with a large frame. It was also covered in silk. It was the item she wanted.

“This time, it’s the complete opposite of the previous item. It has a very violent magic.”

The auctioneer spoke in a gloomy voice. She tensed up. If her mother didn’t win the bid, she had to. Even though she wasn’t sure if her allowance would be enough to acquire a Masterpiece. Fortunately, the item didn’t have magic that people would greatly desire. She had to bet on that possibility.

“The painting hidden under the silk is the Masterpiece ‘The Enemy of the Family.’ The name itself is terrifying, isn’t it?”

She glanced at her mother. She still seemed uninterested.

“Anyone who views this painting together becomes hostile to each other. It’s a magic true to its name. Shall we experience the magic of this Masterpiece together?”

When the auctioneer reached for the silk covering the painting, the hall stirred again. Some people closed their eyes tightly. No one with the wealth to participate in the auction wanted to make enemies with the families present.

“Oh dear, it would be a disaster if everyone here became enemies after viewing this painting together!”

The auctioneer playfully pulled back his hand from the silk.

“But there’s no need to worry. This painting only takes effect when viewed by two people alone. You can enjoy a Masterpiece-level work without any concerns.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he removed the silk covering the painting. The sound of several people inhaling sharply echoed in the hall.