Is it because they were supposed to meet originally? No, the master in the future that Leonel will meet is different from the current master. Besides, neither Leonel nor Aaron had any hostility towards the master. So, what does this invisible boundary mean?

Is it because he’s someone he had never seen before?

“Here’s the remote control.”

The object he handed over as a remote control was a simple black rectangular item.

“This… is a remote control?”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing…”

Although it was quite different from the object she originally knew, they were basically similar. Pressing buttons to enter numbers seemed to be the same.

“Each room is given a remote control with a room number assigned to it. Press the red button here and enter a number to start bidding.”

The auctions she’d seen up to this point were about holding up a panel and stating the desired amount. But that was too primitive of a method. It was impossible for so many people to shout out their bids at once. The auction hall was as spacious as a grand opera house, and even with a quick glance, you’ll see that there were no empty seats.

“Then what about the people who aren’t in the rooms?”

“They have to rely on their hearing.”

James’s gesture of covering his throat with his index finger revealed his coldhearted businessman side. In the first place, winning at an auction depended on having money. In other words, it only provided convenience to customers who had purchasing power.

Perhaps it was a clever business strategy. It was far more efficient than mass-producing this remote control.

“So, is the identity of the bidders kept secret?”

“Usually, yes. But everyone knows. There are only a limited number of people who have enough purchasing power to win an auction.”

Well, it couldn’t be helped. The more valuable the item, the more likely buyers there would be. The question was at what price they were willing to spend for it.

“How many items will be up for auction today?”

“About 30.”

“That’s surprisingly few, isn’t it?”

She thought there would be around 50 items up for auction on a day like today. It would be a shame to let such a big opportunity slip by as a businessman.

“People get bored if you drag out time when they already know what items they’re waiting for.”

Everyone here only came to see the brooch. Even those who couldn’t afford it attended to just witness it in person. Who would become its owner? That was also an exciting topic.

“Among them, the brooch that Your Highness is interested in will come out last.”

The highlight of the auction blossoms at the very end. Even she knew that.

“How many competitors do you think I’ll have, James?”

“Not many. Most of them will get scared and give up halfway.”

No matter if the imperial family is watching with their eyes wide open, there will always be those who have no fear. At the beginning, everyone will participate in the auction. But once they find out that the imperial family is personally involved, they will run away. For her, those people were also good distractions.

Besides, this is Siegfried’s territory. Ultimately, the battle will flow between her and the emperor.

“And my biggest competitor?”

Amelia whispered to James, keeping her voice down in case Leonel could hear. At that time, she didn’t know how such actions would appear to Leonel.

“He came personally.”

“How much do you expect the winning bid to be, James?”

“200,000 gold, perhaps.”

At the mention of 200,000 gold, Amelia couldn’t hide her smirk. Leonel’s winning bid for the brooch was 400,000 gold. She’d have to get at least more than that to be satisfied.

“500,000 gold.”

“What?”

“I’d have to rip them off that much to be satisfied.”

The Imperial Family was wary of the public’s perception at that time. Patrick, the first prince, was involved in a massive drug scandal. Additionally, the image of the imperial family was not in a good state, so they were unable to spend a significant amount of money. But now, things were different.

“When the curtains are drawn, can people outside see what’s inside?”

“They can’t see it in detail. Each room is protected by magic for privacy.”

Money was truly good. Is it something like tinting? From the inside, you can see the outside clearly, but you can’t see the inside from the outside.

—The auction is about to begin. Please take your seats.

Perhaps the sound was amplified by magic; it was loud enough to resonate throughout the massive hall.

“It’s about to start.”

Before the Master finished speaking, the lights on the stage came on, and the auctioneer entered. She was the manager from a moment ago.

“Hello, everyone who has come to Chester Auction House. I am Anna, the one in charge of today’s auction.”

Even though she wasn’t using a microphone, the woman’s words resonated loudly throughout the hall. It seemed to be magic as well.

“James, is all of this magic?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Magic solves everything.

“I can do it too.”

“Huh?”

“Simple magic like that, I can do it too.”

Amelia burst into laughter at Leonel’s expression, puffing out his cheeks as he spoke. Leonel was indeed adorable, from his soft golden hair to his bouncy cheeks.

“My son is amazing.”

The feeling of his hair curling around her hand felt good. She wondered if Raphael’s hair was just as soft. He looks good at first glance.

“This is the first entry. A set of twelve swords that are said to have been made by the legendary blacksmith, Wagon.”

Even from the first item, there was a stir in the hall. The murmurs subsided momentarily, and the auction price started to rise rapidly.

“It can only be wielded by Swordmasters. The auction starts at 5,000 gold.”

5,000 gold was half of her monthly budget. Edward had said that you could buy a small castle in the province for 10,000 gold. That meant 5,000 gold was far from a small amount of money.

“Is the first item also valuable?”

“We have to present something to match everyone’s high expectations of this auction.”

The auction price continued to climb endlessly. Judging from people’s reactions, it didn’t seem like an ordinary, valuable item. Amelia couldn’t take her eyes off the item that had already reached 30,000 gold. 30,000 gold was three months’ worth of her budget.

“Mother?”

“Leonel, do you want it?”

She didn’t know if it was right to buy a sword for a five-year-old child. But Leonel wasn’t as young as she had initially thought. She could tell from the way he aimed a sword at her without hesitation. Besides, it was hard to believe, but Leonel seemed to enjoy training with Raphael.

“What? No….”

“You’re still too young. It would be difficult for you to use it.”

When they introduced the sword, they said that it couldn’t be wielded by just anyone. Only Swordmasters could use it, was that right? Even among the wealthy nobles, there were very few who were truly capable. They would either purchase it to display or bestow it upon a knight in their family.

“Only Swordmasters can use it.”

The Master intervened when he noticed her hesitation. It was true, but she couldn’t just let it pass. Even in the future, Leonel envied Aaron’s sword. She didn’t say it directly, but she could tell.

“50,000 gold! Just now, 50,000 gold came from Room 8.”

50,000 gold? The brooch hasn’t even appeared, and someone is already spending money like this?

“It’s the imperial family.”

“Ah, Mother…?”

“Your Highness?”

The moment she heard the word ‘imperial family,’ she unknowingly pressed a button on the remote control.

“70,000 gold! 70,000 gold came from Room 7.”

“Mother?”

“That sword belongs to you, now.”

He couldn’t use it right away, so he’d have to wait until he’s grown up. Losing to the Emperor was worse than dying. She couldn’t bear to let go of such a precious item.

“James, deduct the amount yourself.”

“Yes, understood.”

She meant to say to deduct it from the brooch price.

“The Tirving, the second of the twelve swords known as the Wagon’s Masterpiece, is sold to Room 7!”

“Oh, I didn’t expect Your Highness to win.”

As soon as the name of the sword was revealed, Room 8 offered 100,000 gold. In fact, she called for 70,000 gold, but she knew the Emperor would raise the price even higher.

“I’m sorry, but the item already belongs to Room 7. Please put up your price within the given time, or else it will be taken by someone else.”

Before the auctioneer finished speaking, they heard a loud sound of something breaking from the adjacent room. It seemed like the infuriated Emperor was causing a commotion.

“Did you do that on purpose?”

“What are you talking about?”

The emperor also wanted that sword. Taking advantage of her surprise at his sudden participation, the auctioneer awarded her the sword. In the end, the emperor had essentially missed the sword right in front of him.

“Once you lose something right in front of your eyes, you become more desperate.”

So you were just trying to get a higher price for the brooch?

“By any chance, can the young master handle this cursed sword?”

“A cursed sword?”

“Tirving is a famous cursed sword.”

Did she just buy a cursed sword for Leonel with her own hands?

“It would be better to present it to His Grace the Grand Duke rather than the young master.”

“But didn’t my mother say it was mine?”

For a Siegfried, who deals with demons, there is nothing better than a cursed sword. Although Leonel was still young, it should be fine to give it to him in the future.

“Your Highness is wise, I’m sure you’ll judge for yourself.”

Even though it was their first meeting today, the two growled at each other as though they were enemies. Both Leonel and the Master were strange. Weren’t their usual personalities to smile and accept things?

“Finally, the last item of the day! It’s something that only appeared in the founding myth.”

Whenever a good item came up, the auction house buzzed with excitement. However, unlike before, only silence flowed through the auction house.

The highlight of this long-awaited auction. It was the appearance of the brooch from the imperial treasure and the legend.