Ken was even more certain because he had seen the masked figure before. It was none other than Duke Calix Icarus. Pulling his cloak tighter, Ken grinned crookedly and shifted his gaze to the stage.

‘So you’re after the same thing again.’

As the auction began, the announcer introduced each item one by one. The voices describing the goods and calling out the bids melded into a monotonous melody. Then, out of the blue –

“You shaved your beard.”

“…”

Calix spoke in a low voice, addressing him directly. His tone carried a sense of certainty, as if he already knew who Ken was. Ken’s fingers brushed over his now smooth chin as he considered his next move. Deciding quickly, he changed his voice and replied with feigned nonchalance.

“I never expected to see such a busy man in a place like this.”

“I never thought I’d meet the leader of Eclipse twice.”

Ken’s eyes shifted beneath the veil of his hair. Many major organisations had tried to uncover Eclipse’s secrets, but so far the identities of its upper ranks, including his own, had remained meticulously hidden.

“The Icarus family’s intelligence network alone wouldn’t have been enough to find out. How did you know?”

Calix narrowed his eyes slightly. It was true that he hadn’t discovered it through his family’s intelligence network alone. While in his form as Titi, he had overheard one of Ciela’s subordinates refer to Ken as ‘Master’, which had led him to connect the dots.

Still…

“You underestimate me.”

The Icarus family’s information network wasn’t to be taken lightly or dismissed.

“You’re as annoyingly overconfident as ever, Your Grace.”

Ken, still changing his voice, smiled cheerfully.

“Let me make one thing clear: I will buy the fairy apple tree. You’ve already got one, so isn’t trying to get another just pure greed?”

“And you, knowing that I’ve already secured one, still insist on acquiring it yourself?”

“I will never allow someone with obvious ulterior motives to give the fairy apple tree to Ciela. Not as long as I live.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll be sure to help you into the ground sooner rather than later.”

An oppressive tension, heavy enough to suffocate, swirled around them. Yet neither of them let it show in their expressions or postures. As a few more items were auctioned off, the long-awaited Fairy Apple Tree finally appeared on the stage.

“A truly rare item has arrived!”

The collectors’ eyes lit up with interest, and many began calculating their remaining funds to bid for it. But before the auctioneer could even begin to describe the tree, someone had already raised their paddle.

“500 gold.”

A single, decisive bid silenced the room.

It was Calix.

“…”

The staggering bid, far above the starting price, left the auction house in stunned silence. Even the auctioneer froze for a moment, stunned. Meanwhile, Ken shook his head in disbelief as he looked at the Duke.

‘Such a waste of money.’

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. But Ken raised his paddle with a mischievous grin.

“700 gold.”

This ridiculous game of extravagance was something Ken enjoyed as well.

“700 gold! What an intense start! Any higher bids?”

The auctioneer snapped out of his daze, quickly regaining his composure and inwardly celebrating the skyrocketing bids. Meanwhile, the other potential bidders had already conceded defeat. With their paddles lowered, they seemed to have accepted that this was no longer a competition for them.

The tree was rare and its fruit beautiful, but not enough to justify such an exorbitant price. Many assumed it wouldn’t go for more than 1,000 gold, and were already moving on to the next item on their list.

However…

“1,000 gold.

“1,500 gold.

“2,000 gold.”

The auction showed no sign of ending.

“Is this just a bet between friends?”

“Even if it is a bet, isn’t it excessive? At this rate, one of them might have to sell his house.”

“Who cares? As long as we’re entertained, it’s all right.”

The audience marvelled at the escalating bids, watching the spectacle with fascination. Meanwhile, the auctioneer’s jaw seemed to drop further with each leap in price.

Ken glanced sideways at the seat next to him.

‘That madman.’

Ken couldn’t help but think, even though he wasn’t any the wiser himself. Of course, given the Duke’s wealth, it was probably nothing.

‘How much did he bring just to buy the fairy apple tree?’

Humming thoughtfully, Ken clicked his tongue and looked at his own paddle.

‘Sure, Calix will probably give the tree to Ciela anyway.’

But if he was going to give in so easily, he wouldn’t have come here in the first place. Realising that this wasn’t going to end without a decisive move, Ken decided to play his last card.

“5,000 gold.”

The already high price shot up again.

“Gasp!”

The room held its collective breath as the audience stared wide-eyed at the outrageous bid. Even the auctioneer seemed speechless.

The bid, the highest ever for the auction house, drew audible gasps from the crowd.

‘It’s over,’ Ken thought. You’d have to be someone of Calix’s stature or higher to have more money on hand than that. Everyone assumed the contest was over and waited for the other bidder to lower his paddle in surrender.

But –

“10,000 gold.”

Calix raised the price without a flicker of emotion in his voice.

—

Meanwhile, Ciela climbed into the carriage waiting for her at the back entrance.

‘Not a bad day at all.’

The unpleasant faces were nowhere to be seen. The Marquis had gone to discuss business with another noble, and the Marchioness, still reeling from stress, had retired to a nearby villa after Ciela’s repeated mentions of land and property whenever she tried to coax her. Lilia, for her part, had been busy trying to bury the scandal and had been moving around a lot these days.

‘Peace and quiet.’

‘If only every day could be like today.’

The carriage sped towards the Lemond estate. On arrival, a servant checked her invitation and led Ciela into a lush garden full of bright flowers. In the centre of the garden was an oval table, already occupied by several young ladies who had arrived earlier.

“Lady Arcel, you have come!”

The hostess, Lady Lemond, rose from her seat and approached her with a look of delight on her face. Not only was Ciela the hottest topic on the social scene at the moment, but it was rumoured that she had turned down an invitation from that Lady Hayley. Yet here she was, attending her tea party.

‘I’ll have so much to brag about at other gatherings now!’

Unable to hide her excitement, Lady Lemond gestured enthusiastically.

“Here, please take this seat!”

Ciela’s designated seat was right next to the host, a clear sign of how warmly she was being received.

“I wanted to meet you, so thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for welcoming me so warmly.”

“Hoho, I’ve been eagerly awaiting this meeting, even praying from afar for your good health so that you could join us.”

“When I woke up this morning I felt unusually well. Perhaps it’s because of your prayers for my health.”

“If that’s the case, I’m truly glad.”

Lady Lemond said, her cheeks blushing slightly as she shyly covered her smiling lips with her fan.

“May I call you Lady Ciela?”

“Of course.”

“Then please call me Lady Aisha instead of Lady Lemond!”

Meeting Aisha’s expectant gaze, Ciela nodded gracefully.

“If it pleases you, Lady Aisha.”

“Of course it does!”

Lady Aisha added once more how pleased she was, laughing brightly. Ciela followed with a soft, seemingly shy smile.

‘Lady Aisha always enjoyed being the centre of attention.’

Having appeared in the original story, she was an easy character for Ciela to read. There was no better time to win her favour than now, while she was at the centre of a scandal.

‘And Lady Aisha has quite a social reach.’

Known for her love of meeting people and socialising, Aisha had an extensive network of acquaintances. She was also quick to pick up on rumours circulating among the nobility. For someone like Ciela, who was isolated in the social world, cultivating a friendship with her was essential.

‘And this tea party isn’t just about Lady Aisha.’

Ciela turned her head slowly and surveyed the room.

‘The future Marchioness, someone Lilia will be desperate to befriend later, is also here.’

Although it wasn’t immediately clear who the future Marchioness was, the original story had portrayed her as having a close relationship with Lady Lemond. Therefore, she had to be present at this tea party. Since there hadn’t been much description of her appearance, Ciela couldn’t identify her at a glance. But she didn’t mind – she remembered the name perfectly.

‘Her name was Daisy.’

Ciela softened her gaze and turned her attention back to Lady Lemond.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been to a social gathering…”

“Oh dear, I should have been more considerate. I was so excited to see you that I overlooked it.”

Aisha clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention and smiled brightly.

“Ladies, since it’s been a while since Lady Ciela has been well, how about we take turns introducing ourselves?”

The story of Ciela’s isolation because of her reputation was quickly replaced by the more sympathetic explanation of a health problem. No one objected and everyone willingly followed Aisha’s suggestion.

“That’s a wonderful idea.”

“It reminds me of our first meetings. It’s quite fun.”

“Then I’ll go first!”

As host, Lady Lemond began the introductions. The others followed her lead, going clockwise from her position. Each time an introduction ended, Ciela offered words carefully tailored to please the speaker, effortlessly setting a warm and lively tone for the gathering.

‘Except for the empty seats, this is the last one.’

With only two seats left empty, it was the turn of the last lady.

“I am Rose Islet.”

“Ah, the Islet family, known for ruling the area that produces the finest quality wheat in the Empire.”

“Hoho, the wheat from our territory is truly the best.”

Ciela exchanged warm smiles and engaging conversation with Lady Rose. The other ladies joined in, adding their own comments to the lively discussion.

“Why didn’t we invite Lady Ciela before? It feels like such a loss to have missed meeting you before!”

“Hoho, I agree. Oh, may I invite you to the tea party at my estate next time?”

“Of course! I’d be delighted to attend.”

As she continued to chat pleasantly with the group, her gaze drifted to the empty seat next to her.

‘Maybe they won’t come today.’

The hint of disappointment lingered on her tongue as she suddenly felt movement behind her.

“Everyone, I’m so sorry I’m late!”

A breathless voice, as if someone had hurried past, filled the air. There was only one person it could be.

‘Daisy.’

Sure of who had arrived, Ciela turned her head with a beaming expression. But her smile faded quickly, her face hardening.

“I must apologise for her tardiness. She was late because she was with me.”

Standing next to the shy, brown-haired lady was someone Ciela recognised all too well.

‘Hayley.’

It was an unwelcome encounter.