Chapter 4 (Part 6)

Having made his way to Earl Loengrin’s residence, Anthus anxiously waited for Yuliana in the reception room. He wanted to run into her room, but today, he stayed quietly in the reception room. Every minute felt like an eternity to Anthus, and he quickly grew anxious.

‘I miss you.’

These words dominated his mind.

Click.

The sound of the reception room door opening was heard, and Yuliana, whom Anthus had been waiting for so eagerly, peeked her face in.

“Have you been waiting long?”

As soon as Anthus saw Yuliana, he smiled sweetly and ran towards her.

“Lia!”

Yuliana blinked, finding him adorable as he ran towards her, calling her by her nickname.

“I missed you so much. Time seemed to drag on.”

Anthus quickly approached, kissed her forehead lightly like a feather, then took her hand and kissed her fingers.

“I didn’t know saying ‘I miss you’ could hurt so much.”

“Does it hurt?”

Anthus stroked Yuliana’s nose and caressed her cheek. Yuliana’s hair flowed down, tickling each of his fingers.

“When I see you, Lia, my heart doesn’t hurt, but when we’re apart, all kinds of emotions cause me pain. Among them, the thought of missing you makes my heart ache. Now that I’ve met you, I feel alive.”

Anthus was struggling to suppress the possessiveness and desire that kept pouring out, fearing that showing these ugly feelings would scare Yuliana away.

He wanted to put his treasure in a treasure chest, hide it where no one could touch it, and make it so that only he could see it.

“I missed you too, Yan.”

Anthus looked down at Yuliana and smiled sweetly.

“Shall we go, Lia?”

“Yes.”

Louis, who spotted them leaving the Earl’s residence affectionately, approached to interfere but turned back with a bitter smile when he saw Yuliana’s happy face.

“Lia, haven’t you reconciled with Young Lord Louis yet?”

Sensing Louis’s presence, Anthus asked Yuliana.

“I want to talk to my brother… but I keep avoiding him. I don’t know why.”

The siblings, who had fought for the first time, didn’t know how to reconcile.

“Don’t worry, Lia. You’ll reconcile soon.”

“Yes. I’ll try to talk to my brother. But where are we going today?”

“We’re going to an auction.”

“I’ve never been to an auction before.”

Thinking about it, unlike other noble ladies, she rarely attended auctions or tea parties. She was always out on expeditions and had only participated in a few tea parties.

“I haven’t attended frequently either for the same reason as you. This is only my second time at an auction.”

“Who did you go with the first time?”

“Someone you know.”

Yuliana tilted her head, looking curious.

“When His Majesty the Emperor was Crown Prince, I accompanied him to buy a gift for Lady Monica. Back then, I scoffed at His Majesty wandering around the auction to buy a gift… Now I’m acting just like him. I’ve received information that many good items will be up for auction today. Also, part of the proceeds from this auction will be used to help the citizens of the Empire, so think of it as a meaningful contribution when buying items.”

“It will be a meaningful auction.”

“It’s more meaningful to do good things with the person I love.”

“The more I get to know you, Yan, the warmer your heart seems.”

Anthus gently wrapped his arms around Yuliana and kissed her temple. Then he embraced her.

“I was so afraid that the reality of being your lover was a dream that I couldn’t sleep.”

Anthus wanted to keep Yuliana in his arms like this… make her look only at him… and become so dependent on him that she couldn’t live without him… These thoughts kept coming up, driving him crazy.

“Actually… I thought about you last night too, Yan, and my heart kept pounding, so I slept late.”

Anthus looked at Yuliana, holding back tears. That beautiful face, those deep golden eyes looking at him, speaking lovely words.

“What’s wrong, Yan?”

“Please don’t abandon me, Lia.”

“Why would I abandon you, Yan? Don’t say such bad things.”

Anthus’s insides were burning with the sudden surge of possessiveness and desire. He wondered if he should rather bind her and teach her that it’s love. Lock her in a big, beautiful room forever, watching her, loving her, knowing only her lovely appearance and voice… If she stayed by his side forever like that, it would be wonderful…

“I want to kiss you.”

“No. It will mess up my hair.”

In front of Yuliana, Anthus was like a puppy drooling over food. The puppy was always ready to eat, and it would be the happiest if the owner said, ‘You can eat’… Would Yuliana understand this anxious puppy’s feelings? Probably not.

“Then, Lia, could you at least hold out your hand to me?”

Yuliana’s cheeks and ears turned redder. Some thoughts made her blush.

“My hand?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Anthus’s harmless smile, Yuliana cautiously held out her hand. Anthus gently took her hand and said,

“The dress you’re wearing today… suits you well. Can I buy something at the auction today and give it to you as a gift?”

“Again? I haven’t even worn all the dresses and jewelry you gave me last time!”

“I’ve never bought gifts for a woman other than my mother, so I asked Ferrell, and he said it’s common to give dresses and jewelry to a lover.”

“That’s probably for ladies who often attend social gatherings. I don’t need that many dresses since I don’t go to tea parties often.”

“As we attend various gatherings together, like tea parties and banquets, you’ll need many dresses, jewelry, shoes, and bags. Please allow me the right to give gifts as your lover.”

Anthus spoke of his right as a lover to choose everything that touched Yuliana’s body.

“I don’t dislike your gifts, Duke. It’s just that there are too many. I’d appreciate it if you could restrain yourself a bit.”

“I will try.”

The carriage soon arrived at the auction entrance. As soon as they got off, the auction guide quickly led Anthus and Yuliana to the VIP seats.

People stared and whispered as they passed by. Anthus didn’t care about their gazes and continued to look sweetly at Yuliana, holding her hand and kissing her fingers.

“Yan, people… are staring.”

“Lia, I’d rather you pay attention to my gaze than theirs.”

People were surprised and continued to murmur as they saw the two exchanging nicknames.

“They really are a couple.”

Anthus was satisfied with the people’s conversations.

As they sat in the VIP seats, they clapped as the host appeared on stage, with dazzling lights shining like stars. The host announced the start of the auction with eloquent words.

“The first item is!”

The first item was the last painting touched by the artist Krson before he died.

“Ladies and gentlemen, starting at 100,000 gold.”

Anthus raised his paddle twice.

“200,000 gold.”

Other nobles began to raise their paddles slowly. But Anthus continued to double the bid.

“2,400,000 gold, any higher? 3! 2! 1! The first auction item, Krson’s final painting, is sold to Duke Rockbellion.”

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The host cleared his throat and said,

“Next is the fur of a Nuego.”

The Nuego is an ancient monster that only inhabits deep dungeons, making its fur difficult to collect.

“Starting at 1,000,000 gold.”

Yuliana raised her paddle.

“Duke Rockbellion bids 10,000,000 gold.”

After raising and lowering the paddle, Anthus smiled and pulled Yuliana, who was sitting next to him, closer for a light kiss on the cheek before she could raise her paddle again. People were astonished and applauded as they witnessed Anthus kissing Yuliana on the cheek.

“I wanted to buy that.”

“I wanted to give the Nuego fur as a gift to you, Lia, so I participated in the auction.”

“A gift for me?”

“I am the man who has the right to give gifts to you, Lia.”

“Alright. I’ll accept the gift, so stop spending money.”

“I have a habit of wasting money, so I’m worried. Could you manage me a bit?”

He hid his true feelings of wanting her to manage the household as his wife, even if he spent all the family’s wealth… He would work hard to earn it, thinking to himself. Anthus held Yuliana’s hand and smiled innocently.

Anthus glanced around and signaled to the host with a nod.

“The Nuego fur is sold to Duke Rockbellion for 10,000,000 gold.”

Anthus swept up all the following auction items. And the last one, the Queen’s Laugh, one of the world’s three most valuable gems, had the crowd excitedly raising their bids.

“10,000,000 gold. Any higher? Then Duke Rockbellion wins the Queen’s Laugh.”

As soon as he won, Anthus stood up and walked to the stage.

“I want the necklace immediately.”

“Understood. Here it is.”

Anthus walked back to the VIP seats and, without caring about the people watching, gifted the Queen’s Laugh to Yuliana.

“Lia, like the name of this necklace, I will always serve you as a queen and make you smile every day.”

Yuliana was extremely embarrassed as she received it, and the other ladies and noblewomen envied her.

“You bought all the items at the auction today.”

“Yes, I bought everything. I wish someone would stop my wasteful spending.”

After the auction ended, Anthus spoke to the host and the auction manager.

“Send all the items to Earl Loengrin’s residence.”