Chapter 106. Unexpected rival 2021.02.06.
The day of the showdown had dawned.
‘Oscar and Dad don’t care about me!’
It was a perfect day for going out. Today, I went out with Aidan, saying that I was going to meet Estee. Only the face of the escort knights following them changed, but the number of people remained the same.
‘Somehow, he looks happy.’
I stared at the knights following me with a smile on my face.
“Kyungs. Why are you laughing?”
“That’s right, I won the lottery!”
The knight, who was talking excitedly, was hit on the side by a knight right next to him and collapsed. I squinted my eyes and scanned the knights one by one.
“Did you guys make a bet?”
“Not much.”
“You did. If you lie, tell your dad and get out of escort-”
“I did.”
Apparently, it was rumored that my outing escort job was honey.
‘Well, I can drink tea in the drawing room and rest all day.’
I didn’t like the lack of discipline of the knights, but I was satisfied that they didn’t pay attention to me in Isti’s mansion. Moreover, it was even more advantageous for me that the escorts knew nothing about important matters like today.
“Yes, I understand.”
“yes?”
“Okay.”
The knights, who were bowing their heads like criminals, exchanged glances with each other and laughed. It looked good because I didn’t ask anymore. I climbed into the carriage to head to the mansion. I was familiar with the scenery passing by outside the window because I had been coming and going often for Veneno production recently.
“If you are a little older, it will be difficult to come out like this…”
I got used to living in a big but small society called Hwangseong, and every time I came out, I felt new. Now that you’re young, meeting friends is acceptable, but when you grow older and mature, you’ll be treated like a real emperor. Thinking about that made me sad. Then Aidan, who was sitting across from him, opened his mouth.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”
“what?”
“I can bring them out.”
“Aren’t you going to let anyone know?”
“yes.”
“It could be. Then you should stay by my side forever.”
Then Aidan averted his gaze. I stared, wondering if there was something wrong, but Aidan didn’t look at me until the end.
‘Do you not want to be by my side for the rest of your life?’
. . . Arriving at Isty’s mansion, as usual, I drove the knights into the drawing room and went up to the bedroom to meet Casey.
“Casey. stuff?”
“Are you looking for that?”
“The research was successful!”
“Yes, but it is still a prototype. I cannot give you anything that is not perfect.”
I stared at the water bottles piled up in front of Casey. Even looking at the reagents containing a sublime purple liquid, it seemed as if they were boasting, “I am a magic reagent.”
“Did Casey drink?”
“yes. I drank it.”
“Is he dead?”
“…You are too much. Are you killing a living person?”
I giggled and picked up the nearest reagent.
“How effective is the drug?”
“At that concentration, maybe half a day. But do you really have to drink it? It’s a little too much for a little girl as small as a young lady to drink…”
I quickly opened the stopper and drank all the magic reagent before Casey’s nagging got any longer. I thought it would be bitter or sweet because of the subtle color, but surprisingly it didn’t taste like anything.
“Oh no. But what if you eat it recklessly? Please do it.”
“But I already swallowed it…”
“Wow. Wow!”
I ran to the far end of the bedroom to avoid Casey who was trying to force me to vomit.
“No matter how illegal the auction house is, they won’t let 9-year-olds in.”
“of course.”
“Then there is nothing you can do. Even the appearance is deceiving.”
It was the moment to say so. I felt a burning sensation from the inside out, and the sensation quickly spread to the extremities of my limbs.
“Ugh. is this a bit weird? It looks like he’s been drinking…”
“Yes? Liquor?! Have you ever had a drink, lady? Are you nine years old?”
Casey asked back, startled, but was in no mood to answer. It was because my eyes were spinning and my body was hot as if I was really drunk. I sat down on the sofa and curled up.
‘Couldn’t this be real alcohol?’
I was staring at the floor with a frown on my face when I suddenly felt the surroundings quiet.
“what’s the matter?”
As I tilted my head, Casey silently pointed to the mirror on the bedroom wall with her chin. I got up from the sofa and headed to the mirror, much less hot than before, and suddenly saw that the hem of the dress had shortened considerably. I was startled and looked in the mirror and there was no figure of a nine-year-old.
“Wow.”
fourteen? Was it around fifteen? I can’t pinpoint the exact age, but I was in the mirror, much more mature than before. His youthful energy disappeared, his face with sagging breasts, and even his limbs longer than before. Suddenly, I thought of my mother who was smiling brightly in the pendant I received from the Marquis of Gardenia.
‘I look just like my mother.’
I will know more when I see you grow up.
“I was old when I drank, but as the lady drinks, she grows up. It feels unfair.”
“Casey is all grown up.”
“I want to go back to my childhood…”
I laughed inwardly as I watched Casey say immature things.
‘It wouldn’t be like that if I went through it.’
As I carefully examined my changed appearance, I met eyes with Aidan, who was watching me through the mirror. It seemed that the age difference between Aidan and Aidan had narrowed, perhaps because he drank the elixir of growth. I smiled mischievously and turned to Aidan.
“Aidan. How do I look?”
“…”
“Aidan.”
Aidan stared at me with a hardened face. I was embarrassed for nothing at the wordless gaze. I scratched my cheek and changed the topic.
“Then should I just change my clothes and go to the auction house right away…?”
In its own way, this room, which I used to meet with Casey, was disguised as Estee’s bedroom, so there were many dresses that I could wear in the dressing room next to it. I rushed into the dressing room and picked out a dress that fit my physique. Since the place I am heading to is a place, I deliberately wore it in a dull color. Back in the bedroom, Casey clapped her hands in admiration.
“Hey, lady. You really look like you’re 14 or 5 years old when you wear it like that.”
“It’s all thanks to the leap.”
“As I told you before, the duration is about half a day, so you should hurry up and leave. Otherwise, the magic will break.”
“okay. Don’t worry Casey.”
Casey, I, and Aidan wore masks to hide their identities, and even wore black hoods over them. Casey didn’t know it, but Aidan looked pretty good wearing a mask and a hood. It was thanks to her height that she was able to wear whatever clothes she wore.
‘Compared to him, I’m small even when I grow up…’ I
took a growth pill, but my height was still short, so I wore shoes with higher heels than usual, and my steps were a bit staggered.
“Be careful.”
“Yes.”
With Aidan’s support, we came out through the passage of the mansion. And it was time to go straight to the waiting wagon.
“This mansion is very strange.”
“That’s right. It doesn’t look like people live there.”
I heard a familiar voice talking about it. Of course, the knights who should have been in the drawing room were chatting in the mansion’s garden.
‘Why are you with me?!’
All in all, the place where the wagon was waiting was within the sight of the knights.
“What do we do?”
“You are no longer a nine-year-old little girl. Have confidence.”
“Why are you in a bad mood?”
Even though the appearance has changed, the anxiety did not completely go away. I passed in front of the knights with a nervous feeling. Then, exclamation broke out among the knights.
“uh!”
“…!”
Did you get caught? I was very nervous and continued to play my feet pretending nothing was wrong. Then the conversation of the knights stuck behind his back.
“Even if that lady is Easty May?”
“Isn’t your voice loud?”
“You couldn’t hear.”
The knights mistook me for Isti, the lady of the mansion. After safely moving and entering the carriage, I immediately let out a sigh of relief.
“Whew. I thought you were caught.”
“Why do you wake up? They are of different heights.”
“But since I’m me, I might feel the same way.”
“You must worry too much.”
After glancing at Casey, who smiled with her chin on her head, she set off for the auction house. Illegal auctions were held at different places each time because they were held to avoid the laws of the empire. Of course, finding out the location was not that difficult for Evil, the information guild.
“This time it will be held at the opera house run by Baron Delphi.”
“Is Baron Delphia hosting?”
“no. They are called sponsors. Organizers are shrouded in mystery. Shall we find out?”
“Please.”
Any information would be helpful. While listening to Casey’s detailed explanation about today’s auction, we arrived at the Opera House before we knew it.
“It’s because I came to see an opera on the outside. Naturally, naturally.”
As the guild’s face madam and activist, Casey seemed familiar with this kind of place. As we approached the entrance, two guards stood in front of us.
“Show me the invitation.”
Casey smiled and took three invitations out of her arms and handed them over. After confirming the contents, the guard lowered his head and stepped aside.
“Then I hope you have a good time.”
I was able to participate in the illegal auction that is held secretly without such difficulties.
‘Of course, the invitation is fake.’
There was a technician in the guild who was amazingly good at making imitations, so it was worthwhile to ask for a request. We were guided to the box seats on the edge. The inside of the opera house was decorated in an antique style. The light from the candlestick hanging on the wall, not the magic lamp, made my vision dark.
“The owner here seems to be quite conservative. There are no magic tools.”
“The purpose is probably to make it difficult to identify each other’s faces. After all, it’s an illegal auction, so they’ll want to hide their identities from each other.”
“…is the lady nine years old?”
When Casey looked at me as if he was fed up with me, I just shrugged my shoulders for an answer. Other than us, people were seated in the inside seats one after another. There were sparse empty seats, but the inside was full with people.
“miss. Again, it may be an uncomfortable sight for you to see. So if you can’t stand it…”
“It’s okay Casey. look ahead I guess I’m going to start now.”
I turned my attention to Casey, who was worried for nothing, and looked straight ahead. Fire. As if the auction was about to begin, the candlesticks next to the dark stage lit up one after another.
“Now, thank you to all the distinguished guests who attended the auction today. Please let’s start the auction hoping that everyone will get what they want!”
The moderator in a raspy voice announced the start of the auction.
***
The first auction came right away. Since it was the first, it was a magic tool with a fairly rare magic function.
“147 gold!”
“147 gold. 147 gold came out. Are there any more? …auction!”
Someone won the first auction item. I rested my chin and waited for the item I was looking for to arrive. How many successful bids have passed?
“Now, what you will see this time is the treasure that was sleeping in the shipwreck! It is said that the earring is 300 years old. I can’t use it, but isn’t it worth collecting? The auction starts at 10 gold!”
I leaned forward. A pair of ugly earrings that have been heavily corroded despite efforts to restore them.
‘Not one but two?’
could be recognized at a glance. That was the essence of the tree of creation that Veron was searching for. It was an unexpected gift to be able to get two at once.
“Ah, what is the collectible value? It’s not even worth owning.”
“Who lives? Eh tsk.”
“I can’t even pay for the rework.”
I heard people click their tongues and criticize harshly.
“The starting price is 10 gold. Is there anyone who can win the bid?”
The moderator looked around, looking for someone to call the price. And when that gaze reached me, I raised the license plate high.
“500 gold!”
buzz buzz. A wave of exclamation spread in the middle of the room. Casey smiled happily and nodded, as if he knew that.
‘Who buys it? I live.’
If it was 500 gold, it was a much cheaper price than I thought.
“500 gold! 500 gold is out! Any more?”
The moderator looked around the crowd in a very excited voice. No one coveted old, corroded earrings. Of course, it was the moment when I had no doubt that the earring would come into my hand.
“I’ll win the bid-.”
“1000 gold.”
Someone stepped in and doubled the auction price.
‘What kind of guy is this!’
I looked away in a fit of rage and met the eyes of a man staring at me in the middle of the dim opera house.
“…!”
Then I was shocked. Because there was someone who shouldn’t be there.
