CH 85

The host’s excited voice echoes the auction house.

“Number 21, double! Wow, double on double! That’s 80,000 gold coins. Is there anyone who can top it?”

…Crazy, crazy…

‘Surely… he’s not doing this to give it to me, is he?’

While I was distracted by Theodore, Suradel raised his sign.

“Double.”

“Another double! 160,000 gold coins! My God, that’s the highest price I’ve ever seen while managing this auction house!”

My face was getting whiter as I watched the exponentially rising units.

It was all the more shocking as the fiery competitors were the people on my immediate side.

I hated this situation so much.

Expensive jewelry? That’s nice.

Buying it for me? It depends, but it’s good.

I knew well that Theodore and Suradel were unimaginably rich. They were probably the richest people in the world.

But I really hated wasting money pointlessly like this.

‘Isn’t this a battle that only benefits the auction house?’

Whenever I read the part of a novel where the auction house was rolling in money because of the money thrown from a war of nerves, I always almost die of frustration.

Experiencing the scene in real time!

It was really bad.

I felt like I wanted to run out of the auction house right now.

I vowed never to accept the blue diamond, no matter which of them, Suradel or Theodore, won the bid.

Because I didn’t want this to happen again.

As if unaware of my burning heart, Theodore lifted the sign once again.

Unlike me, who was nervous, he had a calm expression.

“Double.”

“320,000 gold coins!”

Was it because the amount was too high?

The host looked at Suradel as if expecting to get more, but he didn’t hold up a sign.

In the end, Theodore won the bid for the blue diamond.

“Congratulations, the largest blue diamond on the continent has been sold to Number 21!”

Even though I thought it was fortunate that the auction was over, I wondered if Suradel gave up sooner than expected.

Then, I saw it.

The moment Theodore won the bid, the corner of Suradel’s mouth went up.

Instantly, this thought flashed through my mind: Suradel had no intention of winning the bid in the first place, but had bid only to raise the price.

Ha, but he asked me about receiving a blue diamond for my birthday before the auction even started?

‘But again, if it’s Suradel, it fits to participate in the auction deliberately to raise the price.’

‘Wow, if it’s true, it’s really…’

Even I, who was called a bully and a thug, would have no choice but to deeply admire his personality.

After the auction was over…

I decided to play, thinking that Theodore would give me the blue diamond.

“Theodore.”

“Theo.”

I didn’t want to continue a meaningless argument like the last time, so I decided to just accept it.

“…Yes, Theo.”

The corners of Theo’s mouth went up in satisfaction.

‘Just like Suradel…’ It was unknown whether he was hung up on an alternative title.

“Theo. Just in case you don’t know, if you’re thinking of giving me that blue diamond, I’ll decline it in advance.”

“…Why?”

Theodore’s eyes trembled in shock.

It looked like he really made a bid for me.

“Then I’ll ask in any way. Why should I receive that jewel from you? Did you ever think that it would be burdensome?”

“I’m giving it because I want to. It’s okay to not feel pressured.”

I let out a small sigh.

“Theo. The criterion of burden is not determined by you, the giver, but by me who receives it.”

Seeing my resolute attitude, Suradel let out a snicker beside me. It must be a pleasure for him to see Theodore rejected.

I clenched my fist in front of him, indicating he hadn’t done anything right either.

“What are you laughing at? Su, you too. If you do something like this again, I won’t let go.”

“But in the end, it’s Theodore who didn’t give up his pride and bid until the end, Lia.”

Suradel raised his eyebrows as if it was unfair.

“Besides, I said first that I’m going to give it to you. Isn’t it?”

…That’s right.

If Theodore hadn’t intervened to begin with, he wouldn’t have taken it at such an outrageous price.

Of course, even the starting price of 10,000 gold coins was burdensome… 

But at least, I wouldn’t have eaten that much sweet potatoes.

(TL/N: In Korea, sweet potato is used as an adjective or a noun to express the speaker’s frustration or impatience about a situation or a person, the feeling is similar to the stuffiness you may feel when you eat sweet potato without any beverage.)

Theodore grabbed the end of my sleeve and asked in a desperate voice.

“I didn’t know you would feel so burdened. I won’t do it again, so can’t you accept it this time?”

“Theo…”

“I wanted to give you something good as it’s your first birthday, Lia.”

I was about to lose heart when I saw his earnest expression.

But in the end, I shook my head.

Theodore and I weren’t close enough to receive such an expensive item.

“Then, what if this is the payment for saving me on the day of the hunting competition?”

“That…”

The price of his life… It was a valid reason.

He seemed to have noticed my faltering heart and spoke quickly.

“I want you to think of it as the price of my life and accept it.”

Actually, for both him and me, receiving that jewel was a good thing.

For him, it would be nice to be able to give me the jewel that he worked hard to win the bid for.

For me, I love being able to get expensive and pretty jewels to decorate my nest.

But as long as I knew he loved me, receiving anything would give him false hope.

I didn’t want to use his love to rip anything off.

Especially since it’s a feeling that he was forced to embrace because of the imprint.

I laughed bitterly and purposely spat out harsh words.

“…Theo, can’t you pay for your life by not loving me?”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

In the end, I didn’t receive anything from Theodore.

Right before my eyes, I saw Theodore’s wounded gaze.

I felt sorry for him because he looked like an abandoned puppy, but I couldn’t console him.

In a way, I said it with the purpose to hurt.

I didn’t know how strong the effect of the imprint was, but I hoped that even a little affection would fall.

After I said those words, there was an awkward air between Theodore and I for a while.

However, whether he recovered quickly or was trying hard to pretend that nothing was wrong, he quickly managed his expression.

After leaving the auction house, we strolled down the street lined with shops.

I had to buy a present for the upcoming birthday banquet.

I wondered if it would be right to buy a penguin a birthday present, which was also basically a birthday present for myself.

But it was an event to celebrate a birthday, so I couldn’t not bring a gift.

We started at the prop shop, popped by the magical items store, and then entered a boutique specializing in accessories.

As if handling children’s accessories, small and cute accessories came into view as soon as I entered.

I immediately took my eyes off it and looked elsewhere.

Then, a snowflake-shaped cufflink came into sight.

“…Pretty.”

Suddenly, I remembered what Suradel had said at the auction house. About collecting cufflinks as a hobby.

I had been seeing Suradel for quite some time, but I had never heard of him having such a hobby.

It was as if it was an excuse… 

However, cufflinks were an accessory that was often used, so it was not unreasonable for him to show interest.

I glanced back and saw Suradel and Theodore standing near the boutique entrance.

The two were arguing over something.

Seeing that, I quickly picked up the cufflinks, paid for it, and kept it in my pouch.

Then I calmly approached them.

“What are you two doing?”

Suradel explained to me with a rather excited expression, urging me to listen.

“Well, Theodore insists that Lia look better in a black fedora than a bow tie.”

“I don’t know why you have eyes. A black fedora is too similar in color. A red bow would be better.”

“It’s gloomy.”

“Isn’t a red bow tie too flashy?”

Both were too small for me to wear, and the distance between my eyebrows naturally narrowed.

“Who is wearing these little things?”

“Huh? Of course, it’s Lia the penguin. I will take it as a birthday banquet gift.”

“…That will be cute.”

“Well, our Lia will look good no matter what she wears. Of course, a bow tie would be cuter.”

I was at a loss for words in the pathetic dispute. This was a conversation between the heirs who would lead the great families in the future…?

I hadn’t expected that they would be so enthusiastic about choosing a gift to bring to a birthday banquet.

Shaking my head, I thought.

‘These punks…’