Episode 6. The Madman of the North
He was a man with a cold demeanor. Unlike Eric, who always kept his hair up, his blond hair flowed down from his eyebrows.
“A seat? Since when has there been a seat in the auction house?”
As soon as the man finished speaking, a chilling air filled the auction house. Was the sudden silence just Rose's imagination? She swallowed hard and looked up at the man. His blue eyes, like those of a beast, stared at her with a coldness.
‘...He seems like a scary person.’
The moment her eyes met his, Rose abruptly averted her gaze. But she couldn't go on like this. That seat was definitely hers. Rose fiddled with her license plate. Then, as if she had made a firm decision, she gripped it tightly.
“It says number 38 here.”
Rose gently held out her license plate to the man, confident that it represented her seat number. As Rose didn't back down, the man's expression grew even colder.
“Madam! Just a moment!”
At that moment, Seren, who had been observing the man, became thoughtful and blocked Rose's path. Seren fidgeted and pulled Rose's arm. Then, he whispered urgently.
"Madam, this isn't a seating chart, it's a bid number. When you see the item you want, just raise the number and state the price."
“Hey, what’s the bid number?”
Rose's face flushed with bewilderment at Seren's rapid-fire words. She tried to ignore the man's sharp gaze, glaring at her, and whispered to Seren.
“Then what about the seats?”
“You can sit anywhere.”
A bead of sweat formed on Rose's back.
'So... I told the person who was sitting there to get out of the way.'
Rose forced the corners of her stiff lips upward and blinked awkwardly. Was the intimidating man still staring at her? She glanced to the side, her large eyes darting back and forth. The man's gaze remained fixed on Rose.
'If we keep going like this, we might get in trouble.'
Seren stared at the man, his gaze fixed on him without letting up. His gaze, directed at Rose, was quite menacing. The glint of his eyes, visible through his hair, made the phrase "Northern madman" seem like a true exaggeration. Seren bowed at a 90-degree angle to the man and apologized. All he wanted was to get Rose out of here as quickly as possible.
“I apologize, Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Arteum.”
When she heard the name 'Grand Duke Artaeum' coming from Seren's mouth, Rose's already large eyes grew wide like a rabbit's.
'If it's the Grand Duke of Artaeum...!'
The ruthless, heartless, and maniacal murderer whom her tutor had vehemently warned her never to get involved with. That very man was now sitting before Rose. The auction house was as quiet as a mouse. Everyone held their breath, glancing at Rose and the Grand Duke.
They were curious about who could dare to provoke the Grand Duke of Arteum, and what bizarre acts he might inflict upon her. The Grand Duke rose absentmindedly from his seat. He then extended a bloodless, pure white hand towards Seren, who was bowing his head toward him. The moment he reached out to Seren, Rose's mind went blank.
'What are you going to do to Seren?!'
If the young Seren were to suffer such a terrible fate because of her, Rose would be consumed by guilt and unable to sleep. In the midst of her horrific delusions, Rose managed to grab the Grand Duke's collar just before he could reach Seren.
“...”
At Rose's touch, Grand Duke Artaeum stopped dead in his tracks, frowning and looking back. Rose took a step forward, blocking Seren's path as if protecting him. The Grand Duke's gaze shifted from Seren to Rose. Rose, already tense, trembled as he met the Grand Duke's gaze.
“I apologize for my rudeness.”
Rose's voice trembled as she answered, not averting her gaze from the Grand Duke. She straightened her back and tried to appear dignified, but everyone there could sense that Rose had defied her fear and stepped forward before him.
"...”
The Grand Duke of Artaeum's gaze gleamed strangely as he gazed at Rose. What on earth was he thinking? Rose, observing the Grand Duke's expression, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the faint upturn in the corners of his mouth.
"You don't seem upset. Now that I've apologized, I guess I can leave now?"
Thinking that, she quickly tried to get away... but when she looked back, Rose realized. The area behind her was already packed with people. There seemed to be no room for her to squeeze through.
'Oh, shall we go forward?'
Unlike the crowded back room, it was strangely empty. Rose tried to walk forward with creaking steps, but a voice from behind forced her to stop.
“Sit down?”
It was the voice of the Grand Duke of Artaeum. A chill ran down her spine. Surely he wasn't speaking to her, she thought, and tried to take another step.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to sit down?”
His voice came again. Rose, though she assumed the Grand Duke wasn't calling her, glanced back just in case. Then, her eyes met with Grand Duke Artaeum's, who was staring at her. The Grand Duke smirked, raising the corners of his mouth. Rose's insides burned at his smile.
'Did you really tell me to sit down?'
...Why?! She wanted to grab the Grand Duke's shoulder and ask. But she didn't want to offend him by doing so. Rose swallowed the words rising in her throat and, in a trembling voice, pointed to the Grand Duke, asking, "Why?" She hoped he wasn't talking to her.
Rose muttered to herself as she looked around the auction house. Contrary to the Grand Duke's words, quite a few people were standing. But that was fleeting. Those who had been staring at her like meerkats quickly sat down, lost in thought. It was likely because of the Grand Duke of Artaeum, who was pressuring them with his menacing gaze. Now, only Rose and Seren stood in the auction house, dumbfounded. Without a word, with just a glance, he could instill fear in people. Rose felt even more fearful of the Grand Duke of Artaeum before her.
“I tried to sit in front...”
Rose smiled awkwardly and tried to avoid the situation. But the Grand Duke's subsequent words left her unable to move forward.
“Are you going to block my view from the front?”
Because the Grand Duke's sharp voice was stuck in her ears.
'It might be better to sit here like an invisible man and then leave, rather than going against the grain in front of others.'
When the Grand Duke's eerie voice reached her ears, Rose had no choice but to sit next to him, weeping. Soon after she sat down, the auction began. Rose, who had been nervous that the Grand Duke might do something harmful, breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the Grand Duke doing nothing. Only then was Rose able to focus on the auction. While she didn't have anything in particular she wanted to buy, the sheer pleasure of viewing the rare items was quite enjoyable.
“Thirty million res.”
“Thirty-five million!”
The voices of those bidding on the item could be heard. As expected of nobles, the bids were unusual from the start.
'It was said that the annual living expenses of a lower-class nobleman were between one thousand and two thousand res. Besides that, it was said that the average commoner needed one million res per year.'
Rose's mouth dropped open in shock at the bid price, which was more than three times the cost of living for a lower-class noble.
'The nobles gathered here seem to be on a completely different level from ordinary people.'
Rose looked at the people with awe, not yet realizing that she too was at that level.
“Are there any more? Then I’ll start counting now. Three, two, one.”
To win an item, the bidder must raise their bid before the person on the podium counts to three. Otherwise, the item is awarded to the last person to call out. Bang bang bang.
“This item was sold for 35 million rew.”
Once the auction was finalized, a maid approached the successful bidder and took his bid sheet.
'It looks like there can only be one successful bid.'
Without a bid sheet, she wouldn't be able to bid anymore. Rose scanned the auction list, determined to carefully choose what she wanted to buy. She didn't really know anything about Luna's Tears, except for one. However, Rose had no intention of winning the bid. Just then, the auction for Luna's Tears began.
"These are Luna's tears. We'll start with 50 million."
At the auctioneer's words, people began to quickly raise their bids.
“Fifty-five million res.”
“Sixty million res!”
“Sixty-five million res.”
“Eighty million res.”
‘That’s salty anywaymm.’
Everyone was blindly clinging to counterfeit goods. Hearing the frighteningly increasing amount, Rose clicked her tongue inwardly. Then, the silent Grand Duke of Artaeum raised the bid sheet and spoke.
“One hundred million less.”
The Grand Duke of Artaeum raised his bid from eighty million to one hundred million, adding two thousand more. It was a remarkably high bid, but the other nobles didn't give up easily.
“One hundred and twenty million.”
“One hundred and twenty-five million!”
The Grand Duke of Arteum picked up the bidding sheet, as if ready to bid again, as the bidding price continued to rise. Sitting next to him, Rose couldn't help but feel anxious about the Grand Duke bidding on "Luna's Tears" right next to her. She couldn't stop each and every one of them from afar, but the Grand Duke of Arteum was right next to her. In an instant, the bidding price had risen to 300 million res.
'What should I do? I'm worried.'
Rose glanced at the Grand Duke of Artaeum. It was understandable, for he was offering a hefty sum for the fake. When the Grand Duke raised his hand to bid higher,
“No.”
Rose blocked the Grand Duke's hand and shook her head.
"What?"
The Grand Duke expressed his discomfort at Rose's interference with his bid. Faced with his spine-chilling expression, Rose felt a twinge of guilt; perhaps her meddling was unnecessary. Nevertheless, she squeezed her eyes shut and spoke in a hushed voice.
“Don’t buy that.”
“What does it matter to you?”
As expected, her voice was prickly. Rose, sweat dripping down her face, scolded herself for insisting on interfering.
"I really need to fix this personality... I just habitually acted out without realizing it. It's something I could have just closed my eyes and pretended not to notice."
On the outside, she appeared timid and quiet. By nature, she was kind, willing to take on tasks others would otherwise avoid, saying, "I'll do it myself." She was the type of person who offered help before even being asked. She couldn't pass up someone in need.
'The Grand Duke must have a lot of money anyway.'
The Grand Duke was a former Crown Prince. It's hard to imagine how much money he has at his disposal. Whether he spends three hundred million or ten billion on fake goods, that amount of money might not seem like much to the Grand Duke. It's too late to regret not saying anything or not caring.
'Should I just tell him to buy it again?'
Rose, who had been glancing at the Grand Duke, shut her mouth tightly when she saw his expression. He was glaring at her, as if he wouldn't let her off easy if she called him out on something trivial. Rose decided to tell him the truth, though she didn't know whether he would believe her or not.
“That’s a fake.”
“Fake?”
"Yes."
"How do you know that? Are you saying that those people are despising the nobles here?"
“That’s not it... I don’t think they know that Luna’s tears are fake.”
Rose timidly muttered, "If you really want to buy it, then buy it." But perhaps Rose's words bothered him. The Grand Duke, who was holding the bid sheet, slowly lowered his hand.
“Countess Wence.”
Rose was startled by the voice of the Archduke calling her name.
'You... knew me?'
"Yes?"
When Rose answered in a bewildered voice, the Grand Duke spoke in a low voice.
“If that’s the real thing... you’ll have to pay dearly for bothering me.”
The Grand Duke's low, resonant voice made Rose's body stiffen. Even though she knew it was a "fake," Rose's throat burned at the sight of his ferocious gaze. The mad Grand Duke of Artaeum, the northern king. She had a disturbing premonition that she'd fallen for him.
He was a man with a cold demeanor. Unlike Eric, who always kept his hair up, his blond hair flowed down from his eyebrows.
“A seat? Since when has there been a seat in the auction house?”
As soon as the man finished speaking, a chilling air filled the auction house. Was the sudden silence just Rose's imagination? She swallowed hard and looked up at the man. His blue eyes, like those of a beast, stared at her with a coldness.
‘...He seems like a scary person.’
The moment her eyes met his, Rose abruptly averted her gaze. But she couldn't go on like this. That seat was definitely hers. Rose fiddled with her license plate. Then, as if she had made a firm decision, she gripped it tightly.
“It says number 38 here.”
Rose gently held out her license plate to the man, confident that it represented her seat number. As Rose didn't back down, the man's expression grew even colder.
“Madam! Just a moment!”
At that moment, Seren, who had been observing the man, became thoughtful and blocked Rose's path. Seren fidgeted and pulled Rose's arm. Then, he whispered urgently.
"Madam, this isn't a seating chart, it's a bid number. When you see the item you want, just raise the number and state the price."
“Hey, what’s the bid number?”
Rose's face flushed with bewilderment at Seren's rapid-fire words. She tried to ignore the man's sharp gaze, glaring at her, and whispered to Seren.
“Then what about the seats?”
“You can sit anywhere.”
A bead of sweat formed on Rose's back.
'So... I told the person who was sitting there to get out of the way.'
Rose forced the corners of her stiff lips upward and blinked awkwardly. Was the intimidating man still staring at her? She glanced to the side, her large eyes darting back and forth. The man's gaze remained fixed on Rose.
'If we keep going like this, we might get in trouble.'
Seren stared at the man, his gaze fixed on him without letting up. His gaze, directed at Rose, was quite menacing. The glint of his eyes, visible through his hair, made the phrase "Northern madman" seem like a true exaggeration. Seren bowed at a 90-degree angle to the man and apologized. All he wanted was to get Rose out of here as quickly as possible.
“I apologize, Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Arteum.”
When she heard the name 'Grand Duke Artaeum' coming from Seren's mouth, Rose's already large eyes grew wide like a rabbit's.
'If it's the Grand Duke of Artaeum...!'
The ruthless, heartless, and maniacal murderer whom her tutor had vehemently warned her never to get involved with. That very man was now sitting before Rose. The auction house was as quiet as a mouse. Everyone held their breath, glancing at Rose and the Grand Duke.
They were curious about who could dare to provoke the Grand Duke of Arteum, and what bizarre acts he might inflict upon her. The Grand Duke rose absentmindedly from his seat. He then extended a bloodless, pure white hand towards Seren, who was bowing his head toward him. The moment he reached out to Seren, Rose's mind went blank.
'What are you going to do to Seren?!'
If the young Seren were to suffer such a terrible fate because of her, Rose would be consumed by guilt and unable to sleep. In the midst of her horrific delusions, Rose managed to grab the Grand Duke's collar just before he could reach Seren.
“...”
At Rose's touch, Grand Duke Artaeum stopped dead in his tracks, frowning and looking back. Rose took a step forward, blocking Seren's path as if protecting him. The Grand Duke's gaze shifted from Seren to Rose. Rose, already tense, trembled as he met the Grand Duke's gaze.
“I apologize for my rudeness.”
Rose's voice trembled as she answered, not averting her gaze from the Grand Duke. She straightened her back and tried to appear dignified, but everyone there could sense that Rose had defied her fear and stepped forward before him.
"...”
The Grand Duke of Artaeum's gaze gleamed strangely as he gazed at Rose. What on earth was he thinking? Rose, observing the Grand Duke's expression, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the faint upturn in the corners of his mouth.
"You don't seem upset. Now that I've apologized, I guess I can leave now?"
Thinking that, she quickly tried to get away... but when she looked back, Rose realized. The area behind her was already packed with people. There seemed to be no room for her to squeeze through.
'Oh, shall we go forward?'
Unlike the crowded back room, it was strangely empty. Rose tried to walk forward with creaking steps, but a voice from behind forced her to stop.
“Sit down?”
It was the voice of the Grand Duke of Artaeum. A chill ran down her spine. Surely he wasn't speaking to her, she thought, and tried to take another step.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to sit down?”
His voice came again. Rose, though she assumed the Grand Duke wasn't calling her, glanced back just in case. Then, her eyes met with Grand Duke Artaeum's, who was staring at her. The Grand Duke smirked, raising the corners of his mouth. Rose's insides burned at his smile.
'Did you really tell me to sit down?'
...Why?! She wanted to grab the Grand Duke's shoulder and ask. But she didn't want to offend him by doing so. Rose swallowed the words rising in her throat and, in a trembling voice, pointed to the Grand Duke, asking, "Why?" She hoped he wasn't talking to her.
“Are you talking to me?”
“Yeah. Who else is standing here besides you?”
“There are a lot of people standing...”
“Yeah. Who else is standing here besides you?”
“There are a lot of people standing...”
Rose muttered to herself as she looked around the auction house. Contrary to the Grand Duke's words, quite a few people were standing. But that was fleeting. Those who had been staring at her like meerkats quickly sat down, lost in thought. It was likely because of the Grand Duke of Artaeum, who was pressuring them with his menacing gaze. Now, only Rose and Seren stood in the auction house, dumbfounded. Without a word, with just a glance, he could instill fear in people. Rose felt even more fearful of the Grand Duke of Artaeum before her.
“I tried to sit in front...”
Rose smiled awkwardly and tried to avoid the situation. But the Grand Duke's subsequent words left her unable to move forward.
“Are you going to block my view from the front?”
Because the Grand Duke's sharp voice was stuck in her ears.
'It might be better to sit here like an invisible man and then leave, rather than going against the grain in front of others.'
When the Grand Duke's eerie voice reached her ears, Rose had no choice but to sit next to him, weeping. Soon after she sat down, the auction began. Rose, who had been nervous that the Grand Duke might do something harmful, breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the Grand Duke doing nothing. Only then was Rose able to focus on the auction. While she didn't have anything in particular she wanted to buy, the sheer pleasure of viewing the rare items was quite enjoyable.
“Thirty million res.”
“Thirty-five million!”
The voices of those bidding on the item could be heard. As expected of nobles, the bids were unusual from the start.
'It was said that the annual living expenses of a lower-class nobleman were between one thousand and two thousand res. Besides that, it was said that the average commoner needed one million res per year.'
Rose's mouth dropped open in shock at the bid price, which was more than three times the cost of living for a lower-class noble.
'The nobles gathered here seem to be on a completely different level from ordinary people.'
Rose looked at the people with awe, not yet realizing that she too was at that level.
“Are there any more? Then I’ll start counting now. Three, two, one.”
To win an item, the bidder must raise their bid before the person on the podium counts to three. Otherwise, the item is awarded to the last person to call out. Bang bang bang.
“This item was sold for 35 million rew.”
Once the auction was finalized, a maid approached the successful bidder and took his bid sheet.
'It looks like there can only be one successful bid.'
Without a bid sheet, she wouldn't be able to bid anymore. Rose scanned the auction list, determined to carefully choose what she wanted to buy. She didn't really know anything about Luna's Tears, except for one. However, Rose had no intention of winning the bid. Just then, the auction for Luna's Tears began.
"These are Luna's tears. We'll start with 50 million."
At the auctioneer's words, people began to quickly raise their bids.
“Fifty-five million res.”
“Sixty million res!”
“Sixty-five million res.”
“Eighty million res.”
‘That’s salty anywaymm.’
Everyone was blindly clinging to counterfeit goods. Hearing the frighteningly increasing amount, Rose clicked her tongue inwardly. Then, the silent Grand Duke of Artaeum raised the bid sheet and spoke.
“One hundred million less.”
The Grand Duke of Artaeum raised his bid from eighty million to one hundred million, adding two thousand more. It was a remarkably high bid, but the other nobles didn't give up easily.
“One hundred and twenty million.”
“One hundred and twenty-five million!”
The Grand Duke of Arteum picked up the bidding sheet, as if ready to bid again, as the bidding price continued to rise. Sitting next to him, Rose couldn't help but feel anxious about the Grand Duke bidding on "Luna's Tears" right next to her. She couldn't stop each and every one of them from afar, but the Grand Duke of Arteum was right next to her. In an instant, the bidding price had risen to 300 million res.
'What should I do? I'm worried.'
Rose glanced at the Grand Duke of Artaeum. It was understandable, for he was offering a hefty sum for the fake. When the Grand Duke raised his hand to bid higher,
“No.”
Rose blocked the Grand Duke's hand and shook her head.
"What?"
The Grand Duke expressed his discomfort at Rose's interference with his bid. Faced with his spine-chilling expression, Rose felt a twinge of guilt; perhaps her meddling was unnecessary. Nevertheless, she squeezed her eyes shut and spoke in a hushed voice.
“Don’t buy that.”
“What does it matter to you?”
As expected, her voice was prickly. Rose, sweat dripping down her face, scolded herself for insisting on interfering.
"I really need to fix this personality... I just habitually acted out without realizing it. It's something I could have just closed my eyes and pretended not to notice."
On the outside, she appeared timid and quiet. By nature, she was kind, willing to take on tasks others would otherwise avoid, saying, "I'll do it myself." She was the type of person who offered help before even being asked. She couldn't pass up someone in need.
'The Grand Duke must have a lot of money anyway.'
The Grand Duke was a former Crown Prince. It's hard to imagine how much money he has at his disposal. Whether he spends three hundred million or ten billion on fake goods, that amount of money might not seem like much to the Grand Duke. It's too late to regret not saying anything or not caring.
'Should I just tell him to buy it again?'
Rose, who had been glancing at the Grand Duke, shut her mouth tightly when she saw his expression. He was glaring at her, as if he wouldn't let her off easy if she called him out on something trivial. Rose decided to tell him the truth, though she didn't know whether he would believe her or not.
“That’s a fake.”
“Fake?”
"Yes."
"How do you know that? Are you saying that those people are despising the nobles here?"
“That’s not it... I don’t think they know that Luna’s tears are fake.”
Rose timidly muttered, "If you really want to buy it, then buy it." But perhaps Rose's words bothered him. The Grand Duke, who was holding the bid sheet, slowly lowered his hand.
“Countess Wence.”
Rose was startled by the voice of the Archduke calling her name.
'You... knew me?'
"Yes?"
When Rose answered in a bewildered voice, the Grand Duke spoke in a low voice.
“If that’s the real thing... you’ll have to pay dearly for bothering me.”
The Grand Duke's low, resonant voice made Rose's body stiffen. Even though she knew it was a "fake," Rose's throat burned at the sight of his ferocious gaze. The mad Grand Duke of Artaeum, the northern king. She had a disturbing premonition that she'd fallen for him.
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