Odelia turned her head and glanced at Calix.
The Crown Prince, the instigator of all this chaos, was watching the chaos from behind with a look of pure amusement on his face. Then, when his eyes met Odelia's, he winked with one eye.
See, you listened to me well, didn't you? It's the same look in his eyes.
As the highest bids continued to rise and the price soared, everyone's attention turned to one place. At the center of it all stood Judith, her face beaming with pride.
Others, overwhelmed by the spectacle, retreated with a look of resignation. When it was announced that Calix had been officially sold to Judith, the bazaar fell silent.
Cedric was also put up for auction. He, too, put his date on the line.
Although he did not have the same power as Calix, amidst secret expectations and whispers, a noblewoman soon won Cedric.
Less than 30 minutes after the bazaar began, Odelia became the person who achieved the highest donation amount for a single item.
Odelia accepted this result with bewilderment.
***
As the bustling bazaar ended, the crowds that had filled the front of the mansion disappeared, and a quiet silence came.
Cedric was taken somewhere by the lady for a date that day, while Calix entered the mansion first and was having tea time in the drawing room.
A moment later, Odelia slowly entered the living room. She cautiously sat down across from Calix, who had been staring blankly out the window for a while, drinking his glass.
She took a small breath and opened her mouth quietly.
"...I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble because of me."
A hint of apology filled her words. Calix stared at her quietly, then slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
"I didn't volunteer to go to the auction to see that face."
Then he leaned over slightly and reached out towards Odelia. He gently pressed his index finger against her furrowed brow, looking at her with a playful yet affectionate gaze.
Just as Odelia was inwardly flustered, unable to react, a knock was heard on the door. Callax, presumably Lady Herdel, told Odelia to sit down and rest, then stepped toward the door himself.
Odelia, who was left behind, touched her forehead with a clear expression.
A moment later, as if drawn by the voices, she too slowly rose from her seat. She felt compelled to speak to Lady Herdel, who had arrived.
As they approached the entrance, the laughter and conversation became more distinct. Odelia also noticed Calix and Judith standing side by side. They were a surprisingly well-matched pair.
Lady Herdel was objectively lovely, and above all, she looked confident, as befitting someone who had brought today's auction to a close.
Odelia, often feeling uneasy, stopped hesitantly by the door.
As expected, Lady Hersel is small and cute. She is two heads smaller than Calix, so she is cute in her eyes, but how much more lovely would she be in a man's eyes?
She muttered to herself, unconsciously thinking that if she were a bit shorter, she'd have the same absurd thought.
Odelia shook her head slightly at this foolish thought, straightened her posture again, and approached the front door.
"Lady Herdel, thank you for participating in today's auction."
When Odelia greeted her gently, Judith smiled brightly and said.
"Please feel free to call me Judith."
Odelia smiled sincerely at those bright words.
"Then I will do so, Judith."
Odelia, who had answered like that, suddenly guessed why Judith had come here and decided to leave so that the two of them could be alone, so she took a couple of steps back.
"Well then, have a good time."
As she turned around, Calix lightly grabbed Odelia's sleeve.
"...Your Highness, why are you like this?"
When she turned her head, Judith and Calix were standing side by side, smiling at her.
Finally, Judith pulled something out of the wind. It was the 200,000 goldfly auction ticket she had finally obtained after beating dozens of others.
So, wouldn't it be very polite to hand it over to Callix?
"Then here it is, Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
And then she very politely handed it over to Calix.
"Well then, here you are, Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Calix nodded, accepting it lightly.
"Thank you for your help, Lady Herdel."
Judith blushed, pursed her lips, and spoke shyly.
"Your Highness, please call me at your convenience."
Calix chuckled and shook his head.
“I appreciate your kindness, but how can I treat the only daughter of the Herdel family comfortably?”
Odelia stared blankly at their conversation.
"What's going on here?"
Judith said shyly to Odelia, who tilted her head in confusion.
"Actually, His Highness the Crown Prince asked me a favor earlier."
So, this was this afternoon, before the bazaar opened, when Judith came to visit.
Not only was it not enough to witness His Highness the Crown Prince at such close range for the first time in her life, but Judith was also faced with the unimaginable task of sitting with him in a tea room in casual clothes, leaving her frozen in place.
'Lady Herdel.'
'...Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness!'
'I have a favor to ask of you.'
'Me? Are you talking to me?'
'Yes, not to anyone else but to you.'
'...W-what?'
'Can you please definitely bid for me in the upcoming auction?'
Judith said she couldn't believe her ears.
But in the end, this ridiculous fraud scheme did its job well, and she was left with a sad face.
"Well then, I'll be heading back now, Lady Odelia! I'll come back later to enjoy the tea and cookies I missed earlier!"
She left with a clear and bright face.
Odelia, who was left behind, had a cold expression on her face, as if she'd been hit on the back of the head. The 200,000 gold asking price, the confirmed winning bid—it was all pre-planned...
Odelia looked at Calix with a mixture of shock and bewilderment.
"Isn't this a completely set-up scam...? Is this even allowed?"
Then Calix shrugged his shoulders.
"Originally, auctions are all rigged, Odelia."
Odelia stared at him, her mouth wide open. Calix tilted his head and asked again.
"If not, do you really want me to date Lady Herdel?"
Odelia had difficulty answering and eventually answered while avoiding eye contact.
"The auction was held in front of people, so if the two of you don't date, there will definitely be gossip."
"Then I guess I should go on a date so that there won't be any gossip."
Calix responded lightly, but Odelia could sense that Calix was angry.
On the outside, he looked calm, but that was clearly the face of someone who was angry but trying not to show it.
For example, when forming a battle formation, if one of the generals suddenly gets scared and whines, "That's impossible. It's dangerous." Every moment he whines, his expression is exactly like the one Calix had.
Odelia couldn't figure out why he was angry. So, she just played with her fingers and muttered softly.
"Yes..."
It was obvious, but strangely enough, she felt a strange sense of closeness and heaviness, just like when Calix was sold earlier.
The moment Odelia averted her gaze, feeling particularly stinging from Calix's gaze as he approached her, the door opened, and Cedric, who had just returned from a date with a noblewoman, entered with a tired expression.
"Hmm, Odelia? Your Highness, the Crown Prince? Are you here to greet me?"
Only when Cedric said something without thinking did the awkward atmosphere break.
Calix patted Cedric's shoulder.
"Yeah, you've worked hard, really."
And then he went out. Odelia slightly moved her lips, but rather than holding on to Calix, she too.
"Hey... did you have a good trip?"
...She just awkwardly changed the subject.
As Calix's back disappeared from sight as he left the mansion, Odelia suddenly realized that she hadn't moved an inch.
It was strange.
She had received help, and whether or not the two of them dated after that was entirely between His Highness and Lady Judith, so why was her mind so confused?
And why was His Highness so angry? Was it because she had gone too far?
As an inexplicable emotion weighed on her stomach, Odelia unconsciously raised her hand to her chest.
Ahe stood there for a long time, quietly moving the hem of her clothes near her heart.
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