chapter 51
“Who are you calling a playboy? Stop talking nonsense and put me down.”
My feet dangled helplessly in the air.
Only after he had carried me far away from Ethan’s side did Haraith finally set me down. He immediately spread his arms wide.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean? I’ve been waiting endlessly for my turn. Hurry up and hug me.”
“That’s over now.”
The playful smile that had been on Haraith’s face froze into something cold.
“……Sishi, you hugged those other guys just fine, but you’re pushing me away? That’s harsh. That’s discrimination.”
“It’s not discrimination…”
It was just a thank-you gesture, nothing more.
And yet, strangely enough, once I became aware of Haraith, I couldn’t bring myself to move closer.
‘There are too many eyes watching. It’s embarrassing.’
But Haraith, who couldn’t possibly know what I was thinking, kept his arms open, silently pressing me.
“Do you really want this?”
“Yeah. Hug me.”
His handsome face was lit with eager anticipation, and the wicked part of me wanted to break it.
So, striding toward him, I pretended to go in for a hug—then slipped out past his side.
“……Sishi?”
Hmph. Did you really think I’d hug you that easily? I stuck out my tongue playfully at the sight of him hugging empty air.
“Oel, give me the auction admission ticket. I’m heading out.”
“Here. And take this too.”
“What’s this?”
“A magic tool.”
Oel handed me a small case and explained what kind of artifact it was.
“Will that be enough?”
“Just do the favor I asked properly.”
“Don’t worry.”
After stowing the case, I glanced back and saw Haraith muttering to himself while staring at his empty hands.
“Ugh, so pathetic.”
Clicking his tongue at the ridiculous sight, Oel muttered,
“He’s completely useless. Just dump him and go.”
Then, saying there was no hope for him, Oel pushed me forward.
Luckily, it didn’t take long before Haraith caught up to me.
But he kept his mouth tightly shut, only staring at me until I spoke first.
“Say it in words.”
“Say what?”
His sulky tone made me let out a heavy sigh.
Anyone could tell it was the voice of someone pouting.
“Is this about me not hugging you earlier?”
“You hugged all the others. Even that priest you dislike. But you left me behind? Cold. Absolutely cold-hearted.”
And then, he sneakily reached out to pull me into his arms.
Oh, please. I smacked his hand away with a sharp slap.
“……That actually hurts, you know?”
“Does that look like the face of someone in pain?”
“My heart hurts from being rejected.”
“Ugh, seriously!”
I strode ahead, shaking him off, and behind me came the sound of him chuckling mischievously.
Once his laughter faded, a lower, more serious voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Don’t just go hugging anyone like that.”
“It was nothing but a friendly gesture without any personal feelings.”
“Sishi. Even if you don’t have feelings, men can. What if one of them ends up falling for you?”
“That won’t happen. He’s completely smitten with Daphne.”
Well… maybe he was starting to let her go little by little?
Daphne was already with Rio, and Ethan wasn’t the type to steal—he’d rather wish her happiness.
Still, the fact that he was worrying about me, not Daphne, was surprising.
“This is serious. What are you going to do if you’re this careless?”
“I’m not careless.”
“Looks like you are.”
Haraith leaned in close and reached out his hand.
What’s he doing?
I let him be, but then his hand brushed somewhere unexpected, and I flinched.
His fingers trailed down the curve of my ear, rubbing at my earlobe.
‘What does that even mean?’
I didn’t know, but since his touch was oddly plain and harmless, I didn’t stop him.
Apparently, my lack of reaction annoyed him.
“Why aren’t you pulling away?”
He grinned sharply, pressing harder against my earlobe.
“If someone with bad intentions touched you, would you just sit there?”
“No.”
“Then why now?”
“Because it’s you.”
His hand, which had been sliding down toward my neck, froze.
“You’re someone I can trust. That’s why I stayed still. Is that not allowed?”
“It’s allowed. With me, it is.”
His reply came out so abruptly, as if urgent, that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Then that’s fine. What’s the problem?”
“But if it were someone else…”
“Don’t bother with ridiculous what-ifs. Do you think I’d ever just sit there? I’d slap them first.”
I frowned, annoyed, and then suddenly Haraith chuckled.
“So it’s only okay with me?”
“Of course. If you had any ulterior motive, I’d slap you too.”
The only reason I let him touch me was because his hand carried no desire at all—it felt more like simmering frustration.
Luckily, he seemed to have calmed down now.
With a much gentler touch, he tucked my hair behind my ear and sighed in defeat.
“Haah… You’re lucky you’re so pretty.”
“Are you insane?”
“What can I do? You’re too pretty to stay angry at. I’ll just have to stick by your side and protect you.”
I ignored the strangely buoyant tone and pulled away from him.
The auction house was about a ten-minute carriage ride away.
By the time we arrived, nearly late, I rubbed my temples, sensing the worried stares burning into the back of my head.
“What.”
“My lady, are you really sure about this?”
Rina and the other knights were looking at me with desperate eyes.
“We could still get another ticket and all go together—”
“There’s no time. It’s about to start.”
Their unease was entirely because of the admission ticket.
Oel had only been able to provide one, enough for just two people to enter with me.
And the entry cutoff time was moments away.
“Siena. Let’s go.”
Haraith suddenly popped his head in, and I nodded.
Seeing this, one of the knights stepped forward in protest.
“My lady! At least let me serve as your guard!”
But the brave outburst didn’t last long.
His face paled as he glanced behind me.
I turned to look—Haraith was smiling pleasantly, waiting quietly.
Puzzled, I tilted my head at the knight.
“Do you want to go?”
“Yes! I’d like to— …but I’ll yield…”
A chorus of sighs rose from his fellow knights.
“So, you’re not going?”
“…No, I’m not.”
Looking around, I saw the others nodding vigorously as well.
“Rina, you can’t come either. I need someone to guard here, you know that.”
“Yes, please be careful.”
After saying my goodbyes to Rina, Haraith handed the ticket to the doorman.
“This way, please.”
The doorman opened a back entrance after confirming the ticket.
Through it was a hidden passage.
“Wear these.”
A staff member approached with identical masks for us.
It seemed everyone inside wore the same mask to prevent recognition.
“Follow me. Seating is first come, first served. Keep that in mind.”
Masked, we followed the staffer down the corridor as he gave a brief rundown of the rules.
After a while, a grand entrance came into view.
At the threshold, one last check was performed.
“No recording devices are allowed. Anyone caught will be expelled immediately.”
A glittering magic detector swept past my body, and I swallowed nervously.
“Clear.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I followed inside.
“Enjoy your evening.”
The doors closed behind us.
Since we’d entered right at the cutoff, of course we were given the seats at the very back.
I sat down quietly, making sure not to disturb the patrons who had arrived earlier, and looked toward the stage.
“Not the best seats.”
“Can’t be helped. We were last.”
I didn’t mind.
In fact, it was the perfect spot for the errand Oel had asked of me.
“When do you think it’ll start?”
“Now.”
“The lights are dimming. It’s about to begin.”
“This should be fun.”
As the hall slowly darkened, I frowned at the sharp, lingering gaze pressing against my cheek.
Who’s staring at me so rudely?
I turned—and froze.
“……Your Highness?”
“Lady?”
The patron seated right beside me was none other than Crown Prince Kaiden.
Even behind a mask, his familiar hair color, eyes, and voice gave him away instantly.
“What are you doing here? Can the crown prince even attend an underground auction?”
“This place is legally sanctioned by the Empire. There’s no problem with me being here.”
“Really? Well then…”
I’d assumed all underground auctions were illegal, but apparently not.
“Then, the person next to you is…?”
I leaned slightly to peek, but Kaiden quickly reached out to block my view, hiding his companion.
Not that it mattered—I’d already seen.
That lustrous orange hair and matching eyes could belong to only one person.
It was definitely Daphne Roxy.
