Episode 63
The employee, who likely had no authority to decide, simply bowed and withdrew.
Shortly after, a certificate specifying ownership of all the furniture from the Duchess’s room ended up in Ernst’s hands.
The auction continued.
After that, Ernst purchased works by several painters, again buying all the works by those artists presented at the auction instead of selecting individual pieces.
“How many works by that painter are available? I’ll purchase them all.”
Ernst loved art and had a discerning eye, to the point where he usually sponsored several artists.
It seemed he sometimes sold works he already owned to profit from price differences when the value of artists he sponsored increased.
Before long, the auction seemed to be heading towards its conclusion, as the auctioneer announced:
“The most valuable items always come last. Next, the silver bathtub submitted by the royal house of Hashtind.”
Hashtind was a kingdom, like Flavi, that had long become part of the Empire.
Bordering Flavi, it had good weather and fertile land, making it prosperous for generations, and as such, it was also a country with developed arts.
Though its momentum was different from its golden age, to the point where it no longer hesitated to put such items up for auction.
“As you may have already felt, it’s silver. Copper was mixed in for strength. It is the final work of Hashtind’s greatest sculptor, Marolo Chahir, featuring carvings of incredibly lifelike fruits. Let’s begin the bidding.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than bells rang out from various places.
—Ding.
—Ding.
“200 crowns.”
“300 crowns.”
Ernst also rang his bell.
“700 crowns.”
“800 crowns. From now on, we will raise in increments of 50 crowns.”
I watched blankly as the price of the extravagant silver bathtub rose endlessly.
Then, it suddenly occurred to me that the bell persistently ringing from the opposite box was Callisteon’s.
“Wait a minute, Erni. I think Cal is trying to win the bid.”
Ernst spoke through gritted teeth.
“…I know.”
I smiled faintly and said.
“He’s been so well-behaved until now; how about letting him have this one?”
He nodded.
“I was planning to anyway. Paying over 800 crowns for that is foolish. It’s better to melt down new silver and commission the Empire’s best sculptor.”
As if proving his point, once the price exceeded 800 crowns, the frequency of bells ringing dropped significantly.
—Ding.
But Callisteon kept ringing his bell until the very end.
“950 crowns. The Hashtind royal house’s silver bathtub is sold for 950 crowns.”
Raising the telescope to look, Callisteon’s handsome face looked quite pleased with itself.
Giggling, I said to Ernst:
“Don’t say anything to Karl, Erni. What’s the point of ruining his mood? He has plenty of money anyway.”
Ernst didn’t even reply to me, and I soon found out why.
“Do you like it, Lu? I’m glad to have made an unexpected acquisition.”
On the way back to Edessa, Callisteon spoke from his seat in the swiftly moving magic carriage.
“You’re that happy about buying the bathtub? Even though you sat for two hours and only managed to buy that one thing?”
Not yet grasping his ulterior motive, I asked. Callisteon chuckled.
“There was no need to buy anything else. The gems were of lower quality than those from the North.”
Ernst, who had held back until now, finally blurted out.
“The bathtub you bought is just as inefficient cost-wise. With that amount, you could buy silver and hire the Empire’s best sculptor and still have money left over.”
I watched anxiously, thinking Callisteon might get angry, but he actually laughed at Ernst.
“What’s the use of saving a few pennies, Crown Prince?”
Ernst’s face, usually sunny and bright, instantly soured.
He retorted without backing down.
“Paying more than others for the same item is nothing to boast about.”
Callisteon’s blue eyes were filled with an infuriating nonchalance.
He tilted his head with a lazy attitude.
“I have no reason to boast to you about what I buy. I suppose the Crown Prince of a minor kingdom wouldn’t understand.”
I wanted to say something to stop them, but Callisteon was faster.
“One only calculates when they lack money, don’t they? Would I, of all people, need to?”
Phoebe suddenly clapped her hands noisily and intervened.
“Anyway, you bought it to put in the nursery, right?”
What?
Embarrassed for a different reason, I looked back and forth between Phoebe and Callisteon, but he didn’t deny her question.
“What else would I use a silver bathtub for? As Lu said, it’s not like it’s something you can’t even stretch your legs in.”
“Haha… Would it be good to bathe the baby in a silver bathtub…?”
I voiced my belated doubt, but not a single crack appeared on Callisteon’s satisfied face.
“Of course. The children of high nobles are threatened anywhere, anytime. Silver allows for easy detection of poison. Moreover…”
Callisteon’s long leg gently brushed against my knee, where I sat opposite him.
“I couldn’t let someone else buy an item you had touched.”
Of course, before the auction started, while previewing the items, I had briefly touched the bathtub.
‘But that was just because the grapes were carved so temptingly, I touched it without thinking…!’
I had even politely declined when Ernst asked if I wanted it.
“Oh, it’s too small. You can’t even stretch your legs sitting here.”
I never dreamed that Callisteon, who was standing behind us pretending to be separate, would hear that and think, ‘It’s small, so I should buy it for the baby.’
But judging by Ernst’s expression, he had fully anticipated it.
Ernst complained sarcastically.
“Whoever you are and wherever you’re from, the fact that even your brain has turned into a lump of muscle is nothing to boast about, Carl.”
But even that couldn’t dampen Callisteon’s joy.
He replied without looking particularly angry.
“I’ve never boasted about that point. Though it’s hardly a boast, I merely expressed the financial capability to buy ‘our’ baby’s silver bathtub without calculation.”
In the tense atmosphere, I leaned forward slightly and placed a hand on Callisteon’s knee.
Then, as if warning him, I said:
“Thank you for giving the bathtub as a gift to ‘my’ baby, Carl.”
As if that were some grand statement.
Callisteon’s blue eyes overflowed with joy.
His apricot-colored lips stretched slowly and finally broke into a bright smile.
“It is Babenberg’s honor, Your Highness Princess Louise.”
Callisteon’s gloved hand gently touched my cheek.
I let out a small sigh as I watched Ernst sharply turn his body towards the window.
“Phoebe.”
Upon arriving at the hotel, Phoebe stopped at Crown Prince Ernst’s call.
“Yes, Your Highness? You called?”
Meanwhile, Callisteon had taken Louise and gone up first, leaving the two of them alone in the lobby.
“It’s nothing major…”
His golden eyes, usually gentle and confident, hesitated, avoiding looking directly at her.
Ernst finally spoke with a troubled expression.
“Cal is always like that, but this is the first time I’ve seen Lu want a specific item. Is it because the nursery is empty and she wants to fill it quickly?”
“Hmm…”
Phoebe struggled to recall what she had heard from Countess Sellar at the Imperial Palace.
“I heard that even ladies who usually aren’t interested in decorating or have few material desires can become quite greedy for baby items. Perhaps our Highness is the same?”
Ernst’s jaw tightened, and he nodded seriously.
“I need to summon craftsmen quickly to fill the room. A silver bathtub… I never thought Lu would genuinely want something like that.”
At that, Phoebe also smiled slightly in agreement.
“It was a bit surprising. Until now, I thought Her Highness didn’t really approve of His Grace the Grand Duke’s spending habits.”
Ernst tilted his head slightly.
Now that he thought about it, what had Louise said earlier?
“Don’t say anything to Karl, Erni. What’s the point of ruining his mood? He has plenty of money anyway.”
Under normal circumstances, she might have been briefly curious about the silver bathtub but would have been angry if someone actually bought it.
‘…It must be my imagination.’
The year right before their academy graduation had been like walking on thin ice.
Just being able to graduate safely and see Louise’s face was something to be grateful for, and now he could await the birth of a child who might resemble her.
It was an unbelievably joyous thing, so he could endure anything.
‘Everyone must feel the same.’
So, that arrogant Grand Duke of Babenberg must be satisfied just hovering around her.
The reason he alone was overly sensitive to minor changes in her attitude was because of the overwhelmingly long time he had spent by Louise’s side.
‘Don’t be greedy, Ernst.’
Ernst took a moment to steady his breath, then curved his lips into a soft, relaxed smile.
As his languid golden eyelashes lifted sharply, his transparent golden eyes sparkled.
It was his own unique smile, one reserved for cherishing and loving her.
