CHAPTER 60
“Well, they are extremely delicate and picky creatures. If you let just anyone adopt one, it wouldn’t even last a month.”
When I nodded in quick agreement, Sierra bobbed her head enthusiastically.
“Exactly! That’s why Magia keeps combing through all sorts of random shops, even knowing we’re going to get scammed.”
It probably stung her pride a little, but thanks to her persistence, I’d gotten an important lead.
Her past efforts hadn’t been in vain.
I couldn’t explain everything to her right now, but—
“Anyway, this was really helpful.”
Ten days from now, I’d be able to place the Fairy Bloom beside the Summoner’s Stone I had.
And if something—anything—came of that…
My heart skipped with nervous anticipation.
But for now, there was nothing I could do. Which meant—
“So, what exactly are we doing for the booth event?”
It was time to prevent that damn accident.
***
The Day of the Event
The plaza was lined with tents, each flying a flag marked with its club’s name.
Every club had been given a booth space, and the rule was simple: highlight your club’s unique theme.
Embroidery clubs displayed their handiwork, fencing clubs gave sword-dance demonstrations or free lessons.
Before the big auction, this was essentially an open social gathering for clubs to mingle and show off.
Naturally, the prime locations went to the larger, established clubs.
Normally, a fledgling group like Magia would’ve been shoved off to the corner.
“But here’s the problem.”
I glanced nervously at the booth next to ours.
In front of it flew a bold, luxurious flag with the word [Zenus] stitched across.
Why in the world was our rookie club right next to one of the top three society clubs in the entire Barnard social scene?
And that wasn’t even the end of it.
Turning the other way, I saw a banner bearing the imperial crest itself, rippling proudly in the wind.
That was Goldis—the club reserved only for royalty. Every imperial heir and branch family member passed through it.
And Goldis’ club president was none other than Nanael Barnard.
‘This is a setup.’
Luckily, Nanael wasn’t here.
She’d always hated these formal events, only ever showing her face briefly near the end. And since I heard her punishment had only just been lifted, she was probably off at a shopping center instead.
So the odds of running into her here were slim.
Still, it was obvious who had orchestrated this mess.
I turned to Julia, who was calmly measuring and bagging her hand-dried tea leaves.
It was her. No question.
After the real estate stunt, there was no way this seating arrangement was coincidence.
Slumping into the chair opposite her, I placed both fists firmly on the table.
“Lady Julia. You’re sure this spot just happened to be available? Wasn’t this originally the Flunia Club’s booth?”
Flunia was a charity club made up only of devout, baptized members.
They never missed events like this, always showing up to raise donations.
And yet… they weren’t here.
It was a reasonable suspicion.
Julia just smiled sweetly.
“Oh, they all left on a pilgrimage.”
“All of a sudden? But Flunia has never missed this auction before.”
“Well, it must have been somewhere more important. How could a mere lady like me presume to judge the hearts of the faithful? I just happened to know the club president, so I claimed the spot. Why? Do you not like the location?”
Her glittering eyes were like a lion stalking prey, while the slight curve of her lips was sly as a fox.
A perfect alibi—airtight.
‘I’ve been played again.’
There was no room to argue. Her words were too neatly prepared.
The social elite were terrifying.
This wasn’t like Nanael at all—Julia was on another level.
At least she wasn’t hostile toward me, so there wouldn’t be any direct harm… I hoped.
Thankfully, Sierra sensed the tension and jumped in to smooth things over.
“Not like it’s bad! Honestly, this spot feels too good for us. I was worried we didn’t deserve it.”
“Oh, nonsense. Main stage spots should be filled with the main cast, shouldn’t they? So tell me, Magia—what did you prepare?”
Her skill at shifting the subject was impressive.
Sierra straightened proudly.
“Our theme is ‘We’ll deliver what your pets want to say.’”
“…Excuse me?”
“There’s a type of auxiliary magic that lets you understand animals’ words. So we’ll let pet owners know what their beloved pets are really thinking!”
Sierra gave me a proud look.
Among her many ideas, this had been the safest.
‘At least in the original, the explosion happened. This way, nothing should blow up.’
It was harmless enough, maybe even fun, and I figured it might draw some attention.
“That’s fascinating. I guess our club will have to step up our game too.”
“And what’s Zenus doing?”
“Do we need a theme?”
Julia jerked her chin toward three men standing nearby in perfectly tailored outfits.
Adrian, Alperen, and Aslan—dressed in butler uniforms.
‘Right. I’d been distracted by that since earlier.’
Except they weren’t ordinary butler uniforms.
The designs were too refined, too luxurious. They kept the crisp silhouette of a butler’s outfit, but the details screamed high fashion.
And, of course, the three of them wore them flawlessly.
Julia beamed.
“Beautiful, aren’t they? They’re by a designer I’ve been watching lately. She used to only make women’s wear, but her new unisex designs are striking, don’t you think?”
Sure enough, the outfits blurred gender lines, elegant lace running along the cuffs and cravat.
It reeked of genius—eccentric, yes, but undeniably brilliant.
If Julia admired the designer, it had to be Cassandra Beige—Roti’s mother.
‘So Roti’s recent busyness was to help her mother after all.’
After my encouragement last time, Roti had shown her sketches to her mother. Cassandra, recognizing her daughter’s talent, had begun teaching her seriously.
It was ahead of the original timeline, but seeing Roti happy was a good thing.
‘I swear, those outfits even look like Roti’s touch is in them.’
A sense of pride welled up in me, even though it wasn’t my achievement.
‘I can’t wait to see the dress she’ll make for me.’
…But no, this wasn’t the time to get sentimental.
“So you’re telling me the concept is…”
“Yes. I brew the tea, and they serve it. That’s all.”
That’s a butler café!
Who could resist being served tea and smiles by men this handsome?
No wonder other booths kept sneaking glances this way—even before the event officially started.
At first, I thought it was just curiosity about why some nobody club was sandwiched between Goldis and Zenus.
But no. All eyes were on those three.
Over at Zenus’ booth, Lilith’s members were even volunteering to hand out numbered tickets to control the crowd.
The demand was so high, it was practically selling out before it began.
Then Adrian caught my eye and winked. My knees nearly buckled.
Since when did my orangutan of a brother look like a radiant reverse-harem male lead?
‘Why is he so dedicated to this role?!’
His naturally open, friendly personality made him perfect for the butler act.
And then, Alperen tugged at his cravat, clearly finding the unfamiliar design stifling.
The slight furrow in his brow—the little habit he had whenever something bothered him—
“Kyaaah!”
One of the Lilith girls handing out tickets shrieked and fainted on the spot.
Judging by her blissful expression, she looked ready to die happy.
