Chapter 47
It was a situation where there was no turning back.
To someone like Duke Kyle, whose pride was paramount, the label of being a fool was an indelible mark.
By now, the thoughts of what had been said to me before and after the auction must be swirling in his mind.
Duke Kyle appeared thoughtful but forced a smile.
“Y-yes. I should buy it… I must.”
The noblemen began to fall out. Meanwhile, the wealthy commoners rushed in, and the auction price climbed even higher.
“7.3 billion! 7.3 billion! We have a bid! Is there anyone else? Oh, 10 billion has been bid! Ten billion! Now, we will count down after three… two…”
“120 billion.”
Duke Kyle, visibly displeased, called out the highest bid.
He was hoping someone would bid an outrageous price like several billion, but that wasn’t likely, and he knew the highest bid would be his own.
His face clearly showed how specific his emotions were.
The auctioneer, looking astonished, proclaimed loudly.
“Ah! 120 billion! We have 120 billion! This is the highest bid today, a price that will never be matched again! 120 billion! This price will never be seen from the outside world! This is the buyer!”
The voice was so loud that everyone around looked at Duke Kyle in amazement. After all, spending 120 billion was something worth looking at.
It was almost as if they were introducing the world’s biggest sucker.
“Now, the payment… how will you pay, sir?”
“I’ll pay with the gems and gold coins in my magical storage space.”
Duke Kyle, amidst all the attention, took the necklace of life.
The crowd erupted into applause.
“Lady April… I’ll place it on you now.”
“Yes!”
Duke Kyle walked over to me and gently placed the glowing Necklace of Life around my neck.
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“I’ve learned many lessons today, Lady April. From now on, I will try not to speak carelessly. I’ve learned a lot.”
Duke Kyle seemed a little thinner, as if he had aged a few years.
“Is that so? But, Duke Kyle…”
I smiled at him and whispered, “April is not a cat.”
It seemed like the decisive line.
Duke Kyle looked at me, wide-eyed, and Evelyn giggled beside me.
Oh, she laughed.
It was the first time I saw Evelyn smile mischievously, joyfully.
Although it was due to the wicked achievement of making Duke Kyle spend 120 billion.
“Heard that, Kyle? I’m not a cat. You should be more careful with your words from now on. You’ve been quite the sight.”
Evelyn continued to chuckle.
Duke Kyle, looking at me and Evelyn, just smiled.
“Right, I understand now. Lady April, I’m sorry. I’ve been taught a lesson. You’re right. You’re not a cat. You’re human.”
“Yes!”
“If possible, would you forgive me if I’ve eased your anger?”
“Hmmm, I’ll think about it!”
I laughed heartily. After taking 120 billion from him as a lesson, there was no lingering bitterness.
At that moment, a fairy-like creature with butterfly wings flew toward Duke Kyle. It landed on his finger.
Is that the spirit of Sian? Oh, they said it was given to each representative of the group.
As the butterfly landed on his hand, something seemed to happen. Duke Kyle’s expression shifted as if he noticed something.
Meanwhile, Evelyn spoke to me.
“Lady April, today was fun. So, this is the friend you mentioned. Honestly, I didn’t know what to do with you… it was a bit unfamiliar.”
The subject of the unfamiliarity was missing.
Was she talking about the concept of friendship being unfamiliar? Or was it me that felt unfamiliar?
“But it was fun. I think we get along well. If we continue to hang out, it could be really enjoyable.”
It was exactly how I felt too.
Had I not been pretending, would I have been able to genuinely approach Evelyn’s group from the start?
“So, let me ask, Lady.”
Evelyn suddenly lifted my dress hem with such speed that I couldn’t react in time.
In that instant, the white sleeve of my dress slid down, revealing the dark bruises and fresh cuts I had from the demon.
Her face froze in an instant after seeing my wounds.
“Who did this?”
An eerie silence fell, like ice had been poured over us.
Even Duke Kyle, who had been standing near, looked at my injury with a baffled expression.
I could feel them both examining me, so I managed to keep my expression in check.
“What?” I tilted my head nonchalantly.
But there was a 2-second gap before I answered. Two seconds felt like a long time in the silence between people.
I realized Evelyn was angry, and the target of her anger was the Yeniel group.
She had asked why I was covered in blood from the first encounter, so it was clear enough.
Yes, if I were to ask who made me suffer these wounds, it was indeed the Yeniel group’s doing. They had left me in front of the demon.
Conflicting thoughts and emotions stirred inside me.
The distrust and skepticism I had learned here mixed together.
Sharp thoughts shot through me.
Calm down. There’s reason to confide in Evelyn. After all, she’s not on bad terms with Yeniel’s group, and we share the same noble faction. That’s why I can tell her the truth.
But if I suddenly tell Evelyn my circumstances and something goes wrong, what if it gets out that she knows everything, and then it harms me and makes Yeniel’s group hostile?
I had to be cautious, for things that had happened once could happen again.
If the ugly truth about how the crown prince and emperor’s faction abandoned me comes out, Yeniel’s group would likely try to silence me.
It’s hard to kill once, but much easier to do it again.
I didn’t want to take lives to protect myself. I just wanted to live normally.
I simply wanted to return to the most peaceful time I had.
Even now, I was trying to pick my words, calculating how to raise suspicion.
But nothing came to mind.
I couldn’t just stay silent.
So, I did what I do best. Pretended to be clueless and acted dumb.
“Well, there was a huge demon on the fourth floor. I remember that demon hit April hard!”
I laughed awkwardly, but Duke Kyle’s expression became strange.
“Lady…”
Before he could say anything, Evelyn raised her hand to stop him.
“Be quiet, Kyle. Don’t ask Lady April any questions. Lady April, I want to help you.”
Help me?
Evelyn carefully placed her hand on my arm, but her gaze was fierce, as if she wanted to crush someone right there.
“We can only help if we know what you’ve gone through. Your father, Marquis Sharon, raised his youngest daughter very delicately. Everyone in society knows how much Marquis Sharon’s family cares for you.”
“Yes! They all love April very much.”
I smiled brightly, responding as if pleased.
“Yes. Your father wouldn’t want you to go through this alone.”
Evelyn’s words made me stop.
I felt like I had heard something similar before.
A voice echoed faintly in my mind.
Your brother wouldn’t like you like this.
Please… for your brother’s sake… please don’t do this…
The voice, clear as a bell, faded quickly.
