Chapter 12
What is with this girl? Her rude attitude made me already irritated, and then the doorman looked at me with pity. That look, like he was staring at some poor fool, only made me angrier.
“Calm down. Think of Philip.”
I forced down my anger and handed over the 10 gold coins. The corners of the doorman’s eyes dropped further.
I swear I could hear him thinking, “What a total sucker you are.”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and go inside to prepare the room!”
When the girl snapped, the doorman hurried in without another word.
And so, I successfully entered the auction room.
The room was full of thoughtful accommodations for wealthy clients. In front of the wide sofas, various desserts and drinks from across the continent were laid out.
The girl ignored the desserts entirely and kept drinking only alcohol.
Still, at least she was fulfilling her role properly.
“That lantern Marjestone is also a Kailron Guild item.”
She pointed out which items on the auction belonged to the Kailron Guild.
As I reached to touch the thin Marjestone on the table to participate, she grabbed my wrist.
“Buying stuff like that won’t get you to see the Guild Head. Only the small fry get called down.”
Then, she fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a stone similar to those up for auction.
The moment I held it, a soft glow leaked from the stone. I couldn’t tell exactly what magic it was, but it was a Runestone inscribed with a magic circle.
So this girl had been fired for embezzlement?
It didn’t make sense that she survived after stealing from the Kailron Guild. Who is this woman?
I gave her a suspicious look. She responded by extending her palm.
“I’ll sell it for 20 gold.”
“……”
There was no trace of joking in her expression.
“I’ll pay later.”
“And you trust me…?”
“Then take it.”
“You’ve already activated it. No refunds.”
Suddenly forced into buying it, I blinked in disbelief.
“You think you can meet the Guild Head without even handing over this amount?”
Was she mocking me? She laughed at me.
I clenched my anger once more, remembering the slave cages, and calmly took out my pocket and handed her the coins.
She seemed pleased to take the gold, grinning slyly.
“But why do you want to meet the Guild Head?” she asked.
“Why else? I’m here to make a deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
I took a sip of my drink instead of answering.
Right. I ignored her.
Luckily, she seemed perceptive and didn’t ask more, finishing her own drink quietly.
“You’ll get drunk at this rate.”
She looked at me as if she had seen all sorts of weird people.
“Drinking is for getting drunk.”
“They say the Kailron Guild Head isn’t someone to underestimate. Wouldn’t it be better to meet him sober?”
“Oh, you know our Guild Head well, huh?”
She glanced me up and down with a strange expression, then leisurely sipped her drink again.
“No, I wouldn’t know.”
“Why do you say that?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t have come here saying I wanted to make a deal.”
Her eyes darkened slightly, probably from the alcohol. Hydration is important to sober up—should I splash her with water?
As if reading my thoughts, she smiled at me.
“A girl like you would be in serious trouble if she met the Guild Head. From head to toe, you’d be completely exposed. Your life would be ruined.”
She added softly,
“Like me.”
Eli muttered while holding a gold coin in her hand.
“What the Kailron Guild Head values most is this coin. ‘Gold proves your ability.’ That’s his philosophy.”
“Who doesn’t like gold? How is that some great philosophy?”
Her lips curved into a faint smile at my blunt response.
“He’s different. He doesn’t want gold because he needs it; he sees the coin itself as honor.”
“Honor?”
“For a Kailron Guild member, the most important virtue is trading ability. Gold is how that ability is judged.”
She looked up at my hand.
“Merchants can tell a lot about someone just by looking at their hands. Yours are delicate, white, smooth—hands that haven’t done hard work. The hands of a typical noble girl dreaming of adventure. And you think you’re special, right? That’s why you came all the way here, boldly asking the Guild Head for a deal.”
I rested my chin on my hand, staring at Eli.
“By the way, I’m curious. Who are you?”
How could she have survived after embezzling from the Kailron Guild?
But Eli didn’t answer.
“I usually don’t meddle in others’ business. Consider yourself lucky.”
Was she drunk? Her answer was so off-topic that I worried and took her drink away.
“Stop drinking and focus on the auction. Is that also a Kailron Guild item?”
“No. That one’s from the Mermaid Guild.”
“When will the Kailron Guild items appear?”
“They won’t. That’s their last item.”
“What?!”
“You should thank me, miss. I just saved your life with gold.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and exhaled deeply.
“…If you wanted to interfere, why follow me?”
“Because I can’t just watch some kid ruin their life.”
I couldn’t help laughing.
Some people always think they’re the most unfortunate. Eli was exactly that kind.
She not only judged me arbitrarily but also insisted she was saving my life.
I was frustrated. Philip, who risked his life fighting slave merchants, wouldn’t whine like this.
“Do you know what it means to ruin your life?”
Even my own voice sounded sharp.
“I’m not meeting the Guild Head just to make money. If you have time to judge others’ lives, go grab his pant leg and beg for a deal. Stop annoying people.”
Silence fell again. She didn’t react to my harsh words.
At that moment, the auctioneer’s voice announcing the final item broke the silence.
“A blueprint of the sea fairy magic circle, treasure of the underwater Atlantis Empire. Starting at 2,000 gold.”
Thud.
She put down her drink and spoke softly:
“The Kailron Guild Head is my father.”
“What?”
“The Guild Head is far scarier than you think. He won’t treat you like a child. If he decides he needs you, he’ll claim you without hesitation. And if he no longer needs you, he’ll discard you ruthlessly.”
Eli had casually let the words slip—but that wasn’t the main point.
“No, wait. You’re the Guild Head’s daughter?”
Eli didn’t answer my shocked question.
“My father is the Guild Head, so why…”
Why was she expelled in the first place?
I couldn’t finish my sentence, but she seemed to catch my hidden question and let out a small laugh.
“I thought I’d be different from other women in the empire. I never thought I’d be sold for gold. But, I was sold for a higher price. On the condition of becoming the sixth consort of King Glory, I acquired the only Marjestone mine in the Glory Kingdom.”
“You traded yourself for a Glory Kingdom mine? Who did you make that deal with?”
“Who else? The Glory royal family.”
“I don’t get it. Kailron Guild may have money, but no high title, and you’re not a supreme beauty. Why would the royal family spend so much just to take you?”
“Hey.”
Eli shot me a sharp glance, and I shut my mouth.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no reason for the royal family to spend such a fortune on her.
Annoyed by my stare, Eli began explaining with a dissatisfied expression.
The sixth consort of the Glory Kingdom’s King.
Eli had been “sold” by the Kailron Guild Head in exchange for purchasing the Glory Kingdom’s Marjestone mine at a low price.
The royal family wanted Eli for one reason: she was a planner capable of inscribing Runestones onto Marjestone for the royal family.
There were fewer than ten such planners on the continent, and Eli was one of them.
It took decades just to learn the principles of Runestones, so they were extremely rare.
It wasn’t innate talent; one had to study ancient books and learn magic circles from childhood to become a planner.
She had worked hard for only one reason:
“Gold proves ability. I will pass on the inheritance to the most capable child.”
At her father’s command, Eli risked her life.
The gold didn’t betray her effort. The Marjestones she created were huge hits, bringing the Kailron Guild enormous wealth.
Yet her father betrayed her.
For him, proving ability through gold had only two paths: making outstanding trades or securing a wealthy spouse.
He expected the latter. And in that sense, Eli was an excellent daughter. She handed her father the Glory Kingdom’s only Marjestone mine.
That mine wasn’t just any mine—it was the sole Marjestone source for the Glory Kingdom.
Meaning the Glory Kingdom could no longer distribute Marjestone on its own.
As a result, the Kailron Guild gained another monopoly over Marjestone.
The Glory Kingdom lost a promising market—but it didn’t matter. They weren’t even aware.
For them, Marjestone was just an expensive luxury to show their authority, nothing more, nothing less.
Ironically, the very efforts made to change one’s life became Eli’s shackles.
