Chapter 143 – The Gemstone Auction
The Empress and the Crown Princess were fighting for control of the empire. The power of the empire was currently divided between these two powerful women.
The struggle between the Crown Princess and the Empress extended into the annual fight for the “finale” at the gemstone auction.
The Empress had secured the finale two years ago, but last year, the Crown Princess managed to snatch it away during a moment of weakness on the Empress’s part. This upset the Empress deeply, and her mood had been sour throughout the ball season.
“This year, let’s buy the gemstone under our son, Valentin’s name,” the Empress said, a small smile playing on her lips as she thought of her third son.
“The Crown Princess will use her husband’s name to bid for it,” she continued.
After the Crown Princess won the finale last year, the Empress spread rumors that the Crown Princess only cared about luxury and jewels. This year, she planned to avoid such criticism by having the Crown Princess’s husband bid for the finale and present it to her as a gift.
The Count, seeing the Empress’s plan, suddenly raised his head in excitement.
“If Valentin is bidding…”
“Are you planning to give the finale to Ladriel?” he asked, his voice filled with hope.
“If the third prince proposes this year, it would certainly make a splash,” the Count continued.
“If the third prince wins the finale and proposes to Ladriel, it will certainly bring attention to the family.”
“Such nonsense!” the Empress snapped, irritated.
“The finale will be dedicated to Valentin’s mother,” she said, her tone final.
At those words, the Count’s face stiffened.
That meant Valentin would have to pay for the gemstone. Why had they involved him in the first place?
It seemed as though the Empress understood the Count’s thoughts and signaled to one of the servants. A servant placed an envelope in front of the Count.
“I’ll give you fifty thousand danir. Do whatever it takes to win the bid.”
Fifty thousand danir was a huge amount, far too much for the Count to simply ignore.
As he was about to speak, the Empress added, “However, if Valentin’s name is brought into the spotlight with the finale, we will consider discussing the engagement after the autumn season.”
The Count hesitated. He knew the Empress was testing him.
With no other option, the Count forced a smile and said, “I’ll follow your wishes, Your Majesty.”
The day of the Blenheim Gemstone Auction arrived.
Nobles and their agents from all over the empire gathered at the auction house in Aeonveld, close to Blenheim’s territory.
Pierremont, who was handling the auction for the Lumit Trading Company, skillfully checked the locations of the key attendees.
Blenheim’s auctions were done anonymously, with each bidder assigned a number. However, since faces were not hidden, Pierremont could recognize most of the families by sight.
Since it was such a rare and prestigious event, most nobles attended in person, though high-ranking figures and royals usually sent agents.
‘What’s different about this year?’ Pierremont wondered.
This year, the Crown Princess’s brother was attending, and the Empress had even sent the youngest member of the Freis family to represent her.
Even Delon’s vice-councilor and his wife from the Rondoris Kingdom were present.
‘The competition for the finale will be even fiercer this year,’ Pierremont thought.
The Crown Princess was number 3, the Empress was number 41, and Rondoris was number 57.
‘But who is number 101?’
Number 101 had been added at the last minute due to a special request from Blenheim after the official bidding had closed.
‘Are they here to observe how the auction is progressing?’ Pierremont thought nervously as he prepared to start the auction.
At the front row, Enolius muttered as he looked down at the auction stage.
“Really, now they’re making me shop…”
“It’s time to renew our contracts,” he grumbled.
Perel, sitting next to him, was nervously holding the paddle with number 101.
At least a magician had come with them, which made things a bit better.
— “Get the finale.”
Perel blinked in surprise at his lord’s sudden command.
— “Wait, so you want us to buy the gemstone we’re auctioning off?”
— “Buy whatever else you can. Anything suitable for the Duchess.”
Though it was clear that Annette would look good in anything, Loic was focused on securing the best items for her.
“After all, we own the gemstone mines here. If Annette needs a gem, we can set it aside for her. It might take time, but we can also customize it for her tastes. And the finale is not something that can be easily won.”
Trying to explain logically, Perel swallowed his words as he saw the determined look in Loic’s eyes.
Instead, he offered a suggestion that he knew would get Loic’s attention.
— “But I don’t really know much about gemstones or jewelry…”
Loic seemed to accept this, nodding in agreement.
— “Then should we bring Cecilia with us?”
Perel had been about to suggest her, but doubted whether Cecilia would be any more helpful than himself.
— “No, take a magician with you.”
— “What?”
— “Annette said magicians have a good eye for these things.”
And so, Perel and the magician found themselves sitting side by side at the auction.
Would the magician’s input be useful in choosing the right items? Perel could only hope as he nervously waited for the first item to be auctioned.
The first item came up: “A diamond bracelet, small but set with high-quality pink diamonds. It was crafted by the famous craftsman Carluso from Noble Deme.”
“Buy it,” the magician said immediately.
“Uh, but we don’t know what else will come up…”
“Does His Grace have a budget?”
“No, not really.”
“Then buy it. Everything bought for the Duchess will be fine.”
“It is beautiful, but the diamonds are a little small, don’t you think?”
“The Duchess has delicate wrists. Smaller will suit her more.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She’ll look like a summer rose when she wears it with a pink dress.”
Perel’s imagination ran wild, picturing Annette in a beautiful garden, her hand adorned with the bracelet.
He raised the paddle.
“101, sold! Congratulations!”
The next item came up: “A tiara with large emeralds.”
“A bit too big, don’t you think? The Duchess has a delicate neck. A heavy tiara might not be comfortable.”
“We can use light magic to make it comfortable.”
The magician was adamant, and Perel raised the paddle again.
“101, sold!”
The bidding continued. Each time, the magician suggested what to buy, and Perel followed, raising the paddle with increasing confidence.
“Who is number 101?” the nobles whispered as they watched the mysterious bidder.
“Is it a foreign noble?”
Some recognized Perel’s face, and it became clear that the Blenheim family was involved in the auction.
Ferdinand, sitting in the center of the room, also remembered the face of the aide from Blenheim.
He wondered why Blenheim was attending the auction, especially if they were also after the finale.
“Her Majesty the Empress has ordered that the finale be won,” Ferdinand’s father had told him.
“Why are you getting involved in this fight between the Crown Princess and the Empress? The Freis family has no stake in this.”
“What do you mean? Your sister will be the Empress one day! Stop arguing and do as you’re told!”
Ferdinand could not understand why his father was so eager to please the Empress.
The final item of the auction, the “Celestial Starlight,” was revealed.
Everyone gasped in awe at the exquisite craftsmanship of the piece, a long piece of jewelry adorned with sapphires and diamonds, sparkling like a galaxy.
“It’s the most perfect piece ever,” the auctioneer said, describing the piece in great detail.
The bidding began, and Perel raised his paddle each time, winning everything he bid for, leaving the nobles whispering in curiosity.
