Chapter 30…………………………………………….
“Shh.”
A cautious voice reached me before I could even resist.
“Her Ladyship sent me.”
“!”
Only then did the tension drain from my body. Holding my breath, I slowly turned around. A slender attendant stood there, head bowed. Removing his hand from my mouth, he held out a robe he seemed to have prepared in advance.
“Please put this on and follow me.”
“……”
I nodded quietly and took the robe. There was nothing better than this for hiding myself from them.
I quickly pulled the robe over myself and stuck close behind the attendant.
Just as we stepped out into the corridor—
“Go that way and look— hey!”
One of the men who had been searching for the intruder approached us.
Already feeling guilty for no reason, I swallowed even my breathing, afraid I might be discovered.
The attendant shielded me behind him and asked politely, as if nothing were wrong.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“Here.”
The man jerked his chin toward me.
“Who’s that?”
“She’s an honored guest participating in this auction.”
“Her seat?”
“Fourth floor, Side V-1.”
The man looked slightly surprised, then cleared his throat.
“My apologies, miss. There’s an intruder, so we’re conducting a brief search.”
Afraid that speaking might give me away, I only nodded faintly.
Fortunately, since so many of the guests here were nobles, he seemed used to this kind of exchange and passed by without further suspicion.
I really don’t think I’m cut out for sneaking around…
At first, I thought I could handle anything. But actually doing it made me realize this wasn’t something just anyone could pull off.
I held my breath until he completely passed us, sticking close behind the attendant.
I was just starting to relax when—
“Wait.”
The man stopped and turned back toward us.
“But hold on.”
“…….”
“I don’t think I’ve seen your face before.”
Step. Step.
He walked closer.
“Where were you gathered before the auction started?”
Gulp—. The attendant swallowed hard. It was obvious he didn’t know.
To make matters worse, the longer the silence stretched, the more hostile the man’s gaze became.
Damn it.
No helping it.
I took a deep breath inward.
“Why can’t you ans—”
“Hey.”
Both the man and the attendant snapped their eyes toward me.
“What’s your problem? What’s wrong with you?”
“M-miss?”
Caught off guard by my interruption, the man faltered. I took advantage of the moment and pushed forward.
“Who do you think you are, blocking my way?”
The man lowered his trembling eyes and answered,
“Given how confidential this auction is, we’re paying extra attention to security—”
“And?”
I snorted openly.
“So I’m supposed to accommodate your circumstances? If I miss something I want, will you take responsibility?”
“N-no!”
He cried out in alarm. Hastily stepping back, he bowed deeply.
“You may proceed. My apologies.”
“How unpleasant. Honestly.”
After giving him a final once-over, I sharply turned away. The attendant naturally guided me toward the entrance of the room.
In the meantime, the man quickly retreated and disappeared from sight.
Only after confirming no one was around did I finally clutch my pounding chest.
“Thank you, miss,” the attendant whispered.
“Was it not awkward? That was my first time saying something like that.”
“You were far better than any stage actor.”
“Thanks……”
Thanks to that, my acting skills had been officially acknowledged.
After countless twists and turns, I finally made it into the side room and came face-to-face with a familiar figure.
“Oh my, you’re—”
Lady Odilon, who had been greeting me, suddenly froze. I awkwardly smiled as I took off the robe I’d been wearing.
“I-I look pretty terrible, don’t I?”
After going through so much, I didn’t even need a mirror to know I looked rough.
I roughly smoothed my hair and hurried to sit where she guided me.
I thought we’d immediately talk about the auction once I sat down, but—
“What’s wrong with your hand?”
Lady Odilon immediately noticed something was off.
“M-my hand?”
When I hastily hid it under the robe, her eyes narrowed.
“You came all this way with a hand like that?”
“…….”
When I stayed silent, her gaze sharpened further. She immediately called over a nearby attendant and ordered them to bring ointment and bandages.
“It’s fine. It’s just a small scratch.”
She frowned, clearly telling me not to spout nonsense.
“…Yes.”
While I obediently kept my mouth shut, the attendant returned with medicine.
“We’ll treat only what’s urgent for now. We’ll take care of the rest once you return.”
“…….”
“The auction is proceeding smoothly. What about the necklace and the others?”
“I s-swapped them all with fakes— ow!”
The disinfectant burned like fire as it touched the wound. Lady Odilon clicked her tongue and continued.
“You’ll need assistance for a while. It’s this bad even in the dark.”
She scolded me, saying she couldn’t imagine how much worse it would look in bright light.
“There was a reason I gave you that whistle.”
“Well… I was saving it for a better situation.”
“And you think it’s fine that your hand ended up like this?”
“……I’m sorry.”
“Next time, just use it. That’s why I had the knights on standby.”
I nodded quietly, keeping my mouth shut. Only after the attendant applied gauze to my hastily disinfected hand did I finally feel some relief.
Lady Odilon let out a deep sigh and got to the point.
“But something’s strange.”
“Strange how?”
“I had attendants look for that man and the young lady’s uncle, but no matter where we search, they’re nowhere to be found.”
“What?”
“I secured a seat early and watched before the auction started. I did see him and the uncle enter, but I don’t know where they’re seated. Perhaps they arranged a private room.”
She tilted her head, adding that while she wanted to obtain the guest list, doing so would have meant revealing her identity.
“Where on earth could they be? That’s also why I couldn’t call in the knights right away.”
“…….”
“Do you happen to have any guesses?”
“A guess……”
I frowned as I listened.
“I do, actually.”
I didn’t know if the two of them were together, but—
“I think I know where at least one of them is.”
Xavier was trying to sell his mother’s heirloom privately, not through the auction.
If that were the case, he wouldn’t reveal himself in such a public place.
Somewhere more discreet.
He’d be meeting privately with a few key figures.
“If a hunting dog that betrayed its master wants to survive, it has to make sure the master never finds out about the betrayal.”
That left only one place.
“We should check the opera’s waiting rooms.”
“The waiting rooms?”
Lady Odilon echoed, clearly surprised. I nodded.
“There’s a staff-only passage there.”
Which meant he could move around without other guests noticing.
“It’s the perfect place to quietly smuggle goods out.”
