Clack-!
Liandro’s head turned to the side.
‘Just now, what just happened?’
Liandro widened his eyes and pressed his throbbing cheek.
“Did she hit me?”
Not even a hint of apology could be felt from Estelle.
“Why did you do such a thing…”
Clack!
Estelle struck Liandro’s opposite cheek once more, without replying. This time, not hard, making it even more insulting.
“Lady Estelle!”
Liandro’s blue eyes blazed intensely.
“What on earth are you doing!?”
“Does it perhaps make you a bit more sane when you’re hit?”
Liandro grabbed Estelle’s slender arm and glared at her.
“Have you even lost your mind? Engaging in this kind of behavior—”
“Why are you so surprised?”
Estelle raised the corners of her mouth in a smile.
“As if I did something I shouldn’t.”
Liandro let out a hollow, exhausted laugh, biting his lip tightly.
“I never thought she would be so corrupted by the devil.”
Liandro twitched his eyebrows as he examined Estelle’s appearance.
A high-end auction house for nobles.
Although she wore a mask to hide her identity, the aura she exuded couldn’t be concealed.
Under the resplendent chandeliers, her platinum hair shimmered with a pink hue, and she wore a lavender dress embroidered with silver thread on luxurious silk.
The more he looked, the more luxurious Estelle seemed compared to before.
‘That devil must have done this for her.’
Or perhaps, as rumors say, she must have decorated herself with the money she stole by falsely accusing Count Hetel’s family. And now she’s even here at the auction house, trying to buy jewelry again.
Now, Liandro felt a twinge of pity for Estelle’s beautiful appearance.
‘She truly doesn’t know what’s valuable.’
She’s trying to cover her hollow heart with expensive things, but soon, Estelle would learn the truth about the devil.
‘Maybe her coming to this auction house was…’
Perhaps it was her last chance to be saved. Liandro spoke calmly, controlling his emotions.
“Touching a person’s face without permission is violence.”
“Then, isn’t a knight grabbing Lady’s hand or arm also violence?”
Estelle responded casually.
“Threatening or trying to drag away someone who has refused—”
Liandro’s mouth stiffened.
Estelle looked at him with a faint smile.
“You probably don’t think it’s violence. You think you’re doing it to save me.”
“I—”
“Don’t be mistaken. I never asked you to save me.”
A cold glint flickered in Estelle’s indigo eyes.
“It’s time to wake up from this delusion, isn’t it?”
“Some people…”
But Liandro tightened his grip on Estelle’s hand. His heart was pounding fiercely.
Liandro shouldn’t have treated Estelle like this, especially not her beautiful self.
‘If she were her true self…’
Before being captured by the devilish Duke Blanchet, there was still hope for her.
“Who would care about a wicked woman like you?”
“But then why are you acting like this?”
“I don’t want to care about a wicked woman like you, a fool who doesn’t even know morality!”
Liandro’s words, tinged with anger, made Estelle sigh softly.
“Then don’t care.”
“But you’re my responsibility!”
“…”
“I just can’t stand to see you foolishly acting as if you don’t realize that this is hell.”
Liandro pleaded with her, eyes full of regret.
“If only I had saved you back then…”
“…”
“I could have stopped you.”
Customers arriving at the auction house looked at the two of them and murmured among themselves. But in Liandro’s eyes, only the foolish Estelle, who refused to recognize him, was visible.
“Please, get your head straight! Do you really think that man loves a wicked woman like you?”
“…Wicked woman.”
“I’m the only one who can truly be responsible for you,”
Liandro pulled Estelle close and softly spoke with sincerity.
“Not Duke Blanchet.”
The mask covering Estelle’s face fell off. Her delicate, doll-like face was revealed.
Perhaps you’re right after all.
Estelle lowered her long, white eyelashes and gave a bitter smile. There was a dreamy, captivating aura about her that seemed to enchant people.
“You might be the only one who can save me.”
“Are you finally understanding?”
Liandro’s heart pounded wildly.
‘Finally!’
But the words that came out of Estelle’s mouth utterly betrayed his expectations.
“Even if that’s true, I don’t like you.”
“…What?”
“I don’t want to be saved by you. Because, as you say, I’m a foolish wicked woman,”
Estelle sharply stomped on Liandro’s foot with her pointed heels.
“…Ugh!”
Caught off guard, Liandro frowned and let go of Estelle’s arm. She looked at his arm elegantly, then spoke.
“Even if everything you say is true, I’d rather die in John’s arms than be saved by you.”
“…Are you calling his name now?”
Liandro’s blue eyes blazed with jealousy.
“Rather, I’d rather die at his hands…”
“Madam!”
Suddenly, Betty returned, having gone to check the auction time. Behind her appeared the auction master and guards.
Estelle, maintaining her composure, felt relieved.
‘Thank goodness.’
Liandro, the royal knight commander, couldn’t act recklessly with more people present.
“Ladies and gentlemen,”
The auction master stepped between Liandro and Estelle and subtly asked,
“Did something happen between you two?”
“There was a bit of an incident.”
Estelle looked strained as she spoke to the auction master.
“This person suddenly attacked me and got angry. As a result, my mask—intended to hide my identity—fell off. Is this how customers are protected?”
The auction master’s face paled.
“I apologize for the inconvenience caused at our auction house.”
He glanced at the shocked Liandro. The nobleman recognized Liandro immediately.
“It’s difficult to judge the conflict between you two at this auction house…”
“So I deserved this, then?”
At that moment, other customers nearby intervened.
“Master! It’s time to start the auction!”
“Since the man started it, shouldn’t we just send out whoever caused the disturbance?”
The auction master looked again at Estelle, then approached Liandro and spoke.
At that moment, a slip of paper fell from Liandro’s pocket as he was talking with the auction master.
Liandro, unaware, didn’t notice.
‘Undine Tear?’
Estelle’s eyes widened at the drawing on the note.
‘Liandro came to buy the same gem as me?’
Undine Tear, the Tear of the Water Spirit Undine.
A famous sapphire named after the legendary spirit.
I don’t know why Liandro wants to buy the Undine Tear, but…
The legend in the gem was real. It contained the true power of a spirit.
‘I have to buy this gem.’
The trees said the spirit’s power would help restore the fairy’s strength. Because spirits also possess the opposite of dark magic curses.
Liandro, who was talking with the auction master, bit his lip and looked at Estelle.
He seemed to realize that he had acted out of excitement, behaving unknightly. He nodded his head in acknowledgment.
“…Understood. I will stake my position and not cause any more trouble.”
“Thank you.”
The auction master, having finished speaking with Liandro, bowed politely to Estelle.
“I apologize for the trouble. Although I received your promise, I will lead you to a private room upstairs to prevent any further incidents.”
“Can I still watch the auction without issues there?”
“We’ll make arrangements for that.”
The auction master, skillfully mediating among the nobles, quickly resolved the situation.
“Alright.”
Nodding, Estelle fell into thought.
‘Even if I had a lot of money right now, Liandro is the heir of the Pelsis family.’
Unless I use the funds of Duke Blanchet. With her own money alone, there was no guarantee she could acquire the Undine Tear.
‘Then…’
Estelle’s indigo eyes sparkled.
‘I need to prevent Liandro from focusing on the auction.’
The auction master politely guided Estelle inside.
“This way, please.”
Estelle subtly brushed past Liandro, walking as if to follow the guide.
Just as she stepped forward, moving with a casual stride,
Estelle, in a gentle pink whisper close to Liandro’s ear, softly murmured.
“By the way, did we only call each other by name, as a married couple?”
It was a quiet whisper, almost like a delusion.
But it was enough to leave a vivid impression on Liandro’s ear. His pupils widened.
Liandro, unable to even think about grabbing Estelle, muttered absentmindedly.
“Besides the name… what more…”
In his mind, the pure and beautiful Estelle was tainted by Duke Blanchet’s hand.
‘I was so foolish.’
In that moment, Liandro realized how reckless he had been.
They were legally married, after all.
Liandro watched endlessly as Estelle, walking behind him with the auction master, disappeared from view.
He thought she would just go on without a glance back, but Estelle turned around lightly, as if dancing, and looked back at him.
Her shimmering, pink platinum hair fluttered like a butterfly today.
Estelle brought her finger close to her lips and gave him a gentle, smiling glance.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
‘The rest is a secret.’
Estelle’s figure faded like an afterimage.
Liandro reached out instinctively, but Estelle was gone.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
The auction had begun.
I looked down at the luxurious private room that the auction master had led me to. Betty spoke with a displeased expression.
“After I left for a moment, you appeared and threatened the madam. You shouldn’t have left her side.”
“I was asked to come. Besides, even you would have a hard time stopping Pelsis-sama.”
Betty was highly capable, but Liandro was too high-ranking a noble. His strength was hardly inferior to John’s.
Even if Betty had been with me, the situation would probably have been the same.
“But still… Ugh. Why does that guy keep obsessing over the madam?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never really talked to him properly.”
Maybe because of the original story?
They weren’t even engaged in a normal way, so I couldn’t understand why Liandro was so obsessed with me.
I sipped the drink prepared by the auction master and watched the auction.
‘I hope my words get through to him.’
Honestly, what I said to Liandro wasn’t much. In that situation, that was the best I could do.
‘But I thought it would work well.’
Everyone has their own vulnerabilities.
Just as John holds a revenge against me, vulnerabilities are the most critical parts.
‘I don’t really know Liandro’s vulnerabilities.’
But having been hated for a long time, I mostly understood people’s vulnerabilities.
Hatred is closest to vulnerabilities and reveals the deepest inner self.
‘If he’s the noble knight Liandro, he’d react strongly.’
Liandro has shown excessive sensitivity, calling John a devil, especially reacting to his name.
‘I don’t know the reason, but I seem pretty important to Liandro.’
Even though he dismisses me as a wicked woman, his obsession makes sense.
Recalling Liandro’s coercive behavior, my fingers trembled slightly.
‘I really dislike Liandro.’
It’s no longer just because of past enmity.
‘John wasn’t so coercive towards me.’
He always listened to me no matter what. Even in crises where the Crawling Terrors attacked.
‘Sometimes, it feels like he sees the real me, not just a target for revenge.’
Maybe that’s why I rely on John.
“The upcoming auction item is the Undine Tear — a legendary water spirit’s gem, said to be the last relic before the spirit vanished from the world!”
Under the dazzling chandelier, the Undine Tear was visible.
‘There’s really something inside that gem.’
A shimmering force, like an aurora, pulsated within.
“The starting bid for the Undine Tear is 5,000 gold. Please raise your number plates and state your bid.”
I held up the plate and spoke.
“100,000 gold.”
Murmurs rose from the people below. It was an excessively high bid.
Liandro appeared among the crowd.
He looked lost in thought, not even considering raising his plate, staring blankly ahead as if in a daze.
He looked like someone out of touch with reality.
‘No wonder it’s working better than I expected.’
The auctioneer began counting down, searching for another bidder. But no noble offered a higher bid than me.
‘Thank goodness. I would have had to spend my entire fortune if I went higher.’
Thus, I acquired the Undine Tear without any competition.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
As soon as the auction ended, I returned to Duke Blanchet’s estate.
Erich immediately greeted me there.
“Did John catch you?”
“I think he didn’t realize. He returned even earlier than I expected.”
“But I think today’s outing will be noticed.”
“…Huh?”
Erich looked surprised.
“Did something happen outside?”
“Yeah. I ran into Prince Pelsis and caused a stir. And, of course, the nobles at the auction saw everything.”
If that rumor spread, John wouldn’t be unaware.
But Erich seemed more angry at Liandro than complaining to me.
“…That shameless bastard. I’d be glad if I could just wipe him out.”
“Erich?”
“Anyway, don’t worry too much. I can handle it.”
Erich adjusted his glasses and responded neatly. I handed him the receipt.
“I bought a few more jewelry pieces just in case, under the Duchess of Blanchet’s name. Do you think I can use this as an excuse to tell John I went on a little outing?”
“With everything you’ve done, there’s nothing to worry about. Just rest easy.”
That made me feel more at ease, knowing I had allies.
“Thanks. Please take care of it.”
After washing up, Betty and I prepared some cookies and headed to John’s study.
‘His reaction last time was pretty good, right?’
But when I knocked on the door, there was no reply as usual.
I gently peeked inside and saw John lying on the sofa, looking exhausted and asleep.
“Looks like he’s really tired.”
It was the first time I saw him asleep in the study.
“John. Sleep?”
I moved as quietly as possible, approaching John so as not to wake him.
He was so handsome that even while sleeping, he looked perfect.
His unusually bright red eyes made the atmosphere feel a bit different from when he was awake.
‘Is this a comfortable enough atmosphere to cross the line…’
Without realizing it, I was softly touching his handsome face and muttering.
“I missed John so much today.”
Strangely, John didn’t wake. He must have been truly exhausted.
“I kept thinking about you outside too.”
Seeing John sleeping, tormented by Liandro, made my heart swell with an inexplicable feeling.
“John. Maybe…”
A word I could never say to the awake John.
But I kept wanting to say it.
“I think I love you.”
I whispered softly, then, surprised at myself, grabbed the cookies I’d prepared, and hurried out of the room.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
After Estelle left.
John, rising from the sofa, lowered his voice.
“…You think you love me?”
His ears flushed a delicate pink.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
