The Auction Master nodded.
"Five hundred gold. Do we have anyone else?"
A modest offer. Almost laughably low for a noble in this hall.
But the number didn't matter.
The certainty behind it did.
Ryn's eyes narrowed.
If this man truly wanted the brooch, if he needed it, he wouldn't let it go easily.
Maria must have sensed something shift beside her, because she tilted her head ever so slightly.
"Did you find something?" she murmured.
Ryn didn't take his eyes off the bidder.
"…Test him."
Maria's lips curved, not in amusement this time, but in understanding.
Without adjusting her posture, without even lowering her teacup, she lifted her bidding plate with the grace of someone ordering dessert rather than entering a bidding war.
"One thousand."
A few nobles looked up. That was double the opening bid.
Below, the masked man froze for the briefest moment, then resumed a smile and increased the price.
"Twelve hundred."
Maria hummed softly, as if indulging a child.
