---
Mira did not let the hall see hesitation.
She had felt the ripple in the paperwork station. She had seen Auri's eyes sharpen. She had heard the clerk's whispered fear about a foreign seal, and she had understood immediately what it meant. Someone was probing. Someone wanted to learn how fragile Dawn House was under pressure, and the worst part was that they were doing it in front of Iron House, as if they wanted Iron House to enjoy watching.
Mira's posture stayed perfectly straight. Her voice stayed crisp.
"Verification has been completed," she said smoothly, letting the crowd assume it was just normal auction procedure. "We will proceed."
Auri's presence behind her did not move like panic. It moved like a knife being returned to its sheath. Whatever had been tested had been noticed, and whoever had done it would not receive the satisfaction of seeing the host stumble.
The staff rolled the next display case forward.
