The gavel fell for the last time, sealing the fate of the three lots amid a flurry of astronomical figures that would shake the very foundations of any kingdom.
The first lot, the most hotly contested of all, went to the Crown Prince, Leonardo Demor, for the staggering sum of three billion gold pieces. I saw Morgana Valois clench her teeth from her box; she was not at all happy to have lost the first entry. However, Morgana is not a woman to walk away empty-handed: she poured all her fury into the second bid, securing it for two billion eight hundred million.
Not content with that, she tried to snatch up the third one as well to monopolize access, but Valeria Astaford would not let her. In a display of absolute coldness, Valeria raised the bid to three billion one hundred million, forcing Morgana to finally give up.
"Three powers, three entries," Adela murmured, observing the map of influence that had just been drawn in the hall. "The Prince, the Valois, and the Astafords."
I leaned back on the divan, watching Sera Sterling below. She looked lost, caught between the shadow of her surname and the presence of Damian Valois, who seemed to be relishing her silent defeat at having been unable to bid.
I wondered what the Valois and the Sterlings were up to. Seraphine seemed particularly interested in the tickets, as if they resonated with her in a way the rest of those present couldn't sense. It was strange—seeing her there, forced to endure the one who never stopped bothering her at the Academy.
Adela crossed her arms, her expression growing even more somber as she watched the scene on the floor below.
"Master, the way Sera looks at those pieces of wood… it seems like she really wanted one," she murmured.
I nodded slowly, without taking my eyes off Seraphine's crimson eyes.
"I guess she's tired of being ignored by her family," I said quietly. "Maybe this is just what she needs to change that."
I watched as Damian Valois whispered something in her ear; a mocking smile spread across his face while she clenched her fists, holding back an explosion of mana that threatened to give her away right then and there.
"Are you going to intervene, Cassian?" Elizabeth asked with a spark of excitement in her eyes, sensing that my usual disinterest had vanished.
I looked closely at Seraphine, weighing the implications of revealing my presence at the auction.
"Elizabeth, find one of the tickets you saved for me," I ordered casually.
Quickly, I had three more tickets in my hands. I stored two of them in my own spatial storage; unlike ordinary rings, this one was shaped by me using the laws of space.
We made our way down to where Seraphine was standing and immediately drew attention. Seeing Elizabeth escorting someone was, in itself, something that drew everyone's attention, but the fact that that someone was me made the scene even more bizarre for those present.
Sera noticed me instantly and looked at my companion with deep confusion.
"What are you doing here, Cassian?" she asked, her voice breaking with surprise.
Without answering directly, I pulled out the piece of wood I'd set aside. A chorus of gasps of astonishment rippled through the lobby, but I didn't let the commotion ruin the moment. I had to come up with an excuse quickly so I could get out of there without further complications.
"Your grandmother asked me to pick this up at the Nexus Trading House today," I said nonchalantly.
I knew my words weren't exactly a solid excuse; why would Director Sterling ask me, of all people, to pick up something so valuable? However, in this world, the name Sylvia Sterling carried enough weight that no one dared to voice too much doubt.
"My grandmother?" Sera blinked, incredulous. "How did she manage to have one set aside especially for her? My father was convinced we'd have to pay a fortune to get one of the three being auctioned."
"I don't know, she just told me to pick it up," I lied, shrugging as I handed her the piece. "And since I saw you were here, I figured giving it to you was the same as fulfilling her request."
Doubt still hung in the air. Morgana Valois watched me with piercing curiosity, though Elizabeth's presence at my side seemed to be what baffled her the most. Cassane Windsteel looked at me with utter disbelief, as if she couldn't process what she was seeing, while Valeria Astaford seemed increasingly convinced that the Varkas' "good-for-nothing" was hiding much more than he let on.
Damian Valois, watching his control over Sera vanish in an instant, clenched his teeth in fury, knowing full well, however, that this was not the place to take it out on her.
Damian took a step back, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes, while his knuckles cracked under the pressure of his clenched fists. He knew that putting on a show in front of Elizabeth and on the territory of House Nexus would be political suicide, especially with Prince Leonardo watching from the shadows.
"Well, how timely, Varkas," Damian hissed, regaining some of his composure. "I didn't know you'd gone from being a mediocre student to the personal errand boy of the most powerful woman in the Empire. Make sure that piece gets where it's supposed to go… you wouldn't want the Director to find out you're careless with her 'errands.'"
I brushed off her venom with an almost imperceptible nod. Sera pressed the piece of wood against her chest, feeling the heat of the ancient runes that only I knew were awakening at her touch. Her crimson gaze was no longer searching for Damian; it was searching for me, filled with questions that burned hotter than the mana itself.
"Let's go, Sera," I said calmly, turning away without waiting for a response from the Valois. "Adela, the carriage."
We walked toward the exit, escorted by the deathly silence of the nobles. As we passed Cassane, I noticed her breath freezing in the air, a sign that her control was at its limit; while Valeria, leaning against a column, followed me with her gaze until I crossed the threshold.
Once outside, in the relative safety of the night and far from the prying ears of the auction, Sera took my arm, forcing me to stop under the light of a magical streetlamp.
"Cassian, look at me," she demanded, her voice trembling. "My grandmother would never ask you for something like this. She didn't even know Nexus had a fourth entrance. Where did you really get this, and why are you giving it to me?"