"Ricardo?"
All my tension dissipated in an instant. Letting out a sigh of relief, I plopped down on the spot.
"If you barge in like that, it’s scary!"
"I apologize. But I thought I wouldn’t get the chance to talk to you if not now."
"I wasn’t trying to blame you."
I just felt relieved.
To think Ricardo was sitting beside me. I was so grateful.
When I removed my mask with my hand, Ricardo approached me.
"Do you need help, by any chance?"
"……."
I had no idea where to begin.
There was someone after Arkan, and I couldn’t let it be taken?
Someone was threatening me……?
"No, it’s not like that."
But this was something I had to deal with on my own.
After all, I wasn’t trying to keep Arkan for anyone else’s sake.
As I firmly refused, he gently tucked my loose hair behind my ear.
"I need your help."
"……What?"
Ricardo gave an awkward smile.
"I think the person sitting next to me found out that I’m the Duke."
Ricardo got found out?
That didn’t make sense.
"They must be really perceptive."
"Yes. That’s why I need your help."
He removed his name tag and held it out to me.
"I’d like you to play the role of guest number 22 until the auction ends."
"……That means you’ll be number 23?"
"Um, I guess that’s how it sounds."
Ricardo pushed the name tag toward me again, as if urging me to take it.
"I don’t think we need to go this far."
Ricardo just had to pull himself together from now on.
"I’m not good at dealing with women. If strange rumors start to spread, it’ll put me in a difficult position too."
……True, since the rumors between Ricardo and me hadn’t even been cleared up yet.
If another rumor spread because a woman held a grudge, it would definitely cause trouble.
But it would be obvious.
Ricardo was significantly larger than me.
But as if he had noticed my concern, he added,
"It’s a robe distributed by Lady Lily. No one will notice."
In the end, I agreed.
"Then only until the next break."
"Thank you."
"……And try not to talk to the guest sitting next to you. The shop will handle that person."
His reply was a bit delayed.
"I’ll keep that in mind."
* * *
The youngest daughter of Count Rowain, Amy.
She hadn’t been able to sleep for the past few days.
‘Not only did I become the princess’s maid, I got invited to the Moon’s Auction!’
Lovely Princess Hestia.
After finishing her service at the convent, the first thing she did was clean the house. Most of the maids were dismissed and newly hired.
One of them was Amy Rowain—herself!
They said beautiful flowers attract bugs. That saying was spot-on. Too many people were jealous of Princess Hestia.
Especially Bianca Roygin.
Even though she fell into the lake by tripping on her own, she held a grudge and punished the princess. She must have lied to that so-called heroic grandfather.
But the princess didn’t even make an excuse about it.
With that kind of gentleness, how was she supposed to survive in this harsh world?
〈There’s something I want.〉
And yet, the princess had found something she wanted to get her hands on.
〈Amy, could you attend the auction and just fill the seat for me?〉
It was none other than the cursed necklace said to be made by the Tower Master.
A magical item that returns you to your most glorious time. And it even made unattractive people look beautiful.
It was incredibly tempting.
Had the princess sensed my desire?
The princess promised to lend me the necklace willingly.
‘Now I’ll have no choice but to be loyal forever.’
A day filled with only good luck. Even the person sitting next to her was perfect.
His face was covered, but he had a graceful build at a glance.
Since it was a seat prepared by the princess, everyone here must be prominent figures from the Empire.
Wanting to become friendly, she tried talking to him, and he actually replied.
Though his tone was a bit curt, his arrogance screamed high-ranking noble.
And her hunch was somewhat correct.
‘……!’
The man accidentally dropped a button from his pocket. When she checked the button that rolled to her feet, Amy nearly had a heart attack.
‘House of Duke Hessen!’
Yes, that crest definitely belonged to the Duke’s family.
Ricardo Hessen, the most outstanding man in the Empire. The person who had been sitting next to her was him.
〈May I have that back?〉
His voice was altered, but to Amy, it sounded incredibly sweet.
If she could just get that necklace……
Maybe he’d like her.
She tried talking to him several more times afterward, but the Duke didn’t respond to any of her words. It was annoying, but thinking about the face under the mask made her heart flutter.
Even during the break, Amy anxiously waited for the Duke. After the break ended, the man returned to his seat.
"Did you enjoy your break?"
She asked in a voice laced with affection, as if she had been waiting. The Duke paused, then nodded.
He finally responded!
The Duke must like affectionate women.
With newfound realization, Amy cautiously approached him.
"What kind of item did you come to buy?"
"I haven’t…… decided on one yet."
P-Polite speech returned.
And he even sounded a bit bashful.
Amy calmed her heart, which seemed like it would leap out at any moment.
For reference, her type was shy men.
Not arrogant noble lords!
* * *
‘Something feels off.’
The initial goal was to give appropriate responses while still drawing a clear line.
I definitely drew a line…….
But why did the person sitting next to me keep leaning in closer?
Before I realized it, I was pressed right up against the right armrest.
"Our tastes match perfectly. Is this fate? Hehe, it’s not easy to find someone you click with in a place like this."
Judging by how loose her tongue was, she seemed to have had a good drink before coming.
But the problem was—there was no smell of alcohol!
"I-I think it’d be best if you moved a little away."
At my words, guest number 21 shifted her butt just a smidge, like an ant’s sneeze.
Wow, I’m seriously going to lose it.
Ricardo, just what kind of battle were you fighting!
It was brutal, but in a completely different way from before.
"You can move even farther away."
When I said it calmly, she backed off again. But her face still loomed close to mine.
"……Your face too, if possible."
"You’re really shy, huh?"
I just wanted to cry.
I wanted to look toward Ricardo, but because of the person next to me, I couldn’t do anything.
〈Where do you think you’re looking! The auction is happening straight ahead!〉
Where did it all go wrong…….
Should I have dropped the formal speech like Ricardo?
But wouldn’t that just confirm his identity as the Duke?
I had no idea how he’d been acting before I arrived, so I was completely in the dark.
"And now, we’re down to the final item!"
At that moment, the host made a show of wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. At the mention of the final item, people began to sit up properly one by one.
"This item is! A scarf from the most famous Pierre of Carpea!"
But at his next words, complaints started pouring in from all around.
"This isn’t the item I heard about?"
"Don’t tell me you lied to the customers?"
It wasn’t entirely unexpected.
But these people aren’t just customers right now.
"Huh. It can’t be the last item already."
"Now, now, everyone calm down! This scarf is undoubtedly a remarkable piece too! It’s perfect as a gift for someone bedridden……."
Whack!
The host couldn’t finish his sentence. One of the guests, unable to hold back their anger, hurled a water bottle at his head.