There was no trace of hesitation in Nereus’ eyes. The same was true for Clara, standing beside him, whose face only showed a proud expression without a hint of embarrassment. I recalled the conversation I had with Clara before we departed.
“Lala~ How do I look? Pretty?”
“Yes, you’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen.”
“Right? I’m playing the role of a girl raised in a precious household, doted on by her dad, thinking I’m the most beautiful and perfect.”
‘What kind of role is that even supposed to be?’
Clara had an eye for delicate, lovely things. When she packed for this journey, she made a big deal about carrying so many books, only for me to realize they were probably some new, quirky romance novels.
Well, as long as Clara was enjoying herself, that’s what mattered. Her happy smile was nice to see.
“Dad, I told you. Why did you come so quietly like this?”
“Hoho, my daughter. Isn’t it good to experience something simple for once? I raised you too delicately, so I’m worried about how you’ll live independently one day.”
“Independent? I’m going to be your daughter forever~”
I still don’t get it.
What kind of concept is this even supposed to be? Nereus and Clara seemed to be on the same wavelength. Clara laughed with a ‘kya~’ while Nereus responded with a gentle ‘hoho…’.
Usually, such antics wouldn’t work. No one would have guessed that she would pull this off in an auction on a ship.
And it wasn’t as if she was pulling some typical ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ move, yelling out her family name or the name of her trading company.
I sighed heavily, tugging at Nereus’ clothes.
“Dad, Dad. Show them what you brought.”
“Oh, yes, alright.”
Only then did Nereus leisurely hand over a small velvet box to the attendant. The attendant shook it cautiously with a suspicious look, then opened it.
“…This is.”
Even though he tried to stay calm, I could tell he was shaken. He stared closely at the necklace’s jewel before speaking.
“I’ll call the assistant manager over for a moment.”
Soon enough, a man with an air of arrogance appeared.
“I need to confirm this briefly.”
Wearing gloves and holding a magnifying glass, he carefully inspected each jewel on the necklace.
‘Why does he look like that?’
With each gem he examined, the assistant manager’s expression grew more serious.
“This is definitely genuine.”
“Do people even bring counterfeits here?”
They do. After all, there’s a reason why people say that goods in places like these are either hits or total flops.
‘More importantly, genuine?’
The gems on that necklace were clearly not glass. This meant his comment wasn’t about the quality of the gems; he was verifying if the necklace itself was genuine.
Nereus seemed to pick up on the atmosphere. Glancing slyly at Clara, he signaled to her. Clara, in a flirtatious tone, spoke to him.
“Daddy~ Can’t I have that necklace, too? You always give presents to the youngest, but I want one, too. Please?”
I’m not sure what character Clara was drawing inspiration from, but she was good at playing the role of a spoiled daughter.
At the mention of ‘youngest,’ the people before us all looked at me. Rolling my eyes playfully, I assessed the situation.
After quickly calculating, I half-hid behind Nereus and looked up at the assistant manager.
“Dad, these people are looking at me strangely. Did I do something wrong?”
Embarrassment only lasts a moment. Nereus tensed up. Knowing my usual tone and behavior, he was trying hard to stifle his laughter.
It wasn’t until I pressed my elbow into his shin that he finally spoke up.
“Are you threatening my daughter? How dare you?”
He may have been pretending to be a fool, but he exuded a menacing aura well enough. Nereus was surely planning to tease me by imitating my speech once we returned to the ship, but the men in front of us had no way of knowing that.
“Ahem. That’s not….”
Their reaction was a bit over the top for just a simple necklace. And with Clara’s comment about a ‘gift’ and the focus on me, there was definitely something unusual going on.
The three of us quickly exchanged glances so fast that the men before us wouldn’t notice.
Thunk—!
Nereus slammed the lid of the box containing the necklace shut with his large hand.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Pardon, sir?”
With the glaring light above casting shadows over his large frame, Nereus looked down, his face covered in shadows. To us, he might have seemed goofy, but to outsiders, Nereus projected an intimidating presence.
Not only children but even grown adults would be frightened by him.
“My daughter is scared. Instead of leaving this here, it would be better to give it to my eldest.”
Of course, that was a blatant lie.
If the ‘gift’ tactic didn’t work, Nereus would likely cause a ‘small commotion’ on this ship and seize the goods anyway.
The only reason he hadn’t taken that route yet was because there were many aristocrats from the Western Continent on board. If one of them was an envoy from the Sixth Family, it could get troublesome.
‘This auction must be running wild because powerful people with high positions are involved, which is why it’s so hard to shut down.’
It wasn’t without reason that this place was considered one of the navy’s biggest headaches. Despite its refined exterior, it was a place where all manner of illegal goods were bought and sold.
“I’m also tired of people watching us in the corridor.”
“Dad, you said there would be lots of fun things here, but this is way below expectations. Let’s just go back and throw a party. Okay?”
Rolling my eyes, I decided to add something to Clara’s comment.
“It would be more entertaining to watch the ship blow up like before.”
‘They’re reacting.’
I noticed the attendant’s hand behind the assistant manager trembling slightly. It seemed to be because of the value of the item.
“My apologies for the discourtesy. Please, this way….”
The assistant manager, perhaps having quickly done his calculations, gestured to let us in, but Nereus didn’t budge from his spot.
“I never said I’d give it to you, did I?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m offended. A friend recommended this as a fun place, and yet they humiliated me in front of my daughters? I have no desire to stay here any longer.”
“….….”
Clara swiftly snatched the box from the assistant manager’s hand, and Nereus stuffed his hands into his pockets with a defiant posture.
“Call the manager.”
***
There are numerous auction ships at sea. While each has its specialties, the items auctioned differ from ship to ship. The reputation among auction ships varies depending on the type and rarity of the items offered—as well as the ratio of genuine to counterfeit goods.
Among them, this auction ship, situated closest to the Western Continent, had not been doing very well recently.
‘If it keeps going like this, we’ll be abandoned by him.’
The owners of all the Western Continent’s sea auctions were controlled by one person, a name they didn’t even dare imagine. The manager could not bear the thought of being cast aside by that supreme figure.
Given this, the mysterious person who suddenly appeared and offered such an item was not someone he could simply dismiss.
Gazing at the necklace on the table between the sofas, emitting an elegant glow, he swallowed nervously.
‘To think it showed up here.’
The necklace had a top-tier, luminous stone at its center, adorned with Pigeon Blood rubies and D-grade diamonds draped in a lace-like web. But it wasn’t just the number of jewels that made the auction house employees covet it.
This necklace was once worn by the princess of Laos, an island kingdom that was mysteriously destroyed years ago.
Laos was a wealthy kingdom that, despite its sudden fall, had no citizens going hungry, and its people were deeply loyal to the royal family.
The most beloved among the royals was Aracely of Laos. However, the kingdom began to decline with her death, as the citizens started dying one by one until it ultimately met its end.
There were many theories, including one suggesting that an unseen hand from a powerful underworld organization—which even the Sixth Family couldn’t control—was involved. However, the manager didn’t buy into that.
‘The Byle Pirates claimed they would soon arrive with something extraordinary….’
The captain of the Baire Pirates, Byle, was a cunning man. Thanks to him, this auction house managed to keep its doors open with some dignity. However, the issue was that Byle also knew his own value very well. He would only auction his goods if the commission was significantly lowered, leaving almost no profit margin.
Still, it was better than nothing. This time, Byle had promised something special, so there were high expectations, but then the news came that he had been captured.
No matter how much the manager inquired about any treasures Byle might have been carrying, there seemed to be no notable reactions, indicating there were likely no significant treasures on his ship.
‘Looks like he was just planning to bring some counterfeit trinkets this time.’
After all, Byle was a pirate. The auction house dealt with stolen goods from pirates, but they didn’t necessarily trust the pirates themselves.
‘But these people don’t look like pirates….’
The design of Aracely Laos’ necklace was not widely known. The princess had treasured it so much that she never took it out of the kingdom.
The reason this necklace had become a topic of interest was that she had been wearing it when she met her end.
Collectors all coveted it, and even the nobility, under the guise of ‘tragedy,’ eyed it subtly.
“What is the reason you are choosing to sell this necklace?”
The people sitting before him did not appear to be in need of money, nor did they look like disguised pirates. After all, they had brought along a young girl with emerald-green, ocean-colored hair. No pirate would travel with a young girl.
The little girl, called ‘Lala,’ was drinking the cocoa her father had given her with such focus that she seemed determined not to leave a single drop. When her cup was empty, she licked her lips in slight disappointment.
“The design is outdated,”
Nereus replied nonchalantly.
“My eldest daughter is intrigued by anything that sparkles, but I doubt she’d actually wear it.”
“If she does, we’d have to break it apart and redesign it. Don’t you think it doesn’t suit me?”
“Well, Clara does look better with something a bit cuter.”
“Right~ Lala, don’t you think so, too? That one looks too old-fashioned. I’m still in the prime of my teens, after all~”
Laughing together, they looked more like sisters than strangers, chatting casually. The manager began piecing together the background of the people before him.
‘The man in front looks like he might be of slave descent.’
Even though he dressed neatly, his origins were hard to disguise. As the one running the auction house, he prided himself on being a good judge of people.
From his observations, it was clear the man likely came from a slave background, but he was a clever one. He probably managed to turn on his former master and escape into the underworld.
In fact, many prominent figures and infamous criminals in the underworld were former slaves.
‘My instincts aren’t wrong. Since they don’t seem fully aware of the origins of this necklace, I might be able to negotiate a bit more favorably.’
He swallowed nervously, pondering how to extract more profit from these people who couldn’t recognize the true value of the necklace. Just then, an empty mug clinked against the table.
“Mister.”
“Yes?”
The young girl, with a clear, piercing voice, addressed the manager.
“I can hear the gears turning in your head.”*
🍓; expression used to describe someone thinking hard or trying to figure something out. It suggests that the person is deep in thought, like the sound of gears moving inside a machine.
