“Welcome, Your Highness!”
Upon hearing the news that Kayden, the foundation’s biggest benefactor, had arrived, the chairman of Lireul Foundation rushed out to greet him. The chairman bowed deeply in front of Kayden, ignoring the surprised looks from other guests.
“Thank you so much, Your Highness. Thanks to you, we were able to save many children. Truly… thank you.”
In truth, the financial situation of the Lireul Foundation had been very precarious. Compared to other well-known foundations, the Lireul Foundation was not widely recognized, and thus, it had fewer sponsors.
Chairman Lireul had been covering most of the operating costs out of his own pocket, but as the number of children in need increased, so did the expenses. When the foundation’s very existence was in jeopardy, it was Kayden, the third prince, who miraculously provided a large donation.
The news that Kayden, who was the next strongest candidate for the throne after Princess Rebecca, supported the Lireul Foundation quickly spread among the nobles. Nobles, eager to connect with Kayden, began inquiring about sponsoring the foundation, allowing the chairman to secure both the foundation and the children.
The chairman was so grateful that he bowed several times until Kayden stopped him. He then straightened up and turned his gaze to Diana. “And this lady is…?”
“This is my wife, Diana Bluebell.”
“Nice to meet you.” Diana smiled gently and nodded.
Chairman Lireul widened his eyes in surprise. Overcome with excitement at meeting Kayden, he spoke enthusiastically. “Ooh, so this is the lady from the fateful meeting I’ve heard so much about. You two make a wonderful couple. If it’s not too much trouble, perhaps you could visit the orphanage together someday… Gasp! I’m so sorry! The joy of meeting you has made me speak out of turn…!”
Realizing his mistake a moment too late, Chairman Lireul quickly bowed in fear. All the blood drained from his body as he felt cold sweat trickle down, squeezing his eyes shut in embarrassment.
Oh no, what have I done? Whenever he had requested support from nobles, he had often faced similar reactions.
“An orphanage?”
“Yes. If you have any doubts, you can visit the facilities run by the Lireul Foundation before deciding to support…”
“Are you seriously asking me to set foot in such a filthy, smelly place?”
In rare cases, ill-tempered and stingy nobles had even beaten and expelled him when he sought their support. Of course, most nobles weren’t that extreme. However, they all tended to avoid actually seeing the environment or the children the foundation supported. They spent money to showcase their generosity and affluence, not to engage with the starving children on the streets.
If even the nobles were like that, the imperial family would be even worse. Thinking like that, the chairman trembled in fear. He stammered, trying to retract his words.
“Thanks to the donation, we have fully refurbished the facilities. They may seem modest compared to the palace, but at least the smell… Ne-Never mind. It would be better to visit a fine restaurant or watch a play if you have time…”
“Chairman Lireul.”
“Y-Yes?”
But instead of the harsh words or violence he expected, a gentle hand rested on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up to see Kayden and Diana smiling at him. He couldn’t believe his eyes for a moment.
Kayden smiled warmly and patted his shoulder. “There’s no need to be so tense. You didn’t say anything wrong.”
“B-But…”
“It’s really okay. I like children,” Diana added, echoing Kayden’s reassurance.
Chairman Lireul blinked in confusion, but Kayden and Diana still wore warm smiles.
“When we have time, we’ll visit the orphanage together. Don’t be surprised if we show up unexpectedly.”
“Although I might worry a bit about making a mistake despite my fondness for the children.”
Moved by their kind words, Chairman Lireul felt a lump in his throat. He looked at the imperial couple with slightly teary eyes. If it’s these people… They might indeed make excellent leaders.
He secretly hoped so and led the two inside, feeling tears well up slightly.
* * *
“Oh my, look over there.”
“It’s the third prince and his wife.”
“And behind them… isn’t that the knight who performed so well in the recent defense battle?”
“He looks quite impressive, doesn’t he…?”
As Kayden, Diana, and Antar entered the charity auction hall guided by Chairman Lireul, people whispered in awe. Whether they noticed the gazes or not, Kayden consistently escorted Diana with a gentle demeanor.
Kayden and Diana sat together in the front row while Antar sat nearby. As Diana took her seat, she glanced to the side. Her gaze fell on Fiona, who was talking with Cedric in the seats of the right block.
Shortly after Kayden and Diana sat down, the auction hall lights dimmed, and the chatter quieted. Soon, the hall was completely dark. After a brief silence, the spotlight illuminated Chairman Lireul on stage.
People applauded as Chairman Lireul greeted them politely. He straightened up and spoke with a smile. “Thank you to all the benefactors who graced this event despite your busy schedules. Now, let’s begin the fourth Lireul Charity Auction. The first item is a pair of women’s earrings!”
Chairman Lireul exclaimed as he unveiled the display case. On the cushion inside the case, a pair of large emerald earrings sparkled.
“Starting at 500,000 Mote.”
“500,000.”
“Yes, we have the first bidder! If no one offers a higher bid by the count of ten, these earrings will go to them!”
A couple more bidders emerged after that. Although the earrings were clearly for women, all the bidders were men. Watching this, Kayden leaned towards Diana and whispered.
“It was a good idea to replace the donation item. If I had been careless, I might have almost sent you to another man.”
The items sold at the charity auction are usually donated. And the money from the sales is used entirely for the foundation’s operating funds. Usually, that’s how charity auctions work, but the Lireul Foundation came up with a clever idea to cover their operating costs.
“…Yes, 700,000 Mote! Sold for 700,000 Mote! We’ll verify the donor and the purchaser’s identities after the auction, so please be patient!”
They arranged for the donor and the purchaser of an item to dine together. This drew considerable interest among the nobles of the capital and kept the Lireul Foundation afloat.
At the end of the auction, they would call the donor and the purchaser to the stage and then guide them to the banquet hall. Although everyone would dine in the banquet hall after the auction, the matched pairs would get individual tables. Whether they built a good relationship or chose to ignore each other afterward was unknown. The random pairing without knowing each other’s identity particularly intrigued unmarried men and women.
What Diana was aiming for was that one meal.
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ooh that’s an interesting auction idea~