Chapter 29
An auctioneer, presumably the host, appeared on the auction platform.
He first bowed politely to the attendees of the auction.
“Good day, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for your patience! I hope you weren’t too bored while waiting. Now, let’s get started with the auction you’ve all been waiting for!”
With that shout, the first item was brought out. It was a set of luxurious teacups, lavishly gilded with gold, giving them an opulent appearance.
Though my attention was momentarily drawn to it, I reminded myself that I wasn’t here to shop. I was only after the Rosier flower pot, so I mostly let the other auctions pass by.
I didn’t have the money to spend on such items anyway. I had no rights over any money at the moment.
Although Richard provided me with an allowance for maintaining appearances, I still found it difficult to use.
However, it was fun to look around. There were plenty of interesting and beautiful items to see, I could watch the people participating in the auction, and there were performances in between to keep things from getting too dull.
Watching the people was refreshing, and the performances during the breaks were very enjoyable, so it seemed like the kind of place one could come to even without a specific purpose—just for a good time.
If I had the money, it might be nice to buy something every now and then.
At first, I thought an auction would be a stiff, businesslike affair of buying and selling items, but there was much more entertainment than I’d imagined.
All of it was probably meant as a courtesy to the waiting customers.
After a while, the auction continued, and finally, the item I had been waiting for appeared on the platform.
“The next item up for auction is a Rosier flower pot! Though the flower hasn’t bloomed yet, it’s highly sought after as a key ingredient in the treatment of several incurable diseases. Now, let’s begin the bidding for the Rosier flower pot!”
The starting price was 1,000 gold.
Richard intermittently joined the bidding to indicate his intention to purchase.
The price, which had started at 1,000 gold, had risen to 5,210 gold as several people competed in the auction.
The price was much higher than I had anticipated, and I found myself sitting quietly, holding my breath.
I knew the Rosier was expensive, but for an unbloomed flower to go for over 5,000 gold was surprising.
Considering that my father had received 30,000 gold from Richard, it was hard to believe that a single flower pot could be worth that much.
Of course, for someone whose life depended on it, it was different.
Eventually, the bidding between Richard and another party continued until Richard won the Rosier for 5,430 gold.
“Well, are we staying longer?” Richard asked me, as if his business was now complete after winning the flower pot.
Despite the large sum of money involved, he showed no attachment or regret.
“If you want to stay, I’ll wait. If not, we can leave. The choice is yours.”
“Hmm.”
I was indeed curious to see how the rest of the auction would unfold.
However, given the large number of attendees, if we waited until the auction ended and everyone left, it would probably take hours just for a single carriage to exit. By then, it would be well past nightfall when we arrived back at the estate.
There was no need to think any further. Rather than sticking around a bit longer and then getting stuck here for hours, it seemed wiser to return to the estate early.
“Let’s go. We got the flower, so there’s no need to stay.”
“Surprising. I thought you’d want to stay and look around more.”
Sometimes, it felt like Richard could read my mind.
“I’d like to, but I’m worried about rush hour.”
“Rush… what?”
“It’s a thing. In simpler terms, it’s like a traffic jam with carriages.”
Upon hearing this, Richard nodded in understanding.
“You’re right. If we wait until the auction ends, we’ll get stuck waiting for carriages to leave. Good thinking.”
With a short compliment, Richard led the way out of the VIP room.
I was able to follow him and leave the auction house.
While a staff member went to call for the carriage from the Count of Theodore’s household, Richard stopped by the office to collect the Rosier pot.
This was something he could have easily had an attendant do, but he brought it to me himself, placing it in my hands.
The Rosier he bought this time was larger than the one he purchased before. It seemed like this one had been growing for a longer period. The leaves also had a slightly rougher texture.
As I was examining it curiously, the Theodore household’s carriage pulled up in front of us.
With Richard’s help, I climbed into the carriage, and we began our journey back to the Count’s estate.
“Don’t you want to visit the night market again? Since there was an auction today, the market should be open as well,” Richard said suddenly.
I glanced at the night market scenery outside the window and smiled softly.
“No need. We’ve already been there once, and since we bought the Rosier today, let’s just head straight back to the estate.”
“All right, then.”
The carriage continued on toward the Count’s estate.
* * *
And so, I ended up with two Rosier pots.
I sat by the window in my room, looking at the two pots and quietly thinking to myself.
What if neither of these pots blooms? What a waste of money that would be.
If that happened, Richard would have just thrown away money for nothing.
Sighing softly, I resolved never to buy another Rosier unless the flower had already bloomed.
After all, a flowerless pot was practically worthless.
I also decided to give up on following Richard around to get more Rosier pots.
I wasn’t even sure if they would have any effect. The thought of carrying around a pot worth over 5,000 gold made me uncomfortable.
It was easier when I just vaguely knew they were expensive.
Now that I knew the exact price, I couldn’t tell if I was holding a flower pot or a pile of money.
With that settled, I decided to go through the books again to see if there was some other condition I had overlooked.
I had to rely on the two case studies I had found.
One involved the daughter of a commoner couple, and the other was the head of a well-known merchant guild.
Could there be any other common factors between them?
As I silently stared at the two pots, I began to think again about what I needed to do to get the Rosier flowers to bloom.
Was there something I was missing?
“Madam, I’ve brought your tea.”
Luen came in, pushing a trolley.
She began setting the tea and snacks on the table in front of me.
“So, now you have two pots?” Luen asked, glancing at the Rosier pots by the window. I nodded twice in response.
“Yes. I went to the nearby auction where it was listed, and I won the bid.”
“Have you still not figured out the conditions for blooming?”
“Not at all.”
Luen crossed her arms and stared intently at the Rosier pots. Then she turned to me and said, “Madam, do you think it might require magic?”
“Magic?”
“Yes, magic. If the flower doesn’t bloom under normal circumstances, it seems like there could be some magical mechanism involved.”
It was hard to believe that it wasn’t magic. How could something naturally not bloom so easily?
However, using magic seemed awkward too.
How could I possibly bring a mage from a mage’s tower to make the flower bloom?
Moreover, if it were possible to make the flower bloom through such a method, it would have already been known as a blooming method.
Books on the subject also stated that the conditions for blooming were unknown, suggesting that it wasn’t a straightforward process.
Still…
“I’ll look into it.”
If I end up going to the capital for the trial, I should visit the mage’s tower and see if they could enchant it.
It didn’t seem like that method was correct, but you never know.
Thinking this, I checked the calendar.
There were less than ten days left until the first trial.
“Right. Luen, could you call Olivier?”
“Yes, madam. Please wait a moment.”
She gave a charming nod and left the room. Soon after, Olivier entered my bedroom.
“You called for me, madam?”
“Yes, Olivier. Has Richard mentioned or left any messages regarding the trial?”
I called her because, since the trial date was set, Richard hadn’t given me any significant updates.
Although he seemed to be hiring people and preparing things for the trial, he hadn’t shared any details with me.
The only thing he shared was the trial date.
Olivier, sensing my concern, smiled reassuringly.
“No, there haven’t been any specific messages yet. The trial preparations are going smoothly, and we won’t know if any additional measures or materials are needed until after the first trial date.”
“I see.”
Indeed, since we had prepared as much as we could, it seemed like we’d be able to determine what more, if anything, was needed once the trial began.
So, I felt a little better about Richard not giving me additional information.
“Don’t worry too much and stay calm. Everything is going smoothly, so things will work out as you wish.”
Olivier whispered comfortingly.
I hoped everything would go as Olivier said, but I was still a bit anxious about the first trial. The last words from my father, who visited the estate and then left, also weighed on my mind.
As I thought about this, a faint, hollow laugh escaped me.
Richard’s help had allowed me to hold on this far; otherwise, I might have canceled the trial registration and backed out by now. Of course, that was only because of the mental burden I felt.
