Chapter 125: A Date with the Villainess [Part-3]

They stopped at a few more stalls along the way, and Neo bought two skewers of grilled meat and handed one to Nora, who ate it with small bites, her eyes sparkling faintly when the taste spread across her tongue. They passed by a street performer juggling flaming torches, and Nora stopped for a full minute to watch, her gaze following every movement of the flames, while Neo stood beside her and watched her instead of the performance.

Slowly, the tense air between them began to soften, and they were walking side by side without the uncomfortable silence that had been following them since the morning.

They were passing through a crowded square in the centre of the city when a voice rose above the noise of the crowd, a loud, cheerful voice of a young man standing on top of a wooden crate, waving a roll of paper in his hands.

"The auction is starting soon! Rare treasures, ancient artefacts, and exotic goods from across the continent! Don’t miss the annual Valoria Grand Auction, which begins within the hour at the Grand Hall! Come, come, everyone is welcome!"

Neo’s ears perked up at the word ’auction’, and Nora also turned her head towards the voice, her violet eyes shifting to the crowd gathering around the crate.

"An auction, huh... I forgot that it was around this time of the year."

Nora looked at him, tilting her head slightly in a silent question.

"The Grand Auction of Valoria. It is held once a year, and I remember hearing from Father that all kinds of strange items are sold there, from rare herbs to ancient weapons. Do you want to go and take a look?"

Nora thought for a moment, and then she gave a small nod. Neo smiled, and the two of them followed the crowd towards the Grand Hall, which stood on the northern side of the square, a huge building with towering pillars and a golden dome shining under the sun.

A long line of people had already gathered in front of the main entrance, nobles in elegant clothes with attendants trailing behind them, wealthy merchants carrying purses, and masked buyers who wanted to keep their identities hidden. Neo was about to join the line when a man in a black uniform, wearing the emblem of the hall on his chest, approached them quickly and bowed.

"Excuse me, young master, young lady. Please, come this way."

"Huh? We are just here to join the line..."

"Please, this way," the man repeated, his eyes darting to the side of Neo’s hood, where a few strands of silver hair had slipped out, and Neo realised that the man had recognised him. "The Young Master of the Draven family does not need to wait in line. We have prepared a VIP room for you."

Neo hesitated, and then he sighed, as there was no use hiding it any longer. He pulled down his hood slightly and nodded, and the man led them through a side entrance, past the long queue, where several people turned to stare at the strange pair, a silver-haired boy with bunny ears and a violet-haired girl with devil horns being escorted by a staff member.

"Wow, who are they?"

"Did you see that? Silver hair... Could that be the Draven heir?"

The whispers followed them, and Neo pulled the hood back up in embarrassment, while Nora walked calmly beside him, completely ignoring the stares.

They were led up a spiral staircase to the second floor, into a private box with a large window overlooking the central stage of the hall, where velvet curtains were hanging, and rows of seats were already filling up with guests below. The box was furnished with two soft couches and a small table, with a tray of fruit and wine placed on top of it.

"Please make yourselves comfortable. The auction will begin shortly."

The staff member bowed and left. Neo walked to the window and looked down at the hall, the crowd of nobles and merchants murmuring in anticipation, and Nora sat on the couch with her back straight, taking off the cloak that hung over her arm and folding it neatly.

Neo was about to sit down when his gaze caught a figure stepping onto the stage, and he stiffened.

A middle-aged man in a luxurious dark-blue robe with golden embroidery walked to the centre of the stage, holding a small gavel in his hand, with a face wearing a polite smile that did not reach his eyes. His gaze swept across the hall, and when it passed over the VIP box on the second floor and landed on Neo, the smile on his face tightened for a brief, barely noticeable moment, before it returned to its smooth, professional form.

Neo narrowed his eyes. He recognised that man perfectly.

’Lord Hallen... The auctioneer.’

He remembered the name from the conversations he had overheard in his father’s study. The man work under Royal family, and he came to the Draven dukedom once every year to open the Grand Auction. Though the auction was held within his father’s territory, all of the revenue from the taxes was sent straight to the royal family, and not a single coin of it was ever used for the dukedom.

His father had sent a letter of complaint several times, pointing out that the auction was taking place on the Draven land and was using its roads, guards, and resources, and that at least part of the tax should be returned to the dukedom. But the royal family had dismissed every letter, saying that the auction was an event under the Crown’s protection, and that the territory merely had the honour of hosting it, which was a privilege and not a burden. And in exchange of shutting his father mouth, they just offered them any item with a half of the actual bidding price, as they already knows the duke would never come to such a auction, as the Draven family already have enough treasures in their arsenal.

’A privilege, huh... They take the money, and we get the honour. What kind of joke is that?’

Neo’s hand tightened on the window frame, and he noticed that the man on the stage was still glancing in his direction from time to time, as if he was uneasy about having the Draven heir sitting in the audience. It was a small detail, but Neo caught it clearly, and he narrowed his eyes further.

’He doesn’t like me being here. Why? Is there something that he doesn’t want me to see?’

A soft tug on his sleeve pulled him out of his thoughts. Neo looked down and saw Nora looking up at him, the devil horns still sitting on her head, and she tilted her head slightly towards the couch, silently telling him to sit down. Neo exhaled slowly and let go of the window frame, and he sat down beside her, though his eyes remained fixed on the stage.

’Well, whatever it is, I’ll find out sooner or later.’

Down below, the murmurs of the crowd slowly faded as the lights of the hall dimmed, and the golden spotlight fell on the man in the centre of the stage. He raised his gavel high and smiled widely at the audience, his voice echoing through the vast hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, welcome to the Grand Auction of Valoria. Let us begin!"

The gavel came down with a sharp crack, and the auction started.