Episode 62

'Fortunately, it's still before the auction starts. It's before the presenter comes in.'

Elisha bit her lip and brushed her forehead. I glanced at the wound on her shoulder.

'Fortunately, it doesn't look like a fatal wound.'

Although her blood didn't stop. It probably seemed like that. She was tolerable

She strode away, ignoring the shocked eyes of Arien and Carola. At the back of the auction house, there was a small refreshment table prepared for them.

Elisha put the whip between her armpits. Then, she pulled the tablecloth out. Glasses and refreshments crumbled, making a loud noise.

Fortunately, the tablecloth was black. It was a short thing with lace. Elisha wrapped it around her shoulder with her trembling hands.

“You……. What are you doing?”

Arien asked, pointing at Elisha with a trembling hand. Elisha ignored Arien's words. Her hair was a mess Elisha completely undid her hair from her ponytail.

And Elisha, who had her garter belt on her thigh, lifted her skirt and put a short horsewhip through her garter belt.

'Blood……. It doesn't stop.'

Elisha bit her teeth hard. She then pressed down on the tablecloth with one hand to stop the bleeding, and with her other hand she worked her hair. Her golden blonde hair fluttered.

'I can't concentrate because it hurts.'

Elisha always tried to keep her head still. Pain crept into her still mind. Her head was spinning. She pressed her temples together as she slowly tried to come to her senses.

'Concentration. Let's focus Calmness is the only way to survive.'

It was a spell that had saved Elisha from her previous life several times. Even when she was beaten by Jacob or Carola, even when she was cornered, she, Elisha, always survived.

“Where did you get a spectacle?”

As it was, Elisha fired at Arien and Carola and sat down next to them.

'What should I do with this?'

Arien's hands trembled and Carola's face was pale. They didn't even think that Elisha would even get stabbed by her sword.

“Hey, you don't feel like you should be here, do you?”

Arien said. She, of course, didn't care about Elisha in the slightest about her. She was afraid that doing this would make her responsible. She was Elisha. She was no big deal, but Lucerne's anger was scary.

“My condition, why?”

“You…….”

Arienne was at her speechless. She couldn't bear to speak. She was stabbed. Now, Elisha is certain that Arien was stabbed by one of her bosses.

“I must be crazy. Is it time to auction? Carola looks so strange and scary!”

“I am fine. What do I mean? Do you all look at nothing?”

Carola and Arien had their first speechless experience. Most of them have lived their lives saying what they want to say.

“We have to postpone the auction.”

Arien said reluctantly. Elisha smiled coldly.

“How do I trust you?”

“Hey, if you ruin yourself in a pointless battle of pride, only you have to lose.”

Then there was the sound of the door opening. It was the door to the inner office. The mayor and the auctioneer came out as observers.

“Move quickly.”

Elisha said with a look that was even her venomous.

“Are you going to become an asshole because of your pride fight? Are you crazy?”

Arien said.

The word fool really stimulated Elisha. Arien from her previous life said. She said that she would make Elisha completely useless and send her back.

“An ego fight?”

Elisha answered quietly.

“Why do you say it's a futile fight? My pride is my husband's pride. It's a couple's honor. I will do anything to keep it.”

Elisha spoke calmly and aloof, but her cold anger toward Arien dripped from her eyes.

“You……. The lowly thing is that I'm crazy that I'll try to win. Yes?”

Elisha smiled coldly.

“I'd rather die than lose to you. Even if it's a hundred or a thousand times, I risk my life. And, I will hold you accountable for this.”

At that moment, Carola and Arien realized. That they were misunderstanding something. It was not a low and precious matter.

'I guess Lucerne didn't marry this bitch out of the blue.'

There was no mate in the world without a reason. Lucerne had brought a woman just like me.

She was a poisonous snake, a poisonous snake's mate. She was not to be taken lightly. She wasn't going to end up fooling around with shallow moves.

Carola and Arienne felt the threat rising up to their chins.

“What's wrong?”

Then the auctioneer who heard the commotion came out. Since he was a public official belonging to the city hall, he had a keen sense of not wanting to get involved in this. The mayor, who soon agreed to supervise this auction along with officials, was also standing by.

“The auction start time has passed.”

Elisha said coldly. At the same time people looked at the clock.

“If there is a problem, we cannot proceed with the auction…….”

“Come on, let's begin.”

Elisha was getting more and more intolerable of the pain. She maintained a quiet tone, but then she could not stand it any longer and urged the moderator.

“Hurry!”

Everyone in her room was overwhelmed by Elisha's momentum.

“Then let's begin.”

Bang. A wooden mallet was struck signaling the start of the auction. The audience seats opened and people came in like a tide. There was a fight to see each other from the front seat, so it became a fuss for a moment.

“Quiet! We will start the auction.”

The mayor exclaimed. Then the presenter said.

“The starting price of the auction is 2,000 gold coins.”

At the absurdly high starting price, voices like screams erupted from among the people.

The audience seats were on the second floor, and the auction house was on the first floor. It was quite far from the people and the auction house, so people hadn't yet noticed the strangeness of Elisha's complexion and her loose hair.

“Three thousand gold coins.”

Arien belatedly came to her senses and said.

“A summary of six thousand gold coins.”

What should Carola do, she thought, then she almost reflexively bid. Elisha opened her mouth slowly.

“30,000 gold coins.”

“…….”

Carola and Arien were frightened. They looked at each other

“Thirty-five thousand gold coins.”

Carola gritted her teeth and said. Arienne counted her hands and she finally opened her mouth.

“Forty thousand gold coins.”

Cheers spread among the people. However, people who noticed Elisha's situation started to buzz. Elisha closed and opened her eyes.

“100,000 gold coins.”

When Elisha spoke quietly, exclamation burst out.

“That, 104,000 gold coins.”

Here, even Carol flinched once.

“105,000 gold coins…….”

“200,000 gold coins.”

Elisha almost doubled the amount this time.

'This is really……. It must have been a crazy bitch.'

Carola and Arien's expressions turned into a fight. Eventually, the market gave up.

“Our city hall cannot afford this amount. The auction is paused.”

Elisha stumbled and grabbed a chair and stood up.

“The three contestants are overheated. The three of you should discuss it.”

Elisha nodded her head.

“No, more than that……. I think his condition should suspend the auction…….”

“What are you doing.”

Elisha spat out.

“Without starting that 'discussion' right away.”

Before I knew it, Carola and Arien were tired like blank paper. It was Elisha who was stabbed, but they looked much more sick. They were frightened by Elisha, and before they knew it, they trembled and got up from their seats as Elisha instructed.

“Lady Elisha's condition is strange! Stop the auction!”

Someone shouted in a very loud voice from the second floor. Elisha recognized the voice as Nora's.

Then, some people shouted to stop the auction. It was all Sid's voice.

*​ *​ *​

Those who came to see this meaningless competition between the members of the Cartier family would not regret it for the rest of their lives. People had a curious look, a bewildered expression.

Elisha limped out of the city hall. The knights of Lucerne lined up in front of City Hall and were looking at Elisha. There were four of them, Nora Lapis, Lazri, and Corinne.

“Lady!”

Nora ran first and helped Elisha. Elisha was relieved when her Nora supported her, and she smiled faintly.

“Why did you do this? The auction must be stopped, she exclaimed…….”

“I heard you. I didn't know Nora could have such a loud voice.”

Elisha laughed softly.

“Ian went to get the doctor. I'll be back soon…….”

Elisha nodded her head. She didn't expect it, but the awareness that her knights waited for her like this and watched her from the audience gave her unexpected strength.

“Who dares to do this!”

“She must have already run away. Can you listen to this?”

Elisha handed Nora the whip she was holding in her hand. Her head was dizzy

“In the wagon……. A little……. I'd better go.”

“Lady……. Why in this competition…….”

“In any competition, if the opponent uses a cowardly move, you can't lose more. I…….”

Elisha said quietly.

“I won. That's the most important thing. How can I give her husband a defeat that even her husband's knights won't?”

“…….”

“I kept my husband's pride.”

Her knights trembled at those words. She wasn't just a contract bride for a status business.

She was Lucerne's chosen woman. She wasn't the kind of woman who was simply kind. She is……. The lioness of their pack of beasts, the mistress, and the one whom they would worship.

Then the carriage stopped. It was a black carriage. Lucerne got off the carriage. Elisha looked at him. Her Nora helped and carried her away.

“Tell me how this happened.”

Lucerne looked at Elisha's condition and said. Cold dripped from his eyes. Elisha stumbled and took a step closer.

“Good. I……. Got that So…….”

“…….”

“It worked.”

And Elisha fell forward.

Lucerne hugged her. There was a cry in her ears that the doctor had arrived, but she couldn't hold it in any longer.