The Fake Noblewoman’s Catalogue of the Defective Auction: The Way to Meet the Emerald - LOT 01: The Curtain Rises on the Pearl Earring - 1

Entering the manor, barely seventeen, nervous and insecure, here she hoped to glean her first clue. And so, inside her chest, it felt as though a drum were pounding.

In the early evening, in the finest area in the capital of Lind, Aire stood face to face with a magnificent and elegant manor. She gazed up at it, invitation in hand, checking that the address she had was correct.

Surely the meeting hall must be this house with the white facade.

She gripped the cloth bag hanging from her shoulder, took a breath to steady herself, and knocked on the door.

Under the light of the gas lamps, her silver hair, falling just above her chest, glittered.

“At this moment, we are expecting no deliveries and will not be accepting any. Please return home.”

The man, dressed in butlers’ attire, scowled and made to close the door. Being petite herself, a look of intense determination flashed in Aire’s clear sky blue eyes, and she slipped through the narrow opening of the closed door.

“I am not here to deliver any packages, I am a guest in my own right.”

Aire’s outfit truly was one of a courier. Her sleeves and collar were lined with a deep crimson, she wore a coat and skirt of royal blue, and on her feet were a pair of boots that ended just under the knee.

She had indeed just returned from delivering packages, however he should have looked closely at the clothes held in her hands. She wanted him to overlook it.

“I have an invitation. Please do not hesitate to check.”

Looking at the folded card in her hands, the butler politely bowed his head.

“My deepest apologies. Welcome to House. This evening’s sale is just about to start. Please use this to signal your bids. I will take care of your belongings.”

Aire handed him the old and worn bag, and in return he handed her a paddle with a number written on it and a mask decorated with feathers.

“Please use this mask to hide your identity while in the meeting hall. During the sale, we cannot have our guests’ identities being exposed. Please do not worry about a thing.”

Donning the mask, Aire was led to a room at the end of a second floor hallway. The furthest door opened.

“Well then, please enjoy the auction to your heart’s content.”

Upon stepping into the room, she was washed in a bright light.

In the sparkling light of the chandelier, dozens of fashionably dressed ladies and gentlemen sat in chairs laid out in neat rows. The men were dressed in tailcoats and the ladies wore dresses of all colors.

Though their faces were obscured by masks, one could tell in an instant that these were the highest of high society. That being said, Aire was still unable to discern who was who.

These people appeared to be participating in the auction, raising their paddles to the sound of the facilitating auctioneer’s voice.

A young man stood holding a pedestal filled with a number of sparkling jewelry. Aire, being of the working class, had never seen such extravagant jewelry in her life.

“Lot number six, sold!”

A sharp gavel sound rang throughout the hall. The auctioneer, standing on the stage, had perfectly slicked back black hair and wore a glossy black tailcoat with a white shirt underneath, completely free of wrinkles.

He appeared to be around twenty four or twenty five years old. He stood motionless with a majestic air and spoke from his diaphragm in a deep voice that rang throughout the hall, momentarily rendering it completely still.

Despite this, the excitement in the air did not dissipate. His exquisite voice continued on to introduce the next piece.

There was a cravat pin with an energetic horse delicately detailed in gold and a buckle made of tortoise shell with geometric patterns finely engraved into it; an ivory comb with carvings of a rose just beginning to bloom and a brooch of elegantly colored gemstone flowers overflowing from a bundle of elaborate gold.

Aire stood beside the door, gazing at the items. With each lot there was a flood of bids, and each item was sold for an unbelievably large sum. One could only say that it was amazing.

However, what she was searching for didn’t appear.

The invitation said that it would be here, though.

“The last lot of the night is a one-drop pearl earring from West Cantora. The size and luster of the pearls are nothing to criticize, this set in such perfect condition is nothing short of a miracle, wouldn’t you say? The diamonds in the top section have a spectacular shine. It weighs—”

The last sale of the night was the teardrop pearls, milky white in color. This was wrong as well. However. She had an uneasy feeling.

Aire staggered over to the aisle, eyes glued to the earrings. Of course, these were the earrings.

“Nine hundred fifty, nine hundred sixty, nine hundred seventy… Right now the highest bid is nine hundred seventy sess, do we have nine hundred eighty? Yes, we have a guest for nine hundred eighty five.”

Aire’s job delivering packages brought her six sess per week. If she had ten more sess, if she didn’t spend lavishly, she could spend a week without counting her pennies. There was no way she could come up with nine hundred on the spot.

She didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself. The best thing to do was to pretend as if she weren’t looking. But for it to be this much money…

While Aire was distracted, the price continued to increase.

The bidding war was between a sallow faced old gentleman and a round lady with golden rings adorning both hands. As soon as the lady raised her paddle, the old gentleman raised his as well.

However as the price continued to rise, the speed of the paddles began to slow. Eventually, the woman sighed and shook her head.

The auctioneer confirmed once more with the guests inside the hall.

This is it. There’s nothing to be done at this point.

Aire neared the old gentleman’s seat and, standing right next to it, dropped her handkerchief. The old man, noticing the handkerchief, locked eyes with the elegant mask, and she lowered her voice.

“That’s a forgery.”

Facing the mask, astonishment and suspicion rose up in his eyes as he nodded, and Aire left the area. Next, she must leave at once.

“Are there any other bids? Then, nine hundred ninety four, nine hundred ninety four sess is the—”

“I withdraw!”

As Aire was leaving the assembly hall, she heard the old gentleman’s hoarse voice ring out from behind her.

A cacophony of voices filled the hall.