"Where is he...?"

The hall was packed with people. Everyone was dressed for the occasion, and I could see a lot of unfamiliar and familiar figures. I was getting my fair share of stares, but nobody seemed keen on approaching me.

I was a little surprised by this development but I wasn't one to complain.

....I liked it like this.

'No, but seriously. Where is Leon?'

I needed to address this situation with him. Julien's father's appearance was not completely unexpected, but it wasn't something that we had prepared for.

Mainly because Leon said that Julien's father wasn't someone who liked these types of social gatherings.

"I think I see something."

In the far-off distance, I caught sight of a familiar silhouette. My shoulders relaxed momentarily but my steps soon paused as my brows furrowed.

'The hell...?'

Leon's situation...

It was a little hard to describe.

Unlike me, he appeared to be surrounded by multiple nobles. They were all holding fine glass cups filled with wine as they chatted merely with him.

Leon smiled back at them, seemingly happy with the situation.

I was stunned.

'Did the results get leaked or something...?'

Why else would they be hounding him like this?

With a frown, I approached them. However, a few steps into the way, I stopped once again. "Uh?"

Listening to their conversations, I didn't know how to react.

'How about you join us? We will offer three times what you're receiving at the Evenus household. Your position will also be higher.'

'Forget about their offer. I'm willing to adopt you and make you my adopted son. You'll become a noble and you can forgo your title as a knight!'

'I'll pay you and make you my adopted son!'

'Join my household!'

'We're the highest-ranked household here. We can provide the necessary resources to grow you further. The only reason the match was close was because you didn't get enough resources. Your talent is clearly superior to Julien's.'

I felt my mouth twitch at some of the words that were being said.

'... Wait until they learn that I've basically caught up to him in less than a year.'

I wonder what type of faces they'd make then...?

No, but that was beside the point.

"These guys... They're poaching Leon!'

No wonder nobody approached me.

... It was because I already belonged to a household and was the direct heir. Furthermore, since

my father was here, it wasn't necessary to talk to me directly.

'Yeah, now that I look at Leon... His smile seems a little bit forced."

I previously thought he was having a fun time, but it appeared to be the opposite. He was quite uncomfortable with the situation.

...And as if sensing my presence, Leon's head flicked in my direction.

Our eyes met and my heart sank after one look.

'No, don't...'

Leon's smile turned natural as he suddenly pointed in my direction.

"It would be rude of me to make a decision without the permission of my employer. How about this...? If you manage to convince him, then I would be more than willing to follow you."

Bastard....!

The moment his words fell, over a dozen pairs of eyes locked onto me like hungry wolves.

They didn't waste a second and rushed to me.

"State your price?"

".... How much are you willing to accept for him?"

"Don't be shy. I'm willing to pay a good price for him."

"Property? Money? I can give you anything. State your price! I can guarantee you with my name that I will uphold my end of the bargain."

"Haa..."

With an empty laugh, it was now my turn to force a smile.

But that smile froze the moment I turned my head to see Leon pointing at me while smacking

his thigh.

This guy...

He was fucking laughing.

Clench.

I tore my gaze away from him and focused it back on the hounds that were aggressively pushing each other in order to make their offers heard.

"Keum."

I coughed once to get their attention.

The surroundings turned quiet as everyone's attention was on me. I internally sighed, thinking of how annoying the aftermath of my rejection would be, but I had no choice.

Leon was important to me.

Not only because he was the only one who knew my secret, but because I... well, he wasn't intolerable to be with.

Sometimes he was, like with what he did now, but it wasn't as though I was guilt-free.

He was my knight, and no price tag would ever get me to sell him.

"I apologize in advance but Leon is n-"

"Twenty million! I offer twenty million for him!"

11

My mouth suddenly grew dry.

Twenty million....? Did he just say twenty million?

"Twenty-five million! Not only that, but I will also offer a property worth several million as

well!"

Twenty-five million and a property...?

All of a sudden, it felt as though all water had been stripped from my mouth. My mouth was strangely dry. It was as though I had just eaten sand. This... Was Leon really worth this much?

"Thirty-million!"

"....Ah."

I really did need water.

"Thirty-five million...!"

I brought my hand to my chest and silently gripped it. This... Biting my lips, I raised my head

and locked eyes with Leon who was no longer laughing at me. In fact, he looked really worried

as his eyes trembled.

'You, don't tell me that you're actually considering this?'

"Fourty-million!"

I licked my lips.

'It's forty million...'

'Don't you fucking dare!'

'But...'

'I will drag you down with me!'

I bit my lips hard. Almost to the point of bleeding.

"Is there something wrong?"

Perhaps sensing my struggle, the hawks looked at me with worried looks. I wasn't sure what

face I was making, but surely it wasn't anything good as I lowered my head and excused

myself.

"L-let's talk about this later. I.. the ceremony is starting."

"O-oh, okay!"

"Please let us know later"

"Y,yes..."

Clench.

Picking up a glass of water from one of the walking waiters I looked down to stare at my

reflection. As expected... my face was anything but pretty. My eyes were bloodshot and blood

trickled down the side of my chin.

... It was no wonder they didn't stop me from leaving.

I looked terrifying.

"Were you really planning on selling me?"

Leon's voice reached me soon after. He took a quick glance at the cup in my hand before

looking at me.

"... Finally your outward look reflects your black heart."

"Forty million... I just lost forty million."

I gulped the drink down and handed the empty cup to one of the waiters before holding my

head with both hands.

"What a waste."

Leon stood in silence, his face twitching.

"....You actually were considering it, weren't you?"

I flicked my head to look at Leon.

Though it didn't happen, I imagined notifications flashing before my eyes.

"Do you know how much I can do with that money?"

"So you were..."

***

At the same time.

Aoife stared at the letter in her hand. It was simple in design, yet the golden borders and red

wax seal bearing the 'Megrail' family crest gave it an air of importance.

And that was because it was important.

Within the letter was the result of the finals. She, just like the others outside, wasn't aware of

the result and was extremely curious.

"....I can't see it." Holding the letter against the light of the chandelier, she tried to peek through it to see a

name, but it was useless.

She couldn't see a thing.

Her curiosity was getting the best of her.

'Ah, damn it..!'

Aoife eventually set the letter on the table.

All she could do was wait.

Thankfully, the wait wouldn't be for long. She just needed to wait for her brother to pick her

up. Lifting her head, she stared at the mirror that stood before her.

She glanced at her hair, neatly woven into a single long braid that draped over her right

shoulder, which was left bare by the elegant red dress she wore. The dress perfectly complemented and highlighted the rich hue of her natural red hair.

"You look stunning." Turning her head she saw her brother staring at her with a smile.

His face was pale, but that didn't mask his elegant demenour and handsome features that

were further highlighted by the white suit that her wore.

He extended his hand in her direction.

"Should we go...? Everyone is waiting for the results. Father won't be here, but I'm sure he's

watching from somewhere."

"Um."

Aoife finally stood up from her seat and took the letter with her.

Linking her arm with her brother's, the two walked out of the room and made their way

toward the elevated platform that overlooked the main hall. A long flight of stairs met their sight as they walked toward the platform.

It suddenly grew quiet as all eyes fell on them.

Gael smiled at their sight, his eyes scanning the room as he spotted several familiar figures.

"I'm glad to see a lot of familiar faces. It looked like everyone showed up for today's closing ceremonies." Karl and Johanna were also invited to the event as several recording devices were scattered

throughout, recording the Prince and Aoife who entertained their guests with their closing speech.

He tried his best to make the speech not boring, but at the end of the day, it was still boring.

No one was really here to listen to him.

Everyone's purpose was something else.

'Come on...'

"Tell us the results already.'

'Stop dragging this out!'

Be it those outside of the event and within the event, all everyone thought about was one

thing. The final victor of the fight.

Who won...?

Was it Leon?...Or was it Julien?

"...The fights were some of the most intense and shocking that I've seen in a very long time. I

once did participate and can tell just how much of a struggle they are. Trust me..."

Gael also knew what everyone wanted.

He knew, and yet, he could only finish reading his entire speech. This was compulsory.

Thankfully, by cutting some corners, he was able to finish the speech faster than anticipated,

leaving the stage for Aoife who took a step forward and held the letter before her.

"........"

11

"....

It suddenly turned extremely quiet as she stood at the front.

Heavy tensions fell in the hall as Aoife held the letter in her hand. Under everyone's watchful

eyes, she slowly unsealed the wax and took out the paper within.

They all tried to see through what it said, but the paper was too thick for them to see through.

In the end, all they could do was stare at Aoife who read the result in front of her.

Her face changed subtly as she looked at the name written on the paper, her head shaking

lightly.

"The winner is..."

Turning the paper around, she announced. "Julien Dacre Evenus."