CHAPTER 147: CH 147: THE AUCTION HOUSE - PART 3

Kana walked beside Irielle, her arms folded and brows slightly furrowed, her dissatisfaction impossible to hide.

"We certainly got scammed back there. That psychic wasted our time for nothing."

She muttered, breaking the silence between them.

Irielle glanced at her with a teasing smile, her steps light despite Kana’s grumbling.

"Oh? And what do you want to do about it? It’s not like we actually lost anything. We didn’t pay her a single coin."

She asked, her tone playful rather than annoyed.

"That’s not the point. Even time is a precious resource, you know? And we lost that."

Kana shot back, exasperation creeping into her voice.

Irielle stopped mid-step, turning her head to give Kana a long, almost stunned look.

Then, without warning, a soft chuckle escaped her lips, which soon grew into full-blown laughter. Her laughter was warm and light, drawing the attention of a few passersby as she leaned forward, holding her stomach.

Kana blinked, confused.

"Why are you laughing?"

Irielle wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye, finally catching her breath.

"Because, if you think about it differently, we didn’t lose anything at all."

She said between faint giggles,

Kana frowned, unconvinced.

"How so?"

"Instead of calling it wasted time, we can consider it time spent together... making memories."

Irielle said, tilting her head with a bright, knowing smile. Her gaze softened as she added.

"That way, we didn’t lose anything at all."

Kana opened her mouth, ready to argue, but the quiet confidence in Irielle’s expression made her pause. Her lips parted, then closed again.

One look at Irielle’s smiling face was enough to tell her this was a losing battle.

With a quiet sigh, Kana turned her gaze away.

"Fine, ...If you’re having fun, then I guess that’s enough."

She muttered, pretending to sound begrudging even as the corner of her lips twitched upward.

Irielle beamed triumphantly but chose not to gloat, slipping her hands behind her back as they continued down the street.

Meanwhile, at the auction site, Lysera reported to her assigned office, only to find chaos everywhere.

People hurried past, carrying stacks of papers and boxes filled with documents, rarely sparing her a glance.

The commanding officer barely looked up from his desk before gesturing vaguely for her to wait, too buried in his work to give instructions.

Lysera scanned the bustling room, trying to figure out her place amid the frenzy. Before she could ask again, someone briskly passed by, pointing toward a hallway.

"Records room. Help there for now."

They said without slowing down.

Without hesitation, Lysera headed down the hall and entered a smaller chamber filled wall-to-wall with shelves stacked with ledgers, documents, and sealed folders.

A handful of assistants worked quietly at desks, sorting papers with mechanical precision.

She rolled up her sleeves and quickly began helping organize the flow of documents. It didn’t take long before she stumbled upon a set of papers regarding the upcoming auction.

Carefully, she flipped through the pages, absorbing every line of information she could.

Her eyes caught on one particular sheet — a schedule indicating that the necklace auction was set for tomorrow evening. The note was clear: only those with official invitations would be granted entry.

Lysera’s brows knitted together as she flipped deeper into the stack, looking for details about the item’s background.

But when she reached the section where the authentication records should have been, she froze. There was... nothing.

The papers verifying the pendant’s origin were missing entirely.

Lysera immediately pointed this out to the nearest assistant.

"These authentication records aren’t here. Shouldn’t there be some form of documentation?"

The person barely looked up from their work, sighing as though this was nothing new.

"Don’t make a fuss over it. Most of what ends up in the auction center are stolen goods without proper identification. It’s... normal."

They said flatly. Her grip on the papers tightened, a quiet frustration building beneath her composed exterior.

Normal or not, this confirmed her suspicions that something about this necklace was unusual.

Still, she said nothing further, silently collecting as much relevant information as she could before neatly stacking the files back into their place.

With her thoughts spinning, Lysera left the records room, her mind already racing through possibilities.

She had gained valuable details — the timing of the auction, the restricted entry, and the missing authentication.

It wasn’t much, but it was enough to prepare for what was coming.

And deep down, she had the unsettling feeling that the events surrounding this pendant were only just beginning to unfold.

By the time Lysera returned that evening, the sun was dipping low, casting warm streaks of gold across the room where Kana and Irielle sat chatting quietly.

She closed the door behind her and stepped inside, her expression calm but her eyes subtly curious as they drifted toward Kana.

"Did you have fun today?"

Lysera asked, her voice soft and composed.

Before Kana could even answer, Irielle’s head snapped up, her lower lip jutting forward in an exaggerated pout.

"That’s unfair, Lysera! Why are you only asking Kana? You should ask me too!"

Lysera blinked, momentarily caught off guard, then sighed quietly.

"...Fine. Did you have fun as well, Irielle?"

Instantly, Irielle’s pout transformed into a triumphant grin.

"Of course we did! Kana and I had so much fun today."

She said brightly, throwing an arm around Kana’s shoulders.

Kana, caught off guard by the sudden gesture, blinked and gave a small, awkward nod.

"Y-Yeah... I guess we did."

Lysera watched them for a moment, her expression carefully neutral. But deep down, a faint, unfamiliar heaviness stirred in her chest. Jealousy.

She hated to admit it — even to herself — but there it was, quietly gnawing at her.

She lowered her gaze, hiding the emotion behind a faint smile as she busied herself removing her cloak.

Rationally, she knew there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn’t wrong for Irielle and Kana to spend time together. It wasn’t wrong for them to laugh and make memories without her.

And yet... the quiet ache remained.

"...I see. That’s good, then."

Lysera finally said softly, her tone steady, almost too steady.

Irielle, oblivious to the tension beneath her words, simply beamed, clinging to Kana’s arm like she’d won something.