A staggering one hundred and seventy-two billion.

That was the bid just set by Peyton Orell, who was already huffing and puffing, until Luca, hands clammy and face pale, raised his voice

"One hundred and seventy-five billion."

By now, Duke Leander could see the worsening toll on his son. Luca's body was trembling, his voice soft, and his complexion ghostly. The Duke had already been adamant about letting it go.

"It's alright to let that goatee win instead!" he barked.

His voice was so loud that even without spiritual energy, Duke Vantari's ears twitched violently at being called goatee.

"Duke Leander!" Vantari snapped, his voice sharp.

"What?! Talk to me later! It's your fault that my son is doing something like this!" Leander roared back without an ounce of shame. "If you have something philosophical to say, keep it to yourself next time!"

The crowd gasped. Who dared to shout at another Duke like that in public? Only Duke Leander, apparently.

But he could not help it. His son—his precious boy who would normally feel sick at the thought of buying unnecessary things or items not on sale—was bidding just because he had cried about it.

How could he not want to stop this?

The hall fell into chaos as the bids climbed like wildfire.

"One hundred and eighty billion!" roared Cinco Aramont.

"Eighty-five billion!" snapped Vantari, face dark.

"One ninety!" Peyton Orell bellowed, his voice hoarse.

"One ninety-five!" Luca cried, voice cracking as if each word cost him a year of life.

And then—

"Two hundred billion!" Duke Vantari thundered, slamming the booth railing with such force that the sound echoed like thunderclaps.

The air was electric. No one dared breathe.

Luca, pale as death, was about to open his mouth again when Duke Leander pulled him into a tight embrace.

"No more," he whispered fiercely.

Then, raising his hand, he formed a private spiritual barrier around the room. The chaos outside dimmed, leaving only their party cocooned in silence.

"Luca," Duke Leander said, his voice firm but trembling, "there will be so many artworks we can hang in the future. And provided no one falls ill or is unsafe, there will be so many chances to find things to display. By then, we could even buy bigger refrigerators to use!"

To outsiders who thankfully couldn't hear things, it would have sounded ridiculous. To Minister Kordell, who listened with a furrowed brow, it seemed like the Kyros family had officially gone mad. Artworks? Refrigerators? At a time like this?

But inside that barrier, Luca's eyes went wide. His father's words felt heavy, sincere, even dramatic.

"Papa…" Luca whispered, his throat tight.

Leander looked at him with fierce pride. His worry melted into something brighter, swelling into boastful joy. "How dare I not be proud of you, my child? You thought of us, of your parents, to this extent. You would go this far for us. How could I not say I have the best son in Solaris?"

Luca's face flushed scarlet. He lowered his gaze, stammering. "I-I am very blessed to have the best parents."

It was, quite frankly, a flower-filled scene. To the Kyros family, it felt like a sacred moment, a memory worth etching forever.

When the barrier finally dropped, the bidding was already climbing past two hundred and ten billion, but Duke Leander ignored it. Instead, he coughed into his fist, puffing with pride, and addressed the hall.

"Duke Vantari!" he called, voice carrying clearly. "I have convinced our filial son that his sincerity is enough. Since he thought so highly of us, we were able to convince him to rethink this. The young ones will have another chance in the future, so at times like this, it would be best to give a chance to the desperately repentant elders. Also, today my son has already shown his sincerity. That to us is worth more than any sword!"

The crowd reeled. Was that not a direct jab at Duke Vantari?

The words had been delivered without malice, but everyone in the hall felt the sting. Duke Leander was just too proud of his son to notice what he had done.

"So because," Leander added, chest swelling, "my boy said he would definitely listen to his papa, he'd concede this to you."

"…"

Duke Vantari's face contorted. He truly felt that his heart was about to give out in anger at Leander's annoying mouth.

But instead of collapsing, he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his teeth grinding audibly as he shouted, "Two hundred and fifty billion!"

He even added through clenched teeth, "And thank you, Duke Leander, for your… encouragement."

The auction hall shook with gasps.

The bid frazzled the federation sympathizers. They had always been willing to spend on frivolities, but two hundred and fifty billion for a mere mecha weapon was unprecedented. Yet before they could even recover, Cinco Aramont lazily leaned back in his seat and called out, "Two hundred and fifty-one billion."

The hall groaned.

Back in the Kyros booth, however, relief washed over everyone as color slowly returned to Luca's face. The family and their spectators exhaled together as Duke Leander raised the spiritual barrier once more, cutting them off from the watching eyes and eavesdropping ears below.

At this moment, Ollie stood up from his seat with sudden determination. "Brother, can we go over there?"

Luca's smile was faint but warm. "Of course."

And so Ollie darted out eagerly, pulling the others with him.

Now that Luca was no longer part of the bidding, he rubbed his temple and asked in quiet disbelief, "Is that really alright? Duke Vantari is jumping that high every single time someone else bids?"

It was Xavier who answered calmly, "Because he's not against you anymore. There's no way he will allow anyone else to win."

Luca thought back to their conversations before arriving and found himself hoping Duke Vantari truly would win. Even so, he still could not believe that the item he dismissed as a reject could fetch such a sum of money!

A knock came at the door. Duke Leander opened the spiritual barrier just long enough to admit his son's sworn brother, Minister Kordell, and Marquise Evelyn. Then the barrier sealed again with a soft hum.

Kordell blinked, stunned. The sheer strength and scope of the barrier hit him only now. Had they been maintaining such a thing the entire duration of the auction? What kind of monstrous spiritual reserves did this family have?

But before he could voice the thought, it was already shattered by the sight of the new son-in-law moving. Ollie immediately crossed the room in a blur, wrapping Luca in a worried hug.

The blonde reached the Duke's son before Kyle even had the chance to intercept his little star, though sharp-eyed Minister Kordell did not miss Kyle's protective motion either

"Brother! How are you?!" Ollie cried, rushing up with his usual dramatic flair. "Look at the bidding, it's about to hit three hundred billion star coins! Were you really planning to buy that earlier?!"

Luca gave him a shy smile, scratching his cheek. "I'm alright now. I didn't expect it, but I really did feel that Duke Vantari was right."

The family and their guests tilted their heads in unison.

After all, Luca continued, "Just as Papa would like to hang my artworks, I've also dreamt of having someone interested in hanging them for me."

"!!!"

The Kyros booth erupted. Duke Leander staggered like a man struck by a meteorite.

"Wait a moment! Let me bid! Five hundred billion! Five hundred, you hear me?!" he shouted, slamming his palm against the armrest. The man looked ready to sell his soul, because now that they all thought about it, of course, if he was craving something to hang, what about his precious boy? What if Luca had seen other people's artworks displayed and valued, while no one had wanted to hang whatever he made?

But Luca quickly stopped him, turning with a gentle smile. "Papa, I get it now, though. While I want you to hang my artworks, as someone older now, I also have pride to uphold. If you're going to hang something, I want it to be the best. Something I could proudly offer to you and Mama."

The Duke and Duchess were simultaneously struck down. Their hearts clutched, eyes shimmering, overwhelmed by the sincerity.

Ollie, meanwhile, looked like he might explode with pride. "No wonder no one is better and kinder than my brother!" he declared, throwing his arms around Luca and nuzzling his cheek while the others laughed.

But Minister Kordell, after being forced to endure this bizarre scene for far too long, finally snapped.

"Excuse me," he interrupted with all the weight of someone on the brink of madness. "I hate to be the downer, but why are we talking about artworks and hanging them at a time like this?"

"Oh! I apologize, Minister Kordell, Marquise Evelyn!" Luca said earnestly, bowing slightly. "We've been rude. But it's because I wanted to bid on my own work. My parents were hoping to keep it as a souvenir!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

If they could be materialized, three different sets of ellipses would have filled the room as everyone stared.

Then, out of nowhere, a grinning blonde piped up from the side. "See, Father? Wasn't it good you didn't bid for it?"

Good? Where was the good in all this?!