Standard Contract Guidelines for a Fraudulent Marriage - Chapter 71

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 71

Auctions were being held throughout the market, so attending one was hardly difficult.

Loerston and Adelia deliberately chose a large auction house to visit.

It was Loerston’s persuasion that since they were going to experience it anyway, the busier the venue, the more entertaining it would be.

“There are so many people here?”

Adelia gasped in amazement more than once as she stepped into the thick of the auction in progress.

Whenever the auctioneer placed an item on the block and called out the opening bid, numbered paddles shot up from here and there, eager to bid.

“Watch carefully, and if something catches your eye, just raise your paddle.”
“Ah, but how do I—can I raise it however I want?”
“Yes, however you like.”

Loerston chuckled.

Paddle gripped tightly in hand, Adelia rose onto her toes, watching to see what would come next. Strange, exotic fruits she’d never seen before came up in crates, only to vanish moments later.

As her attention lingered on the spectacle, those who’d bought what they needed filtered out, and the hall grew quieter.

The auctioneer swung his gavel and struck the wooden block with a sharp crack.

“Now, let’s move on to the small-lot auction! We have products with only slight blemishes but full flavor—picked fresh this very morning, and still dewy. Excellent, excellent. Let’s give these a hand. So then, shall we start with Popoto? Two baskets of Popoto! Starting at thirty!”

Adelia whispered,

“What’s Popoto? Do you know?”
“Yes, it’s a rather unusual fruit. The flesh is slightly salty and very juicy. That’s why, back in the day, travelers would always make note of where the Popoto trees grew.”
“How fascinating! But two baskets seems like too much.”

Loerston looked down at her with an amused expression.

“Aren’t you going to bid?”
“Mm… no. I’ll hold off for now and see what else comes up.”

But before Adelia had even finished deliberating, paddles for the Popoto shot up from all around. Loerston explained that it was because the fruit was easy to process into juice and sell.

A few more fruits came up, and Adelia successfully secured a bid on a variety of Peach—vivid red like an apple—and a small, speckled fruit called Tepita. Both gave off a sweet fragrance from their skin.

“It seems the small-lot auction has more activity than the higher-priced ones.”

Adelia spoke while watching people who’d raised their paddles bicker with each other about who had gone first.

Now that she’d caught the spirit of it, her eyes grew more intent on the block—and it was at that moment a single basket of fruit she’d had her eye on was brought up.

“Now, here is our final lot. You all know this, I’m sure—this Pepila, a truly rare fruit, yes? It shouldn’t have come up at all, but it has a tiny blemish at the stem, so regrettably it’s been set aside for this sale.”

As the auctioneer’s words showed no sign of ending, someone shouted,

“Stop all the chattering and start the bidding!”

Laughter rippled through the room. At the gruff voice and country accent, both Adelia and Loerston let out soft chuckles despite themselves.

“Alright, alright, I understand. Well now, aren’t people in a hurry these days! Very well, let’s begin. Starting at one hundred!”

The opening bid was higher than anything that had come before. What kind of fruit was this, anyway?

Adelia rose onto her toes to look at the block, then raised her paddle. The auctioneer pointed to her and announced,

“A beautiful young lady bids one hundred twenty! Ah, there’s one forty from that side! The lady counters at one sixty!”

As the price rose more smoothly than expected, the auctioneer’s eyes went wide. But once it crossed two hundred, all the other bidders dropped out, leaving only Adelia.

“Two hundred! Do we have anyone for two twenty? This is truly a premium item, I tell you. Just look at it. It could take first place in a fruit competition without breaking a sweat. No one? Then the lady takes it at two hundred! Going once at two hundred, going twice at two hundred…”
“Two thirty.”

Just as the auctioneer was about to strike his gavel, a paddle shot up from one side. It was a very tall man with long arms.

The auctioneer, seeing the paddle raised high, looked back at Adelia.

“Two thirty! We have two thirty!”

Adelia, bouncing on her feet, glanced at Loerston.

“What should I do? Should I try once more?”

Loerston, a smile playing on his lips, made a show of deliberation, then raised his paddle just before the auctioneer could bring down the gavel.

“Three hundred.”

Incredulous sounds erupted from all corners. No matter how expensive the fruit or how premium it was despite the flaw, three hundred for one basket was…

“Three hundred! Does anyone bid higher? No one? Three hundred, going once, three hundred, going twice! Three hundred…”

Crack!

The sound of the gavel coming down echoed through the auction hall.

“Three hundred! Sold to the lovely young lady and the handsome gentleman!”

Adelia said,

“Didn’t we just pay an outrageous price for that?”
“Not entirely outrageous. Well, perhaps a bit.”
“Oh no, you didn’t have to go that far!”
“But that fruit really is delicious. And it’s good for you too. I wanted you to try it. Most of it’s sold in bulk to be made into beverages, so it’s hard to find at market.”

So Loerston had paid the steep price purely for Adelia’s sake.

Adelia, hiding the corner of her mouth behind her paddle, hesitated for a moment before breaking into a shy smile.

“I’ll enjoy it.”
“Good. Let’s go home together and—”

That was when Loerston, holding her hand, suddenly pulled her behind him.

“What’s wrong?”

Caught off guard, Adelia craned her neck from behind his back and blinked in surprise.

A tall, lanky man stood before them—the same man who had bid against them until the very end.

There was something oddly familiar about him. As Adelia stared at his face, she suddenly jumped and cried out,

“Yesterday’s unicycle man!”

The man laughed. While his makeup had been washed away and his face wasn’t immediately recognizable, his laugh revealed the familiar playful nature she remembered from yesterday.

“That’s right, miss. The unicyclist. Or more precisely, the man who rides the unicycle—Clurker.”

Then the man extended his hand to Loerston in a proper handshake.

“We met yesterday as well.”
“An unexpected reunion.”
“Yes. I came here at dawn today when I heard there would be a small shipment of Pepila at this auction.”

Adelia asked,

“You like Pepila that much?”

Clurker burst into a low chuckle.

“No, not me. My twin siblings do. I was determined to buy some for them, but never expected to lose the bid even at two thirty.”
“Ah…”
“So I was wondering if it wouldn’t be too much trouble to sell me two of them at the price I originally bid. That fruit is excellent medicine for stomachaches, and my siblings both came down with belly troubles.”

Loerston and Adelia’s eyes met. Without hesitation, Adelia handed over the basket.

Adelia said,

“You don’t need to pay. Just take them to your siblings.”

After saying so, she turned to Loerston.

“Is that alright?”

When Loerston nodded, Clurker grew even more embarrassed and shook his head.

“I couldn’t possibly. You paid a high price for them…”

That was when Loerston interjected.

“Take them. I had no idea Pepila was medicinal.”
“You didn’t? Ah, you must be from inland then.”

Adelia nodded.

“Yes. It seems everyone here knows about it?”
“Everyone does. So that’s why…”

He trailed off, then laughed it away with a wave of his hand.

“No, nothing. If you won’t take the money, I’d love to treat you to a meal at least, but I have two little ones crying with aches at home…”
“Don’t worry about it. Really.”

Clurker gazed down at the fruit basket in his hands, now held with satisfaction, and smiled warmly.

“I truly appreciate this.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————