The Villainess Builds a Department Store - Chapter 70

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Villainess Establishes a Department Store

Chapter 70

“Just from the clothes he’s wearing, he doesn’t seem like a very wealthy gentleman, does he?”

Looking closer as he said, though the attire was neat, the elbows and sleeve ends were worn and shiny.

“The money he can spend at the auction would be limited accordingly.”

The gentleman who had been hesitating to raise his bidding paddle several times put it down with a dejected expression.

“That gentleman probably knows that what he’s trying to bid on isn’t that precious. But what can he do, that’s the best result he can achieve.”

“So he must give it his all.”

“That’s right too, but you need to develop an eye to prepare for when a bit of luck comes your way. So you can recognize clues that appraisers might have missed.”

Felix listened respectfully to Guillaume’s words. I also thought it wasn’t wrong and nodded appropriately.

“And the boldness to risk everything is also a condition of an excellent merchant. Haha. So Felix, Adele. Read many books, listen to many people’s stories, and above all, see much.”

With those encouraging words as the last, Guillaume turned his attention back to the auction.

An eye for things…

Then what about Bastian?

I looked around the auction house searching for Bastian.

Bastian wasn’t in a box seat, but he was sitting quite close to the stage alongside Monsieur Dubois.

Monsieur Dubois leaned toward Bastian whenever a new item came up. It looked as if he was seeking his opinion.

And each time, when Bastian nodded or shook his head, he would bid or give up accordingly.

‘What is Father doing?’

I turned my head toward the box seats again. Father and Uncle were with the problematic appraiser… no, the fraudulent appraiser…

“Haah…”

I sighed as soon as I saw them.

The stubbornness to force through when everyone else says it won’t work.

The arrogance of not bending one’s principles when everyone else says this must be done.

If you were to mold those into human form, it would probably be that person.

The fraudulent appraiser was bidding high prices on toys that were surprisingly flashy but had not even a bit of substance.

Ugh! What a waste of money!

As the auction progressed, increasingly larger and more precious items came up on stage.

Not only accessories and crafts, but even furniture that made you wonder how they managed to load it onto a ship.

In proportion to their size and sparkle, the bidding amounts gradually increased in scale.

But Felix and Guillaume sitting next to me seemed indifferent even to amounts rising in hundreds of francs.

Rather, it was I who was showing interest in the auction.

I thought nothing particularly special would come out, but seeing items of somehow familiar styles brought back memories.

For example, cosmetic cases designed with motifs of accessories said to be used by princesses, or things like traditional paper wrapping.

‘Wrapping paper…’

Tapping the armrest of my chair, I fell into thought.

The world was now attributing meaning and value to anything from the Eastern Lands, even if it were pebbles rolling on Gawri’s streets.

Then what about paper discarded from there?

Even paper with meaningless writing practice, once it crosses the sea, becomes a means to boast of the owner’s refined taste, insight, and wealth when hung on walls…

Lost in thought, I only came back to my senses when Felix grabbed and shook my arm.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Huh? Oh, just something.”

“There are only a few auction items left until the last one, didn’t you find anything you liked?”

“What about you, Felix?”

“Furniture.”

“Furniture?”

It was an unexpected answer. When I tilted my head and asked back, Felix grinned and explained.

“I’d buy furniture and disassemble it into component parts. Then attach those to Loire furniture – wouldn’t that look nice?”

“Then you wouldn’t need expensive furniture, would you?”

“That’s why I didn’t buy anything. I could just buy the parts separately from the start, so why bother?”

I had nothing to say in response. So I decided to just quietly praise Felix.

“Ahem, what’s left are all accessories.”

“Right.”

“If you’re short on money, just tell me. I’ll lend to you at a special discount.”

“Why would I borrow money from you?”

At his transparent proposal, I responded with an innocent face pretending to know nothing.

Really, whether it’s Bastian or Felix, why don’t these kids know how to speak honestly?

‘If there’s something you like, tell me. I’ll buy it for you.’ How hard is that one sentence?

While Felix, for whom that one sentence was terribly difficult, just bit his lips, the highlight and final item of this auction – the problematic painting – finally appeared.

A white moon covering clouds on a drowsy night, a pair of lovers hiding in the shadows of a wall under dim moonlight, a verse of poetry singing of that moment, and a date with a red seal.

How shy they were, how fluttering their hearts. The lovers couldn’t even look at each other properly, turning their heads aside and barely exchanging glances.

“What story could there be, what thoughts might these two people have? Aren’t you curious?”

The auctioneer threw the question at us with great fanfare. Being the final and most precious item, his voice carried unusually more energy.

A woman with her back to her lover, but her long, slender eyes were directed toward him.

The artist had exquisitely captured the woman’s likely heartbeat and yearning with just a few lines and a couple of dots.

It was admirable, and at the same time, I could understand why this painting commanded such a high value.

But ‘this’ painting was a fake specially commissioned by Guillaume – a forgery.

“Then let’s start the bidding. Starting price is one thousand francs, minimum bid increment is one hundred francs.”

Others must have felt similar admiration, as almost everyone raised their bidding paddles as soon as the bidding started.

Guillaume, who usually joined the bidding late after the ceiling price emerged to frustrate competitors, raised his hand from the beginning this time.

Then people who had been hesitating until the last moment hurriedly followed Guillaume and raised their bidding paddles.

As if Guillaume’s choice guaranteed the painting’s value.

“Tsk, lazy fools. If everyone else is doing it, they think it must be good and follow along, that’s why you’re forever second place.”

I flinched at Guillaume’s cold muttering.

Meanwhile, the bidding amount was soaring sky-high. To someone who didn’t know better, it would be tongue-clicking to see people buying just a piece of paper with money that could buy a suburban villa.

“Three thousand! Three thousand two hundred! Three thousand three hundred francs! Any more?”

Each time Guillaume updated the ceiling price, the number of people giving up on bidding was cut in half.

“Haha… It’s jumped to four thousand francs in an instant. From now on, minimum bid is five hundred francs. Four thousand five hundred francs, anyone for four thousand five hundred francs? Oh! Five thousand francs! Five thousand francs!”

Half to half again, then half of that half…

Finally, the auctioneer confirmed the final intention.

“Five thousand francs, any more?”

The audience was quiet. Everyone’s gaze was focused on Guillaume.

“Five thousand francs. If no one else…”

That’s when it happened.

“Se-seven thousand francs!”

Breaking through the silence, a voice filled with spite burst out from somewhere, shouting a higher amount.

At this point, it was beyond the realm of hobbyist collecting and was nothing short of speculation. Built on madness, at that.

As evidence, the gentleman who shouted the ceiling price realized what he had said in the grip of madness and competition, and immediately turned pale.

It seemed he had blurted it out in anxiety, but now faced with actually paying seven thousand francs, his vision went dark.

How foolish. His opponent was none other than the owner of Guillaume Company.

Guillaume raised his bidding paddle with an extremely calm and leisurely attitude.

With a sneer as if finding it ridiculous, Guillaume declared.

“Ten thousand francs.”

It was an overwhelming victory.

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