Fakes Don’t Want To Be Real Chapter 19

Chapter 19

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After parting with Aiden, Psychke ran before slipping into a quiet side street with barely any foot traffic.

She pulled a robe from her magic pouch and draped it over herself to conceal her clothes, then turned the teal gemstone set into her appearance-altering bracelet three full rotations.

The silver hair that had fallen to her waist shortened to the nape of her neck while her sapphire-blue eyes shifted to the same clear teal as the gemstone.

Even the line of her eyes and her overall impression sharpened. At a glance, she now looked like a man in his twenties.

She had prepared this in case she was never acknowledged as a woman, but she hadn’t expected to use it like this.

Once finished, she headed straight for the auction house on the outskirts of the capital.

Perhaps because it was imperial property, the three-story white building looked remarkably grand despite its location.

 

‘They claim it’s just rented out, yet they’re running an illegal auction on imperial land.’

 

Thinking the organizer remarkably bold, she turned toward the rear of the building instead of the main entrance.

She approached a man leaning casually against the wall, like a passerby at rest, and whispered quietly,

 

“Pheilas Astania.”

 

It was the entry password for the illegal auction house, something she had learned while cleaning up a mess Lenox once caused.

The guide glanced at her and shrugged as if to ask what she was talking about.

 

Unbothered, Psychke continued, “May your breath rest among the stars of the night sky.”

“Proof?”

 

The guide asked with a frown.

Those who came to illegal auctions almost always altered their appearance, so it was standard practice to verify whether a guest truly possessed the wealth to bid.

Psychke raised the hand wearing her bracelet.

Seeing an accessory unmistakably befitting a high-ranking noble, the guide nodded.

 

“This way.”

 

He gestured toward what appeared to be a dead end then Psychke followed without hesitation.

The solid wall melted away, revealing the entrance to a hidden space.

Inside was a lavishly decorated lobby, adorned with gemstones for the sake of high nobles, but it was empty.

It seemed the auction had already begun, delayed by the trouble involving Yzhar and Aiden.

Descending the underground staircase lined with red carpet, Psychke traced Verndia’s position through the engagement ring hidden beneath her leather gloves.

 

‘Is the Duke already here?’

 

He was nearby, in the same direction.

Judging by his swift movement, he wasn’t participating in the auction itself but seemed to have slipped in to search for the necklace.

 

‘So, he hasn’t found it yet.’

 

A man with his information network wouldn’t have come unprepared. At the very least, he must have had a lead. She could go straight to him, but if they crossed paths and the attempt failed, it would be troublesome if he blamed her.

Instead, she decided to wait until Verndia was discovered by the guards before moving.

The illegal auction house resembled a small coliseum.

The moment she entered, Psychke first checked the guards’ positions.

From the left and right entrances used by guests to the small lower gate where auction items came and went, the flow of energy suggested airtight security.

Verndia’s presence was indeed detected deeper inside, in an area reserved strictly for staff.

Keeping careful track of his movements, Psychke took a seat.

The seating could accommodate around a hundred people, and only a few seats remained empty.

 

‘More people than I expected. I thought there’d be fewer.’

 

As she thought that, she glanced at the person sitting beside her.

Their entire head was covered by a mask, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female. Resting on their knees was a vivid pink fan, sparkling as if ground gemstones had been scattered across it.

Psychke was momentarily speechless.

 

‘Hilvia?’

 

Did they really not realize that fan practically announced who they were?

It was absurd, but she supposed it was possible. In a place like this, even if you recognized someone, pretending not to was an unspoken rule, no one would warn them not to carry such an identifying item.

Just then, a loud voice rang out, drawing her attention.

 

“Now then! Who will be the owner of this splendid item? We’ll start at three hundred thousand gold!”

 

At the very center of the coliseum, on a low platform, an auctioneer in a ridiculous hat theatrically scanned the crowd.

Beside him, inside a cage, was a bird with rainbow-colored feathers shimmering like spilled paint.

Psychke recognized it instantly; a rare exotic creature smuggled in from a distant land.

 

“Three hundred thousand!”

 

Someone seated opposite her raised their placard.

Hilvia, not to be outdone, lifted theirs at once.

 

“Four hundred thousand!”

 

Four hundred thousand gold – for a single bird, which is enough to feed ten commoner households for a year.

Before she could fully process it, another voice rang out.

 

“Five hundred thousand!”

 

After several rounds of bidding, the bird was sold to Hilvia for one million gold.

 

“—The next item starts at five hundred thousand gold!”

 

From then on, the blue diamond, the gemstone-crafted flower bouquet, anything extravagant or luxurious, was claimed by Hilvia without exception.

Psychke clicked her tongue internally.

 

‘Unbelievable.’

 

Watching someone burn through nearly five million gold in moments was staggering.

She had never understood how the Marquis of Eslant, ruler of a famously fertile land, constantly complained of financial hardship but seeing Hilvia’s spending, it was a wonder they hadn’t gone bankrupt already.

 

‘The rumors about illegal loans might be true.’

 

As she idly watched Hilvia’s extravagance while keeping an eye on Verndia wandering the inner halls, time passed.

 

“Thank you for your patience! At last, today’s highlight!”

 

She hadn’t thought much of it before, but the emphasis on highlight made unease creep in.

The necklace hadn’t appeared yet, meaning this could only be the venom-sting necklace.

 

‘Surely he didn’t fail because he couldn’t find it…’

 

“You’ve all heard of it at least once, the infamous villainess Leas, and the Necklace of Keitan she is said to have created.”

 

Before revealing the item, the auctioneer briefly recounted Leas’s crimes.

Twenty years ago, a noblewoman named Leas presented the Necklace of Keitan, the venom-sting necklace, to the current Empress, who was then Crown Princess. Fortunately, the hidden poison needle was discovered before it was worn, and the Crown Princess survived but the aftermath was catastrophic.

Accused of attempting to assassinate the Crown Princess, Leas’s entire family was exterminated.

Nobles associated with the family were stripped of their titles or executed.

Two years later, after ascending the throne, the Emperor issued a decree restoring the family name, citing its importance in imperial history.

A few nobles objected, but their voices were buried.

The Emperor tracked down a surviving collateral branch and selected one member, sharp-witted and politically adept, to inherit the family.

 

“His Majesty truly is remarkable, wouldn’t you agree?”

 

The auctioneer joked that one should be moved by the revival of a family that ought to have been erased from history.

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

Psychke, however, felt unsettled.

 

‘This is strange.’

 

An attempt on royal blood was a crime so grave that exterminating even collateral branches would have been justified. And yet the family was restored?

 

‘What kind of family was it?’

 

Despite her deep knowledge of imperial history, this was unfamiliar. What family was worth covering up even such a disgrace?

Lost in thought as she sifted through noble lineages in her mind, she suddenly heard a curse from beside her.

 

“That damned bitch. If she had to die, she could’ve done it quietly. Why drag everyone else down with her?”

“…!”

 

The insult hurled at Leas made Psychke’s mind go blank.

She had endured worse directed at herself without this level of fury- it was strange.

Veins stood out on the hand gripping the armrest and Psychke glared at Hilvia with killing intent. The pressure was so dense that even a seasoned knight would have struggled to remain standing. Hilvia froze.

Psychke clenched her teeth, suppressing the urge to draw the dagger hidden at her side.

Then,

 

‘Boom!’

 

A thunderous explosion erupted from the entrance behind the auctioneer, the passage leading to where the items were stored.

Psychke snapped back to herself and turned.

 

‘Boom!’

 

“Wh-what is this?!”

 

With successive explosions, several nobles rose uneasily, glancing around in fear that the imperial forces had arrived.

Psychke immediately checked Verndia’s position.

He was moving quickly but staying within a fixed radius; it seemed he had found the necklace.

Next, she looked to where the guards had been stationed.

Those guarding the item entrance were gone. Less than half of the guards at the guest entrances were still there, the rest running inward.

The auctioneer amplified his voice with magic, trying to calm the crowd.

 

“Please remain calm! It seems the workers moving the crates have triggered a magical device!”

But the explosions didn’t stop.

 

‘Boom. Boom.’

 

Seizing the chaos, Psychke forced her way through the tightly packed nobles and broke into a run.

From a blind spot outside the auctioneer’s view, she leapt down.

Guards moved to intercept her, but with a slight twist of her body she slipped past and entered the restricted area.

 

“Damn it, who is that?!”

“Grab the items before they get here– wait, sir! This area is restricted!”

 

Even amid the mayhem, the guards rushed her the moment they spotted her.

Lacking a visible sword, they didn’t recognize her as a second intruder. Psychke evaded them with ease, sprinting toward Verndia’s position.

In a small room, she found her fiancé, surrounded by guards, guard dogs, and magical beasts, fending them off with visible irritation.

 

“Damn it, this never ends.”

 

Cornered, Verndia was swearing under his breath.

Psychke drew her dagger, struck one of the guards from behind, and tore the sword from his grasp.

Switching weapons, she began cutting down their enemies with practiced precision.

Attacked from what they believed was a secure rear, the guards fell into disarray and dropped one after another.

Startled by the unexpected aid, Verndia froze mid-motion.

Then his gaze caught on silver hair – so similar to his fiancée’s and he recalled her promise that she would come.

 

‘No way…’

 

Even as he thought that, he checked her position through the ring and stiffened in disbelief.

 

“My la– how are you here?”

 

He swallowed the word ‘my lady’ just in time.