Chapter 3
“Yes. First buy it, then break the plaster and insert a pin in the hole at the bottom.”
Baeksan pushed the artwork closer to the princess.
The princess stared at the piece with slightly widened eyes, then broke into a deep smile.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Pardon?”
“Did you think I hadn’t noticed you watching me?”
Caught.
Baeksan scratched their cheek. Honesty was best in situations like this.
“I have nowhere to stay.”
“What?”
“Since this should be valuable, I was hoping for some lodging money…”
Bathilda, who had been standing there blankly for a moment, suddenly burst into laughter so loud it was startling.
“Hahaha! Very well. Dominic, purchase this.”
“Yes.”
The knight, who had somehow appeared behind the two, nodded.
The princess quietly spoke while watching him pay.
“If that’s genuine, it would easily be worth over 1.5 million gold. Are you sure you want to let me have it?”
“…”
…1.5 million gold means 150 billion won, but seriously, how could a mere egg be worth 150 billion?
Wide-eyed, Baeksan looked at the artwork again.
[Enamel-Decorated Egg Artwork]
Artisan Pavela’s masterpiece ‘Lily of the Battlefield.’ Worth 2,000,000 gold due to its high rarity.
…No way! It’s worth even more!
‘Should I try to buy it back now? …But I don’t have any money!’
Even amid all this, the quest still hadn’t been completed.
‘Damn this world.’
Even the dead get funeral money, but here they were without a single coin to their name.
Feeling deflated, Baeksan quickly began rationalizing.
‘Selling things is work too. Especially high-value items like that. Even if I had bought it, dealing with it would have been difficult, right? That must be it, right? Really, right?’
Though bitter inside, maintain composure outside.
Remembering their resolution from their previous life, Baeksan shrugged.
“Everything finds its rightful owner.”
“So you gave it to me because you know who I am.”
“…”
This princess is too sharp.
Rather than pressing Baeksan about how they knew her identity, the princess seemed thoroughly amused, smiling broadly.
“Let’s drop the obvious and boring talk. By the way, you don’t seem to be enjoying this festival much?”
“I think I could enjoy it if I had money to enjoy it with.”
“Haha! Fair enough. You seem to have quite an eye for items.”
Princess Bathilda looked around as she spoke.
“If you’re a citizen of Orquenina, you’d know that at the Blue Moon Fair, national treasures can sometimes be found on these humble stalls.”
“Quite a remarkable sight.”
“Indeed. It’s fascinating how this treasure hunt of a fair has grown to such a scale.”
Baeksan tilted their head.
“That’s… well, I think it was bound to grow this big.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…”
Baeksan looked around.
The enormous crowd.
Stalls stretching to the end of the street.
Hands exchanging money back and forth.
Coins, bills, and change.
Large-scale… cash transactions.
Baeksan muttered without thinking.
“…Because it seems difficult to trace the funds?”
At the same moment, a glint appeared in Bathilda’s eyes, and a translucent window appeared in the corner of Baeksan’s vision.
[Quest Completed]
Their pocket, which had been as light as air, suddenly became heavy.
‘600 gold!’
The description floating above Bathilda’s head immediately changed as well.
[Bathilda Rohik Schröder]
Princess of Orquenina. Considered to be material for a Hegemon.
Desperately seeking talented individuals.
What an ominous description.
“Impressive. You’re right. Every criminal organization in Ulm launders their black money through this festival today. In fact, they’re the ones who grew this fair.”
“I see.”
“Then why do you think the royal family allows it?”
Baeksan, who had been quietly listening, slightly averted their gaze.
“Generally speaking, they might be using such flows to catch the perpetrators…”
“And the ‘not so general’ answer?”
“…”
Baeksan immediately closed their mouth. Not because they had nothing to say.
‘The royal family probably has money they want to launder too.’
It just wasn’t something to say in front of the princess.
When Baeksan didn’t answer, Bathilda laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! Your expression suggests you know the reason.”
“Just a rough guess.”
“I like that you know when to keep things to yourself.”
“You overpraise me.”
Bathilda smiled slyly and observed Baeksan while keeping her arms crossed. Then she suddenly spoke.
“I’d like to know your name.”
Baeksan was about to answer ‘Baeksan’ but changed their words at the last moment.
“Minervina Rethor.”
“…”
Bathilda paused for a moment. The knight behind her did the same.
“…Unexpected.”
“Pardon?”
“I thought you would hide it.”
…Why?
A thought suddenly crossed their mind.
‘Did they know Minervina?’
…This was a checkmate without a doubt.
‘If I claim memory loss now… that would be strange. Definitely strange.’
Flustered, Baeksan couldn’t speak for a moment.
Surprisingly, Bathilda resolved the situation herself.
“Very well. Perhaps this too is fate.”
She showed an enigmatic smile and gestured to the knight behind her.
“You said you needed lodging money?”
The knight immediately extended a heavy-looking purse. Bathilda handed it to Baeksan.
“Use this. There should be plenty.”
“Thank you.”
“And…”
Bathilda then removed a brooch from around the knight’s shoulder.
“Later, come to the Leventor Palace with this brooch. Ask for Dominic Kito at the entrance, and he’ll guide you to me.”
“…”
It was an ornate brooch that anyone would recognize as belonging to nobility.
When Baeksan hesitated to take it, Bathilda placed it directly in their hand.
“Understand? Make sure to come.”
“…”
Baeksan glanced above her head.
[Bathilda Rohik Schröder]
Princess of Orquenina.
Enjoys recruiting talented individuals, paying them high wages for intense work, and watching them cry.
Baeksan smiled sweetly.
“Yes. I’ll definitely come.”
Nope, not going.
* * *
After parting with Minervina Rethor.
Princess Bathilda Rohik Schröder and her guard knight Dominic headed toward a deserted alley.
Once away from the crowd, Bathilda laughed amusedly.
“As expected of the Blue Moon Fair. We encountered quite a fateful meeting.”
“…”
“Do you have any objections?”
After hesitating, Dominic lowered his blue eyes and spoke quietly.
“I wonder if you gave too much money.”
“Haha. That’s mere pocket change to me. Besides, since she said Rethor, consider it a debt paid to a possible connection.”
After saying this, Bathilda’s eyes gleamed.
“Ah. Since we’re at it, let’s verify something. She said to break the plaster and pierce the bottom, right?”
“Yes.”
Dominic immediately applied force and split the plaster in half.
Breaking the egg-shaped plaster, which seemed roughly painted with enamel, revealed an incredibly delicate egg artwork.
From that moment, both Bathilda and Dominic fell silent. A thought of ‘Oh?’ crossed both their minds.
“…I’ll insert it.”
“Please do.”
Dominic procured a thin pin from somewhere and inserted it into the bottom of the artwork.
The next moment, they couldn’t help but widen their eyes in amazement.
The egg-shaped artwork split into four pieces, and from within rose a lily sculpture studded densely with diamonds.
The diamond lily began to rotate, producing gentle musical notes.
“…”
“…”
Bathilda couldn’t speak until the music ended, then finally opened her mouth.
“…It’s genuine.”
“…Yes.”
Even Dominic, who rarely showed emotion, looked surprised.
And for good reason – Artisan Pavela’s works were worth whatever price was asked.
At the most recent auction, one sold for 1.7 million gold.
“Ha.”
Princess Bathilda let out a small laugh before breaking into full-blown laughter.
“Hahaha! My goodness. I’m the one who ended up in debt. Even being generous, I owe about 1.69 million gold?”
Curiosity swirled in her red eyes.
“I wonder how they knew. And to give it to me despite knowing… Was Rethor’s only daughter always like that?”
