Frisca quietly accepted the bundle of letters from the servant.
Even before she touched them, however, she already knew they were genuine.
A faint fragrance lingered around the papers, one that she was extremely familiar with. Ever since she was young, she had unconsciously developed the habit of lightly applying the same perfume to the wax seals of the letters she personally wrote. It was not something that most people would notice, much less imitate, yet the moment the letters were placed before her, she immediately recognized the scent.
Nevertheless, she still picked up the topmost letter and unfolded it.
Her eyes briefly skimmed through its contents.
The elegant handwriting.
The familiar choice of words.
Even the subtle habits she had while writing.
Everything belonged to her.
These were not merely the invitation she had recently sent for the Grand Bazaar. Rather, they were the various letters she had written to Aton over the past several weeks.
Without another moment of hesitation, Frisca immediately stood up from her chair.
"Where is he right now?"
The servant, who had not expected such a quick reaction, instinctively straightened his posture.
"H-he is still waiting outside at the entrance, Young Mistress."
Frisca immediately took a step forward.
"Bring me to him."
"Quickly."
"Y-Yes!"
The servant hurriedly bowed before turning around and leaving the room.
Frisca followed closely behind.
However, just before stepping out completely, she suddenly stopped.
She turned around and looked toward her grandfather, who was still sitting comfortably upon the couch while quietly observing her.
Tilting her head slightly, she asked,
"Are you not curious, Grandpa?"
Leon simply waved his left hand dismissively.
"Let's talk once you've brought your fiancé here."
Hearing those words, Frisca simply blinked for a moment before quietly smiling.
She understood what her grandfather meant.
The moment he heard that the young man had brought her personal letters, he had already accepted that the visitor outside was genuine.
Without saying anything else, Frisca left the room.
The servant guided her through the hallway before the two quickly descended the stairs toward the entrance of the Auctionarium.
Several moments later, they finally arrived.
A small group of guards had already gathered there. Some belonged to the Hall Family, while others were guards assigned to maintain the Auctionarium's security. Standing quietly at the center of their attention was a lone young man wearing a dark green coat.
The moment Frisca saw him, she immediately noticed that something was wrong.
There was no carriage.
No servants.
No bodyguards.
Even his appearance was slightly disheveled, while his feet were completely bare.
Countless thoughts immediately flashed through her mind.
Something had happened.
Without waiting for anyone to explain, she stepped forward and spoke.
"Stand down, everyone."
The surrounding guards immediately lowered their vigilance.
"He is my guest."
The Hall Family guards naturally obeyed at once, while the others also stepped aside after hearing the young mistress personally acknowledge him.
Only then did Frisca finally stand before Relict.
She quietly looked at him from head to toe once more.
The more she observed him, the more convinced she became that something serious had occurred before he reached the Auctionarium.
In the end, she did not ask a single question.
Instead, she simply reached out and grabbed his right hand.
Then, under the slightly surprised gazes of the surrounding guards, she silently led him back inside the building.
...
"Do not let anyone disturb us unless it is absolutely necessary. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Young Mistress!"
The servants guarding the private room immediately answered in unison.
Hearing their reply, Frisca gently pushed the door open before leading Relict inside.
The room itself had not changed much from when she left.
Her grandfather was still sitting comfortably upon the couch, a glass resting casually in his right hand. However, unlike before, his attention was no longer directed toward the auction hall below.
Instead, he quietly observed the young man standing beside his granddaughter.
For a brief moment, silence filled the room.
Then Leon slowly opened his mouth.
"What happened to your shoes, lad?"
Relict looked down at his bare feet before scratching his head somewhat awkwardly.
He let out a small sigh.
"Sir Leon, is my footwear really more important than my well-being?"
"I think your first question is a little off."
The old man quietly stared at him for a few moments.
Then he slowly nodded.
"Hmmm."
"You're right."
He gently placed the glass back onto the table before leaning against the couch once more.
"Why don't you simply explain everything?"
"We've got plenty of time before the auction starts."
While Leon was speaking, Frisca had already led Relict toward the comfortable chair she had occupied earlier. She gently pushed him down onto the seat before quietly standing in front of him. Only after making sure that he was sitting properly did she finally have the chance to carefully examine his appearance again.
His clothes were slightly disheveled.
His hair was somewhat messy.
Most noticeably of all, he was completely barefoot.
Seeing him like this, Frisca unconsciously frowned.
"What exactly happened to you, Aton?"
Her eyes naturally drifted downward.
"You really do look like a beggar wandering around the streets without any shoes."
As she said those words, she instinctively crouched down and lightly held one of his feet, carefully checking whether the rough stone roads had left any wounds on his soles.
Relict could only scratch his head awkwardly after seeing both her actions and hearing her words.
"I was ambushed while going home."
His expression gradually became more serious.
"Most of my men died."
"I was fortunate that Seila managed to get me away from the attackers, and—"
"What!?"
Before he could finish, Frisca had already interrupted him.
She immediately stood up and grabbed one of his shoulders, while her other hand naturally reached toward his face as if confirming that he was truly unharmed.
"Are you alright?"
"Who would even dare attack the Lyn Family!?"
Looking at the young woman's reaction, Relict quietly fell silent.
The surroundings seemed to slow down for a brief moment as his attention naturally settled upon the person standing before him.
So this was Frisca Hall.
The eldest daughter of the Hall Family.
Aton's fiancée.
Earlier, for the sake of caution, Relict had included her among the possible masterminds behind the ambush. It had been nothing personal. Rather, it was simply the result of eliminating possibilities one by one.
However, seeing her expression now made him quietly reconsider.
The worry in her eyes did not appear forced.
Neither did the slight trembling in her voice.
Even the hand resting against his cheek seemed to move instinctively, completely forgetting the people around them.
'...Her reaction seems genuine.'
Relict silently arrived at a new conclusion.
Whether she truly loved Aton or not was something that still required further observation, but at the very least, the possibility of her orchestrating the attack had significantly diminished in his mind.
For now, he could temporarily remove her from his list of suspects.
His thoughts ended there.
The room once again returned to normal.
Relict gently smiled before answering her question.
"I don't know who attacked us yet."
"But you don't have to worry."
"I'm fine."
"Seila protected me until we escaped the attackers' range. After that, she brought me to one of the crowded streets connected to the plaza."
As he spoke, Relict slowly raised his hand and gently placed it over the hand that Frisca still had resting against his cheek.
The simple gesture immediately made the young woman freeze.
Only then did she realize what she had been doing.
Her face reddened slightly.
Without saying anything, she quickly withdrew her hand and took a small step backward, trying her best to maintain her usual composed appearance.
"I'm glad that you're alright."
She lightly coughed before speaking again.
"But... what about Seila?"
"Did something happen to her?"
Relict simply shook his head.
"Seila is fine."
"We separated after escaping."
"She returned to our territory to seek help, while I remembered that you had invited me to the Grand Bazaar."
He looked toward her and continued in a calm voice.
"So I decided to come here and seek shelter with you."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I hope you don't mind my decision."
Frisca answered almost immediately.
"Of course not!"
The speed of her reply seemed to surprise even herself.
She quickly looked away and lowered her voice.
"I mean..."
Her fingers unconsciously intertwined behind her back.
"I'm your fiancée..."
"So... you can ask me for help."
By the time she finished speaking, her voice had already become so soft that it was almost difficult to hear, while her eyes remained fixed somewhere else, seemingly too embarrassed to look directly at him.
The room fell silent after Frisca's embarrassed reply.
Leon, who had been quietly watching the entire exchange from the couch, took a slow sip from his glass before casually letting out a light whistle.
It was not particularly loud.
Yet it was more than enough to pull the attention of the two young people back toward him.
Relict naturally turned his head first.
Frisca followed shortly afterward.
Unlike Relict, however, she immediately understood what her grandfather was trying to imply. She quietly crossed both of her arms and raised one eyebrow while staring directly at the old man, silently warning him not to make fun of the situation.
Leon simply looked back at her before lightly coughing once.
The playful expression on his face gradually faded.
"Ahem."
He gently placed the glass onto the table beside him.
"Aton."
The way he addressed him had changed.
No more "lad."
No more casual teasing.
His expression had become that of the former patriarch of the Hall Family.
"Where were you attacked?"
"Did you manage to see your attackers?"
"And why didn't you ask the city guards for help?"
Relict quietly listened to the three questions.
Internally, he could not help but give the old man a small amount of praise.
Every single question struck directly at the core of the incident.
Fortunately, he had already prepared his answers long before entering the Auctionarium.
"We were attacked while going back home."
Relict slowly began his explanation.
"The place was a deserted street, though it was still within Sir Leon's territory."
He lightly shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I never managed to see the attackers themselves. They only relied on long-range weapons to attack us."
After saying that, he paused briefly before continuing.
"As for asking for help..."
Relict looked toward Leon.
"I don't think it's ideal to ask for help from the people inside the same territory where you've just been attacked."
The room became quiet once again.
The words themselves were polite.
However, the implication behind them was obvious.
Leon stared at the young man for several moments before a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Hmmm..."
"So you suspected that the Hall Family was behind the attack."
The old man lightly nodded.
"You're quite something."
Hearing those words, Relict simply scratched his head and smiled somewhat awkwardly after realizing that his intentions had been seen through.
Meanwhile, Frisca slowly turned her head toward him.
Her arms remained crossed.
A slight pout gradually formed on her face.
"Is that true, Aton?"
"You really thought my family was behind the attack?"
Seeing that Relict remained silent, she continued asking.
"Why aren't you saying something!?"
Relict lightly coughed.
"Ehem..."
"Relax a little, Frisca."
He helplessly smiled.
"I wouldn't be sitting here if I truly suspected your family."
Then he glanced toward Leon.
"Your grandfather is simply teasing me."
Even after hearing his explanation, Frisca continued looking at him with the same dissatisfied expression. Her arms remained crossed, while the small pout on her face showed that she was still somewhat unhappy about being suspected.
Fortunately, Leon naturally changed the subject before the atmosphere became awkward.
"Anyway."
The old man leaned back comfortably against the couch.
"You're safe now."
"That's what matters."
"You can stay here until someone from your family comes to fetch you."
"As for the details of the ambush, we can simply wait until our people finish investigating the matter."
His gaze briefly landed on Relict's frail figure.
"You should rest for now."
"You're still recovering from your illness."
Frisca quietly listened to her grandfather's words.
Only then did she fully remember that Aton had barely survived the curse several days ago. Before his body could even fully recover, he had already experienced another life-and-death situation.
Thinking about it, she suddenly felt grateful that her grandfather had immediately considered his condition.
She took a small step forward.
"I'll inform our people to strengthen the security around the Auctionarium."
"We should also be more vigilant toward suspicious individuals."
Then she looked toward Relict.
"And I'll personally wait for the Lyn Family's reinforcements."
"That way, there won't be any misunderstandings."
The small trace of disappointment from earlier had already disappeared from her face.
Instead, there was only quiet determination.
Frisca's expression gradually softened.
"You are safe now, Aton."
"I'll bring you some new clothes and something to eat once I come back."
Relict looked at her for a brief moment before quietly smiling.
Only after hearing those words did he realize that he had completely skipped lunch because of everything that had happened.
He had left the Lyn Family's territory early that morning and spent several hours inside the city library before deciding to return home around noon. Then came the ambush, the escape through the burning carriage, the chase across the alleys, and everything that followed afterward.
Looking back on it now, nearly two hours had already passed since then.
Surprisingly, he had not even noticed the hunger.
Perhaps his mind had simply been too occupied trying to survive.
"I suppose I am a little hungry."
Relict lightly admitted while scratching his head.
Seeing his somewhat awkward reaction, Frisca could not help but reveal a small smile of her own.
"Then wait here."
She turned toward the door.
"I won't be long."
...