---
The study stayed quiet after the communicating stone fell silent.
Sekhmet stood behind the desk, one hand resting near the ledgers, the other still faintly tense from the pressure of gripping the stone. Morning light cut across the room in pale gold lines, but the warmth did not reach his thoughts.
Iron House was moving.
Not just through petty mockery. Not just through rumors.
They were building a stage trap for the auction.
A public failure. A scandal. Panic. Blood.
Something meant to poison Dawn House's name in front of buyers, merchants, nobles, and every scavenger in Slik waiting for a strong family to stumble.
Sekhmet exhaled once.
Then he did what he always did when too many problems crowded his mind.
He broke the problem apart. One part at a time.
The first part was simple. The auction needed items. Real items. Not promises. Not empty prestige.
And that meant it was finally time to use the treasure he had taken from Benimaru's hidden chamber.
