I’ve Decided to Let You Go - Chapter 73

The eldest head of the hosting families was in charge of delivering the opening speech. Marquis Leonardo slowly made his way to the podium, tapping the floor with his cane. After giving a short bow, he pulled a sheet of paper from his breast pocket.

He spoke about how important the Harvest Festival was. He also described how harsh the northern winters could be and what kind of effort it took to endure them.

“Let us be people who help others and give generously,” he said. He ended his long speech with a strong call for noblesse oblige.

“Thanks to His Excellency the Marquis, the ceremony now feels much more dignified. Now, we will begin the auction. We will introduce the items donated by the twenty-two hosting families, one by one.”

A portion of the auction proceeds would cover the event expenses paid by the Duke of Aschart, while the rest would be donated to purchase wheat and barley.

The item list was impressive. With reporters in attendance, it was clear that each family aimed to gain attention by securing the highest bid.

Although they claimed the Harvest Festival was a collective effort, the spotlight was already on the Aschart family. For many, the auction was their only chance to gain recognition and honor.

Still, the Aschart family had likely prepared something just as strong. Many were anxious, unsure if they could compete with them.

Then, the first auction item was introduced. It was from the Duke of Aschart.

“Why?”

Everyone who saw the Duke as the biggest rival had the same thought.

Being first in an auction was a disadvantage. Unless the item sold for an enormous price, anyone could bid just one coin higher on the next item.

The host, smiling, said it was an honor to begin the auction with an item from the Duke of Aschart. Then he removed the cloth covering it.

The crowd, who had been watching with serious faces, suddenly burst into laughter. They applauded the Duke’s humor. It made sense, because the item was utterly useless.

What the Duke had submitted was a piece of raw animal hide. It was completely unprocessed and so common that you could find it in any market.

“I’m no good at selling, only at buying,” the Duke said with a shrug, in response to their puzzled stares.

Everyone laughed heartily.

“Alright, let the bidding begin. Please hold up your paddles and call out your offer. One, two, three, start!”

A group from another table quickly raised their paddles and started shouting over one another. They were knights from the Aschart family.

Despite their energy, the final bid was unimpressive. The hide was sold for three gold coins, which was about the price of cheap tea leaves.

“That’s a bit too low,” Sieghart muttered with a frown. He had expected it to sell for little, but this was worse than he thought. It was being treated like garbage.

Still, the winning bid was accepted. The hide, which the Duke had hunted himself, went to the vice-captain of the knights, who was known to be a devoted fan.

The rest of the auction followed a random draw. Some items, like those submitted by Sieghart’s family, seemed to be included just for formality. Others were genuinely valuable.

There were rare, oversized gemstones, swords made by famous blacksmiths, paintings by artists who had passed away years ago, and even a one-day date with a beloved young lady of noble birth.

As the auction continued, something caught everyone’s attention.

“Oh!”

The host removed a red cloth and gasped at the item inside the box. The nobles, who had started to lose interest in the long auction, turned their heads and lit up with curiosity.

“This, they say, is an antique passed down through the family for over three hundred years!”

The item looked ornate and beautiful, instantly drawing attention. It was Count Cedric’s bold entry, aiming to win the highest bid of the night.

Until now, many nobles had held back. But now, they began bidding with passion.

Even though the starting price was high, they had no hesitation about offering more. The bidding started at three thousand gold and quickly reached ten thousand.

Eventually, nobles began to give up. Some even clicked their tongues, saying that amount could buy a plot of farmland in the countryside.

“Eleven thousand, one hundred and fifty gold! Any more bids?”

The final bid was accepted at eleven thousand, one hundred and fifty gold. The antique was won by Marquis Leonardo, the eldest noble present.

Several more items were introduced after that, but none came close to beating the record set by Count Cedric’s antique.

It looked like Count Cedric would claim victory.

“And the last item… Oh, this is from the Duchess of Aschart! How wonderful, the Duke and Duchess opened and closed the auction together.”

The final auction item was a handmade bookmark submitted by the Duchess of Aschart.

“Oh my, it’s beautiful!”

“I heard she made it herself!”

The bookmark was made with pressed flowers and sprinkled with crystal powder. It immediately caught the attention of the noble ladies.

Her name was signed at the bottom, making it a perfect item for anyone hoping to show off a connection with her.

Meliana and Vanessa eagerly raised their paddles to start bidding.

Natasha hadn’t been particularly interested in the auction. She only submitted the bookmark to match the occasion, but unexpectedly, it gained quite a bit of attention.

“Fifteen thousand gold.”

A calm voice suddenly echoed from the front.

“…Did you say fifteen thousand gold?”

The host asked again in surprise, but Sieghart didn’t correct himself.

“Fifteen thousand gold.”

“Y-yes! Fifteen thousand gold is the current highest bid! Anyone else?”

Fifteen thousand gold?

Even if the bookmark was handmade with care and decorated with crystals, it was still just a bookmark. That amount was far beyond reasonable.

Even the host, who had been handling the auction with poise, was left speechless. He blinked several times before finally shouting,

“Yes, yes! The Duchess of Aschart’s handmade bookmark has been sold for fifteen thousand gold! This is the highest winning bid of the day…”

The nobles, who had been recalling the Duke’s earlier claim that he was only good at buying, finally understood what he meant and let out deep sighs.

The first day of the Harvest Festival seemed to end successfully. Aside from the upcoming prayers and meals to be held over the next ten days, the events Natasha had planned concluded today.

For the final part of the day, guests rode carriages to a nearby lake. The event would close with the releasing of lanterns across the water.

One by one, lanterns carrying people’s hopes floated up into the night sky. The pitch-black darkness above was soon filled with glowing lights. The yellow lanterns gathered to form a sun in the night sky.

Natasha and Sieghart also released their lantern. They silently watched as it rose, each of them hoping their wish would reach the god who ruled over the land.

Their lantern drifted gently on the breeze, soon joining the others. The flames, born from human hope, slowly disappeared into the night like stars that shine brightest just before they fade.

Natasha, who had been standing, sat back down on the small boat. She stared at the rippling water, pretending to watch it while stealing glances at the man across from her.

But the sharp-eyed man noticed her gaze.

Even then, and afterwards, Sieghart remained silent. His lips stayed tightly shut.

So, whose voice was it that Natasha kept hearing in her head?

Was it hers?

Or still Sieghart Aschart’s?

She didn’t know. Like a stray cat sneaking around a fish shop, Natasha finally stopped her quiet glances. It was the final event. She needed to keep her composure until the end.

“Thanks to you, the Aschart family is getting unexpected praise.”

“Well, last year and this year, the family took more than a few hits because of me. I’m just making up for it. It was the right thing to do.”

A soft laugh followed. It was the kind of tone that said he knew she’d answer that way.

“Why did you buy the bookmark? I didn’t make it with Sieghart in mind.”

“It wasn’t something my wife gave me. I earned it fairly.”

Before or after, did it make a difference?

Natasha paused, trying to figure out exactly what he meant. But in the end, she couldn’t.

“You always wonder about things like this.”

“…”

“A man doesn’t just sit back and let his wife’s things fall into someone else’s hands. I didn’t like watching all those insects fight to claim what was yours, so I offered a high price right away. Does that explain it?”

Wife.

The word sounded different than usual. Natasha repeated it to herself a few times, as if trying to get used to it, then gave a small nod.

She acted like she understood, but in truth, she didn’t understand any of it. Still, she let the moment pass without asking more.

If Sieghart spoke further, it would probably only confuse her more, not help her feel certain.

“Did you make your wish?”

“Yes. But the details are a secret. What about you?”

“I did too.”

With a faint smile, Sieghart looked unusually perceptive for once. She had been about to ask what he wished for.

“I prayed that you wouldn’t hate me.”

“…You know today is the Harvest Festival, right?”

“I paid with money. So I figured I could wish for something personal too.”

He was shameless, as always.

In truth, she couldn’t scold him too harshly. Her own wish hadn’t exactly fit the spirit of the festival either. So Natasha just nodded as if she agreed.

“Hate, huh.”

The idea of wishing not to be hated was almost laughable.

If it were before, she would have dismissed it as a nice-sounding lie. But now, that was the problem—it sounded sincere.

‘You’re already hated enough as it is.’

Maybe what he really meant was, “Don’t hate me any more than you already do.”

But if that was the case, wasn’t he still being selfish toward her? He claimed to keep secrets for her sake, yet also insisted that those secrets would never be revealed.

That day, when Sieghart vowed to hide the truth forever, Natasha made a decision of her own. She would never open the door to that room—the room with the blue beard.

She would not listen. She wouldn’t give in to momentary curiosity, only to suffer for a lifetime.

After all, there wasn’t much time left in their marriage. Once she divorced Sieghart and lived on her own, even curiosity would eventually fade.

‘Do you really think you’ll be able to divorce him?’

It was the perfect internal monologue—a question Natasha threw at herself.

‘Natasha, are you sure you don’t—’

But why did her own voice sound so much like his?

And why…

Why did her heart start racing every time she looked at him?

Even when she was calm, seeing Sieghart Aschart made her restless and when she was exhausted, just facing him brought her peace.

She couldn’t quite tell what she was feeling anymore.

Her heart, which had started breaking the rules a while ago, was now racing. Her thoughts grew fuzzy and a warm, sticky feeling spread down her back.

Support