My Arrogant and Insolent Shadow - Chapter 28

“The auction?”

“Yes. It’s called the Rittenbuff Auction. It’s held once a year in the village across the river and is apparently very popular with nobles and foreigners. Many people bring rare items they need to sell quickly.”

One of Cassian’s eyebrows lifted slightly in amusement.

It wasn’t unusual for people with money to attend an auction. But meeting with the organizer usually meant they were planning to sell something.

A son from one of the more well-off families in the village, bringing an item to sell himself, and doing it directly.

The image of that boy, who never seemed to take his eyes off Yurisiel, flashed across Cassian’s mind.

“When is the auction?”

“Tomorrow.”

The son of a horse ranching family wouldn’t be short on allowance money.

If he needed to secretly gather a large amount of money, it could only be for one reason. The destination of that money was obvious.

Cassian let out a small laugh through his nose.

Yurisiel, did you whisper to that silver-haired boy with that innocent face of yours?

Did you beg him to take you out of the hell hidden beneath Blanchet’s surface?

Did you say you needed your mother’s medicine to do so?

No. That couldn’t be.

That girl always wore her pride like it was part of her dignity. She would never ask anyone for something like that.

Even with blistered hands from constant work, she would never borrow money from someone else.

Even when she trembled in front of him, she never lowered her pride. That was the kind of girl she was.

So, the silver-haired boy must have decided on his own to meddle. Trying to fix everything without being asked.

As if he were some kind of prince on a white horse from a fairy tale.

Fine. If he left the capital and came all the way to this remote place, then he should have been prepared.

His parents, excited about finding a suitable bride, and their naïve son who probably knew nothing of it. What a perfect combination.

Normally, people would cheer for the prince and hope he ends up with the girl in a happy ending.

But Cassian, clearly, was not one of those people.

The mere thought of the silver-haired boy successfully buying the medicine and Yurisiel telling him she wanted to leave made heat rush to the back of Cassian’s neck.

Why? What did it matter even if that boy sold his house for her?

Of course, it did matter.

Because Cassian still couldn’t forgive her.

She had betrayed him. She had to pay for that.

Until the day he died, she would owe him that debt.

But now someone was trying to open his greenhouse and set her free.

Without even asking.

And what’s worse, the money that boy could get from selling a horse might only be enough to buy a few doses of medicine.

When that ran out, would he sell another?

An intruder, trying to take what belonged to Cassian, without even the ability to build her a proper greenhouse. It was laughable.

Cassian yanked open the drawer of the table and pulled out a pouch filled with gold coins.

Thud.

It landed on the table with a dull sound.

A twisted smile slowly appeared on Cassian’s lips as he nodded toward it.

The butler stared at him, uncertain as always, trying to guess what he was thinking.

The pouch looked thick and heavy. Just glancing at it, it was clear a large amount of money was inside.

This was something he would rather not be involved in.

But he couldn’t ignore the young master’s silent command. So, after a brief hesitation, he picked up the pouch.

“Buy that item with this.”

“By item, do you mean the one Hael is putting up at the auction?”

Cassian gave a calm nod.

At the end of his gaze, something cold and cruel flickered.

Every time the young master wore that look, something serious always happened afterward.

Sensing that, the butler felt a chill run through his body.

Still, like always, he bowed without saying anything else.

“Understood.”

Just then, footsteps could be heard outside the room.

As always, right on time, the uninvited guest arrived ten minutes later. It was Yurisiel.

At Cassian’s small nod, the butler opened the door and left.

The girl stepped in and quietly closed the door behind her.

She stood in front of him, just like she always did.

With each step she took toward him, a faint, modest yet captivating scent brushed against his nose, as if she were made of powdered glass.

Completely unaware, she remained calm and composed as usual.

“What would you like me to do today?”

Her voice was clear and steady.

Cassian had never set fixed working hours, but she had drawn those lines for herself. She acted as if they were real.

Outside of those self-made hours, she did everything she could to avoid him, even though they lived in the same mansion. It was like watching someone play hide-and-seek.

And whenever he summoned her without warning, she always showed up looking annoyed, dragging her feet into his room.

Even now, her face showed defiance, yet her behavior remained polite. The contradiction was almost ridiculous.

It was as if her entire presence was saying, without words, that she stayed here only for her mother.

But did she know what was really happening because of her?

Of course not. If she did, she wouldn’t keep showing up, looking so tense and unsure in front of him.

If selling a few horses could truly give her mother a full recovery, if it could save the person who meant everything to Yurisiel and finally break her cycle of misfortune, then she would have left his side already.

And more than that, once Cassian disappeared from this world, she wouldn’t even shed a tear.

Remembering that truth almost felt like a small relief.

At least her problems weren’t something that a few horses could solve.

He was sure of it. He was the kind of man who found happiness by stepping over someone else’s pain.

So what if he was cruel? Even if he ended up in hell after death, he didn’t fear it.

“Sit down.”

Yurisiel quietly took her seat across from him. Cassian’s red eyes flickered violently as he looked at her.

Hael had placed Britt up for auction at the Rittenbuff event.

Even in the very last moment, as he handed the horse over, he hesitated again and again.

He had made up his mind. He knew this was what he had to do to get the money. But as he looked into Britt’s gentle eyes, it was almost impossible to let go.

“I’ll come back for you, Britt. I promise.”

After repeating that promise to himself several times, Hael finally let Britt go.

When the horse stepped onto the auction platform, the room buzzed. People’s eyes lit up as they shouted bids.

The place was loud and overwhelming. Britt, frightened by the crowd, stepped back in panic.

Each time, the auctioneer pulled the reins tighter.

Hael couldn’t watch. He shut his eyes tightly.

“SOLD.”

When the auctioneer’s voice rang out, Hael opened his eyes and saw a man in a sharp imperial-style suit holding Britt’s reins.

“He looks familiar…”

The feeling faded quickly.

The name of the buyer written on the receipt was a stranger’s name. And right now, Hael’s mind was too overwhelmed to care.

He was consumed by guilt. The pain of giving Britt away tore at him.

He returned home quietly, only to find his mother near tears, saying that one of the horses had been stolen.

His father was furious, searching the entire village for the thief.

“I’m the one who did it.”

Hael couldn’t confess. He carried that guilt every day.

A few days passed.

When he saw Yurisiel again at the lord’s estate, she brought it up too.

“Hael, I heard about Britt. He’s gone? How could that happen?”

Carrying such a heavy secret alone was exhausting.

But knowing that Yurisiel would suffer less because of the medicine made it easier to bear. Maybe her smile would return, just like before.

That hope gave him strength.

Even though hearing the word “thief” still made his heart ache, he didn’t worry about getting caught.

The Rittenbuff Auction was held in a nearby village, not in Alphonse. Hardly anyone from his town would even know about it.

And since Hael managed the stables himself, it was easy to sneak Britt out early in the morning.

No one suspected him. His parents didn’t even consider the possibility.

Everything was going as he planned.

Hael bought the medicine and rushed to the mansion to give it to Yurisiel.

She stared at the medicine in his hand, confused.

“What’s this?”

“It’s for your mother.”

Just as he expected, Yurisiel looked shocked.

Watching her reaction, Hael added quietly.

“The doctor from the capital said this medicine could actually help her recover.”

“How did you get this…”

Yurisiel’s emerald-green eyes shook.

Hael felt his chest twist as he looked into her eyes.

“Can you just take it, without asking anything?”

Of course she was surprised.

When the doctor had visited, he didn’t mention anything about medicine. And Yurisiel probably believed that only someone like the young master of Blanchet could get something like this.

She wasn’t wrong.

Cassian could probably snap his fingers and have it delivered. But for Hael, getting even one pill had been difficult.

“If anything like this happens again, tell me. You don’t have to fix everything on your own.”

Britt still lingered in his thoughts, but Hael shrugged it off, acting as if it didn’t matter.

But this time, Yurisiel noticed something different.

Unlike all the times before, she realized the truth right away.

“I can’t just accept something this important like it’s nothing.”

“But you accept things from the young master. The house, the job, all of it.”

Yurisiel looked surprised for a moment. She didn’t expect him to say that.

Her expression quickly changed to one of firm resolve.

“That’s different.”

“It is different. I’m not giving it for free either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want you to quit working for the young master.”

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