Chapter 54: Auction Begins
The moment the final class ended, I didn’t wait for the usual crowd to surge out of the room like a released tide. I was already on my feet, my bag slung over my shoulder, my mind racing through the thousand and one things I still had to do. The lecture on thaumaturgic field theory had been a dull, droning hum in the background of my own frantic calculations.
I needed to assemble a staff for the stall, yes—but that could wait. The chaos of the festival prep would provide ample cover for recruitment.
The auction, however?
That couldn’t.
There were only a few precious hours left before I had to leave for the venue, and the item I was after... well, it had the power to tilt my entire future, to shift the very balance of power in this world. It was a linchpin, a fulcrum upon which my destiny rested.
My legs moved quickly through the sun-drenched courtyard paths, a blur of motion bypassing the idle conversations of students, the graceful, synchronized movements of the dance troupes practicing for their fest acts, and the occasional, simpering noble who tried to catch my eye. Not today.
I reached my dorm and threw open the door with more force than was strictly necessary.
Masha stood inside, her arms crossed, her expression a mask of cool disapproval. She was waiting, as if she’d predicted the exact minute I’d arrive.
"You’re late," she said, her voice flat. "You still need to shower, and I haven’t finalized your accessories. We don’t have much time before the carriage is scheduled to leave."
"I got held up," I muttered, throwing my bag onto the plush couch. "Let’s just get this over wi—"
Ding.
The doorbell rang, a sharp, clear sound that cut through the quiet of the dorm.