Their preparations had gone smoothly. Rahey had never been the studious type but for the sake of the event, he managed to get his hands on the brochure for items that might show up at the auction and even went as far as to read some books about spotting counterfeit items.
After considering various angles, Rahey believed there were more or less three ways in which the ministers could hope to tarnish his image- the first was by bringing out his ignorance to those present by asking him questions on taste or value, the second was to make him overspend by inciting him or making him seem cowardly if he chooses to back out and the third was to destroy his reputation itself by showing him to be untrustworthy.
Rahey had prepared well to fight off the first two methods but the last one was unpredictable because it had nothing to do with the auction itself, rather it used the auction as a stage to destroy him.
"Excuse me, young master." The knock at his door was expected. It was early in the morning and they were going to set out to the auction hall. At first, they had planned on going to a different town where the auction was supposed to be held but the organizers changed it last minute so that it was very near to where the lord lived. Rahey didn't know if they did this intentionally or if it was just a coincidence.
"Yes, Vitter. I'll be there in a minute."
He found his heart beating erratically despite not being very worried. He supposed it was a natural reaction to have because he was going to be alone in a carriage with his father for a good amount of time. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to make small talk but he also knew that he must make a good impression. The lord however was a very mysterious man. Curil refused to give him any quantifiable information and Anice didn't have much of an opinion on him. Rahey had secretly visited the town in disguise hoping to get some gossip but that attempt too had failed.
Stepping out of the house, Rahey noticed the clear skies and bright sunlight. The carriage was waiting slightly ahead and Vitter was trailing after him like a despondent dog who didn't know what to do without his master.
"It's only three days, Vitter." Rahey turned to assure him before he got on to the carriage. "Until then, I hope you'll do what I asked you to."
"Of course! You can leave it to me, young master."
Asking Vitter for that favour had been a challenge because he needed Vitter to snoop around without making it explicit that he wanted Vitter to snoop around. In the end, he had convinced Vitter he was doing it to help someone and that had been enough of an excuse.
Rahey pulled himself up into the carriage and noticed how luxurious it was despite being somewhat plain on the outside. The seats were made of soft fabric and the windows were covered by thick red curtains that appeared blue the moment the door was closed.
"Good morning, father." Rahey said as he stepped in. He could make out the vague outline of the lord who nodded in response.
Rahey didn't know if Azil had addressed him as 'father' but luckily, no one had pointed it out as suspicious.
They began their journey shortly after as Rahey's mind wandered to what he would do once they got there. Anice promised she'd get there using her own methods so he would just have to leave that up to her.
Apart from that, there wasn't much he needed to think about so his mind wandered to pointless things. Thinking about his old life was something that he avoided passionately so his mind drifted to wondering why the windows were covered over. His favorite part of travelling was always enjoying the view outside and it often helped him think better. Before he could ponder whether or not to ask the lord why he did that, the lord asked him a question.
"Are you sure about this?"
The vague sentence sounded a lot like a threat.
"Of course. I look forward to meeting everyone there."
He had Anice to thank for his ease in meeting everyone because Anice somehow knew all of their names, occupations and family history. He had been doubtful at first as to whether or not she was right about the crowd who were to show up to the auction but hearing the ministers mention their names in passing confirmed to him that Anice was correct.
The lord's eyebrow twitched and he didn't say anything afterwards.
***
They stopped at last in front of a giant building. The pillar were carved with intricate designs and the large front doors were held open to reveal a wide hall and a large double staircase leading up to the first floor. In other words, the auction hall was nothing short of spectacular. It had a simple design but reminded Rahey a lot of auction halls in his world.
His father left the carriage first without ever glancing back to check if he was following. This suited Rahey just fine as he slipped inside to scour the area. The room on the ground floor had an elevated platform mimicking a stage at the front and a podium for the speaker. There was a large velvet like curtain separating the stage which he assumed were the items on display.
Not many people were inside the room at the time and he mostly saw workers shuffling around trying to get things in order. Suddenly, he heard loud footsteps behind him and immediately, he was on guard.
"Well Rahey, I never expected you to be here!" The jovial voice was completely unfamiliar to him but it felt like there was a mocking tone to it.
"What's so surprising about that?" Rahey turned around to face his first opponent.