Chris
Upon hearing Hicks's voice, Tiffany frowned in confusion. Just as Hicks didn't understand her, she didn't understand why Hicks wanted the ring.
But she would never let Hicks get her hands on it so easily.
She said, "No matter how many coins number seven offers, I will still have one more gold coin than him."
“This…” The auctioneer hesitated between Tiff and Hicks; she had never encountered such a situation before.
Seeing Hicks looking at her with displeasure, she raised her eyebrows and mouthed, "Want it? Bring something in exchange."
"what would you like."
Tiffany curled her lips into a smile. "The Magic Tower."
Hicks didn't speak, but blinked. Tiffany then said, "Within the Magic Tower, you are free to move around."
Hicks nodded. "I'll double."
Seeing that Tiffany did not react, the auctioneer breathed a sigh of relief, tapped the table three times with his gavel, and said, "Congratulations to number seven for winning the last item in this auction."
"Ladies and gentlemen, this auction has now come to an end. We hope to meet again someday."
"Wait!" A thin man stood up unsteadily, looking like he had drunk quite a bit.
The auctioneer asked him politely, "Sir, do you have any further questions?"
"Where is the Heart of Hess?" As soon as he said this, everyone around him looked at him in shock, asking this question in front of everyone.
Someone asked in a low voice, "What is the Heart of Hess?"
No one dared to answer him, and the thin man, as if he had heard something he understood, said smugly, "Obtaining the Heart of Hess means you can control..."
"Shut up!" the auctioneer said sternly. "Sir, we have never had anything like this at our auctions."
"What?! Are you playing me for a fool?!" the skinny man exclaimed. "Do you even know who I am? I..."
At the auctioneer's signal, security personnel quickly covered his mouth, dragged him away, and threw him out.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know who spread this rumor, but our auction house will absolutely not have such a thing."
"There will also be a ball at the auction. Have a good time, everyone."
After finishing his speech, the auctioneer disappeared from the spot.
Some people looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then stayed.
Everyone returned to the hall.
Tiffany kept an eye on Sanlena's movements, while Sanlena sipped her red wine alone in a corner.
Tiff picked up a glass of wine, swirled it slightly, and walked over to Sanlena's side.
Sanlena made no move, ignoring Tiffany, and sipped her red wine one sip at a time.
“Miss Sanlena Holzler”.
Her lowered eyelashes trembled, and she looked up at Tiffany.
One red and one blue, Tiff vaguely remembered that she had met one of her younger brothers in Simonton.
“Duke Stryker, I’m curious how you recognized me.” She smiled and put down her glass of red wine.
Tiff looked around and saw several people who looked just like Sanlena and were wearing masks.
"It's very simple. They keep an eye on your movements until you move your head slightly, then they will make a move."
"Then, just say it directly, what do you want from me?"
"It's not convenient here."
Sanlena raised her hand and cast a soundproof spell. "Speak."
Tiffany added, "I'll get rid of your two annoying brothers for you, and I'll have the Holzler family help me usurp the throne."
Sanlena wasn't too surprised. She said softly, "Duke Strych, you're too greedy."
"As far as I know, Lina is your person, the Chris family is your maternal family, and you yourself are a duke. With so many people supporting you, why are you trying to win over Holzler? What are you planning to do?"
"I want to take over rightfully."
“Oh?” Sanlena took a step toward Tiff. “What can you give me?”
“I guarantee that the Holzler family will become the number one family in the Inolier Empire.”
"Who else did you say that to?"
“Only you.” Tiff said sincerely.
Sanlena narrowed her eyes, clearly disbelieving. "We don't need to get rid of them, just prevent them from using magic."
Those who don't understand her might think she's incredibly kind, but for these privileged individuals, losing her magic is worse than death.
“Then it’s a pleasure to work with you.” Tiffany raised her glass.
Sanlena picked up her glass again and clinked it with hers. "It's been a pleasure working with you."
After the auction ended, they took the successful bidder back to the Duke's mansion.
“Your name…” Tiffany leaned back on the sofa and glanced at the person kneeling on the floor.
Before Tiff could finish her question, he eagerly replied, "Dorian."
He smiled gently, his white bangs seeming to partially obscure his vision, and he moved his head slightly.
Tiffany, as if bewitched, pinched his cheek and stared intently into his eyes.
Dorian blushed slowly and whispered, "Duke..."
It wasn't until Dope's knocking interrupted that Tiff seemed to come to her senses and asked Lisa to take him to his room.
Once the person was out of sight, Tiffany picked up a handkerchief to wipe her fingers and said to Dope, "Tomorrow, let Lily show him around the Red Tower. From now on, he and Lisa will manage the Red Tower together."
Seeing Dope's puzzled look, she continued, "But we must never let him get in touch with the core things, or let him think that he has gotten in touch with the most core things."
"Duke, who sent him?"
“Hmph…” Tiff tilted her head. “If someone else had ascended the throne more than ten years ago, he would be the Crown Prince now.”
“He is…” Dope asked in surprise.
"Shh." Tiff held up her finger to signal Dope to be quiet.
"Also, you hate him now because Karel is an undercover agent, so you're also very wary of him."
"yes."
"By the way, speaking of Karel, what's he up to these days?" Tiff crossed her legs.
“Carel has been quite restless lately, always trying to contact other dukes.”
"Contact him?" Tiffany scoffed, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes. "Keep an eye on him."
If Carrel hadn't been sent by Ferrand, she would have treated such a talented person well. Unfortunately, not only that, she couldn't even manage herself.
Dorian was shocked. He hadn't expected to be so trusted by the Duke so soon after arriving at the Duke's mansion. He had suspected that Tiffany knew something, but judging from her behavior, she didn't seem to know anything.
What's even more shocking is that the Red Tower was actually built by Tiffany, and he so easily gained her trust, allowing her and the maid who had been by Tiffany's side for a long time to learn how to manage the Red Tower.
He suspected it was Tiffany's conspiracy, but he didn't know where to begin with his suspicions.
————
Actually, when Sanlena mentioned the Chris family, Tiff hadn't yet revealed her purpose to them. She wasn't as familiar with the Chris family as Sanlena thought.
After her mother gave birth to her and passed away, Duke Chris's contact with the Stryker Duke's House decreased significantly, and they stopped contacting each other after Tiffany turned ten.
But the Duke of Chris and her uncle would still send her gifts every year on her birthday, and she would also send them blessings and gifts on holidays.
For the past two years, the Chris family has hardly been involved in anything, and they don't attend meetings except for some important matters.
On the one hand, Duke Chris was getting old, and on the other hand, the Chris family did not want to get involved in the undercurrents between the dukes.
At the Duke of Chris's mansion, a carriage was parked at the entrance.
Lisa helped Tiffany down from the carriage. Tiffany wasn't wearing any uniform today, just a plain dress, and her hair was half-tied up.
The knights at the gate recognized Tiffany even before she got off the carriage, based on the family crest on the carriage. One went in to announce her arrival, while the other waited at the gate to greet her.
The knight strode up to Tiffany and bowed. "Duke Stryker."
"Please wait here, Duke. Someone has already been sent to inform you."
"It's nothing."
Tiffany was dressed differently today than usual, clearly copying someone else's style.
She played a little trick. She remembered visiting the Duke of Chris's mansion when she was very young and seeing portraits of her mother and the Duke in her grandfather's study. In the photos, her mother was wearing a plain dress.
Heavy footsteps approached, and Tiff looked up to see a middle-aged blond man walking towards her. When he saw Tiff, he paused, and his pupils contracted.
"Lily?" He was somewhat lost in thought, but after a moment he immediately walked up to Tiffany, looked at her carefully without saying a word.
“You must be Uncle Lake,” Tiff said first.
“Yes, I am…” He hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say. “Uh… when you were little, your uncle used to fly kites with you, do you remember?”
He had been at a loss for words when this idea suddenly came to him, and he had expected Tiffany to give him a perfunctory answer, but he did not expect her to answer seriously.
"I remember I was running so fast that I almost tripped and fell."
Lake led Tiff into the mansion. "So, what brings you here today?"
They hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they were naturally a bit estranged.
"I have something I'd like to talk to my grandfather about."
“What is it? Tell me, your uncle can…” Lake stopped halfway through his sentence, as if he had just realized that Tiffany was now a duke, no longer the noble lady she used to be. If it was something, it certainly wouldn’t be an ordinary matter.
So he changed the subject, "Did you like the birthday present I gave you last time?"
“I like it very much, Uncle,” Tiffany said with a soft laugh.
“Father is still handling state affairs in his study. He doesn’t like to be disturbed. Let me take you… Father?” Lake stopped in his tracks because Duke Chris was sitting on the sofa.
Lake glanced at Tiffany, then at the Duke, and consciously left the hall, also dismissing all the servants to give the two of them some time alone.
The sound of the door closing came from behind her, and only then could Tiffany get a good look at her grandfather. She wasn't unfamiliar with Duke Chris; she had seen him three or four times during meetings, but he had never paid her any attention. She had thought she wouldn't be able to come in this time and had already considered what to do if she couldn't.
She took a few steps forward, carrying her small bag and acting obediently, saying, "Grandfather."
His gaze had been somewhat unfocused, but he snapped back to reality the moment Tiff spoke. "You have a very good memory."
"ah…"
His gaze swept over Tiffany, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This outfit is modeled after your mother's, isn't it?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
