Choosing the Baby’s Father From the Following – Chapter 63

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟑
Perhaps the employee, who likely had no decision-making power, simply bowed their head and withdrew.

A little while later, a certificate stating the ownership of all the furniture from the Duchess’s room came into Ernst’s possession.

The auction continued.

Ernst purchased works from several other artists after that, but instead of choosing them one by one, he bought all the pieces that were put up for auction.

“How many pieces by that artist are there? I’ll buy them all.”

Ernst loved art, and he had a discerning eye for it, so he often sponsored several artists.

It seemed that when the value of the artists he sponsored rose, he would sell the works he had collected to make a profit from the price difference.

As the auction neared its end, the auctioneer announced,

“The most valuable item always appears last. This is a silver bathtub submitted by the Hashitind royal family.”

Hashitind, like Flavi, was a kingdom that had long been under the Imperial rule.

Located right next to Flavi, it had a favorable climate and fertile land, making it prosperous for generations, and as such, it was a country where art flourished.

Now, it seemed their golden age had passed, as they didn’t hesitate to put such an item up for auction.

“As you may have already touched it, it’s silver. Copper has been mixed in for strength. It’s the last work of Hashitind’s greatest sculptor, Marolo Chahir, and features lifelike fruit carvings. Now, let the bidding begin.”

As soon as he finished speaking, bells rang out from all over.

―Ding.

“200 crowns.”

“300 crowns.”

Ernst also rang his bell.

“700 crowns.”

“800 crowns. From now on, we will raise the bids in increments of 50 crowns.”

I watched blankly as the price of the extravagant silver bathtub soared endlessly.

Then, it suddenly occurred to me that the bell ringing continuously from the opposite side was Callisto’s.

“Wait a minute, Erni. I think Cal is trying to win that.”

Ernst said, his voice tight.

“……I know.”

I said with a gentle smile.

“He’s been quiet so far. How about letting him have this one?”

He nodded.

“I was going to anyway. It would be foolish to win that for over 800 crowns. It would be better to melt down the silver and commission the Empire’s best sculptor.”

As if to prove his point, once the bid exceeded 800 crowns, the frequency of the bell ringing dropped significantly.

―Ding.

But Callisto continued to ring his bell until the end.

“950 crowns. The silver bathtub from the Hashitind royal family, sold for 950 crowns.”

I looked through the telescope and saw Callisto’s handsome face looking very pleased.

I giggled and said to Ernst,

“Don’t say anything to Cal, Erni. What good would it do to upset him? He has plenty of money anyway.”

Ernst didn’t reply to me, and I soon found out why.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

“Do you like it, Lou? I’m glad to have made such an unexpected gain.”

On the way back to Edessa, Callisto said, sitting in the magic carriage that was speeding along like the wind.

“Are you that happy about buying a bathtub? You sat there for two hours and only bought that one thing?”

When I asked, not yet grasping his intentions, Callisto chuckled.

“There was no reason to buy anything else. The jewels were of lower quality than those from the north.”

Ernst, who had been holding back until now, finally spoke up.

“Your bathtub is also inefficient in terms of cost. You could have bought the silver and hired the Empire’s best sculptor with that money and still have some left over.”

I watched nervously, worried that Callisto might get angry, but he just scoffed at Ernst.

“What good is saving a few coins, Crown Prince?”

Ernst’s usually sunny face crumpled.

He retorted, not backing down.

“It’s not something to brag about, buying the same item for more than others, is it?”

Callisto’s blue eyes were filled with a mischievous complacency.

He tilted his head languidly.

“I have no reason to brag to you about what I buy. The Crown Prince of a small kingdom wouldn’t understand.”

I wanted to intervene, but Callisto was faster.

“Calculations are only necessary when you lack money. Do I, really?”

Phoebe suddenly clapped her hands loudly and interjected.

“Anyway, you bought it to put in the baby’s room, right?”

What?

Confused, I looked back and forth between Phoebe and Callisto, but he didn’t deny Phoebe’s question.

“What else would I use a silver bathtub for? As Lou said, it’s so small you can’t even stretch your legs in it.”

“Haha…… Would it be good to bathe the baby in a silver bathtub……?”

I belatedly expressed my doubts, but Callisto’s satisfied face didn’t show even a slight crack.

“Of course. A high noble’s baby is always under threat, and silver can easily detect poison. Besides.”

Callisto’s long leg lightly brushed against my knee sitting opposite him.

“How could I let someone else buy something you even touched?”

Of course, I did touch the bathtub very briefly before the auction started while looking at the items.

‘But that was only because the grapes carved on it looked so delicious……!’

I even politely declined when Ernst asked if I wanted it.

“Eh, it’s too small. I wouldn’t be able to stretch my legs while sitting in it.”

I never dreamed that Callisto, who was pretending to be separate from us and standing behind us, would hear that and think, ‘It’s small, so I should buy it for the baby.’

But judging by Ernst’s expression, he seemed to have guessed it.

Ernst sarcastically quipped,

“Wherever you came from, it’s not something to brag about that even your brain has turned into a lump of muscle, Cal.”

But even those words couldn’t dampen Callisto’s joy.

He replied without seeming particularly angry,

“I’ve never bragged about that. It’s not really a brag, but I was just stating my ability to buy a silver bathtub for ‘our’ baby without having to calculate the cost.”

In the tense atmosphere, I leaned forward slightly and placed my hand on Callisto’s knee.

Then, I said warningly,

“Thank you for gifting the bathtub to ‘my’ baby, Cal.”

As if that was some grand gesture.

Callisto’s blue eyes overflowed with joy.

His apricot-colored lips stretched languidly, and finally, he smiled brightly.

“It is Babenberg’s honor, Princess Louise.”

Callisto’s gloved hand lightly touched my cheek.

I sighed softly as I saw Ernst turn his body towards the window.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

“Phoebe.”

Upon arriving at the hotel, Phoebe stopped at Crown Prince Ernst’s call.

“Yes, Your Highness. Did you call for me?”

Meanwhile, Callisto had already taken Louise upstairs, leaving the two of them alone in the lobby.

“It’s nothing special, but……”

The golden eyes that were always gentle and confident somehow hesitated to meet hers directly.

Ernst finally spoke with a troubled expression.

“Cal is always like that, but it’s the first time I’ve seen Lou want a specific item. Is it because the baby’s room is empty and she wants to fill it quickly?”

“Hmm……”

Phoebe struggled to recall the story she had heard from Viscountess Cellas at the Imperial Palace.

“I heard that even ladies who aren’t usually interested in decorating or who have few material desires tend to be quite greedy for baby items. Perhaps our Princess is the same?”

Ernst’s jaw tightened, and he nodded seriously.

“I need to call the artisans quickly and fill the room. A silver bathtub…… I never thought Lou would actually want something like that.”

Phoebe chuckled softly in agreement.

“It was a bit surprising. I also thought until now that Her Highness didn’t really like the Grand Duke’s spending habits.”

Ernst tilted his head slightly.

Come to think of it, what did Louise say earlier?

“Don’t say anything to Cal, Erni. What good would it do to upset him? He has plenty of money anyway.”

Normally, she might have been momentarily intrigued by the silver bathtub, but she would have been angry if he actually bought it.

‘……It’s just my imagination.’

The year just before graduating from the academy had been a constant tightrope walk.

He was grateful just to be able to graduate safely and see Louise’s face again, and now he was waiting for the birth of a child who would resemble her.

It was an unbelievably joyous occasion, so he didn’t mind enduring anything.

‘Everyone must feel the same way.’

That’s why the arrogant Grand Duke of Babenberg would be content just to linger around her.

He was being overly sensitive to minor changes in her behavior because of the overwhelmingly long time he had spent by Louise’s side.

‘Don’t be greedy, Ernst.’

Ernst took a deep breath and then gently curved his lips into a relaxed smile.

His languid golden eyelashes lifted, making his clear golden eyes sparkle.

It was his unique smile, the one that she cherished and loved.

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