Princess Mira rode in her carriage, followed by ten carts loaded to the brim with goods, grandly making her way to the venue for today's spice sale.
But when she arrived and saw the scene, Princess Mira was left speechless.
There were plenty of people at the auction, but everyone else showed up with banknotes—no one was rolling in with carts full of gold.
Only two establishments used carts: Bella Bell’s Eight Treasures Bistro and Princess Mira’s Suxin Pavilion.
Everyone stared curiously at Princess Mira’s ten carts stuffed with all sorts of odd things. Some merchants even joked, “Is Princess Mira here to buy spices, or is she setting up shop to sell her own treasures? What a riot!”
Princess Mira shot that merchant a fierce glare, but then a polite attendant greeted her, “You must be Princess Mira, the owner of Suxin Pavilion. Have you brought goods to barter?”
Princess Mira sensed something was off, but she was too embarrassed to deny it, so she simply nodded.
The attendant didn’t mock her, but explained, “I’m with the auction. Our boss anticipated some bartering, so I’ve been sent to appraise your goods. Do you have an inventory list, Princess?”
Princess Mira breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been worried the auction only accepted cash and wouldn’t let her trade her treasures. If that were the case, she’d have been utterly humiliated.
Her opinion of the thoughtful auction boss improved. She had Lila hand over the item list to the attendant.
These betrothal gifts and dowry items had always been carefully catalogued—a detailed list, perfect for the occasion.
The attendant said, “Please come inside, Princess. I’ll appraise the list and send someone to deliver the results. However, the entrance fee is one thousand taels of silver—goods can’t be used, only silver or banknotes are accepted.”
Princess Mira was taken aback—this auction was certainly high-class; even the entrance fee was steep.
But since she’d come all this way, she couldn’t just turn around at the door. She paid the fee, and with Lila’s support, headed into the trading hall.
Just as Princess Mira entered, Bella Bell strolled in behind her, shooting her a look and clicking her tongue. “Well, well, Princess Mira actually showed up. I told you your cash wouldn’t be enough—after that entry fee, you’ll barely have anything left! Good luck buying spices now.”
Princess Mira glared, eyes wide: “Can't you see I’ve brought all these treasures with me?”
Bella Bell glanced back at the convoy and covered her mouth, teasing, “Those are your betrothal gifts and dowry, aren’t they? I doubt you’d actually spend them. You just brought them for show—too precious to use, right?”
With that, Bella Bell sashayed inside, leaving Princess Mira so furious she wanted to hit her—her whole body shook with rage. “Why wouldn’t I dare use those things!? Just watch, I’ll spend them today and prove you wrong!”
Princess Mira was led to her own little seat inside the venue.
Each seat was like a half-circle sofa with a round table in the middle, partitioned so every group had its own space but could still see each other.
After Princess Mira sat down, she noticed that right next to her was Bella Bell from Eight Treasures Bistro.
Princess Mira steeled herself—today, she had to win those spices, no matter the price. She couldn’t lose, couldn’t let Lily Evans look down on her!