SMR 110

~Chapter 110~

“Of course they’d still sell it. Even if the land is ruined, selling it helps the owner pay back at least some of their debts. So they just hide the defects as much as possible.”

“That’s fraud!”

“Welcome to the world of business crime.”

Harriet was speechless. All she could do was let out a weak laugh.

But inside, her neck felt hot. She had wanted to look impressive in front of Cedric, yet instead she had revealed herself as a complete beginner.

After that, she couldn’t concentrate on the rest of the auction. She was too embarrassed to leave, so she just sat there awkwardly.

‘I must have looked ridiculous. I should’ve studied more before coming.’

Roxana had taught her about economics, industry, and real estate, but only the basics.

She couldn’t possibly compete with people who had real experience handling their family fortunes.

It seemed like her first attempt at investing in real estate was going to end in failure. But just then—

Cedric suddenly grabbed Harriet’s wrist, the one holding her paddle, and raised it high into the air.

“W-what are you doing?!” she gasped.

He didn’t answer. His eyes stayed fixed on the auctioneer’s rapid-fire calling of numbers. Paddles were shooting up and down everywhere.

Then Cedric pressed another paddle—a red one—into her hand. She wanted to ask what it meant, but the moment was too tense.

“220,000 diram! 220,000! Any more? I’ll count down from five! Five, four, three, two…!”

At the very last moment, Cedric lifted her wrist again. Other paddles rose too, but Harriet was the only one holding up a red one.

“Highest bid—270,000! Sold!”

The auctioneer’s loud voice rang out, followed by the sharp crack of his auction hammer.

“Item number 2253, farmland in Lowerbury, sold to Participant No. 135 for 270,000 diram!”

The sound hit Harriet like a bolt of lightning. For a while, she just stared blankly at the stage.

Then she looked down at the paddle in her hand. Sure enough, it was marked “135.”

Which meant she had just bought a piece of land—she didn’t even know where—for 270,000 diram. Forced into it by Cedric.

“What on earth was that?!”

She grabbed his arm and demanded an explanation. Maybe the word “stunt” sounded a bit rude, but after what had just happened, it felt justified.

Cedric, however, didn’t look guilty at all. He simply smiled faintly.

“In ten years, the price will rise to more than ten times what you paid. Hold onto it until the right time, then use it.”

“What…?”

“And for the record, there won’t be any property better than this one today.”

With that, he gave her a polite nod, stood, and calmly left—slipping through the crowd and out of the hall.

Harriet stared after him, dazed, like she’d been bewitched by a ghost. She only snapped back when an auction official approached her.

“Participant 135, please take this slip to the buyers’ office and complete the paperwork.”

“Ah, yes—thank you. But… where is the office?”

He gave her a look like, You didn’t even know that?, but still pointed her the way.

“Exit through that door and go straight to the right. You’ll see it.”

“Thank you.”

She slipped out, following the same path Cedric had taken. But he was nowhere to be seen.

Plenty of eyes followed her though. Clearly, it was unusual for a young woman to win land at auction.

Inside the buyers’ office, others who had won bids were filling out forms. With the staff’s help, Harriet did the same.

That was when she finally learned what she had bought: just 1,000 square meters of farmland. The starting bid had only been 80,000 diram.

‘And I paid 270,000 for it?!’

She was ready to explode in anger at Cedric’s trick. But then the staff member helping her spoke warmly.

“You’re really lucky to have won this.”

“Huh? Am I?”

“You didn’t know? You bid on purpose, right?”

Harriet’s eyes darted around. She didn’t know how to respond.

The man glanced around nervously, lowered his voice, and whispered:

“Ah—sorry. Best not to talk too loudly about this, right?”

“Ha… haha…”

“The Alkineth Land Reclamation Project is being run by the Kailas family. There’s no chance it’ll be canceled. And once that forest area is turned into housing, Lowerbury will become the main gateway. The place will be completely transformed.”

His words sparked a memory Harriet had almost forgotten.

The Alkineth Reclamation Project.

The imperial family had entrusted the Kailas dukedom with the task of turning the Alkineth wilderness into housing, to ease Genoa’s overcrowding.

Because the land itself was imperial property, no one could buy in Alkineth until the project was finished. Which is why the surrounding regions were becoming hot investments.

‘So… I basically won the lottery?’

If Lowerbury really became the gateway to Alkineth, then her 1,000-square-meter farmland would be worth a fortune.

No wonder the price had jumped to over three times the starting bid.

‘He said it would rise ten times in ten years, didn’t he?’

Remembering Cedric’s casual words, Harriet’s hands trembled. Just by waiting ten years, her 270,000 diram could turn into 2.7 million. It felt like a dream.

But along with the excitement came a sting of defeat.

‘I only managed this because of him. If I’d been alone, I would’ve wasted 210,000 on worthless land.’

She hated the thought, but she couldn’t help it: ‘Is there really nothing I can achieve on my own?’

Still, she didn’t have the courage to refuse the Lowerbury land. That kind of boldness was only possible for someone with nothing to lose.

“It’s almost done. Just sign here at the bottom,” the staff member said, sliding over the last page.

Harriet forced a wry smile and scrawled her name.

“Pay the remaining balance within a week, and the purchase will be finalized. The deed in your name will be ready about a month after payment.”

“Thank you.”

She left the office and stepped back into the bustling auction hall. Everyone was still focused entirely on their bids.

That was when she realized what had been bothering her all along.

‘Why was Cedric even here?’

He had said he came because there were good properties, but he hadn’t bid on anything. He had only made sure she won.

‘What on earth are you thinking, Cedric Kailas?!’

Grinding her teeth, Harriet swore she’d try harder not to spiral into strange fantasies about him again.

***

Meanwhile…

“Welcome back, Your Grace.”

Cedric’s aide, Gerard, bowed respectfully.

Cedric nodded lightly and sat down, picking up the Alkineth Reclamation Project documents he had been reviewing earlier.

On top was a report on land purchases in Lowerbury, the region next to Alkineth.

Remembering the conversation he’d had before leaving, Cedric smirked faintly.

“How are the land investments in Lowerbury going?”

Before beginning the reclamation, the Kailas family had been quietly buying up nearby land to avoid later disputes. Lowerbury, as the gateway, was an especially important target.

Gerard replied promptly:

“We’ve purchased 45% of the usable land under the Kailas name. Another 40% has gone to outside investors. The remaining 15%, which has legal issues, has been passed to auction.”

He paused, then asked carefully:

“Most of it’s already sold. Should we try to acquire the rest, including what’s currently at auction?”

“There’s still some left?”

“Yes. A few parcels. One of them was coming up at today’s auction. It’s quite small, though…”

It was at that moment Edgar came bursting in, looking excited.

“I think Miss Harriet went to the auction today. I saw her outside earlier. Guess she’s interested in real estate now.”

To be discussing the auction and then hear Harriet was there—it almost felt too coincidental. Or

perhaps… fated.

Either way, Cedric didn’t spend long thinking before deciding what to do.