"One hundred fifty thousand once... one hundred fifty thousand twice... one hundred fifty thousand thrice. Sold!"

After securing the seeds, Olivia nodded in satisfaction. Another steady income stream secured. Sweet~

The auction continued. On stage, Vier presented another item—one that looked oddly familiar to Olivia.

"Next up: a Blood Amber Ring bathed in dragon’s blood. It provides mid-tier resistance against dragonfire—a must-have for adventurers facing dragonkin threats. Starting bid: fifty thousand denars. Minimum increments of five thousand. Begin!"

*Hss—*

Olivia’s eyes locked onto the faint crimson stain seeping through the amber on that silver ring. It felt hauntingly familiar, yet she couldn’t place where she’d seen it.

Not that it mattered. She had little interest in the ring. She wasn’t some adventurer trekking through wilds—just a girl running businesses and attending classes in the Imperial Capital. When would she ever face a dragon? Mid-tier dragonfire resistance meant nothing to her. Besides, proper high-tier gear existed for that. The nobles around her seemed equally unimpressed. Only a few armor-averse ladies and scrawny adventurers leaned forward eagerly.

Just as Olivia thought this—

A familiar voice cut through the crowd behind her.

"Fifty-five thousand..."

At the gentle, youthful tone, Olivia shuddered all over. She whipped her head around.

There he was. The clear-eyed youth raised his hand hesitantly, bidding with quiet restraint. His handsome face made the blue-haired loli beneath the mask suck in a sharp breath.

G-Gawain?!

What was *he* doing here?! She hadn’t spotted him at all earlier...

Olivia’s mind went blank. First that blond brat Caius, now the male lead himself? Seriously—

Were they *that* fated to keep bumping into each other?

After a moment, Gawain seemed to sense the masked figure’s intense stare. He frowned slightly. Olivia instantly snapped her head forward, frantically patting her chest.

*Huff... huff...*

He shouldn’t recognize her like this... Right? She’d gone to such trouble with this disguise today. No way did she want another entanglement with the male lead. Not with whatever twisted fate kept throwing them together.

But...

Why was *he* at this auction? He’d just bid fifty-five thousand—where did *he* get that kind of money?! That sum dwarfed his entire net worth! And why would he even want that ring? It wasn’t like he needed—

*Wait.*

Olivia narrowed her eyes, glancing toward Caius. The blond sat rigidly in his seat, chin propped on his hand, staring blankly ahead with a faint smirk curling his lips.

No. This wasn’t right.

Caius had spotted Gawain here—had seen him bid on a treasure—and hadn’t jumped in to outbid him? That defied logic. These two were sworn enemies. Just earlier, Caius had boasted he’d fight for anything others desired. This unnatural calm meant only one thing:

Caius had consigned the Blood Amber Ring to the auction house himself. Bound by rules, he couldn’t bid now. He was just playing dumb.

Olivia recalled seeing him chatting with Vier near the entrance.

She stared at the ring on stage. *Confirmed.* That was Caius’s item.

*Hold on—*

If it belonged to Caius... why was Gawain trying to buy it? He had zero use for it...

...

Olivia’s gaze fixed on the ring. A memory surfaced.

*That’s...*

*Yes!* She remembered now.

This ring originally belonged to *Gawain*.

In the backstory, when he first became a Hero, he’d stumbled into a dragon’s lair during an adventure. Cornered and desperate, he’d thought of his parents, friends, and childhood sweetheart Mermel. That surge of emotion let him sever the dragon’s claw and escape. Blood from the wound had stained the amber ring his mother gave him—transforming it into the legendary Blood Amber Ring.

Later, at the game’s start, when Gawain was injured again and nursed by Mermel, he’d gifted her the ring as her first piece of jewelry. The tearful reunion had moved even Olivia.

But the cruel twist... in the original plot, after Mermel’s fall, she’d ripped off the ring during a confrontation and tossed it back at Gawain like trash.

Olivia admitted—even in her past life, reaching that scene had shattered her. She’d nearly punched her monitor.

Now, the irony cut deeper. Her last interference—snatching Caius’s Frostworm Grass—must have triggered a chain reaction. This time, Mermel hadn’t even returned the ring. She’d let Caius sell it outright!

*How could she?*

Even if breaking their bond... why *sell* it?

Olivia let out a bitter chuckle. And Gawain? Why did *he* want it back?

What would he even do with it?

【I can’t believe this! Senior, just buy it for him!】

【It’s his mother’s keepsake! Perfect gift to win his heart!】

【He’ll cry from gratitude! Affection points skyrocketing~】

【Hurry up! You’ve got cash to burn now!】

【But buying it funds Caius... feels gross.】

*Huh?* Buy it herself?

Olivia watched the comments scroll by, hesitating. Was this ring truly that important?

*Or...* the blue-haired loli thought, *if I really don’t want ties to Gawain, maybe I should stay out of this...*

Just as doubt gripped her—

A chilling electronic chime shattered the air.

【*Ding!* Live Stream System Task Alert! Voting begins in 15 minutes. Complete the voted option to earn 30,000 Heart Points. Fail, and the fox mask’s effect vanishes instantly. Options:】

【A: Zone out. Ignore everything. At least don’t fund Caius!】

【B: Spend your own money to buy the ring for the male lead. Demand he becomes your loyal dog to repay you~】

【C: Claim the ring—without paying a single denar. Return it to the male lead.】

*Wha—?!*

Not another task—!