"W-We need to inform the Manager," one of them whispered, his voice dry in his throat.
They broke into a sprint, boots echoing off the marble as they headed deeper into the auction's administrative wing.
Inside a luxuriously adorned chamber, lined with crystal veils and drifting incense, sat the Auction House's Manager. She was a breathtaking high-elf woman—skin like polished moonstone, her long silver hair bound into regal knots, eyes aglow with muted gold.
She was reclining on a floating chaise when the door slammed open.
"Manager Eryndel!" the guards bowed, nearly out of breath.
She raised a single brow, her tone like cool wind. "What is it?"
"It's about a guest who just arrived… a human, World Rank. He killed one of our registered nobles—a young master of the Akar'drel House. Killed him outright. Splattered him."
Eryndel slowly sat upright, her smile vanishing like mist in sunlight.
"…He killed Akar'drel's heir?"
The guards nodded in unison.
There was a long silence.
