For Love (4,000-word Chapter, Please Vote with Monthly Tickets)

Notre-Dame Square fell silent in an instant.

The ladies who had originally planned to bid for the "First Love Voucher" all froze in place—who was this? She simply refused to play by the rules!

Normally, everyone would raise the price by one or two thousand, two or three thousand Francs, gradually pushing the atmosphere toward a climax. In the end, several wealthy, unyielding young ladies would battle until their faces turned red, and one of them, carried away in the heat of the moment, would shout an astonishing price that crushed all her opponents...

Yet now, someone had added more than 30,000 right from the start, driving the price to the terrifying height of 40,000 Francs!

Everyone in the square craned their necks toward the direction from which the cry of "40,000 Francs" had come. Most could see only a long black-and-white dress trimmed with lace, while those closer to the front saw the face of its owner—a face so beautiful that it made them forget to breathe.

Seeing the bidding stall, Archbishop Beaumont desperately signaled with his eyes to the cleric presiding over the "auction."

The latter hurriedly cleared his throat, made the sign of the cross, and looked toward the crowd.

"Oh, this young lady's devotion has allowed her to bathe in the Lord's radiance. Then, who else wishes to show God her holy faith and soul?"

Still no one spoke.

There were, in fact, several noble young ladies here who could afford 40,000 Francs, but they were all hesitating.

The force with which Camellia had raised the price just now made it clear that she was determined to win at any cost. If they made a bid, she would very likely add another ten or twenty thousand Francs. When that happened, should they follow or not?

Following