Chapter 714: Chapter 623: The Arrangent of Fate (4000 words)
All beca silent in the square of Notre Da de Paris in an instant.
The ladies who originally planned to bid for “the first coupon” were all stunned on the spot—Who is this? She’s clearly not playing by the rules!
Normally, everyone would raise the bid by one or two thousand, or two or three thousand francs, gradually pushing the atmosphere to a climax. In the end, a few wealthy young ladies, none willing to back down, would turn red-faced in competition, and one, in a mont of heated excitent, would call out a shockingly high price, crushing all opponents…
But at that mont, soone had jumped in by adding more than 30,000, skyrocketing the price to the frightful height of 40,000 francs!
In the square, everyone craned their necks to look towards the direction from where “40,000 francs” had been bid. Most could only see a black and white lace long dress, while those in a closer position saw the beautiful face of the dress’s owner that made them forget to breathe.
Archbishop Beaumont saw that the crowd had gone cold and desperately signaled to the priest in charge of conducting the auction.
The latter hastily cleared his throat, made the sign of the cross, and addressed the crowd:
“Oh, this young lady’s devotion has enabled her to bask in the Lord’s glory. Now, who else wishes to show their pure faith and soul to Jesus?”
Still, no one spoke.
In fact, there were still a few noble young ladies here who could afford 40,000 francs, but they all hesitated.
The montum with which Callia had raised her bid just now clearly showed she was determined to win at all costs. If one were to call out a bid, she might add another ten or twenty thousand francs; then should they continue or not?
If they continued, the price would be exorbitantly high; if they did not, wouldn’t it seem as though they were outdone by her? So, it was better to pretend not to be interested in bidding and let her have it.
In actual fact, Callia, who was quite naive, had not thought about using any bidding strategies. She had heard that “the first love coupon” was very effective—last year, Miss Debolei, who had won it, received a marriage proposal from her beloved, whereas before that, the gentleman seed not too interested in her.
Thus, for the sake of winning the heart of the Crown Prince, she decided to “buy” this love coupon. Yes, she had never participated in an auction before, thinking of it rely as a purchase from the Church, and based on last year’s “final price” of just over 40,000 francs, she simply called out the price.
She did not expect to have the unintended effect of “shocking” everyone.
The priest hosting the auction tried various persuasions, talking non-stop for two or three minutes, but still no one joined the bidding.
Archbishop Beaumont felt his heart bleeding. He had put quite an effort into promoting the Valentine’s Day event, thinking that “the first love coupon” would be auctioned for a sky-high price, but unexpectedly, it fell short by 5,000 francs compared to last year.
The priest on stage could no longer delay, and finally announced loudly that Callia would receive the Lord’s blessing.
Archbishop Beaumont, with a somber face, presented a beautifully crafted love coupon, then sprinkled Holy Water on it, said a prayer, and solemnly handed it over to Callia.
“The first love coupon” was settled, and people sward toward the church doors. There, more than a dozen priests were selling love coupons. The ladies who failed to get the first one could still buy a slightly less effective one—the cheapest priced at only five sous; one blessed personally by the Archbishop for three francs, and the one sprinkled with Holy Water for seven francs.
Callia, on the other hand, was so excited her face was flushed, clutching the love coupon and ready to find a secluded spot in the church—according to the Church’s publicity, all she needed to do was write the na of the Crown Prince on the coupon, and Jesus would make him fall in love with her!
However, as she just erged from the crowd and arrived at the church’s corridor, she was t head-on by two noble young ladies. The one in the deep pink puff-skirt was the one who had bid 7,000 francs for a love coupon just earlier.
The two noble young ladies glared at Callia covetously. She turned on her heel, intending to sidestep past them.
But then she heard the sharp, cutting voice of “Puff-Skirt”:
“Heh, how ridiculous, a wild girl from Austria, without even a noble title, has the nerve to co to Notre Da de Paris to buy ‘the first love coupon’.
“Don’t think we don’t know your vile thoughts, dreaming that just with this coupon, Jesus will bless you with the favor of the Crown Prince, huh! Dream on!”
Her companion, with a face full of shared enmity, snorted and said:
“That’s right! Even with ‘the first love coupon’, His Royal Highness will never fancy you, he will only find you disgusting!”
Callia imdiately lowered her head, nervously wanting to quickly slip away.
But seeing her weakness, “Puff-Skirt” beca even more aggressive, blocking her way with an outstretched hand:
“40,000 francs, huh… For you, that must be a huge sum, what a pity to waste it.
“Let tell you, only soone of noble birth like myself has a chance of piquing the Prince’s interest; we do not need any coupons to assist us.”
Today she felt humiliated by Callia’s bid of 40,000 francs, or at least that was how she saw it. At the sa ti, she was an admirer of the Crown Prince, vying for the love coupon simply to gain his favor, and within the Palace of Versailles, there were rumors that Callia wished to beco the Crown Prince’s mistress. This made her simultaneously angry and jealous.
“I… you… how can you… be like this…” Callia stamred in distress, tears swirling in her eyes.
“Puff-Skirt” pointed at Callia and said with a light laugh to her companion:
“Look at her, playing the pity card, acting as if we’ve mistreated her. I bet that’s how she hooks the Prince’s attention in front of him, with these tricks.”
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