Doing that for a year made us a decent amount of gold. Nobles in the capital loved to have their wealth displayed. Winning auctions for art was a very happy pastime. As we got started, it was only a few people. Some of them were just commoners who wanted something nice in their homes. That was where Yon's work came in handy. I wanted it to get some credibility. Grissell was now a noblewoman who had displayed talent long before the title. Yon was just her commoner brother. He was not a known figure in Mansfield. Nobody of noble blood would very pay for his work. I could sell the work of Baroness Grissell Rhombus. The Swifthunts got a 30% venue fee because we used their property to host the auctions. I was generous and that was how I kept in their good graces. This was a source of passive income for them too. Due to the fact that Len and Molly worked here, they could pop over to see me. I got them in on the hustle. It was called a whisper campaign. Whenever they saw me at the market, they would whisper, very loudly, that I was a great art collector and that I was selling.
It was eaten up by the nobles. I myself was a noble, so they did not feel shy in seeing what I had on offer. Yon's work could be shared and sold for modest prices. This was the dry run with his work. He would get a cut of what he had earned us. Grissell's work would only be auctioned off. Every week at 7pm, I would start the auction. All of the nobles loved throwing their gold around. It was a way for them to flaunt their massive wealth. One of the princes appeared on behalf of the king at our penultimate auction. He was given a work for free. It was to generate some good will. The prince participated in the final auction of the night. He put down 1000 gold. Everyone went silent. It was the highest bid ever given. Obviously, no one bid higher. "Sold." I then walked up to him and wrung my hands. "Your Highness, you have won the piece. This not a game of bluffs, however. You actually need to provide me the 1000 gold coins you pledged before you can receive it." I explained. The prince tilted his head at a servant. The servant the presented me a box filled with gold coins. "This is too boring."
Even if His Highness was bored, I was terribly excited. No doubt the king gave him the 1000 coins to play with in order to get a selection of things. Since the prince had already gotten something for free, this second work would be good enough to go back to the castle. If asked, the prince could say it was very lively and these were the only 2 he managed to win. This was a massive boon for us. Even split between the 2 artworks, a painting by my wife sold for 500 gold coins. And it was bought by a real royal. It was the height of prestige. This meant that all future auctions would start at 300 gold coins for her work. Our final auction was jam packed with people. Those who attended told their friends and family. They hoped the royals would make another appearance. None came, but they were still here with us. We had our last 3 things from Grissell to sell to them. We made 2550 gold that night. It was very stiff competition for the last 2 items. As always, we provided snacks and drinks as well as some minor entertainment. We had made it big as art speculators. I was so proud of myself.
