Chapter 17

Lia accompanied Hannah, who was heading to visit her family on the outskirts of the Capital, to the entrance of the shopping district.  

Hannah had recommended a trustworthy jeweler who offered fair prices for gems.  

Navigating through the already crowded shopping district, Lia found the jewelry shop and entered.  

“Hmm, I can’t offer much for this.”  

The jeweler, who had been examining the gem closely through his monocle, looked up.  

“…Pardon?”  

“On the surface, it looks like a genuine sapphire, but this gem is mixed with impurities.”  

The jeweler explained to a startled Lia.  

Though it had a clear blue glow resembling a real sapphire, it was easy for nobles or jewelers, who frequently dealt with gems, to notice the impurities.  

For nobles to recognize that this gem was a fake mixed with impurities…  

‘So Carolina knew and still gave this to me….’  

The jeweler, perhaps feeling uneasy himself, suggested she visit a few other jewelry shops nearby just to be sure.  

However, the other jewelers gave her the same response.  

“This is a complete cheap fake!”  

“Miss, this isn’t worth much.”  

“…This is the kind of thing poor commoners use as wedding gifts.”  

She had been utterly deceived.  

Carolina had thoroughly mocked her.  

She wanted to return to the Duke’s residence immediately and confront Carolina, demanding why she had given her something like this.  

‘But even if I confront her, would that woman give me a proper gem?’  

There was a high chance Carolina would brazenly dismiss her complaints.  

She might even snatch back this cheap sapphire.  

Lia looked down at the clothes she was wearing.  

It was truly impossible to keep wearing them any longer.  

With a deep sigh, she returned to the first jewelry shop and sold the sapphire.  

The fake sapphire fetched exactly 1 gold.  

‘This might be enough for two or three ready-made outfits and a hat.’  

This was only possible because it was a festival day.  

“…I was a fool to trust that woman.”  

She muttered to herself as she walked into the increasingly crowded streets.  

The streets were packed with people of all ages, making it quite difficult to reach the area where the clothing shops were clustered.  

She bumped into people frequently and had to apologize often.  

Thud!  

“Ouch, I’m sorry.”  

She collided hard with someone.  

It wasn’t anyone’s fault; it was simply inevitable in such a crowd. Lia instinctively apologized.  

However, before she could finish her apology, the boy she had bumped into disappeared.  

‘…What was that?’  

She found the boy’s sudden disappearance strange but soon arrived at the clothing shop she had been looking forward to.  

A sign outside the shop announced a half-price sale for the festival day.  

The other clothing shops were offering similar discounts.  

Lia carefully visited three or four nearby shops and decided to purchase three outfits and a hat from the shop that had the most affordable and durable-looking clothes.  

“That will be 80 silver.”  

“Yes, just a moment.”  

She reached into her bag for the 1 gold coin she had stored carefully.  

But the money, which she had placed neatly inside her bag, was nowhere to be found.  

No matter how many times she searched, it was the same.  

‘That boy earlier!’  

Only then did she realize that the boy she had bumped into just before arriving at the clothing shop had stolen from her. But it was already too late.  

When she couldn’t pay, the shopkeeper’s attitude turned cold.  

“Were you trying to buy something without any money?”  

“No, it’s just that a thief….”  

“Whatever the reason, if you can’t pay, leave now. You’re blocking other customers from coming in.”  

She was practically chased out of the shop.  

‘First a fake sapphire, now I’ve been robbed. How pathetic, how utterly pathetic.’  

Was it because she had only lived in the mountains? Despite having returned in time, she felt utterly foolish.  

In the remote mountain village where only a few families lived, she had never been caught in such a crowd.  

She had even less experience dealing with thieves.  

The same went for gems.  

Before or after her regression, gems were so rare for her that she had no way to distinguish their authenticity.  

None of what happened today was her fault.  

But knowing that in her head didn’t stop her heart from aching.  

‘This feels like the worst day ever….’  

She didn’t know how she would face Rafaella later and smile while talking to her.  

Feeling like tears might spill, she bit her lips tightly.  

“…Mommy!”  

Was it a hallucination? She thought she heard Rafaella’s voice from somewhere.  

Now she was hearing her daughter’s voice as a hallucination too.  

This area was primarily filled with shops frequented by commoners, so there was no reason for Rafaella to come here….  

Oh no! 

“…Raffy!”  

It was really Rafaella.  

Her beloved daughter, running toward her in the light pink dress she had dressed her in that morning.  

‘…I’m glad I held back my tears.’  

If she hadn’t, she would have embarrassed herself in front of her daughter.  

She embraced Rafaella, who had run into her arms, and patted her gently. Then a dark shadow loomed over her.  

“What were you doing here?”  

“Ah, well….”  

Lia hesitated.  

‘I don’t want to tell anyone about what happened today.’  

“Were you here to buy clothes?”  

When she didn’t answer, Johann asked another question.  

“…Yes.”  

“Then why are you empty-handed?”  

“…I couldn’t find anything I liked.”  

“I thought you weren’t picky, considering the clothes you usually wear.”  

His murmured comment made Lia’s face turn bright red.  

For someone who usually wore whatever, to say she hadn’t found anything she liked from the shops here….  

‘How ridiculous must I look to this man right now….’  

But she didn’t want to explain everything in detail.  

She had her pride too.  

Especially in front of her husband, she didn’t want to lose even more of it.  

“Hmm, then let me take you to a place I know.”  

He made an unexpected suggestion.  

If it was a place Johann knew, it would undoubtedly be far more expensive than the shops she had visited.  

“…I don’t have that kind of money.”  

“No! Mommy has an allowance too!”  

Rafaella’s sudden comment made her tilt her head in confusion.  

“Right?”  

Rafaella looked at Johann with sparkling eyes.  

“…Yes, let’s talk about it as we go.”  

What was all this about?  

Johann took the lead, cutting through the crowd, while Lia held Rafaella’s hand and followed behind him.  

When she was chased out of the clothing shop, she thought she would miserably cry her way back to the Duke’s residence.  

But now she was holding Rafaella’s hand, walking behind her husband, whose broad shoulders and back seemed to shield them as they moved forward.  

‘…It feels like I’m bumping into fewer people now.’  

Following him, they eventually entered a less crowded street.  

The street was far more luxurious compared to the one they had just left.  

The clothing shops lined up here boasted exteriors so elegant that anyone could recognize their high-end status at a glance.  

The shop windows displayed stunning dresses, each tailored to match the shop’s unique style.  

Even Lia, who knew little about dresses, felt her heart flutter.  

“This way.”  

Johann confidently led Lia and Rafaella into one of the shops.  

The high-end shop displayed a shimmering blue satin dress adorned with jewels, along with a matching men’s suit, in its window.  

The shop’s sign read, “Evelyn’s Fashion Salon.”  

“Rafaella asked if you had an allowance because she has one.”  

As he rang the bell hanging on the shop’s door, Johann whispered softly.  

“I thought it would be complicated to explain, so I said yes.”  

Lia finally understood why Rafaella had mentioned her having an allowance.  

Since Rafaella was too young to understand the concept of the family’s private funds, Johann must have glossed over it.  

“…You’re still my guest, and since I brought you here, don’t worry about the money.”  

Was it because he had spent all day with Rafaella?  

‘…His tone seems softer than usual.’  

Lia looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.  

“Why are you staring at me like that?”  

“…Sorry, it’s nothing.”  

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”  

…He probably didn’t know that his slightly gentler tone had lifted her spirits a bit.  

Soon, the door to the salon opened.  

“Oh my, isn’t this His Grace, the Duke of Blumhart!”  

Madame Evelyn, the owner of the salon, greeted Johann enthusiastically upon seeing him.  

“This way, please.”  

Madame Evelyn guided them to the VIP lounge and instructed her staff to bring two cups of warm tea and a juice.  

“If you had summoned me, I would have come immediately. What brings you here in person?”  

Evelyn spoke to Johann warmly as she sat across from Lia and Rafaella on the sofa.  

“Are you here to get clothes tailored for the young lady?”  

Madame Evelyn had heard rumors about the Duke of Blumhart’s newfound daughter.  

As the owner of a high-end salon, she refrained from being overly inquisitive.  

Instead, she brought up Rafaella naturally, as if it were the most ordinary thing.  

It was the proper way to avoid offending the Duke.  

“…Didn’t we already have Rafaella’s clothes tailored?”  

“Oh, unfortunately, not at our salon.”  

At her words, Johann furrowed his brows slightly.  

“Didn’t my aunt have them made here?”  

“No, the former Marchioness Sprecher seems to favor another salon.”  

“…I see.”  

Madame Evelyn, noticing Johann’s seemingly displeased expression, worried that she might have upset such a valuable client.  

She didn’t know why he had come in person, but she needed to ensure smooth dealings with him moving forward.  

Evelyn refrained from commenting on Rafaella’s dress, which, while of the highest quality, seemed to be an older piece rather than a new one.  

‘It’s not wise to talk too much when dealing with nobles.’  

Even if she knew, pretending not to know was better.  

“Actually, the clothes are for this lady, not the child.”  

Johann gestured toward Lia, prompting Madame Evelyn to turn her attention to her.  

Madame’s eyes sparkled as she began scrutinizing Lia from head to toe.