Chapter 2 – What Remains the Same and What Doesn’t (8)

The shopkeeper, after examining the diamond closely with a magnifying glass for a while, finally spoke in a cheerful voice.

“It’s not of very high grade, but it is indeed a diamond. The design doesn’t seem to suit the taste of noble lords.”

“Do you buy things like this?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Even commoners with some money take an interest in jewelry. Moreover, it’s the symbolic stone of Amang, the firstborn of the apostles.”

“Hmm…”

Chloe pondered carefully. 

Should I sell it here or to a jeweler I have known for a long time? Perhaps the Lacroix name could fetch a higher price.

‘I did it for fun, so there’s no need to spread rumors.’

Since they didn’t deal exclusively with her family, there was no guarantee they would keep it a secret.

“If I sell it, how much would it be?”

“50.”

“50 gold?”

The young ladies were startled, recalling the price of ‘jewels’ they had in mind, and the shopkeeper waved his hand as if amused by their reaction.

“Silver, silver.”

“Oh…”

Feeling awkward, Chloe asked Mirabelle in a low voice.

“It was 10 silver, right?”

“We calculated it all at once with other things…”

Mirabelle’s eyes wandered in the air, as if recalling what they bought that day.

“Yes, I think that’s right.”

No matter how large the gem was at Marcone’s, it was just a dull stone, so it was bought cheaply.

The jewels that mercenaries carried must have held some meaning, but if they were pawned, they must have needed money, even if a small amount. Since Marco’s clientele wouldn’t be interested, he must have sold it cheaply just to recover his cost.

“Then let’s do it that way.”

The shopkeeper beamed and went to the safe.

‘Seeing how happy he is, it feels like I might have been ripped off…’

However, she was still making a profit of several silvers, so there was no need to haggle further. It wasn’t appropriate for a noble lady to haggle over selling something to merchants.

As she steadied her mind, a pouch containing 50 silver coins was placed in front of Chloe.

“Wow, Loi, you made money?”

“Indeed…”

It was the first money she had ever earned, even considering the future she remembered. Though she didn’t know the exact value when buying something, and it wasn’t even enough to buy the dress she was wearing, the fact that she earned money for the first time on her own… The feeling welling up inside her was an emotion she had never experienced before.

It was similar to the feeling when she graduated second in her class at Ridote, but somehow different.

‘Even though it’s money that would be gone after buying three or four books…’

Perhaps it was connected to the tingling sensation she felt when she thwarted the thugs at the festival market. Chloe’s lips formed a whisper-like voice.

“It’s fascinating.”

“I find it more fascinating that you recognized the diamond, my lady.”

Chloe smiled, trying to calm her overwhelmed heart, Mirabelle laughed because it was amusing to see what her young mistress had accomplished, and the shopkeeper smiled because he had acquired a decent diamond at a low price.

* * *

On the day she promised to visit her friend, Chloe reached the main gate of the Imperial Palace and was about to get out of the carriage when she couldn’t believe her eyes.

Demetrian, who seemed determined not to miss her arrival lately, was there again. And this time, she wasn’t even there to meet him.

“Demi? What brings you here?”

“I was passing by and saw your carriage.”

Since the Senate’s administrative office was located in the outer palace of the Imperial Palace, this was indeed his workplace. But something about his recent performance made her narrow her eyes.

Seeing his colleague, Pujali Nous, with lilac hair tied up beside him, it didn’t seem like he was waiting on purpose.

‘She’s not Sir Faigen, and he can’t just drag his colleague around.’

Sensing Chloe’s growing suspicion, Demetrian quickly spoke.

“What brings you here?”

“To meet Princess Kendalwood.”

“You’re heading to the prince’s palace? I was just on my way to meet His Imperial Highness 2nd Prince.”

With that, he gestured to Pujali Nous, who nodded politely to Chloe and said,

“Then I’ll go back to the office first.”

Demetrian nodded to Pujali and offered his arm to Chloe, who took it as if entranced.

As he escorted her through the corridor leading to the inner courtyard, Demetrian thought about the price he had to pay his colleague.

A few days ago, Demetrian had encountered the Lacroix messenger purely by chance. How grateful he was. That day, he had gone to visit the off-duty Second Prince and, on his way out of the inner palace, saw the messenger waiting for entry permission.

“A letter from Chloe?”

“Yes, it’s a letter for the Princess of Kendalwood.”

“Would it be alright if I delivered it instead?”

“Oh, yes! Thank you so much for doing that.”

The Young Duke of Crevelle, popular even among the Lacroix servants, was offering to handle the difficult task of entering the inner palace. The messenger’s heart swelled with respect for the young lady’s friend. While sightseeing inside the palace was a delight, obtaining entry permission and bowing their heads in etiquette was quite challenging.

“What are you staring at? Go on, messenger.”

“I need to give a reply.”

“Replies are only given to messengers.”

“You just called me a messenger.”

The Princess of Kendalwood, Marianne, who had known both Chloe and Demetrian since childhood, always tended to act mischievously towards him, who was five years older. Pouting her lips, she ordered her maid to bring writing materials and quickly scribbled something while shielding it from Demetrian’s view.

Fortunately, while folding it, he managed to catch a glimpse of the contents.

‘Alright. Two o’clock.’

The problem was that it consisted of only a few words…

Trying to find out what was going on, he probed the messenger, but he knew nothing. Thus, Demetrian ended up making some sort of deal with his colleague.

“How about delaying your visit to the office until after lunch for a while?”

“But that would mean leaving work late.”

“You can finish your tasks beforehand.”

“Aren’t afternoon tasks generated after visiting the office?”

Ugh… As always, her sharp response made Demetrian furrow his brow.

Pujali Nous, who didn’t miss the hint of anxiety on her usually composed colleague’s face, adjusted her glasses and spoke generously.

“Arrange a match for me. Someone from a viscount family or higher, tall, handsome, and won’t be petty about me working for the state.”

For young noble ladies who graduated from the Imperial Academy and became officials, there was a clear goal of paving their own way to marriage. With her family’s connections, it was obvious what kind of matches would come, so she ventured into a wider pool where there was a higher probability of finding suitable matches.

But Pujali Nous had long realized that academy romance, office romance, and court romance were all other people’s affairs.

Her late workdays lasted only three days, but… she had to start visiting the social club weekly for a while.

‘Still, if I didn’t do this, Chloe would have felt burdened.’

As he thought about this, Mirabelle’s cheerful voice rang out from behind.

“Lord Demi, what happened to those guys from that time? I heard you interrogated them yourself?”

“Oh, you mean the separatists.”

Come to think of it, he had forgotten to share the results. Hearing Mirabelle’s words, he glanced at Chloe, who also looked curious… He still couldn’t understand why she had been in such a place at that time. She said she had errands in the shopping district, but… well, it didn’t matter now.

“I suspect there’s someone behind them, but they refuse to talk. They deny any intent to cause terror. I believe soon that prince… will be summoned and interrogated by His Majesty the Emperor.”

That prince. 

Chloe’s eyes flickered momentarily.

Demetrian, who felt guilty even as he brought up the topic, watched her closely, but it was such a brief movement that he barely noticed.

Chloe recalled when she first experienced the society of noble children upon entering Ridote, where that prince was already a famous figure. At the age of ten, he had come to Gotiue as a hostage and had lived as a foreigner for almost ten years, unable to return to his homeland despite having a place to go.

It was the story of Bjorn Scandar, the eldest son of Scandar, who would later become her husband.

He left Gotiue only when his father became critically ill, necessitating the hurried appointment of a crown prince, which wouldn’t happen for a few more months.

So, he was still residing in Gotiue.

Recalling that the man she had spent nearly three years with as a couple was still in the same city made her heart flutter unnecessarily. In the solemn and cold royal palace of Shevik, if Chloe had any solace, it was undoubtedly due to her husband.

‘With the attempted terrorism incident, he will probably frequent the palace more often now.’

Chloe fell deep into thought. While doing so, her grip on the arm she was holding loosened, and Demetrian looked down at her profile, paying attention.

‘What is this young lady thinking about now?’

Had there ever been a time when I found Chloe so inscrutable as I did these days? 

Demetrian, who had long envisioned the comforting atmosphere of returning home together in a carriage after every banquet, found Chloe’s preoccupation with thoughts other than him…

‘Unpleasantry?’

Come to think of it, he might have felt this emotion when Chloe refused his dance at the grand banquet.

Feeling a sense of discord at his own reaction, Demetrian barely managed to bring his empty hand to his mouth to hide his bewildered expression.