The Best Wedding Gift

Before the Emperor returned to the palace, Hailey had made an unspoken offer to Princess Catherine—if she returned the jewels to their rightful place, Hailey would keep her mouth shut. The princess’s face twisted in humiliation. She was furious, but for now, there was no choice.

“The jewels will soon be back where they belong, so there’s no need for you to worry yourself, Countess.”

Catherine forced herself to speak, picturing the jewels that had brightly lit the marquisate’s vault as recently as that morning.

“If that happens, nothing could be better. No need to trouble His Majesty with unnecessary concerns.”

Hailey looked at the princess with an intentionally innocent expression. Catherine, who had never in her life experienced such disgrace, bit her lip hard to keep her temper in check.

“That is all I have to say. I hope you enjoy your evening.”

Just as Hailey, still perfectly polite, was about to leave—

“Lady Vernette.”

Princess Catherine called her back.

“Seeing you today… I believe you could manage the imperial grant wisely.”

“……”

“I was mistaken. I will send you the grant I had been holding onto, today.”

It was both a declaration of defeat and an attempt at appeasement—an offer to return the imperial funds in exchange for Hailey dropping the matter entirely. Hailey gave her a meaningful look.

“I am most grateful for Your Highness’s recognition. I look forward to your continued favor.”

That evening, from the main palace, Princess Catherine sent the imperial grant to the future crown princess, along with a sapphire necklace.

“It seems I was mistaken. I must have forgotten that the ‘Heart of the Ocean’ had once been borrowed from Her Majesty Empress Delphina. I now return it to its rightful owner.”

“How shameless. Some things are better forgotten.”

Borrowing imperial regalia and “forgetting” about it for over a decade—what a ridiculous excuse. Murmuring in disbelief, Hailey lifted the necklace the princess had returned.

The Heart of the Ocean. Its deep blue radiance, like it truly held the very core of the vast ocean within, lived up to its name perfectly.

“It’s truly beautiful.”

Hailey’s voice dropped to a murmur, entranced by the light. And that wasn’t the only jewel to return. The Tears of the Pearl, Roses of March, the tiara set made to commemorate the empress’s birthday… 

All imperial treasures, long unaccounted for, were suddenly turning up in the main palace vault.

Those ignorant of the truth tilted their heads in confusion at this unexpected turn, while those who knew even a little of the real story could only smirk.

“Looks like Princess Catherine has finally met her match.”

For those who had suffered under her tyranny for years, the sight was deeply satisfying.

***

“So, you actually won against Princess Catherine?”

That day, Kincaid had taken a seat unusually early, right beside Hailey, and asked the question. Hailey, elegantly tasting the fragrant soup, answered at once.

“For now, you could say it’s my victory.”

“For now?”

“Her Highness isn’t the type to back down so easily. She may have retreated for the moment, but once she regroups, she’s sure to strike back.”

“And do you have a countermeasure for that?”

At Kincaid’s casual question, Hailey only shrugged. He knew the answer already but still bothered to ask.

“They say the blind funds from House Hessen have been flowing into the imperial council chambers.”

To save her husband, the Marquis of Hessen, Catherine had been throwing vast bribes at the ministers. And judging by the results, it seemed to be working—rumors were rife that the marquis, currently confined to his estate, would soon return to the capital and receive a new position.

“It’s true that the marquis will end his confinement and come to the capital.”

“Has His Majesty pardoned him?”

“It would seem so, which is why I made a suggestion.”

From the familiar tone of mockery, Hailey immediately knew the marquis’s future would not be smooth.

“As soon as he arrives in the capital, the Marquis of Hessen will be appointed lord of the Onmart region.”

“Onmart… isn’t that the mountainous area?”

Onmart was a northern region of the continent, famous for its rugged mountains and perpetual snow. The terrain was harsh, life was inconvenient, and, being neither a border nor a strategic location, the area held no military value whatsoever.

In other words, it was an extremely unsuitable place for a high-ranking noble from the capital to be appointed as lord.

‘Ordinarily, this would be called a demotion, wouldn’t it?’

“The Emperor wishes for Marquis Hessen to take care of the residents of the Onmart region and to reflect on the deeds he committed during the recent rebellion.”

“Oh?”

“If you want, I can send Princess Catherine to Onmart as well.”

At that remark, Hailey’s eyes lit up.

“If the marquis and his wife wish to devote themselves together to the people in such a harsh land, there’s nothing stopping them. And Her Highness the Princess would do anything to save her husband.”

With a mocking tone, Kincaid made his suggestion. Hailey thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“It’s a very tempting idea, but if that happened, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager would step in.”

For now, the Empress Dowager was keeping to herself quietly in the Dowager’s Palace, but if she heard that the princess had been driven out to the provinces, she would rush out immediately. That would only make everything more complicated. It would be better, at least for now, to deal with only Princess Catherine.

“Don’t worry, I have no plans to lose next time either. Court intrigue like this is my specialty, you know?”

Hailey spoke playfully, and Kincaid chuckled.

“By the way, how are you planning to use the reward you received from Princess Catherine?”

“That’s a business secret.”

“Between us…?”

Lowering his voice, Kincaid looked at Hailey and winked.

“Is there really such a thing as a secret?”

“Oh my… Is that how it should be?”

“?”

“There are always one or two secrets a woman can never tell.”

Hailey deliberately put on a vague expression, and Kincaid pouted in displeasure. Before this ill-tempered fiancé of hers could say something outrageous, Hailey spoke first.

“I plan to donate the entire imperial reward to a charity fund to help those who were harmed during the recent rebellion.”

“All of it?”

Kincaid’s eyebrows rose in surprise. The question on his handsome face earned a prompt reply from Hailey.

“You already know that I invested in the Fugas village villa with the money I borrowed from you, right?”

Kincaid didn’t deny it.

“Fortunately, a hot spring was discovered there, and the villa’s value has increased several times over. I think I can cover the cost of rebuilding the count’s estate with the proceeds from selling it.”

As soon as rumors spread that a hot spring had been found, purchase inquiries poured in, just as she had expected. Hailey sold it to the buyer who offered the highest price.

‘It’s a shame, but I won’t have time to leisurely soak in a hot spring anyway.’

Still, she had sold it for nearly twenty times the original price, so it wasn’t a loss.

‘With this money, I can rebuild the Vernette Count’s mansion in the capital and hire staff. I can even throw a few parties.’

In that sense, it was quite a successful investment.

“Oh, and I’ll return the ten thousand gold I borrowed from you right away. But please understand that I can’t pay interest.”

She answered with a playful wink, and Kincaid stared intently at her.

“Even if you turned that reward into your personal assets, no one would say a word. Are you really going to donate it?”

“Among the victims of the last incident, many were palace maids like me. Some were even my colleagues.”

“Hmm…”

“If I can give even a little help to those still struggling, I couldn’t ask for more.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“Well, with the wedding coming up, it wouldn’t hurt to look good to the citizens of the capital… If that’s my main motive, does it sound too calculating?”

“……”

“And besides, the title of ‘benevolent crown princess’ sounds rather nice.”

Hailey’s continued banter made Kincaid smirk.

“That’s exactly the sort of thing you’d do.”

“I’ll gladly take that as a compliment.”

The two looked at each other and smiled.

That morning, the Imperial Household officially announced the date of the crown prince’s wedding. The announcement that everyone had been waiting for set the palace in a festive mood, but the couple themselves calmly went about preparing for the ceremony.

A month later, the imperial palace hosted the first splendid wedding of a crown prince in a very long time. Just before the ceremony, the usually composed crown prince—uncharacteristically nervous—handed Hailey a thick paper envelope.

“What’s this?”

“A wedding gift for you.”

When Hailey opened the envelope with her white silk-gloved hands, inside were the purchase documents for the Fugas villa she had sold earlier.

“Burnett said you’d be much happier if it was bought in secret and given to you as a surprise.”

“Ha… you really are impossible.”

It seemed that as soon as he heard she was selling the villa, Kincaid had bought it through an agent, keeping silent until this very moment. To Hailey, that was nothing but utterly endearing.

“This is truly the best wedding gift.”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

Kincaid leaned in and lightly kissed Hailey’s lips, which were trembling with emotion.