The reflection of Marian in the cracked mirror was a mess.
Her usually perfect updo was disheveled. Her lips, bitten in frustration, were bleeding. Her shawl barely clung to one shoulder. And her entire body trembled with rage.
“These are the pearl earrings from the Shushubia Archipelago.”
It happened just as she was about to hand the Diamond of Balance to Baltar, the chieftain of the dwarves, and leave. A representative of Baron Oldman appeared. Marian clearly heard her words as she handed the jewel to the chieftain.
‘How foolish! I can’t believe they actually brought the fake.’
For days, Marian had been basking in the euphoria of victory.
The pearl earrings were counterfeit. No way the dwarves would choose Baron Oldman’s gem. And even if by the slimmest chance her own gem wasn’t chosen, if her father learned the earrings were fake, he surely wouldn’t demand she hand over 15% of the jeweler’s shares to that foolish Baron.
‘This is a favorable hand for me. I have nothing to lose.’
But then—
“They’re calling the perfect gem… a pearl?”
Were the dwarves really so dull that they couldn’t even identify a fake? Marian couldn’t accept the result.
She asked her father to have the pearl earrings appraised again. A telegram from the dwarves arrived just last night.
The earrings, they said, were genuine.
“Ha…”
Marian laughed when she heard the message—just like she did now.
Because it reminded her of how she felt a few months ago, when she was stabbed in the back by her own mother, Priscilla.
“Just pretend to evaluate them. Just issue a certificate saying they’re genuine.”
The appraisal center at the Clocktower Square—where Baron Oldman’s representative had taken the earrings—was under Marian’s influence.
She had specifically instructed them to only pretend to evaluate the earrings. She was afraid that if word got out that Marian Cornelian Travel had paid 1.2 billion Kona for fake pearl earrings, she would become a laughingstock.
Because as far as she knew, the earrings were fake.
That’s why Marian had never had them officially appraised before.
And now? They were real.
“Yossel…”
Marian ground her teeth. Had she been wrong all along? Did Yossel trick her from the very start, lying that they were fake at the auction?
“…I was naive.”
Even after being betrayed by her mother Priscilla, she still believed Yossel’s words. That was her mistake.
She had forgotten, even briefly, how deeply the Travel family watched and guarded against each other.
Just because they shared a common enemy in Reytan didn’t mean Yossel or Hevant wouldn’t stab her in the back.
Marian took a deep breath, straightened her back, and swept her hair back.
“I won’t let this slide.”
She had lost her company shares—so she had to make Yossel pay an equal price.
With a venomous look, Marian stormed out of the room. The servants outside, who had gathered after hearing the noise, shrank back in fear at the sight of her.
She went straight to the Emerald House.
“Eek. Sister?”
Yossel instinctively backed away at the sight of the stormy expression on Marian’s face.
“Did you… come here looking like that?”
“Looking like what?”
“You look awful. Like someone who’s been out all night.”
Marian approached the startled Yossel. Without giving him a chance to react, she grabbed him by the collar with both hands and slammed him against the wardrobe. His back hit the metal handle with a thud, and Yossel groaned in pain.
“Ugh! W-What are you doing?!”
“I heard the pearl earrings were genuine.”
“What pearl earrings? …Ah, those from the charity auction? Why would those be genuine?”
He played dumb so smoothly it was nearly convincing. Marian let out a scoff of disbelief.
So it really was my own foolishness.
“Shouldn’t you know better than I would?”
“Ack—C-Can we please talk this out like civilized people?”
Marian tightened her grip on his collar. Yossel’s neck turned red from the pressure.
“Talk? Do you know how much I’ve lost because of you? And you want to talk?”
“S-Sister! What do you want?!”
Yossel was genuinely terrified—he thought she might kill him. He cried out in desperation. Marian eased her grip and said.
“Compensation. 10 billion Kona.”
“…Are you insane?”
“If you can’t do that, then give me 30% of your fashion boutique shares.”
“That’s absurd—! Ack, ack—!”
When she choked him again, Yossel quickly threw up his hands in surrender.
“F-Fine, then how about this?”
“What now?”
“I don’t have 10 billion Kona. And I’m not giving up 30% of my boutique. But—if it’s money you need, I’ve got just the thing. A venture where I won’t even need to share profits with the family.”
Marian glared at him silently, then abruptly released her grip and stepped back.
Because the truth was, she did need a new source of income to recover her losses.
“Let’s hear it.”
“I’m starting a new business. Without any backing from the family.”
“…You?”
Marian knew very well how tight Yossel’s finances were. He didn’t even have the money to cover the boutique’s current losses. And now he’s talking about launching a new business? With no support?
Yossel grinned slyly.
“I got investment from the Blue Trading Company.”
***
16. The Big Spender, the Snake, and the Clown
Summer was ending. The weather had turned cool.
One recent change was that ownership of the Crest Mine had transferred to Baron Oldman.
‘I’m the owner of a mine?!’
Hehe. She felt full even without eating. For days now, she couldn’t stop grinning. She had overheard Jeffrey and Theon whispering that it seemed like she’d finally gone crazy.
“At least it doesn’t seem dangerous, thank goodness.”
Just a few months ago, Theon had been worried sick about what kind of trouble she might get into, saying there should be no secrets between them.
But now, he didn’t even ask questions—had she finally earned that level of trust?
‘My ‘turn the guy friend into a supporter’ plan is going smoothly!’
She also had a meeting with her official representative.
That day, they visited a restaurant in Hispoth Town.
Click. Clack.
‘That sound…!’
As she walked down the hallway, a particular sound caught her ear.
It felt urgent—something bad might happen if she didn’t look immediately. She turned her head toward the direction of the sound.
It was Jackjack again. But this time, not outside the window—it was around a corner down another hallway.
Using the bathroom as an excuse, she slipped away and followed the direction where Jackjack had gone. There, in the corridor, stood a woman.
She was stunning—beautiful enough to be the lead actress of a renowned theater troupe.
“I’m Jena Chaser. I represent Baron Oldman.”
“Wow.”
She was a half-rabbit beastfolk.
She had come over from the Kingdom of Edencia to the Empire of Hayshal when she was young, alongside Jackjack. It was then that she had met her grandfather and formed a connection.
After a brief introduction, Jena’s violet eyes locked onto her. Her expression was unreadable—she couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
For some reason, it felt like she was looking at her head, not her face.
“…You have a beautiful skull shape.”
It was a compliment, though a rather puzzling one.
Still, I wasn’t the one who deserved praise at the moment.
“It suits you well.”
“You look like a model!”
My dad and I spoke up, making Theon blush.
We visited Trang’s Boutique today to shop for autumn clothes. Jeffrey had planned to come help pick out outfits, but Anne adamantly opposed it, so he didn’t.
“The new collection looks great on you! Master Reytan, Miss Berry, and Young Master Theon—all of you look fantastic in any outfit, and that makes me so happy…!”
The head designer clapped his hands with joy. He then mentioned that there was a matching adult suit designed to go with what Theon was wearing and expressed his strong wish to see the two of them—Dad and Theon—wearing the outfits together. With that, he guided both of them to the fitting rooms.
Left alone on the sofa, I sipped my juice and suddenly locked eyes with the boutique manager.
“Oh.”
It was around the time the secret plan we had schemed was supposed to be set in motion.
Perhaps we were thinking the same thing—because the manager approached me immediately. We were on the same page right away.
“How did it go?”
I asked in a hushed voice, without even specifying the subject. The manager responded at once.
“The head of the trading company showed great interest. He said he’d prepare everything himself and told us just to wait—”
Ooh! As expected of Mr. Victor.
So he really did take an interest in collaborating with Dad and the Trang Boutique!
“And then?”
I waited eagerly for what came next. If things went smoothly, then after the first estate inheritance contest four years from now, the boutique business could truly take flight…
“He’s ghosted us. In other words—completely out of contact.”
“Huh?!”
