Chapter 34
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Stefan Edmond had no strange hobby of holding drunken women against their will. So, on their second night sharing a bed, nothing actually happened between the married couple. He only hinted ambiguously as though something had.
“Thanks to my wife’s enthusiasm, I experienced an unusual pleasure, for which I am grateful.”
What he meant was that Rachel’s indulgence in alcohol had allowed him to witness her drunken antics, which amused him. He now held a useful card he could play later, so he expressed his gratitude simply.
“I merely meant to say that, thanks to my wife breaking down a wall last night, our relationship has drawn closer.”
She certainly had broken a wall—a wall of mistrust erected after the staged intimacy of their wedding night.
Spending so much time savoring Rachel’s lips had intoxicated Stefan as well, and he had nearly been driven to take her seriously in his arms. Her violet eyes gazed up at him, and her lips clung to him endlessly.
But in the pause he took to slip off her nightgown, Rachel, as if by magic, had fallen asleep, bringing everything to a halt. Her persistent kisses and his rising desire disappeared in an instant.
“Hah…”
A dazzlingly beautiful figure lay defenseless on the bed. For any man, that alone would be more than enough to stir excitement.
But Stefan was not the sort to touch a woman passed out from drink, nor did he intend to ever become one.
For a moment, her naked form gleamed under the moonlight. He’d heard of bodies glistening with sweat after a passionate encounter, but this was the first time he’d realized that even the mere presence of a man’s touch could make a woman’s body shine.
“What have I been doing…”
Stefan felt ashamed and embarrassed for having lost control of himself, even for a moment. If his self-restraint crumbled after just two nights, he feared he would be utterly helpless by the third.
“Should I at least put her nightgown back on?”
But if Rachel found out that nothing had happened, she might insist on extending their bed-sharing arrangements for another night.
Moreover, how could he erase the scent he’d left all over her body?
“Should I create some fake evidence of intimacy, then?”
But if he accidentally aroused Rachel’s passion as she slept, he doubted he’d be able to stop himself. No, surely he would be powerless to resist.
After wrestling with his thoughts, he eventually found an appropriate solution.
“She won’t remember, for sure.”
Besides, Rachel, whose drunkenness had emboldened her last night, had contributed greatly to making it a memorable evening. A modest woman like her would likely be too embarrassed to mention “sharing a bed” for a while.
Stefan believed his plan would be a complete success.
And watching Rachel struggle to focus on sleep the following night confirmed that his assumption had been right.
“I should be able to get by quietly for a while.”
Moreover, it was encouraging that he hadn’t seen her violet eyes for two nights now. For some reason, whenever her violet eyes looked at him, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being stripped bare in front of her.
“Why does she look like that?”
It was strange, to say the least, that her eye color changed. If it only happened indoors, he could blame the lighting; if it only happened at night, he could at least excuse it as a trick of the darkness. But hadn’t he clearly seen her vivid violet eyes during their outdoor wedding in broad daylight?
At that moment, the driver’s call broke Stefan from his deep thoughts.
“Your Grace, we’ve arrived at the accessory shop.”
Once again, Stefan headed to his office without even thinking about the pin he was supposed to retrieve. Seeing this, Finn muttered under his breath.
“Seriously, what’s he doing back here already, just two days later….”
Finn had assumed that Stefan would grow old harassing only his twin brother without ever marrying. After all, he had never budged, no matter how much they had nagged him about getting married. He might have gotten engaged to strangers, but marriage had always been out of the question.
Yet he had married. And not just anyone, but a complete stranger that Rita had picked out for him. He even went along with her plans for a grand wedding, inviting an enormous number of guests.
“What on earth is he thinking….”
In truth, Finn didn’t particularly care about Stefan’s motives for marrying. Now that he was married, all he wanted was for him to be happy. That’s why, when he showed up two days ago, he’d practically pushed him out early in the evening to return home. Whether out of duty or obligation, if the couple spent nights together, they might eventually have a child, forming a true family.
A family to keep him grounded might help curb his tendency to wander far from home and his country for no good reason.
“Why on earth did Father entrust us with such a burden….”
There couldn’t be a more troublesome burden in the world. And where else would you find a parasite born two years before its host?
Finn let out a long sigh and opened the office door, only to be greeted by Stefan’s agitated voice.
“Finn, is the appraisal of the rhodolite garnet done?”
“Yes, Your Grace. The largest piece you brought was of the highest grade, and the next largest was of premium grade.”
“Then let’s have a ring made with the premium grade garnet.”
“A ring? May I ask what it’s for?”
Stefan’s face broke into a pleased smile—a look Finn hadn’t seen in a long time and could hardly believe even now.
“When you say the Duchess, do you mean Rachel Edmond, the Duchess I know?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask the reason?”
Only now did Stefan’s eyes narrow slightly.
“Does a master jeweler need to explain why he wants to have a gemstone crafted?”
“At our shop, we always ask customers about the purpose and meaning of a gift before crafting a piece. It helps ensure that the recipient will be even more satisfied with the gift.”
Stefan was taken aback, having never gifted a gemstone to anyone, let alone a woman. He had only considered the profits from the quality stones he bought and sold. He had no idea Finn was making such a fortune with this kind of sales strategy.
“And besides, I was curious why, if you’re giving a gift to your beloved wife, you’re choosing premium-grade garnet rather than top-grade.”
“The top-grade garnet will be used when the time is right. Besides, it’s not the right size for a ring.”
“That does make sense.”
Stefan glanced disapprovingly at Finn, who nodded in agreement with him.
“Do you take this approach with all your customers? It could come off as rather impertinent…”
“Even if we treat each customer the same way, they’re bound to interpret it differently depending on their mood. We can’t cater to that level of detail.”
“…”
“And one more question, why rhodolite garnet? Typically, people give gemstones that match their spouse’s eye color.”
Stefan paused at Finn’s question. He had no desire to tell anyone about Rachel’s eyes sometimes appearing violet. Since he thought that phenomenon held a special meaning, he didn’t want to share it with anyone.
He just wanted to hint at it to Rachel, that sometimes her eyes appeared violet. Though he certainly had no intention of telling her directly.
“I just thought garnet would suit Rachel well.”
“You know better than anyone that, across the Merwin Empire—or even the entire continent—there’s no other merchant as knowledgeable about gemstones as I am.”
Stefan, well aware that Finn would try to force his opinion whenever he began with long-winded arguments, raised his hand to stop him.
“Enough! Make it with rhodolite garnet.”
“Your Grace, I’ve been in the accessory business for seven years. The Duchess’s blue eyes resemble turquoise, so I’ll craft her ring with high-quality turquoise.”
“Make it with rhodolite garnet.”
“Why rhodolite garnet?”
Stefan let out a deep sigh and then delivered a blunt response, intending to silence Finn, who clearly wouldn’t be swayed by gentle persuasion.
“Because rhodolite garnet is more expensive than turquoise. The Duchess of Edmond should wear rare and expensive gems, right?”
“…Understood, Your Grace.”
Seeing that his intent had finally sunk in with Finn, Stefan smiled with satisfaction.
In truth, there were two entirely different reasons behind his gift of the rhodolite garnet to Rachel.
One was to subtly hint that he noticed her eyes sometimes looked violet. If she didn’t catch on, so be it.
The other was so that, each time he saw the rhodolite garnet glimmer on her finger, he’d be reminded of her violet eyes. In time, he hoped he’d become indifferent to them.
