Chapter 59
“What do you mean?”
“I heard it directly from the pawnshop owner. Lady Edmond requested that this garnet ring be sold at a high price.”
Finn’s hand, trembling as he held the garnet ring, appeared pale. He looked as though he had been betrayed by someone he trusted deeply.
Stefan carefully lifted the garnet ring with his fingers, inspecting it meticulously. His intention was twofold: to confirm if it was indeed the ring he had gifted, and to give Finn’s trembling hand a moment’s respite.
“Finn, it’s not Rachel.”
“Of course, the Duchess didn’t bring it herself. Lady Blanche came on behalf of Lady Edmond.”
This time, Stefan’s face turned pale as well. The name of a person never meant to be mentioned had been uttered.
Stefan instructed Finn not to reveal to Rachel that Blanche had taken the garnet ring. Finn had a strong aversion to the thought of exchanging his meticulously crafted jewelry like common goods.
“Are you sure it was Blanche?”
“The pawnshop owner said that Blanche visits regularly. She often brings and sells jewelry.”
Anger boiled within Finn at the thought of Rachel passing the precious garnet ring to Aileen, only for Blanche to take it for resale.
“How could she belittle a gift from her husband like this?” Finn was furious and wanted to rush to the duchy to confront Rachel immediately.
Before doing so, Stefan had one more thing to check.
“So, how much did you pay for the garnet ring?”
“Outraged, I gave the pawnshop owner four thousand gold, even though he initially demanded only two thousand.”
Stefan burst into laughter at his frustration.
Finn had a peculiar habit of collecting items that passed through Stefan’s hands, especially when they found their way out through odd means. What was stranger was that he would often pay double the amount asked.
“Thanks to you, the price of garnets will soar.”
“Your Grace, this is no time for jokes.”
“What should I do then?”
“You must go to the duchy immediately and ask the Duchess for an explanation.”
“That won’t be necessary. I need you to do one more thing.”
“Tell me anything. If it’s about restoring the honor of the garnet ring, I’ll do anything.”
Finn spoke earnestly, as if ready to defend the garnet ring with his life. Stefan smiled faintly and whispered softly.
“Track where those four thousand gold are going.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
“And release the garnets into circulation.”
“All of them?”
“Just keep the largest stone aside.”
“Yes, understood.”
Stefan returned to the duchy but avoided meeting Rachel directly. His disappointment toward her was so deep that he couldn’t bring himself to face her yet.
‘What could she be thinking, selling the garnet ring?’
Rachel knew that the garnet was brought into the trade through Edmond’s trading company. Therefore, if she were to sell it, the news would have reached Stefan first.
Yet, wanting to sell through Aileen, a woman she didn’t even trust, was completely uncharacteristic of Rachel.
A knock on the door broke Stefan’s thoughts, and his steward, Thomas, entered.
“Your Grace, should I bring dinner to your study?”
“Do so.”
“I’ll bring it shortly.”
As Thomas was about to leave, Stefan stopped him.
“Thomas, did Blanche visit the duchy recently?”
“Yes, about three days ago. She came, claiming to be Lady Rachel’s friend.”
“Rachel’s friend?”
“I questioned her thoroughly, but Blanche insisted she was a close friend of the Duchess.”
The fact that Blanche openly claimed friendship with Rachel in the duchy meant Rachel had given her some level of trust. Stefan’s brows furrowed at this.
“But the Duchess firmly drew the line.”
The next part of the report piqued Stefan’s interest.
“She said she wouldn’t allow a thief into her bedroom and escorted Blanche to the reception room instead.”
Stefan let out a small laugh and gave further instructions to Thomas.
“Thomas, bring the Duchess’s dinner to the study as well.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
It seemed Rachel was the one controlling Aileen. Stefan began to grow curious about her true intentions behind creating such intriguing situations.
A short while later, Rachel entered the study, pushing a golden trolley filled with dinner.
Stefan’s eyes widened briefly before returning to their usual calm state. A faint smile lingered on his lips.
“Looks like you’ve developed a new hobby—delivering meals, my lady.”
“Even if I can’t prepare the food myself, I want to make sure it’s served with care.”
For a moment, her violet eyes sparkled.
Not long ago, Stefan had noticed that whenever Rachel spoke lies, her blue eyes would shift to violet. Now, seeing her try so hard to gain his favor despite the awkwardness, he felt the same sensation again.
‘She seems to have a grand plan in mind.’
Smiling brightly, Stefan warmly responded to her gesture.
“Since you’ve taken such care, I’d like to have dinner in the study with you more often.”
Rachel ignored his compliment and carefully set the dinner on the table. Although she lowered her demeanor, knowing she had a request, once her goal was achieved, she wouldn’t behave so warmly again.
“Would you like wine?”
“Yes, I’ll select the wine.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Stefan brought a sparkling wine to pair with the trout canapé Rachel served. The crispness of the sparkling wine complemented the fish perfectly.
As Stefan poured the wine expertly, Rachel watched the golden liquid rise into the glass, wishing it would fall on her soon too.
“Have you ever tried sparkling wine before?”
“No. This is my first time drinking wine; everything was tasted for the first time when I arrived at the duchy.”
Stefan’s gaze softened. He realized that Rachel wasn’t drinking recklessly—whether to hide her nerves or simply out of pleasure.
“Sparkling wine has a sharp, effervescent taste but a sweet and clean finish. I hope it suits your taste.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Rachel drank the wine Stefan poured, savoring its crispness that balanced out the trout’s richness.
“It’s truly delicious, Your Grace.”
“Good. But I thought you mentioned having an allergy to salmon?”
“This isn’t salmon, it’s trout.”
Trout or salmon, someone with a fish allergy would react regardless. So, Rachel’s eagerness to eat the trout canapé disproved the earlier claim by Rita about Rachel having an allergy to salmon.
Stefan, realizing Rachel’s plan, softly chuckled and gently asked while cutting his lamb steak.
“Why didn’t you tell the truth?”
“What do you mean?”
“You could’ve said Blanche stole your garnet ring, and we wouldn’t have to be embarrassed.”
Stefan, adept at turning misunderstandings into favorable outcomes, was cleverly weaving blame away. Instead of admitting his own prior misjudgment, he tried to cast blame equally.
Rachel gave a wide, playful smile, seizing the opportunity to expose Aileen’s actions.
However, her greatest triumph was learning that Stefan had received the report about Aileens remark that she was a “thief” through Thomas. Even if not meant to rat her out, Thomas still remained firmly loyal to Stefan.
‘Thomas may not have meant to betray, but he still sided with Stefan…’
Rachel collected her thoughts before softly responding.
“The truth is, I couldn’t be sure who exactly took my garnet ring, so I couldn’t be completely honest with you, Your Grace.”
“What do you mean?”
“I never thought it would be Aileen who stole my garnet ring. Clearly, the ring disappeared from my bedroom, but Aileen has never entered my bedroom before.”
Only then did Stefan realize what Rachel was hinting at. He gently set down his fork and knife.
“You’re suggesting the thief was within the duchy?”
“….”
Rachel hesitated for a moment, but Stefan’s intense gaze fixed on her, locking their eyes.
Rachel’s eyes were a deep, rich blue. At that moment, she was speaking the truth.
