Chapter 139
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
I tilted my head and asked, but Mom let out a hollow laugh as if she was dumbfounded, muttering to herself repeatedly. Then, she suddenly turned to me and asked.
“Lia, do you like this bracelet?”
“Huh? Well, it’s pretty, but…”
For some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t nod too easily.
As I hesitated, Mom’s expression grew serious.
“Then I’ll order a similar one for you. This one needs to be returned.”
“What?”
I was startled by her unexpected words.
The Duchy of Elard had sent us many precious gifts over the years.
‘They even sent documents for a mine where gems were discovered…’
Of course, it wasn’t without reason—there was a history behind it.
Before coming to the principality, I had severed my ties as a former maid of the duke’s household and handed over all the money I received from discovering Spleesia, along with my investments, to Diana.
My parents accepted my decision without question, and though the duke initially opposed it, he reluctantly agreed after I firmly insisted that I wanted to give them to Diana.
However, a few years later, diamonds and emeralds were found in the abandoned rocky mountain where I had requested investment, and the duke urgently tried to return the mine to me.
But I had already known everything when I invested, and that was why I gifted it to Diana. There was no reason to take it back.
Although we exchanged a few letters arguing over it, my stance never wavered. Instead, the stream of gifts from the Duke of Elard only grew larger.
To be honest, I had already thought the duke’s gifts were excessive and had tried to return them several times.
But Mom objected. Since the two families had a long-standing friendship, she believed it would be hurtful to reject gifts that were given with goodwill.
I couldn’t argue with that.
‘And yet, Mom is the one saying we need to return this gift now?’
As I looked at her in confusion, Mom gave an awkward smile and said,
“This is just too valuable to accept.”
At her words, I looked down at the sapphire bracelet again.
The gemstone was exceptionally clear and dazzlingly blue, and the craftsmanship was exquisite, indicating it was of the highest quality. However, I was certain that the duke’s family had sent even more extravagant gifts before.
‘It’s not even a rare-colored sapphire…’
After pondering for a moment, I slowly nodded.
The value of a jewel wasn’t determined solely by the raw stone and craftsmanship. Perhaps this was some historically significant treasure that I wasn’t aware of.
“Lia, why don’t you go rest upstairs first? I’ll sort through everything and bring what’s for you to your room.”
As soon as Mom finished speaking, the maids—who had become masters of organization after years of handling these annual gifts—eagerly rolled up their sleeves.
Watching them, I shook my head in amusement. Even though they had a ton of work ahead, they looked more excited than bothered.
***
“Oppa?”
After returning to my room, I had just finished washing up and changing into comfortable clothes.
The person who entered after knocking was Ascart.
“What’s all that?”
“Ugh, so heavy.”
He let out a breath as he set down the things he had been carrying.
“I picked out some gifts from the Duchy of Elard’s shipment for Diana, Allen, and your friends. Also, I brought your letters and invitations.”
“Why go through the trouble? You could’ve asked someone else to do it.”
“If I came myself, I’d get to see your face one more time.”
Ascart smiled, his eyes softening.
When he smiled, it felt like flowers were blooming around him.
Having just turned twenty-six not long ago, Ascart’s beauty seemed to shine brighter with each passing day.
And yet, he had no romantic relationships, nor were there any women around him.
‘Mom said he’s just like Dad when he was younger…’
As the heir to the Grand Duchy, he should be thinking about marriage and succession.
Of course, just as Dad eventually met Mom, I believed Ascart would meet his match someday. But for now, it seemed like his only interests were magic and me, which worried me a little.
‘If my family knew what I was thinking, they’d be shocked.’
Unaware of my thoughts, Ascart urged me on.
“Lia, hurry up and open them.”
I chuckled and nodded. Soon, an exclamation escaped my lips.
“Brother, look at this! It looks like Diana embroidered this handkerchief herself.”
Her childhood drawing skills hadn’t faded at all!
I beamed with pride as I stroked the embroidery.
“Is this… a peach? It’s really cute, right?”
“…Are you sure this is a peach?”
Ascart asked, looking somewhat doubtful.
I nodded confidently and quickly opened the letter to check.
Just as I expected, the handkerchief was indeed embroidered by Diana. But then…
“Huh? It’s supposed to be a rose?”
“Pfft!”
Beside me, Ascart hastily covered his mouth but ultimately failed to stifle his laughter.
I shot him a glare and retorted,
“Now that I look at it again, it totally looks like a rose! Why are you laughing?”
Diana had stitched every thread with care!
But despite my protest, Ascart kept laughing and held up a bookmark nearby.
Every year, Jack personally sent me a pressed-flower bookmark.
“The pink roses from the marquisate are as beautiful as ever this year. Not a single petal is damaged—it’s really well made.”
I marveled once again at the fact that Jack, a Sword Master admired by many, had painstakingly crafted this bookmark himself.
When I left, he had promised to become a great knight. Less than a year later, he sent me a letter announcing that he had awakened his aura.
‘And then, he rapidly improved at an astonishing pace, so much so that he became a Sword Master even before coming of age, just like Allen!’
I had helped him settle into the knight order at the beginning, but that alone couldn’t have accelerated his progress beyond his past life. It was simply remarkable.
At that moment, Ascart picked up a box beside him.
“Is it another hairpin from Allen this time?”
He grumbled about how Allen always sent hair accessories.
“Oh, but he has good taste. I think this will suit you well.”
I smiled as I looked at the pair of leaf-shaped hairpins adorned with pale green emeralds.
“What do you think?”
“Ugh, it’s way too pretty.”
Ascart groaned as he immediately pinned one onto my hair.
“You look just like a living pink rose. But isn’t this hairpin too dangerous? It’s harmful to my heart.”
I thought Ascart, who said such things so casually, was the real danger here.
Hadn’t he grabbed my hand the very first time we met?
‘If he weren’t so obsessed with magic, he would’ve already set noble ladies’ hearts ablaze.’
Ignoring Ascart’s ongoing dramatics, I set aside the letters from Diana and Jack.
Over the years, Belus Principality had developed its communication networks to the point where long-distance messages, even to distant empires, could be sent and received effortlessly.
However, due to concerns about wiretapping, I had blocked all communication lines between the Empire and Belus.
Additionally, aside from my grandfather, I hadn’t met with anyone from the Empire for a long time.
‘Of course, the biggest reason I haven’t seen Diana is because of the risk of my mana going berserk…’
I was particularly wary of the demon worshippers, who undoubtedly knew about the illusion spell concealing my true appearance.
If they discovered I was interacting with people outside my family, they might start paying attention to the Duke’s household.
Considering I still wasn’t certain why they had let me live, I had to be extremely cautious.
‘Not to mention, demon worshippers pose an even greater threat to Diana.’
She was a saintess—an unawakened one at that—which made her an even more valuable target than me.
Raizel had assured me that the temple would protect Diana, but he also stressed that we had to be extra careful not to leave any clues about her existence for the demon worshippers.
That was why, even now, I kept my distance from Diana despite having dispelled the illusion magic on myself.
‘At least, thanks to the longstanding ties between the Grand Duchy and the Duke’s household, we can still exchange letters…’
Though I understood the situation, it still felt frustrating and disheartening not to see Diana for such a long time.
I let out a deep sigh as I sorted through the rest of the mail.
“Hm? What’s this?”
It didn’t seem like a letter.
Since everything entering the Grand Duchy underwent strict inspections, I wasn’t too concerned. I casually checked the envelope’s contents…and then let out a dry laugh.
“What is it? What’s so funny?”
Ascart immediately glanced at what I was holding.
“Le Réje? Lia, do you know this place? Apparently, it’s a famous dessert shop in the Empire.”
“…Yeah. I know it.”
How could I not? I had personally visited it for business negotiations.
Feeling a bit uneasy, I nodded and examined the invitation.
The message itself was simple—it was announcing that a renowned imperial dessert shop had opened a branch in Belus and encouraging people to visit.
But knowing what lay beneath the surface, I could only laugh.
Judging by the way they had already opened multiple branches under the same name, this was quite different from how things had been in the past.
‘What are they thinking? If they get caught, it’ll be dangerous!’
Terencium never operated its intelligence network this way.
In the past, not only my café but also taverns, inns, flower shops, and bookstores had been used as irregular bases, ensuring there was no clear pattern.
‘Did they turn it into a legitimate business?’
The thought left me slightly puzzled.
At first, I had assumed this invitation was a secret message from Darel.
“Since it’s famous, should we go? They’re even giving out gifts.”
Just as I was thinking I might have read too much into it, Ascart made the suggestion.
Then I noticed something written beneath the invitation in an oddly familiar, sharp handwriting.
A special gift will be given to the 45th, 471st, and 1302nd visitors who present this invitation.
