“Is this… a diamond? Not a sapphire?”
“Y-Yes! The color is different from the usual, but it is undoubtedly a diamond!”
The gem appraiser, who had arrived early, spoke with excitement to Jeremyon, who was calmly examining the ore.
It wasn’t surprising that the appraiser was so excited if this truly was a diamond.
A colored diamond.
There had never been any reports of such a thing before.
“Not only is the color remarkable, but the size as well—this is at least 50 carats! Once cut, it will be about half that size, but even then, the empire will be in an uproar!”
It was obvious how much attention the noble class, obsessed with luxury goods, would pay to the first discovered colored diamond.
The gem appraiser, unable to hide his excitement, continued.
“If you put it up for auction right away, you could easily make a billion, maybe even hundreds of billions! Count, you should reveal this immediately!”
His words were certainly right. The value of this blue diamond was beyond imagination.
Just revealing its existence would bring in a staggering income, even if they didn’t sell it.
However…
Jeremyon remained silent for a moment.
The blue gemstone was clear and transparent, even before it had been cut.
It reminded him of Lilliana’s eyes.
A storm of unknown emotions swept through him.
Finally, Jeremyon clenched his fist and spoke.
“Find a skilled jeweler who can keep their mouth shut.”
The appraiser could barely contain his excitement at the command.
“As expected! You’re planning to reveal it beautifully after it’s cut! The large auction next month would be the perfect time to…”
“No, the existence of the blue diamond will not be announced. The cutting process will also be done in secret.”
“W-What? Count? But if you do that…”
“I don’t see why you’re questioning me. I make all the decisions here.”
“S-Sorry!”
At Jeremyon’s cold retort, the appraiser hastily bowed his head. It would do him no good to upset the count, so he quickly obeyed, though he still harbored many doubts.
Just revealing that blue diamond would put all of the empire’s attention on Winder.
So why on earth was he hiding its existence?
‘Maybe it’s just not the right time yet?’
Though he couldn’t understand, the appraiser hurried to follow Jeremyon’s orders.
He had no way of knowing that Jeremyon’s decision had come from a deeply personal place.
And that this blue diamond would soon become the centerpiece of a proposal that would shake the entire continent.
***
“Jeremyon is later than I expected.”
Early afternoon.
I glanced at the clock from my workshop.
I thought he would return after finishing his work in the morning, but it seemed he was still busy and hadn’t come home yet.
‘This works out better.’
In fact, I was expecting a visitor today.
Tristan Locke.
After our previous confrontation, he had contacted me, saying he wanted to discuss a business matter.
‘And with Jeremyon out, there’s no chance of the two of them running into each other.’
That last encounter had been too dreadful. I never wanted a repeat of that situation, so this was a relief.
The scheduled time was approaching. I started tidying up the workshop.
I closed the lids on glass bottles filled with colorful liquids and arranged them in order.
These were all experimental perfumes I had created.
Despite everything else going on, I had been putting effort into my perfume business during any spare moments I had.
I had been blending various scents available in the empire to create unique fragrances.
‘And that’s not all. There are so many things I still need to do.’
Creating a perfume requires more elements than one might think. While the fragrance itself is important, there are numerous other factors to consider, such as the stability of the ingredients used and the design of the bottle.
Thus, I had been testing the safety of various fragrances and contacting glass artisans to design the bottles, among other tasks.
‘Though the most important task still remains…’
In any case, the perfume business was progressing smoothly.
After wrapping up my work, I headed to the parlor.
Soon enough, the appointed time arrived.
I met him again, but… what was this situation?
“The purpose of my visit today… is to discuss the progress on preparing the trading ships.”
“Oh, I see. Has there been any issue?”
“No, everything is going smoothly. At this rate, the ships should be able to depart as scheduled.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Yes, it is.”
I quietly waited for him to continue. There was no way he had come all this way just to deliver that one piece of information.
‘There must be another reason.’
However, even after waiting a bit longer, he said nothing further.
“…Surely, that’s not the only reason you’re here.”
“No, it is. Just this one thing.”
“What?”
I couldn’t help but question him, baffled.
The Locke Duchy and Winder Countdom were not exactly close by.
Did he really come all this way just to deliver that one fact? Tristan Locke, famous for being incredibly busy?
Seeing my disbelief, Tristan raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
“That was the contract from the start, wasn’t it, Vanessa? To handle even minor matters face to face. As I’ve mentioned before, handling things in writing can sometimes lead to complications.”
Hmm.
I let out a small sigh, not trusting his words in the slightest, and he let out a quiet laugh, as if I’d seen right through him.
“To be honest, it’s just an excuse. I came because I wanted to see you.”
I suddenly felt unsettled and said nothing.
Tristan was becoming more assertive with me by the day.
This was becoming a problem.
I knew now how he felt about me. He still hadn’t let go of that first love, that connection from the past…
But… this was a pointless obsession.
We couldn’t be together. No, we mustn’t be.
It seemed like I needed to tell him this properly.
“…Tristan.”
When I called his name the way I used to in the past, his calm blue eyes flickered, like a stone being thrown into a serene lake.
But unfortunately, what I had to say next was something he didn’t want to hear.
“I’ve already told you. We can’t be together.”
“Why, Vanessa? I don’t understand. Why can’t we?”
“You’re practically my son’s age. You even met my son not long ago.”
That was the truth. While Tristan was slightly older, he was only two years apart from Jeremyon. Though Tristan was four years younger than me… he was still young enough to be considered like a son to me.
Esraa : What is that? Son Zone?
Moreover…
“The situation is completely different now from what it was back then. I’m just a widow with a grown son. The Locke family would never accept someone like me.”
Even as I said these words, it felt like my heart was being pierced with a dagger. I didn’t know why, but I felt deeply wretched at that moment.
Lowering my gaze, unable to meet his eyes, I suddenly felt warmth on my hand.
He had intertwined his fingers with mine.
Surprised, I looked up. Despite being rejected, Tristan still wore a relaxed smile.
“That’s a comforting thing to hear.”
Not understanding what he meant, I waited for him to elaborate.
“At the very least, it means you’re not rejecting me because you dislike me.”
He tightened his grip on my hand.
Ah.
I let out a sigh.
Tristan had noticed something that even I hadn’t been aware of.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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