“A key? What kind of key is this?”
It was the kind of key that might fit an old, rusty lock.
We put our heads together, but none of us knew anything about it.
Considering I couldn’t recall anything from my other memories either, maybe I really didn’t know.
“Berry, I think it’s best if you keep the key.”
“Yeah! Sister Berry is our leader, after all~”
Somehow, I had ended up as the leader of this secret squad.
It felt like a position I held by riding on my dad’s authority, but since they were offering, I wasn’t going to turn it down.
“Alright then, I’ll keep it safe!”
If I put it in the Room of Reflection, no one would find it.
I gave one last reminder to my helpers to keep everything a secret.
“Theon, Jeffrey. What happened today is a secret, okay? You understand? You can’t tell anyone.”
“Of course! I’m a man of loyalty!”
“Yeah. But Berry, what about the earrings?”
“The earrings…”
“You were looking for them because you need them for something, right?”
At Theon’s question, I blinked.
I had only intended to say that I just wanted them, but Theon looked so sure of himself.
He was absolutely convinced I was going to get into trouble with those earrings…!
“If it’s dangerous, then I’m coming with you.”
“What? Come with her? Brother Theon, if it’s dangerous, you should stop her!”
Exactly. If it’s dangerous, he should stop me.
“Berry’s going to do it anyway, even if you try to stop her.”
“Huh? That’s not fair!”
“Yeah, Sister Berry doesn’t listen even when we try to stop her~”
Even Jeffrey joined in with Theon.
I couldn’t believe how low my credibility had fallen.
It was unfair, but my colorful track record made it hard to argue back.
With serious eyes, Theon said to me.
“If it’s something dangerous, promise me you’ll do it with me, Berry.”
***
“You’re allowed to visit.”
Permission had been granted by Count Travel to come see him.
Marian headed straight to Lassek’s study.
Lassek was sitting on the couch, playing chess alone.
She couldn’t help but wonder—did she really have to go through all this just to visit her own father?
But that’s just how the Travel family was.
A private audience with the family head only happened with express permission.
“Father—”
“Your husband was in my study.”
Lassek spoke without lifting his gaze from the chessboard.
Even without facing his golden eyes, Marian instinctively felt small.
She tried to brush it off with a sweet smile.
“He just came to deliver the performance report.”
“And took the liberty to open my drawer.”
Oof.
Excuses and lies never worked on Lassek.
Marian had a reason to fear her father.
But what moved her now was an even greater ambition.
If Lassek already knew, then things would actually be easier.
Marian said to him.
“I’m sorry. But as you know, he’s just such a thoughtful person. He probably saw it while trying to close your drawer.”
“If he gets any more ‘thoughtful,’ he’ll be trying to open my safe next.”
“Oh, Father. Don’t joke like that. But I heard the dwarves asked for the most flawless gem, didn’t they?”
Lassek didn’t respond. His eyes remained fixed on the chessboard.
Emboldened, Marian leaned in and whispered to her father.
She was confident—after all, she was a renowned jeweler in the Hayshal Empire who specialized in top-grade gemstones.
“Father, when it comes to jewels, no one knows better than I do. I’ll prepare the perfect gem.”
“……”
“There’s always a chance you might fail.”
Impudent.
Lassek let out a short, dry laugh.
There had been signs someone tampered with the letter in his drawer.
When he asked who had entered his study, he was told it was his son-in-law.
He’d stayed silent to see how things would play out—and now they were trying to swoop in at the last moment and take all the credit like a thief grabbing a spoon at a meal already laid out.
“And what if you fail? What if your jewel doesn’t win over the dwarves?”
Lassek despised those who ignored business ethics.
If you were going to cut in line and snatch away someone else’s work, you’d better be prepared to pay the price.
“There was a time I gave all of you the same task—forge a partnership with the dwarves. Who succeeded back then?”
“……”
Lassek clicked his tongue, still contemplating his next chess move.
“You all know how hard it is to get a reply from them. And now you want to just waltz in and take the result?”
Marian knelt beside him and gently placed her hand over his.
“Father, I know just how hard it is. That’s why I want to do this. This is a rare opportunity you’ve secured.”
Lassek had a soft spot for his daughter.
Though time had dulled their relationship and they’d seen the worst of each other, affection remained.
She knew that.
“I really believe I can do this well. Just think how much it would help the Travel Count’s house if this deal you’ve long hoped for succeeds.”
“Sounds more like it would help your own track record.”
“Father—please!”
“If you’re that determined, then let’s do it this way.”
“How?”
Of course. Marian’s face lit up.
There was no way her father would be completely heartless to her.
“The one who got the dwarves to reply wasn’t me—it was an outsider. That person put in quite a bit of effort.”
“An outsider? Who is it?”
Lassek moved the black queen and captured the white bishop.
Now it stood in the same column as the white rook.
If the rook moved forward, it could capture the queen.
What to do?
“I’m not obligated to tell you who it is. The outsider is preparing the jewel, and if you want to participate in this deal with the dwarves, I’ll allow it—but if you fail, you’ll hand over 15% of your jewelry business shares to them.”
“Father!”
Marian sharply pulled her hand away from Lassek.
That was absurd. Just for joining the dwarf deal, she’d have to give 15% of her core business to a complete stranger?
She was starting to see through her father’s intentions.
“…So you don’t want me involved at all, is that it? You thought if you said that, I’d back down out of fear?”
“Then don’t get involved. I don’t want this to go wrong.”
Marian bit her lip.
Lassek was now sixty. If she didn’t win the current annex contest and stayed in second place, the next competition wouldn’t be for another nine years.
If he passed away without naming an heir before then, the title of head of the Diamond House would naturally go to Hevant.
And what had she worked so hard for all this time?
‘I have to succeed, no matter what.’
Hevant’s new drug—which he had put great effort into—wasn’t receiving favorable responses.
This was her chance to shine and rack up an impressive achievement.
And if the dwarves liked her gem, she wouldn’t have to give up her shares at all.
“I accept.”
Marian cornered herself with her own words.
“The terms you mentioned—if my jewel fails, I’ll give up 15 percent of my business shares.”
***
That afternoon.
I was sitting on the rocking horse Mr. Callet had bought me, deep in thought.
“Finding the pearl earring was great and all—but won’t I get caught? Won’t they figure out it’s the one Grandma Priscilla lost?”
[Of course! It’s not just the dwarves you have to worry about.]
Aqum was right. If I were just sneaking it over to the dwarves on my own, that’d be one thing.
But now there was an official representative and even Grandpa was involved.
Would anyone believe that a seven-year-old found an earring in a hunting ground and thought it was pretty, so she sent it to the dwarves?
“Being competent is so tragic…”
[What if you bought another pearl?]
“The dwarves wouldn’t settle for just any pearl.”
The pearls in the earrings were the finest of the Shushubia Archipelago—so flawless and beautiful they were called ‘mermaid’s tears.’
A perfect sphere with exceptional hardness, resistant to scratches and fading.
They weren’t available on the open market and only appeared occasionally at high-end auctions.
That was why Grandma Priscilla’s last charity auction had drawn such attention from nobles.
[Hmm… tricky, huh?]
“Exactly. So tricky.”
Tap—
[Oh? Little Quartz, Jackjack’s here beside you!]
At Aqum’s words, I turned my head toward the nearby window.
A tiny titmouse sat on the windowsill, peeking through the glass at me.
Our eyes met—and Jackjack tilted his head.
Tap tap, tadadak—!
“Ugh, seriously. Who keeps tapping on the window like that?”
“Wah!”
