Still, what’s done is done. From now on, we just have to make the best of it.
“My brother just said it offhandedly, but I feel bad for troubling you, sir Bright. So today, please allow me to give you a gift. My brother would want that too.”
“What? No, I can’t accept such an extravagant gift!”
Ezkhiel waved his hands in embarrassment. However, Letticia had no intention of backing down.
“Even if you consider my help with shopping as a gift, there’s still my brother’s favor left. You’ve gone out of your way to help him; how could I just ignore that?”
“I didn’t attend the ball only because of Lenard’s request. I also have my own obligations in society. If I hadn’t attended the royal ball, I would have missed every event for the next month due to my busy schedule.”
Ezkhiel tried to rationalize why he needed to attend the royal ball.
Letticia realized that Ezkhiel wasn’t going to accept a gift.
“Well, if sir Bright insists, then I must respect that. However, my gratitude remains unchanged. After all, you did help me.”
“Help? If anything, I owe you more, my lady…”
Ezkhiel genuinely believed he hadn’t been much help. Even more he thinks that Letticia had more struggled due to his poor waltz skills.
‘Well, It was struggle a bit, but it was much better than dancing twice in a row and then ended up marrying with that guy.’
Letticia decided to be more assertive before the conversation could drag on.
“I want to express my gratitude by helping you with shopping. You can handle my brother’s reward later. As for your gratitude, I’ll accept it another time. How about that?”
Ezkhiel, finally feeling more comfortable, nodded in agreement.
Being overly humble was better than being shamelessly demanding.
“Now, let’s choose a tie jewel for you. Did you look at the catalog?”
“I did, but I’m not very knowledgeable about these things, so I’m unsure what’s good…”
Ezkhiel looked a bit embarrassed. However, Letticia knew they could get professional help to find something satisfactory even for someone like him.
“Let’s start by deciding on the color and design. Since you mentioned you usually wear a bolo tie, we’ll need to choose a pendant style, but the gemstone is the key.”
“Oh, I’d like to use green for the color. As for the design, I prefer something simple.”
Once they started with the color, Ezkhiel seemed more relaxed and began expressing his opinions. Letticia then turned to the catalog and asked the staff.
“What designs are popular among young officials at the royal court?”
“This design, number three, is quite popular. Those who work at the royal court prefer simple yet elegant designs, but younger members often choose designs that reflect their individuality.”
The bolo tie Ezkhiel wanted was a type of necktie with a pendant, which could be ornate but usually had simple designs. The staff explained that young officials often customized these simple designs to add elements of elegance or seriousness according to their taste.
“So, they all make custom adjustments?”
“Yes. After selecting the gemstone, we customize the design according to the client’s preference. We can also adjust the size of the holes for the cord you’re using.”
“Then I’d like to place an order with that design. I use this type of cord.”
Ezkhiel decided on a design from the catalog, finding it too exhausting to think further. When another staff member brought out gemstone samples, Letticia examined the options.
“Since the gemstone will be set in the center, a bright and clear color would be best. Should we exclude peridot? It’s olive-colored, which doesn’t match your eyes, and darker colors are considered more luxurious.”
As she spoke, Letticia moved closer to Ezkhiel to look into his face. His slightly drooping, green eyes appeared even more vivid up close.
“Well, since I don’t know much about gemstones, I’ll leave the choice to you, my lady.”
Ezkhiel, blushing slightly at the close distance, avoided Letticia’s gaze as he answered.
His shy demeanor seemed endearing to Letticia, making her smile.
“Do you have any specific conditions in mind? Like a price range or style?”
“I’m not sure if this qualifies as a condition, but may I ask for your opinion?”
After hesitating for a while, Ezkhiel finally spoke.
“What kind of gemstone would be suitable for the Crown Prince’s chief aide?”
Such a vague question momentarily caught Letticia off guard. ‘A gemstone suitable for the Crown Prince’s chief aide’ sounded like the theme of a jewelry design contest.
Letticia’s thoughts were evident on her face, and Ezkhiel lowered his eyes apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I asked a very ambiguous question.”
“No, it was I who asked what you desired, sir Bright.”
“… As the chief aide to the Crown Prince, I’m used to hearing comments like ‘Why don’t you wear a nice jewel?’, but now even His Highness insists me to wear something good…”
His expression suggested that although he was used to it, he didn’t appreciate it.
“Some people decide how to treat someone based on what they wear. If I don’t wear jewelry, I might be ignored. Sadly, there are indeed such people.”
“That’s how noble society is. They flaunt their wealth to show off their status and power.”
“Even so, it’s absurd to be uncooperative with me in official matters just because of that.”
Ezkhiel shivered as if in disgust. Letticia thought that was crossing a line.
“At a ball, it’s one thing to choose not to associate with me because of my attire, but mixing personal feelings with national duties is too much…”
“They think their feelings are more important than national affairs.”
Letticia nodded in agreement. There were indeed such people among the nobles.
“It’s easier to just wear a piece of jewelry than to persuade each person. But I don’t know what kind of jewel I should wear.”
“In that case, it’s best to get a recommendation from an expert. What kind of jewel would you suggest for him?”
In response to Letticia’s question, the staff member answered fluently.
“For someone of the chief aide’s rank, tourmaline would be excluded due to its price. Jade is also not suitable as it’s opaque and lacks brilliance.”
“Then bring out emeralds and green sapphires. Do you have green diamonds?”
“We don’t have green diamonds in stock, but we do have green garnets.”
“Bring those out too. We need to see them all.”
As the staff rummaged through the boxes, Ezkhiel asked Letticia quietly.
“Are there green garnets? I thought they only came in red.”
“Red is the most common, but there are other colors too. They’re just hard to find.”
Even Letticia, who knew most gemstones as a jeweler’s daughter, had only seen them recently. It wasn’t surprising that Ezkhiel, who claimed to know little about gems, was unaware of that.
“Here they are. These are small samples to check the color. If you decide on this gem, the size can be this large.”
Ezkhiel examined each gemstone to see the colors more clearly. Letticia compared the gems to Ezkhiel’s face and her eyes sparkled.
“Green definitely matches your eyes, sir. Oh, do you know your birthstone? Matching it could be another option.”
Since about 30 years ago, birthstones had become a cultural norm among nobles. It was customary to gift jewelry made from a person’s birthstone when they came of age.
“If it’s a birthstone, I received a garnet when I came of age. But it was red, and it didn’t suit me, so I kept it in my jewelry box…”
Ezkhiel replied, recalling his past. Letticia glanced at his brown hair and agreed.
“True, red might not go well with your hair color. Green, blue, or purple would suit you better.”
“Even if I chose a gem, I tended to avoid birthstones. The tie jewel I wore last time was tourmaline.”
Tourmaline was the gem the staff had mentioned earlier as too inexpensive.
“Tourmaline… Did people comment on it?”
“Although I have a high position, I was worried that wearing very expensive jewelry might make me look arrogant since I’m a newcomer. But it turned out to be the opposite, which is surprised me.”
Ezkhiel’s weak smile reflected the hardships he faced in society.
It was absurd that someone already struggling with noble society’s demands would later have to suffer for Matthias’s romantic issues in the future.
