NMRJKM Chapter 81

 

Then Carlothian calmly responded to me.

“What’s the matter?”

“Th-th-the jeweler, you know the one you called.”

“Oh.”

Carlothian looked at me as if he had forgotten he had called for them.

“Why? Was there nothing you liked? I told them to bring only the finest.”

“No, no. That’s not it!”

I approached the desk and slammed my hand on it with a bang.

“It’s too much!”

“What’s too much?”

“The jewels!”

“What do you mean by ‘too much’? They’re not worse than the ones you used to wear, are they? If anything, they’re more valuable.”

That was Ariadeline! For me, it’s too much!

“Where would I even wear something like that?”

“Just keep them. If you don’t have any place to wear them, you can wear them when we have a meal together.”

“Do you think I’d be comfortable wearing something so heavy during a meal?”

“That’s true. Then…”

Carlothian pushed the documents aside and said,

“Should I create an occasion for you to wear them?”

“What?”

“You can invite someone to the mansion, or if you prefer, you can visit someone else’s estate.”

I crossed my arms and glared at him, completely baffled.

“Where would I even go?”

He looked at me with a face that seemed to say he didn’t understand.

“Then just create an occasion. What’s the problem?”

Ah, this man. He really shows that he’s a man of power. It’s frustrating. Powerful people. My head is spinning just thinking about it.

“Anyway, those things are too much.”

“They’re nothing to me. Just keep them. I’ve already paid for everything.”

“You’ve already bought them?”

“Yes.”

Ah! I grabbed my head. Six hundred billion gold just flew away! No, there are still jewels left, but still! Suddenly, I had an ominous feeling and asked him.

“You didn’t call anyone else, did you?”

He replied confidently.

“A furniture artisan, a shoemaker, a dressmaker, and…”

“Stop! Cancel everything!”

He paused and raised one eyebrow. I stared straight at him, refusing to back down, and said,

“The furniture we have now is more than enough; one pair of shoes is all I need! And the jewels, ahh…”

The jewels are already bought. So, I’ll have to keep it. How am I supposed to live without it being stolen? No, I guess I don’t need to worry about that. It’s the duke’s mansion, after all.

But still!

“Please understand, even the jewels alone are too much for me… And as I always say, what are you going to do if rumors spread?”

After a brief silence, he asked in a somewhat strange voice.

“Rumors?”

“You know, rumors that you’ve been bewitched by a villainess and can’t come to your senses. If those spread, no marriage proposals will come in…”

“Marriage proposals?”

“Yes.”

“Marriage proposals?”

“Uh… yes?”

Wait, why is the mood like this?

Carlothian suddenly started glaring at me with a terrifying look. Wh-what’s going on? Even if you look at me like that, I won’t back down.

“Marriage proposals.”

Okay, I was actually scared. I whimpered and lowered my gaze like a scolded puppy. Why is he angry? I began slowly backing away.

“T-then I’ll take the jewels! But I’m telling you again, cancel everything else! Got it?”

I pointed my finger at him and quickly darted out of the office. Why does he look so scary?

After fleeing, I eventually had to accept the jewels that the madame happily handed over to me.

Sigh, what am I supposed to do with all this?

Wait a second.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in my mind, and my eyes lit up. Oh, I know exactly where to use these.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

A few days later, I received a reply from Dorothea and headed to the Imperial Palace. But one thing was bothering me.

“Um, Carlothian?”

“……”

“I’m, uh, heading to the palace, okay?”

“…Alright.”

That man. A sulking, powerful man. I couldn’t tell if he was pouting, angry, or upset.

Though he answered me stiffly, he added right after, “Make sure to take the knights with you.”

“Oh, uh, yes. Got it.”

Ever since the whole jewelry incident, he’s been sulking. It’s a bit funny that, even while sulking, he’s still looking after me so carefully.

To be honest, I don’t really know why he’s upset. Was his pride hurt because I turned down his gifts?

And yet, it’s amusing that he still crawls into my bed to sleep every night. Seriously.

For the past few days, I’ve been sticking close to him, trying to cheer him up with small talk, but nothing seems to work. I mean, is it really worth getting this mad over me not accepting some gifts?

At this point, I was like, “Whatever,” and turned away from him, heading downstairs to the first floor.

“Today, you’re off to meet Her Highness, Crown Princess Dorothea, right?”

“That’s right.”

Dolly stood in the entrance hall, seeing me off.

“You’re taking Rodi with you, right?”

“I thought I’d give Rodi a little tour of the palace.”

“Next time, take me with you too!”

“Of course, of course. I’ll be back soon!”

“Yes, have a good trip!”

Two of my guards, both towering over me by at least two heads, sat on the driver’s seat. The coachman’s shoulders were just as broad. With both of them sitting there, the driver’s seat looked completely full.

Who on earth did he assign to guard me?

After Rodi and I boarded the carriage, Rodi, who was seated across from me, fidgeted with his fingers and asked hesitantly.

“I-I should behave quietly in the palace, right?”

“Hmmm, well, since it’s a place with strict etiquette, you probably should.”

“I’ll stay perfectly still. I won’t move an inch. I won’t even breathe.”

“You can’t really stop breathing just because you decide to,” I said, laughing. Rodi, looking as though she’d had a revelation, nodded in understanding.

Before long, we passed through the palace gates without issue, thanks to Dorothea’s invitation. As we arrived at the palace, I noticed a somewhat bustling atmosphere around us.

“This way, please.”

Dorothea’s maid guided us, and I followed her while glancing around.

“Is something going on?”

“Huh? Well, that’s…”

Just as the maid was about to respond, we arrived at Dorothea’s door. Hearing our footsteps, Dorothea herself swung the door open and warmly greeted us.

“Ariadeline! Welcome!”

“Your Highness!”

I bowed to her, but she waved her hand dismissively.

“Relax, make yourself comfortable. Come on in.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

As I entered Dorothea’s room, I noticed several palace servants scurrying out after bowing to us. Hmm, the atmosphere still seemed a bit hectic.

Did I come at a bad time?

“Is something going on?”

“Huh?”

Dorothea blinked in confusion. Was there an event around this time? As I tilted my head, she spoke up.

“Oh my, Ariadeline, did you forget?”

“Forget what?”

“What else? It’s the princess’s birthday in a month!”

Ah, Princess Yermondi’s birthday.

My face instantly turned pale, and I nodded. Come to think of it, her birthday was next month. It was the season transitioning into autumn.

“Come, sit down.”

Only after sitting on the sofa and taking a sip of tea did we get to the real reason for my visit.

“So, why did you ask to see me so suddenly?”

“Well, first, don’t be alarmed when I tell you this.”

“What is it?”

I glanced around, leaned in slightly, and whispered.

“I was cursed.”

“What? What did you say?!”

Dorothea nearly screamed. Startled, I quickly motioned for her to lower her voice.

“You’re quite surprised, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m more than surprised. Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”

“Of course, I’m fine. I managed to get through it safely thanks to the hymn the saintess taught me.”

“Thank the heavens. But a curse? Who would do such a thing?”

Dorothea looked distressed. Naturally, I couldn’t blame her. Given my notorious reputation as a villainess, there were plenty of people who would want to harm me.

No, maybe not. While I do receive my fair share of minor hate, there’s only one person who would despise me enough to use black magic to curse me.

That person is Princess Yermondi.

But I couldn’t say that out loud, so I gave an awkward smile and said, “I haven’t found the culprit yet.”

“What was the medium for the curse?”

“A gift arrived under the name of a ruined noble family. It was a porcelain doll… I thought it was just a normal gift, but then everything happened.”

“Oh my, a curse? So there are still people who use black magic?”

Dorothea looked serious. She clenched her fist and put it to her lips, lost in thought.

Oh, I didn’t want to add to the worries of the already busy Crown Princess.

“I’ll look into the culprit myself. Don’t worry too much about it. However, I was wondering if you know anything about how to track curses.”

Dorothea shook her head regretfully. “Black magic is known for leaving no trace before or after the spell was cast. That’s why it’s so difficult to track.”

I nodded, recalling that I had read something similar in a book.

“I asked just in case. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I wish I could be of more help…”

“You’re already helping a lot.”

“If anything else happens, make sure you visit the temple. Understand?”

“Of course.”

I really don’t want to deal with anything like this again. If this keeps happening, I might just move into the temple and live there. Seriously.

“I had no idea curses were like that. I was so shocked. I thought curses just made you a little sick or caused bad luck.”

Dorothea was silent for a moment before nodding.

“Exactly. That’s why curses are so dangerous. They don’t just harm the person targeted, but can affect others too.”

I nodded in agreement. If Carlothian hadn’t immobilized the curse’s reach by cutting it in half, who knows how far it could have spread?

“But let’s talk about something else,”

I clasped my hands together and looked at her with wide eyes.

“What is it?”

“I want to make a donation.”