SOWD Chapter 76

Chapter 76

“Graciously, the Earl gave it to me, saying I worked hard on the mansion’s renovation. There’s no special meaning behind it. He even said to keep it or sell it if I didn’t use it.”

“Who said anything about that?”

When Rinia chuckled, Idel realized she had unnecessarily started making excuses. Her face burned with embarrassment.

“But you’re not really going to sell it, are you?”

“Huh? Of course not! How could I sell a gift…?”

“That’s a relief. If you sold it, my brother would be hurt.”

“What?”

“My brother has a surprisingly sensitive side, you know.”

Although Idel found it strange to hear that Laszlo could be hurt, she quickly reassured Rinia that she would never sell it, just to end the topic.

“It was a joke. Now, go to my brother. He probably hasn’t even tied his cravat yet.”

“Surely not.”

“Don’t expect too much from Laszlo Chrysos, Idel. He’s the most naggable person in this house.”

Idel, at a loss for words, thought of Laszlo’s habit of frequently saying, “Isn’t this good enough?” She then headed straight to his room.

Watching Idel leave, Rinia smirked knowingly to herself.

“What? A gift as thanks for her efforts? Eight-thousand Lington earrings?”

Rinia vividly remembered those earrings displayed prominently in a jeweler’s glass case when she went to buy her own earring, necklace, and bracelet set.

Her set cost twelve thousand Lington. Individually, Idel’s earrings were far more expensive than Rinia’s.

‘So that’s what my brother was looking at? Choosing a gift for Idel?’

A laugh kept bubbling up. It reminded her of the conversation she had with Laszlo at the jeweler.

“Brother, are you interested in jewelry now? What are you staring at?”

“I was just thinking how absurdly expensive these stones are. Why?”

“They’re not just stones. They sparkle, they’re beautiful, and they’re rare!”

“Well, I don’t get it. I don’t understand why women like these things.”

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Far more reliable than a man.”

“Where do you pick up these ridiculous sayings?”

At the time, he’d sneered and scolded her. Who would’ve thought he’d secretly do something so endearing?

Suddenly, a peculiar thought struck Rinia.

To her knowledge, Laszlo had never shown interest in a woman before. Even when the emperor sent him a stunning beauty, he sent her back in annoyance.

If someone like that gifted such an expensive diamond, it clearly meant he felt something for Idel.

“Does that mean Idel could become my sister-in-law?”

Rinia, who once vehemently opposed even the idea of Idel becoming her brother’s mistress, had entirely forgotten her objections by now.

Idel was beautiful, upright, capable, and respectable. Most importantly, she was probably the only woman who could nag her brother.

‘My brother should marry a woman like that.’

Imagining Idel greeting her with, “Rinia, I’ll be counting on you from now on,” after marrying Laszlo made her chest swell with warmth.

“That would be wonderful.”

Rinia envisioned herself clinging to Idel, venting about her brother’s shortcomings and indulging in her whims.

Determined to become someone worthy of such a warm person, Rinia straightened her back after taking a deep breath.

Today, she was confident she wouldn’t make any mistakes.

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The gates of Chrysos Manor, which had been shut since its ennoblement, opened wide.

Some visitors came to see just how splendid the mansion gifted by the emperor was. Others, skeptical of a commoner-born Laszlo’s ability to host a party, came to mock.

Among the crowd of guests with varying expectations was Edmund.

“Everyone will be utterly astonished.”

Hearing this, Devin Donnell, the captain of the Imperial Knights riding in the same carriage, looked at him with curious eyes.

“What do you mean by ‘astonished,’ exactly?”

 

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Edmund’s Schemes Unravel

Edmund smirked to himself as he recalled the shabby and tasteless state of the Chrysos manor.

“They’ll be shocked, alright. Someone might even storm out in outrage, claiming insult.”

Even if no one dared such bold actions due to Laszlo’s proximity to the emperor, Edmund was certain that after today, Laszlo’s reputation would be irreparably tarnished.

This confidence stemmed partly from the results of his planted operative, Marsha.

“The secrets of the Chrysos estate, straight from the lips of a dismissed head maid? People can’t resist that sort of gossip.”

Rumors about scandalous and intimate stories from the Chrysos estate had spread, leading to an increase in visitors to Baron Owen’s estate, where Edmund had secretly placed Marsha.

As a commoner, Marsha didn’t have to worry about decorum. Her blunt words and colorful tales were a hit among nobles pretending to be prim and proper.

“Combined with the party today, this gossip will bury Laszlo in society,” Edmund thought, fuming at how Laszlo’s reckless attitude grated on him.

With firm resolve to witness Laszlo’s downfall, Edmund passed through the gates of the Chrysos estate.

However, the knight commander seated beside him reacted unexpectedly.

“Well, it’s nothing extravagant, but the garden looks neat. Suits Laszlo’s taste.”

Edmund hesitated.

The last time he saw this garden, it had been overrun with weeds or barren.

“Calling barren land neat is a bit much.”

Curious, Edmund hastily pulled back the curtain to check.

The knight commander’s words were accurate.

The garden wasn’t adorned with blooming flowers, but the trees were neatly pruned and aligned, and there wasn’t a single weed in sight.

“They must have hired workers in a hurry for the party,” Edmund muttered. It made sense—no host would want guests to see a neglected garden.

Yet as Edmund entered the manor, he realized something was deeply amiss.

“Wow! This is pretty impressive! So this is what you meant by ‘shocking’?”

The knight commander grinned at Edmund, but Edmund was in no mood to smile.

“What the… How did this place change so much?”

Though nine months had passed since his last visit, Edmund never imagined the run-down estate could be transformed like this. Laszlo hadn’t even seemed embarrassed to live in such a state before.

“Wait, that painting… haven’t I seen it before?”

Following the knight commander’s gesture, Edmund spotted a painting that had garnered significant attention at this year’s Otis Gallery exhibition for emerging artists.

“So it was Laszlo who snagged that piece?”

Grinding his teeth, Edmund clenched his jaw.

If it were a famous and costly artwork, Edmund could dismiss it as the act of a nouveau riche buying expensive things without understanding them. However, recognizing the value of a new artist’s work required discernment—a quality Laszlo was unlikely to possess.

“Someone is helping Laszlo!”

But who? Edmund couldn’t pinpoint it. There were too many possibilities.

The emperor valued Laszlo, and Count Talon, the emperor’s chamberlain, was friendly with him. If they gave orders, plenty of people desperate to curry favor with the emperor would lend a hand.

What infuriated Edmund more was the realization that the assistance extended beyond art.

“The interior décor is so tasteful.”

“I expected something bold from a younger man, but this has a dignified charm.”

“It doesn’t feel old-fashioned, though. It suits Count Chrysos perfectly.”

“I thought a commoner-born wouldn’t measure up, but this is rather… impressive.”

Snippets of conversation around him grated on Edmund’s nerves.

Even he had to admit the manor exuded sophistication. It was such a stark contrast to his earlier memory of the place that he began to doubt himself.

“Damn it. How did he pull this off?”

Edmund’s plan to ruin Laszlo’s reputation seemed to be unraveling. His anger boiled, but there was more to come.

“Look! Over there!”

“Oh! It’s Count Chrysos!”

As Laszlo descended the grand staircase alone, the guests’ attention shifted to him.

Edmund’s gaze followed instinctively. Though he hated to admit it, Laszlo commanded a remarkable presence.

Today, however, Laszlo looked almost… mesmerizing.

“Oh my! Isn’t it suddenly a bit warm in here?”

“Exactly! Who else in high society is this handsome right now?”

“Ha! Listen to the women fawning. What’s so special about him?”

Some expressed awe, while others sneered. But compared to the indifference Laszlo once faced, the reaction was entirely different.

Edmund’s carefully laid plans were slipping away.