CH 25

Having said all he had to say, Gaspar relaxed and sat down on the sofa again.

Without needing to be instructed, Neil brought me a handkerchief soaked in water, which I placed on Gaspar’s forehead, and he exhaled pleasantly.

You’re going to be skinny already, ugh.

「Here, hold it tight and cool yourself down.」

「…Sorry.」

The reason why it’s a handkerchief and not a towel is because I gave Karie the towel that I had prepared for him along with the water bucket. The handkerchief probably belonged to Neil.

「As the owner said, just the other day a man came into our store to sell a green amethyst. He was accompanied by a gruff escort, and by all appearances, he wasn’t fit to hold such a rare and valuable gem. It was obvious at first glance that the product was suspicious, so I refused to buy anything whose source was unknown, but then he started to rage and one of the employees was injured…」

It occurs to me that this was the reason for the shortage of people that Karie mentioned.

「”He politely left” that day, but it seems that he has taken up residence here in the downtown area, and we are very much troubled… Apparently there is some noble behind them.」

「So you are saying that the Countess Bauer is that noble?」

「It is very likely that the parts of this necklace are that green amethyst. It would be somewhat unnatural for such a rare and valuable item to be different at this time, wouldn’t it?」

「Well… it’s natural to assume that that green amethyst is identical to the parts of the necklace.」

Ryniel-sama agrees with Neil’s opinion.

「How did the green amethyst come from the hands of Countess Bauer to that man?」

If you are going to ask for restoration, it would be better to have all the parts available. It is a gemstone that is not easy to obtain.

「It’s a reward. For the perpetrator who stole this.」

「This necklace was handed over to her, and she tore it to shreds with her emotions and gave him the green amethyst that came off as a reward. She seemed to be a very passionate person, so maybe she didn’t want to keep it on hand.」

“I see,” Ryniel-sama nodded.

「It would make sense if she found out that Lord Colden was looking into it after she gave it to him and hurriedly asked him to restore it. She is an ardent follower of Her Royal Highness the Princess.」

I had been talking without proper nouns until now, and now I finally did. I thought in a corner of my head. Although there was no problem with the conversation because it was common knowledge, I was concerned because it was an issue within the royal court.

「But from the point of view of the Lady, it would be a poor necklace. Wouldn’t she rather laugh herself silly?『A fiancée who can only receive this level of gift,』something like that. Is it enough to tear it to shreds?」

Green amethysts are highly valuable, but other stones are not particularly hard to find. The pearls are semi-first class, distorted in shape and simple in design. Above all, the lack of an engraving meant that it wasn’t made by a well-known store. It was hardly an item to be resented.

「You don’t understand the female mind, Missy? Neil said it earlier. Love and hate, love and hate.」

Just being Raul’s fiancée means they resented me. It’s kind of a harsh world.

「And Miss. Earlier you assumed that your fiancé isn’t interested in you and that the jewelry is meaningless, but is that really the case?」

His words made me wrinkle my brow.

「What do you mean?」

Neil suddenly picked up the necklace and held it up for us to see.

「It’s missing now, but simply green amethyst and citrine are the colors of Miss and his eyes. If that were all, it would be any combination anyone could think of for a gift for a fiancée.」

Neither I nor the other two interrupted Neil, who kept his eyes fixed on me and spun his words as if to say something to me.

「However, in addition to its rarity, green amethyst is a gemstone that’s said to bring love and healing to interpersonal relationships and to lead all relationships to a happy resolution. It’s also said to be the guardian stone of love.」

As it was, Neil continued to speak.

「The stone language of pearls also has the meaning of amity, and the shape of the angel’s wings that your daughter mentioned also has meaning. If one wing of this angel was made in a pair, it would be one with special meaning.」

「Special meaning?」

「Yes. It’s『Long Lasting Love.』」

At these words, I heard the gasp of Ryniel-sama, who was standing next to me.

「Even this design is something I know from looking at Miss that she prefers simple things.」

「What better gift to give to Missy with whom he have a strained relationship…」

Gaspar mutters to no one in particular.

「The meaning of the gift he sent to Miss. He wants to resolve your relationship amicably and pledge their long-lasting love. This necklace says so.」

「Definitely a courtship, yes.」

For a moment, the room became as still as if it had been flooded, and I was affected by this and couldn’t say anything either.

「When the lady learned what it meant, she became angry. What is suspicious about it?」

Three eyes stared at me. I searched for words, trying to say something. I am sure they are waiting for me to say something. I open my mouth a few times, but repeat closing it because I can’t get the words out.

There were no words I could say. It was because of the half difference in temperature between me and them.

Because, you know, they are expecting something from me. They want my reaction to shed tears or something. It’s not my imagination that I feel it so keenly, is it?

Eh, where was the place to shed a tear already? Where I was courted?? I’m the one who refuses to be courted every year. I’m not waiting for anything, so I’m courting. What I want is consent to end the engagement. You can tell by looking at me that I like simple designs? I’m not hiding it, it’s more like a public statement, and everyone knows it even if they don’t look at me. I’ve even been made fun of by the ladies in my circle.

Neil, you’ve been watching too much theater. That’s why it’s such a romance-filled idea. Where’s the romance in courting with jewelry language? It would be disastrous if you couldn’t communicate. Not every woman knows the language of flowers and stones. In fact, you guys know more than I do.

Ugh, why is Gaspar a little teary too? That’s just his eyes watering from the heat. I wouldn’t say I was moved to tears by mistake. I didn’t find anywhere to be impressed. Why are you looking at me so warmly? I’m not happy at all!

You know, Ryniel-sama, you know that I don’t want to marry Raul. Above all, does Raul seem like the kind of man who would do such a thing? He is the kind of fool who would perform a self-indulgent theater piece for us. What is this long-lasting love? Why would a man who is suspicious of me propose to me in the manner of some romance? It’s his brain that’s passing me by, not yours. It was Ryniel-sama who was angry with me earlier for being disrespected!!!

I want to say it. I want to say it so badly. But I can’t say it. There’s an air of not being allowed to say it.

I turned over and hid my face and let out a deep, deep sigh in my mind, as if I could do this all over again.