Was I wrong?

Should I have given her one kiss?

-You filthy man!

Then, a woman’s voice slapped him.

-You cannot do it even if the woman wants it as long as you are not in love!

“Ha, ha, ha.”

Thinking of that moment made him burst into laughter again. The woman had appeared to be so reserved and obedient, so he had been rather surprised to see her get mad like that.

She had been the first person to not give in to his temptation and yell instead. In addition to it, she had also been the first to say that it was right to refuse when there was no love.

A fresh breeze blew in his mind.

She had slapped him, but for some reason, he felt like that strange woman had cured him.

‘Tomorrow is the wedding.’

He closed his eyes and recalled her face. Her kind brown eyes had a stubborn red hue. He had a feeling that their future together wouldn’t be bad.

He liked that feeling. He would have that feeling when he found a good math formula or finished an outstanding research project, but never on a person.

‘I miss her.’

He was surprised to find himself thinking so. Me, missing somebody? It was unfamiliar.

‘I probably want to ask her about what just happened.’

Yes, that was probably it.

Everybody else would say he was cold, but she would probably say he had done well, and he wasn’t bad.

He tried too hard to act cold, but at the same time, he felt tormented.

He just wanted to be consoled by her. That was all.

Edgar dismissed those sudden feeling like that and blamed the sudden thoughts for surprising him and making his heart beat fast.

***

Each jewel must be taken care of differently. Some must be cleaned with oil and water regularly. Others lose their luster as soon as they meet water. The right temperature and humidity were crucial for preserving the jewels’ beauty for a long time. Along with its long history, the Claymore Family owned jewels and accessories with various stories. There were so many of them that they couldn’t be kept in a locked box.

Rubica followed Ann and went past through the entrance where guards were standing watch. She was so impressed at seeing the treasury.

‘… it’s just like a museum.’

Rubica had never seen anything like that before. So, she was overwhelmed by the enormous quantity of jewels. At the same time, she recalled Edgar saying, “accessories not good enough for a duchess” and smiled bitterly. She thought as he had grown up seeing those jewels, he could have said that without the purpose of being rude.

“Lady Berner, the tiaras are this way.”

“Okay.”

Rubica followed Ann and looked at the beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and brooches.

As the family was a ruling family, it had tiaras unlike other noble families. They were used only on very special official events. The wedding was the only private event in which those tiaras could be used.

“This tiara was acquired when the 12th Claymore, Marquis Claymore, seized the king of Berna with the cannon he invented.”

“The teardrop diamond in its center, that’s the Mermaid’s Tear, right?”

“Oh, yes!”

The tiara Ann was pointing at had a famous jewel that had been in a book about jewels which Rubica had read in her late father’s study.

‘It’s already been 60 years since I read that book.’

Nevertheless, she could recall it immediately as it had been a book about beauty. Her father had been delighted to see that she liked beauty like the proper daughter of a merchant. Maybe that family background had enabled her to get such a sense of beauty.

‘She must have studied the family’s history before coming here.’

Ann didn’t know Rubica’s passion for beauty. Instead, she thought she had studied the Claymore Family’s history before marrying Edgar.

She immediately evaluated Rubica even higher. Of course, she had been thinking highly of her even before that.

“How about this tiara?”

“… okay.”

Rubica glanced at the luxurious golden tiara Ann was pointing at. She thought Ann had quickly found the tiara that matched the dress the most, but she couldn’t help looking at the tiara at the very end.

The other tiaras were all made of gold, but that one was silver white. It had pearls and transparent diamonds that matched its color and was showing a delicate beauty.

“… what about that one?”

“That is the tiara the late duchess brought when she married.”

Ann’s good mood faded away quickly. The late duchess, she had been a princess from a faraway country across the ocean. Rubica felt like she had messed up with a painful past, so she quickly changed the subject.

“I think the tiara you chose will do, but which necklace and earrings would match it?”

“Oh, there is a set that would be perfect for this tiara. Let me show you.”

Ann smiled brightly and took Rubica where she wanted.

The two of them talked like that for a long time and picked accessories to wear with the wedding dress. By the time they had finished picking all they needed, they could see the sun was setting through the basement windows. The soldier who stood guard at the entrance even brought them a lighted candle and warned them to be careful.

“Now that we have decided on everything, should we go back?”

Ann took a last look at the list and asked Rubica. As she was getting hungry, she gladly nodded. They linked arms and were about to leave.

‘… someone is watching me.’

Rubica felt someone was staring hard at her and stopped.

“Lady Rubica?”

Rubica turned to look. There was a man in a blue uniform. He was very tall with broad shoulders and a sharp chin. He didn’t look away when their eyes met. He looked both familiar and unfamiliar to Rubica.

‘Brown eyes that are bluer near the pupils.’

Rubica realized he was Stephen who she had met at the Berner Mansion.

“He is Lord Stephen, captain of the guards.”

Ann didn’t know they had already met, so she introduced him to Rubica.

“We have already met at the Berner Mansion, Mrs. Taylor.”

While Rubica hesitated, Stephen smiled to Ann first and spoke. In spite of his smile, his eyes were staring at Rubica like those of a predator. So, Rubica felt tense and she could feel her body stiffening.

“Don’t you always guard His Grace as his side? Why have you remained today?”

“I am carrying out his order.”

“His order?”

“… I cannot tell you what it is.”

Rubica got the goosebumps, and she could read a warning in his brown eyes.

‘Don’t even think about running away.’

For some reason, she felt like he was telling her that. Had he been watching her all this time in the shadows? Rubica tried to comfort herself, telling herself she was getting too far ahead, but it wasn’t easy.

‘Of course, he can’t trust me…’

She had packed her things to run away. Maybe Edgar was right to make to take measures to be sure. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help thinking it was creepy. They had reached an agreement in that carriage anyway, and she had agreed to his offer. However, he still didn’t trust her.

‘My opinion is like the dust of the night sky to him. Then that must be how he thinks of the promise we made. I cannot trust him.’

Rubica decided to become an extravagant person once again. She said hello to Stephen and the guard then left the treasury. The moment she entered the living room, she spoke to Ann.

“Ann.”

“Yes, Lady Berner.”

“I want to ask you a favor…”

“Please, ask me anything.”

Rubica smiled and looked at her passionate follower Ann, although she didn’t know why Ann liked her so much.

“How is the preparation of the wedding hall going?”

“Oh, I heard Hue’s abbey will be emptied without visitors for that day.”

Rubica was surprised at the unexpected news.

“They’re going to empty an abbey?”

“Yes, His Grace wanted a quiet wedding, so… he probably worried watchers from nearby might disturb you. The abbey gladly said yes thanks to the right amount of donation.”

Rubica slightly tilted her head to the right. She thought Edgar seemed to extremely hate the attention of people. She didn’t know why he was like that, but regardless of it, she decided to put forth her plan.

“I want to decorate the place beautifully…”

“Oh, that is a great idea.”

“But there will only be four or five people there… so I don’t know if it would not be wrong…”

She looked down and tried to look disappointed. She despised herself for putting up an act like that, but there wasn’t a better way to convince Ann. And indeed, Ann reacted as if Rubica’s sad expression hurt her as well.

“Lady Berner, please don’t say that. We will make sure the wedding is just as you want.”

“But I’m not sure if His Grace will like it…”

That made Ann’s eyes turn bloodshot.

“Eddie, no, His Grace said so?”

“Not really.”

“There is no need to marry a man who is reluctant to spend money on his own wedding.’