chapter 39
She roughly understood what it meant, but she had already given all her money to Mathias.
Even the little money she had left had been spent on meals, leaving her with nothing except living expenses.
“What should I say…?”
She could have laughed it off, saying, “How can you even suggest a vacation based on a dream?” but since she was guilty, she couldn’t dismiss it so easily.
“Ah, well… you see…”
As Sophia looked troubled, Serena realized she had crossed a line.
Whether intentional or not, suggesting a vacation and telling her to visit the racetrack wasn’t appropriate advice.
Serena forced a smile and continued.
“I thought it might be fun to see if the dream comes true, but honestly, I was a little scared earlier. So I don’t plan to go again, but I thought maybe you’d want to, so I asked.”
Explaining at length and saying it was a joke finally allowed Sophia to politely refuse with an awkward smile.
“Oh, I see. Actually, I’m a little scared too. I think your dream might come true, but you don’t have to give me a vacation.”
“Really? I thought I was the only one scared, but I see that’s not the case.”
“Yes, it’s really scary. I also worried that something might happen to you.”
“Exactly. We shouldn’t go to places like that at all. Let’s never go again. Those people were not normal.”
“Yes. Maybe we can check in the newspaper whether your dream comes true or not.”
“That’s a good idea. Then, please get me the newspaper with the next race.”
“Yes! Leave it to me.”
Since both had something to hide, they wrapped up the situation and got off the carriage.
Afterward, Serena headed straight to the bank. Holding a check worth 1 million gold, she wanted to deposit it quickly.
Fortunately, the bank staff were kind and efficient, just like last time, so Serena safely deposited the money and withdrew 100,000 gold for immediate use.
It was for buying tableware and furniture and for travel expenses to Rosegold.
“When I first inherited this, I thought it was enough to last a lifetime.”
Now it was an amount she could spend in a single day.
Of course, she was using the money to buy tableware and furniture, but she was surprised at herself for planning to spend 100,000 gold just for that.
Serena lightly slapped her own cheek.
“I need to get my act together. Rosegold is a barren place. I could become poor again at any time.”
Her bloodline lacked any sense of money. If she wasn’t careful, she could end up like her parents.
Determined to spend money only where necessary, Serena headed to the upscale shopping street with boutiques.
She planned to buy tableware first. The tableware she was currently using had missing pieces and cracks, so it needed immediate replacement.
She rushed over but had no idea what was good, having only ever used cheap items. Everything looked the same.
Standing in front of a staff member who earnestly explained each item, Serena nodded and glanced at Sophia.
“Miss, since I’ll use this most, may I take a closer look?”
“Sure. Anything is fine for me, so pick what you like, Sophia.”
Fortunately, quick-witted Sophia drew on her experience in a noble household to select high-quality, stylish tableware.
She chose items for daily family use, for guests, and backup pieces in case of breakage.
Even with just the essentials, it cost 5,000 gold.
“Tableware is this expensive…?”
The shocking part was that this was still a reasonable price. Many items were several times more expensive, and the staff treated it as normal.
“Thank you. We’ll carefully pack it and send it to your mansion today.”
Seeing such a large sum disappear at once made her hands shake.
But there was no time to be sad—an even bigger expense awaited.
After leaving the tableware shop, Serena walked until she reached a grand building that seemed like a furniture store.
[Royal Belmar]
‘Belmar?’
It was her first time there, but somehow the name sounded familiar.
Tilting her head, Serena recalled a girl with round, pretty golden eyes.
‘Marisa Belmar!’
The girl she met at a boutique two days ago.
‘So this is the place that sells high-end furniture.’
Admiring the building, reminiscent of a miniature Roselantis Count’s mansion, Serena stepped inside.
The furniture visible over the shoulders of politely greeting staff sparkled with grandeur.
She suddenly remembered what Marisa had said:
‘Sofas start at 3,000 gold, beds at 5,000 gold.’
She regretted not going somewhere else. Somehow pleased to enter, she now wondered if she could buy all the furniture she needed here.
‘…If it’s too expensive, I’ll say I’ll come back later.’
Contrary to her concern, furniture wasn’t bought immediately like tableware.
Typically, customers selected designs and materials from a catalog and placed an order.
Buying what she wanted meant waiting at least three months.
The high prices initially discouraged her, which turned out to be a relief.
She could leave the store without awkward excuses.
“Three months is too long. I need furniture now because my current ones are damaged.”
As Serena sighed, a staff member with a gentle impression pointed to furniture on display.
“There are pieces you can purchase immediately.”
They were brought out so customers could touch and examine them directly, not just from the catalog.
The designs were simple and basic, allowing for easy imagination if one added decorations or changed color and size.
It wasn’t bad. Actually, the simplicity appealed to her.
The problem was that furniture she glimpsed in the catalog earlier was extremely expensive.
‘I used the excuse of not wanting to wait, and they immediately told me what I could buy…’
Embarrassed to bring up money, Serena made another excuse.
“This isn’t brand new, right? Anyone could have touched it… I touched it earlier too.”
The staff understood immediately.
“You’re right. The price has been adjusted considering that, but I suppose it’s still not satisfactory to you.”
Wait, the price was adjusted? They should have said that first!
Serena quickly searched for the price tag and noticed a small paper in the corner of the sofa.
‘2,500 gold…?!’
The original 6,000 gold had been crossed out, and the new price listed as 2,500 gold.
Her eyes widened. It was a sofa large enough for the whole family, and the price seemed unbelievably cheap.
“Is this the price? 2,500 gold?”
The staff nodded.
“Can I take it immediately?”
“Yes, these pieces can be delivered right away.”
Yet, no one bought the displayed furniture.
As Serena noted, most people wouldn’t want furniture already touched by others.
This place catered to wealthy or noble customers, so discounts didn’t matter.
Considering labor and material costs, keeping them until sold was normal, but storage and maintenance costs had to be considered.
Moreover, tastes change over time. Out-of-style furniture looked tacky on display and had to be replaced when new designs arrived.
Of course, none of this mattered to Serena. She didn’t know what was fashionable nor cared.
Her house was a mess, so design didn’t matter—durability was more important than appearance or prior use.
‘Price is the most important!’
Her eyes scanned the displayed furniture.
Slowly, she noticed all the prices had been revised. Half were basic, and many were discounted below that. She could buy them all if needed.
‘I have to buy them all.’
This opportunity wouldn’t come again. With no other customers, she was eager not to miss out.
“You provide installation too, right?”
“Of course. We’ll handle installation responsibly.”
“Great. I’ll buy these displayed items. I need them immediately.”
The staff, used to natural responses, froze.
Even at half the original price, the amount was considerable.
Expensive buyers weren’t satisfied, while those seeking modest furniture found it too pricey.
Luckily, new furniture had arrived and needed to be removed, and now someone wanted to buy it.
It was a perfect chance for the staff to impress the manager. Smiling, they asked Serena:
“Understood. Which ones shall we prepare?”
“This one, this one, this one, this one. Oh, I’ll take this too. And this one.”
“Uh…? Oh, yes…!”
They were overwhelmed by the flurry of orders.
“Do you sell this one too? How about this?”
“I’ll check immediately.”
The staff ran around trying to sell everything, and the orders were finally completed around midnight.
