Chapter 09…………………………………………
In her previous life, when Lizaina lost the emerald bracelet, she had framed Trisha right in front of Edwin.
Trisha had immediately argued back, but Edwin hadn’t listened to a word she said.
Instead, he accused me of being jealous of Lizaina and of making a mockery of the household.
Not wanting to repeat the same past, Trisha set her trap before Lizaina could act.
She arranged for maids she had bribed in advance to spread false information—that she had grown up in Solten—timed precisely to coincide with Lizaina’s walks.
Since they dressed up the head maid’s story as if it were mine, even if someone learns the truth, they’ll just think Lizaina misunderstood.
The maids who passed along the information had already been paid off and sent back to their hometowns, so there was no risk of being exposed.
“But how did you know that pearls—especially black pearls—are the most precious gems in Solten?” Jane asked.
“I did some studying.”
Not in this life, but the previous one.
Trisha smiled faintly.
In the past, Trisha had wanted to maintain a cordial relationship with Lizaina, her husband’s friend and business partner.
That’s why I studied Solten—to know enough not to offend her.
Unfortunately, she’d never had the chance to make use of that knowledge in her last life. But since it had proven useful this time, it hadn’t been a bad choice after all.
“More importantly, Jane. How high has the price of the bracelet gone?”
“It’s risen to twice the price we paid for it on the black market.”
Trisha had secured not only the ornaments and treasures she’d siphoned off, but also the bracelet Lizaina had lost.
The moment it appeared on the black market, she’d bought it up.
Now it was listed at auction under someone else’s name.
“Edwin will soon find out that the bracelet is on the black market.”
Though Edwin had little affection for the ducal house, he would still try to recover it for the sake of appearances.
“I intend to make him pay as much as possible, so open an account for me.”
“Yes. Shall I use an account at Berkshire Bank?”
“No, that won’t do. The bank president is close to Edwin, so there’s a risk we’ll be traced.”
After a brief moment of thought, Trisha spoke with a look of resolve.
“…Milanet Bank. Let’s use that one.”
Jane looked slightly surprised at Trisha’s choice but bowed without asking further.
Just as Jane was about to leave the room, she seemed to recall something and turned back.
“By the way, about the dress you’ll be wearing to the New Year’s Festival…”
Trisha paused.
“The atelier contacted us and wants to set the date for the final fitting. They said they’ll come on whichever day is convenient for you.”
“How long until the New Year’s Festival?” Trisha asked.
“About a month.”
At Jane’s answer, Trisha fell briefly into thought.
Time really flies…
Two months after the New Year’s Festival, there had been an incident that greatly strengthened Edwin’s position in the struggle for the throne.
Conversely, Millard’s standing had been severely weakened—if she failed to prevent that, turning back time would have been meaningless.
As Trisha thought of him, she froze.
Millard Winchester.
Edwin’s half-brother and the son of the late empress, he was currently, alongside Edwin, one of the most powerful contenders for the throne.
And once, he was my…
Trisha shook her head before the thought could continue.
What mattered now was how to change what was yet to come.
I already have something in mind.
The problem was that there was someone she absolutely had to persuade in the process.
“What does Edwin’s schedule look like tonight?”
“He’s scheduled to attend a party with Princess Lizaina.”
“Then what about parties after tonight?”
“With the New Year’s Festival so close, there won’t be any large-scale parties for a while.”
Edwin rarely attended small gatherings.
Which meant that if not tonight, it would be difficult to create an opportunity for him to be out at night for some time.
“I have somewhere to go tonight, so prepare things for me. I’ll be going out without my husband knowing.”
“Yes, understood! But His Grace will soon find out that the treasures and bracelet are missing—do you think he’ll still attend the party with the princess?”
“He will. If Edwin, who loves parties, suddenly doesn’t show up without a clear reason, people will find it strange.”
With his strong pride, Edwin would certainly attend the party as if nothing were wrong.
And Lizaina would want to go with him no matter what, hoping to placate him.
“Understood, Your Highness. Then—”
Jane was just about to ask something when—
“Trisha!”
The office door burst open, and an enraged Edwin stormed in, his footsteps loud.
“I hear Lizaina lost the Mason family’s treasures and the emerald bracelet, the family heirloom?”
It seemed that Edwin, who had been out, had only just learned of the missing treasures and bracelet.
“No—how on earth have you been managing this household?!”
Edwin pressed his finger hard against Trisha’s forehead in a humiliating gesture, and Jane’s expression hardened.
“If the princess didn’t know any better, you should’ve made sure something like this never happened! You married a man like me without bringing a dowry—shouldn’t you at least manage the household properly? Don’t you think?!”
Jane clenched her fist, on the verge of striking Edwin from behind, when Trisha spoke.
“I’ll make sure to check more carefully next time.”
“Next time? There won’t be a next—”
“More importantly, we’ve found the whereabouts of the treasures and the bracelet.”
Edwin froze.
“I heard that someone has put the Mason treasures up for auction on the black market.”
“…The black market?”
“I don’t know the details either. Usually, when disposing of jewels or ornaments, people go through jewelers.”
As Trisha said, when noblewomen of the empire disposed of jewelry, they usually used jewelers they knew.
The black market was rife with swindlers and touts—lose the battle of public opinion, and you could be forced to hand over your jewels for less than half their worth.
Noblewomen have no reason to take such risks.
Selling through a trusted jeweler was far safer and fetched a better price.
But what about Lizaina—a princess from another country who hadn’t been in the empire long?
She wasn’t an imperial citizen and had no connections to jewelers, so the black market—open even to foreigners—would be her only option.
“……”
Edwin’s expression twisted as he fell into thought. It seemed he’d reached the same conclusion.
There was a reason I went through the trouble of listing the bracelet on the black market under someone else’s name.
If it had been sold through a jeweler, Edwin would have suspected Trisha.
“I—I should get going.”
“You must be busy. Please, go.”
Trisha nodded.
“Then about the bracelet—”
“Handle it yourself. Spend whatever it takes, but make sure you get it back.”
As Edwin turned to leave, the look on his face was tinged with betrayal.
It was deeply satisfying.
“Of course. I’ll retrieve it no matter what.”
After all, cracks always begin with the smallest things.
That night, at a mansion on the outskirts of the capital.
Millard Winchester, who had recently returned from the battlefield, had yet to formally enter the capital.
As Edwin’s half-brother and the son of the late empress, he was currently, alongside Edwin, the strongest contender for the throne.
At the same time, because he was also the heir to the Winchester Grand Ducal House—the empress’s natal family—he had many enemies.
So he was listening to reports from his adjutant to grasp the current state of affairs in the capital after his long absence.
“The Mason Grand Duke, who was thought dead, has returned with a vast amount of funds. Thanks to that, the ducal house, which had been drowning in debt, has escaped its crisis.”
As he listened to his adjutant, Liam Camillon, Millard rubbed his chin.
“Brother Edwin has never had any head for business.”
“Perhaps he was simply lucky? Maybe he struck gold selling something that didn’t exist in that country.”
“Well, that’s enough about that. What about the woman my brother brought back?”
“Her name is Lizaina Solten, a princess of the Kingdom of Solten. They claim to be just friends, but I hear he’s been desperate to take her everywhere with him.”
The corner of Millard’s lips twisted.
That high-nosed Edwin Mason doting on some princess from a weak nation?
“Look into the possibility that my brother borrowed money from that woman.”
“…I’ll try, but Solten is quite far away, so it won’t be easy.”
As he said that, Liam seemed to realize how inadequate his response sounded and subtly changed the subject.
“Why not try seducing the Mason Grand Duchess instead?”
