Chapter 3
“Now that the magician families have disappeared, crystal fusion is impossible.”
“Magic?”
Adelaïde asked before she could stop herself, then flinched.
“Y-yes. That is correct.”
“I heard that the Veritium, the Count’s family legacy, has vanished.”
“Is that so?”
Ah, a mistake.
“Ahem! Yes, it has.”
Adelaïde was quietly frustrated by how little she actually knew.
“The Count’s family debt will be erased with a single signature. Is there any reason to delay?”
The Duke looked for all the world as though he wanted to conclude this business and leave as quickly as possible. Anger flickered in Adelaïde’s eyes at his arrogant manner.
I’m the subordinate here. He holds the power.
She recited the quiet little reminder she used to rely on back at the office. She was just about to pick up the pen and sign meekly, exactly as the Duke expected.
“Hm.”
Her gaze snagged on the Duke’s waist. The crystal set into the pommel of his sword caught her eye. Adelaïde slowly set the pen back down and leaned into the sofa, settling into a more comfortable position.
“For someone who carries such a magnificent crystal, I do wonder why you sent a counterfeit as a betrothal gift.”
She tossed the words out casually, as though speaking to no one in particular. The corner of the Duke’s mouth twitched, almost imperceptibly.
“On what grounds do you make that claim?”
His gaze sharpened. The corner of Adelaïde’s lips curved upward.
Perfect.
She reached for the box and placed it on the table between them.
“There is a fine seam running along the grain of the ruby. And…”
Adelaïde lifted out the brooch. She ran her fingertip along the inside of the stone, and a thin layer of vitreous coating peeled away from the surface. The Duke’s dark eyes followed the young countess’s fingers with quiet intensity. This was unexpected.
Interesting.
Despite the flicker of uncertainty, his expression remained perfectly cold.
“This simply will not do. It is a betrothal gift from the one and only ducal estate, after all.”
Adelaïde smiled pleasantly and continued, enunciating each word with care.
“I will grant that the craftsmanship is impressive. You even used the heat-resistant fusion method. Still, to present it as genuine… I am disappointed.”
The Duke’s eyes darkened. A taut silence stretched between them.
“…You are correct.”
Adelaïde studied him.
Wait, did he want me to notice?
“It is a relief that the Count’s family’s reputation was not exaggerated. I could not enter a contract that would only result in a loss, after all.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a cold smirk.
So it was a test. For the woman he intends to marry.
Something shifted behind Adelaïde’s eyes.
“Your family was on the verge of ruin, pushed to the frontier. I could not judge by rumour alone. You needed to bring at least some skill in gem crafting to justify the loss on our side.”
“You are a businessman to the bone.”
She could not quite quell the edge in her voice. She was seething inside, but her expression stayed calm.
I cannot sign this as it stands. I will not be played by this merchant of a duke.
She needed one decisive move to shift the balance.
Think, Yoo Eun-jae. You did not become team leader at K-Jewelry for nothing.
Her gaze sharpened. Then she found it.
“The tip of the crystal is…”
The Duke cut her off before she could finish.
“It is broken.”
He made no effort to hide his displeasure at the young countess who kept stalling. His brow furrowed.
“I am referring to the crystal on that sword.”
“Enough of this. Please sign.”
He fixed her with a cool, flat stare.
“It is not broken. It was shattered deliberately.”
“That is absurd.”
Adelaïde gave a quiet, meaningful smile. Something shifted almost imperceptibly in the Duke’s composed expression.
There it is. He already knows.
“Would you not like to know who shattered it?”
The confident tone of Yoo Eun-jae, head designer of K-Jewelry, slipped through without permission. The Duke’s sharp gaze locked onto her. Neither moved, neither looked away.
“Can you provide proof?”
The Duke spoke first. He unfastened the sword from his belt and held it out to Adelaïde. She swept her fingers carefully over the fractured crystal.
“Crystals of this composition resist impact. They do not break this way by accident.”
The composed noblewoman had stepped aside, and only the gem specialist, Yoo Eun-jae, remained.
“Do you see this? This fracture pattern is formed when a single point is struck with a sharp implement. I would need a microscope to be entirely certain, but there are likely scratch marks or traces of metal dust from whatever tool was used.”
The Duke, watching the young countess’s sudden shift in manner, felt something cool settle in his chest.
If her skills are at this level, the Count’s family techniques are far greater than I estimated.
Faced with this unexpected development, the Duke made a decision.
“Can you find it?”
“I can also restore it.”
Adelaïde answered without a pause. The Duke’s eyes widened, just slightly.
“…State your terms.”
Success.
Adelaïde smiled and spoke with full composure.
“Let us rewrite the contract.”
The Duke’s eyebrow moved a fraction. A change in terms had not been part of his calculation. His stay at the residence was already running longer than planned, and his patience was thinning. Adelaïde, entirely unaware of this, pressed on with a brightness in her voice.
“I would like to add a few clauses to the current terms.”
He gave the faintest nod, as if to say: get on with it.
“Please set up a workshop for me in the ducal residence.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“In addition to settling my family’s debt, I ask for a monthly investment toward rebuilding the Saint-Clair family. Oh, and this is strictly an investment. I will repay it in full, with interest.”
“Hah.”
The Duke exhaled slowly and pressed a hand to his forehead. Undeterred by the chill he was radiating, Adelaïde continued with growing confidence.
“Please grant me equal authority over the management of servants, both in the Saint-Clair household and in the ducal residence.”
A faint sneer crossed his lips.
“This grows more absurd by the moment.”
Adelaïde held his gaze without flinching and thought quietly to herself.
That is the only way I can protect the Saint-Clair servants.
A memory surfaced. Eun-jae had stood by helplessly when a team member, worn down by unfair treatment, had left the company. Looking at Mabel and Edward now reminded her of that person she had failed to protect.
This time will be different. I will not stand and watch someone be driven out unjustly in front of me again.
The Duke’s frown deepened.
“And I would like access to the Karsiten ducal estate’s crystal vault.”
“What did you just say?”
He raised an eyebrow, looking, for the first time, genuinely caught off guard.
“Well, if you are offering, I would not refuse.”
Edward mentioned it. That His Grace keeps a rare collection at home.
“You have a great many demands. Why not simply ask for the entire Karsiten estate while you are at it?”
Adelaïde smiled radiantly, which appeared to vex him thoroughly. The Duke had assumed a contract marriage with a noblewoman would proceed as smoothly as any business transaction. The quiet confidence in her eyes told him it would not.
“And one more thing.”
“There is still more?”
“You will understand when you hear the final condition.”
The Duke’s lips pressed into a firm line.
“Please allow me to visit Solaris periodically, even after we are married.”
“…I suppose I will have to hear your reason.”
“Of course. What is this final condition?”
Adelaïde drew a slow breath and met his gaze directly.
“For now, Your Grace will settle the debt on my behalf, but I intend to repay it through my own work. In the meantime, I will pass on my crafting techniques in good faith and give my full effort as Duchess.”
She paused, then continued, each word deliberate and clear.
“In exchange, when that day comes, please grant me a divorce.”
The air in the room went still. A flash of something, surprise mixed with disbelief, crossed the Duke’s face.
“…Did you say divorce?”
His voice dropped lower. Adelaïde held his gaze steadily and nodded.
“I will repay the debt. I will return your investment with profit. After that, please release me. A clean separation.”
It is already strange enough to have woken in an unfamiliar world. To also marry a man like this? Marriage should be for someone you love, not someone who looks at you with eyes that cold.
“Is that why you want to visit Solaris periodically?”
“Yes. I will need a home to return to after the divorce.”
She answered without hesitation, her gaze unwavering.
If I want to make the jewelry I love and live as I choose, I must secure that divorce.
“Ha.”
The Duke found the entire situation increasingly unpleasant. The marriage was a formality, nothing more. What he needed was the Saint-Clair techniques. But this young countess was conducting herself like a negotiator across a boardroom table. His gaze, precise and cutting, settled on her.
Why is he looking at me like that? Is he about to call it off?
To keep her unease from showing, Adelaïde pressed even more certainty into her expression.
“And why should I trust you to honour these conditions?”
She answered without missing a beat.
“You are not obliged to agree. However, there is something you should consider carefully.”
With no trace of intimidation, Adelaïde raised her palm toward the Duke.
“First, the gem-cutting techniques of Count Saint-Clair are singular. There is nothing else like them in all of Lumengria.”
Naturally, given that they come from another world entirely.
“Second, at present, I am the only person capable of restoring Your Grace’s broken crystal.”
Silence.
“Third, I am also the only one who can find traces of whoever shattered it. That, I suspect, is what matters most to Your Grace. You have been carrying a broken crystal on your scabbard, which means it is something of great value to you. So consider carefully, Your Grace. Who stands to benefit here?”
Adelaïde paused, her expression settled into something steady and serious, and held his gaze without looking away.
