Chapter 27
Under the white beams of light in the jewelry shop, Kirkan stood dumbfounded, staring blankly.
It felt as though the two people had just passed through, and he stood frozen, intently watching the entrance.
The jewels left in the quiet space mirrored that stillness, remaining silent until it was confirmed that everyone had gone.
“Oh, what was that just now? How could someone pick exactly what they wanted so effortlessly?”
A voice sounded—not resonating through the air, but striking directly at his head or chest. Kirkan blinked, then furrowed his brows.
“I picked the first one myself.”
The smile he had worn earlier was gone, replaced by cold, silvery eyes.
“Are you an idiot? If you didn’t like it, you could’ve just thrown it away.”
“Hey, watch your mouth. If you didn’t like what I picked, would you have taken it? You didn’t even explain the other two, yet they supposedly chose them themselves?”
Voices babbled aimlessly from all directions. Kirkan’s silver eyes sharpened. Folding his arms, he stood crookedly, as if to protest what he didn’t like.
“Pretending you didn’t like it… I saw how interested you were earlier.”
This time, a voice came from the inner room, chastising him.
In truth, he had nothing to say. As the voice said… Kirkan had been a little excited. That’s why he didn’t end the exchange by giving Ridlau’s tears as a ‘gift.’
“Right, right. When they saw the tears of Ridlau, they thought, ‘Ah! This is the one!’ Heh heh.”
“This person? Didn’t that girl just see him buying a gift for a man?”
“Not just one, it was two.”
“Ugh, clearly one is for the father and one for the lover. Don’t you see?”
At times, Kirkan wondered if these voices were merely fragments of a single mind, arguing amongst themselves.
Everything they were discussing mirrored exactly what the woman had thought before entering and leaving the shop.
“Quite noisy today.”
“Finally, something interesting happened.”
“People come all the time, don’t they?”
“Those are boring.”
Occasionally, endless chatter could be entertaining, but at moments like this, it felt intrusive, making it hard to calm his thoughts.
“Ordinary people will treat these like normal jewels anyway. No need for fuss.”
He said sharply, then strode into the third room, which the noblewoman had not yet entered.
This room wasn’t just an extension of the shop. The walls weren’t dark gray, nor were they illuminated purely for displaying merchandise.
Instead, one side was occupied by a bookshelf divided into small compartments; on another side, tools for crafting; and along the opposite wall, a worktable.
Kirkan approached a door on the wall near the table where the crafting tools lay.
“By the way, if you run a shop, you need to know how to show respect. If you speak casually to nobles like that, someday, you’ll get in trouble.”
“That makes no sense. Why should I show respect to nobles?”
“Well, if you don’t want to, then reveal your identity.”
“Exactly. Always on edge. That lady earlier was polite, at least.”
Listening to the voice as if it were easing a weight off his chest, Kirkan nodded. Most people only pretended to change after being criticized, giving just enough effort before turning their attention back to the jewels.
But this lady… was different. She seemed slightly surprised by his short remark but responded without fuss.
Just as he thought she wouldn’t make things difficult, a playful yet sharp warning voice matched his tone.
And yet, it felt unusual. There was something strange about it. He couldn’t pinpoint it, but it was… off.
Even later, while she was searching for a necklace, she reacted immediately to his words without pointing out that she noticed.
Her attitude, even her way of looking at jewels, was different from the ordinary nobles he had seen so far.
“Why did you give it? Ridlau’s tears.”
Among the voices chattering excitedly, one voice rang clearly, piercingly targeting Kirkan’s core.
“Giving it isn’t a problem.”
“Not a problem, but for the giver… it’s different, isn’t it? It’s not like the other jewels.”
Hearing a voice subtly probing his thoughts, Kirkan grabbed the doorknob. Beyond the door, instead of another room or a busy street, a deep, dark forest appeared.
Kirkan crossed the threshold with an expression of indifference.
“What? Running away because you don’t want to answer?”
“Soon, I’ll be able to bring the drops of sunlight from 3 PM gathering in the valley. Shouldn’t we go?”
Grinning slyly, he stepped out, and the door slammed shut automatically behind him.
The room he left behind was instantly engulfed in quiet. The voices that had been recklessly clamoring around vanished, leaving only a heavy, serene air.
Tarin conducted the gift-giving ceremony immediately in the returning carriage. She took the box and paper bag and personally placed the necklace around her neck.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend? I shouldn’t really do this, you know.”
“Oh my! Miss! I don’t… have a boyfriend…”
She blushed at the word ‘boyfriend,’ covering her cheeks with her hands, even while trying to protest.
It made one wish that such a cute child would always be loved, and that her memories would remain happy even when she was near them.
“It suits you. How nice.”
Worrying whether it might not suit the young girl, Kirkan saw it fit her perfectly—small and adorable.
“That jewelry shop owner is weird, but he picks items really well. There were a lot of unique pieces.”
Since the necklace was too short to see clearly with her eyes, Tarin seemed to recall him with her fingertips as she touched it.
“Hm… he was really a unique person.”
His appearance, manner of speaking, and even the work he did. The unique jewels seemed to attract the kind of people they were destined for.
When looking at the jewels thinking of the recipient, some gave off a special feeling. It was truly a remarkable sensation.
“But he was so, so beautiful… I never knew a man could be that beautiful.”
It was rare for Tarin to praise someone’s appearance so openly.
Firstly, she was serving a lady renowned for her beauty in the Empire, and had even seen the Crown Prince in person.
Yet this beauty was of a completely different level. It was no wonder she had been standing in the hall, awestruck.
“But who is the last box for, Miss?”
Since all the other gifts were for others, Tarin asked, clearly curious.
“Hm…”
Could she reveal she had received it? Agnes only pondered silently, looking into Tarin’s eyes, giving no answer.
The last jewel had yet to be taken out. While the others would end up in other people’s hands and be used normally, this one remained fully in her control, carrying a subtle sense of affection.
How wonderful it would be if everyone receiving gifts felt that way.
So this… is the feeling where the giver is happier than the receiver.
She had thought she was just showing off by spending her own money and giving gifts. But seeing Tarin unable to take her hands off the pendant made her heart happy as well.
Her father would obviously like it… but what about the Crown Prince?
From his actions, he’d probably like it, but since she was the one giving the gift first, it could create a variable.
When could she give it? She didn’t want to go to the palace because of this.
Lost in countless thoughts over one necklace, Agnes rode the carriage through quiet streets, leaving the bustling town behind, arriving at the residence of Marquis Lizerne.
She had wanted to see the tailor, and the trip turned out to be surprisingly fulfilling and fun. It even gave a taste of social life…
Thinking about that marquis’s daughter made her mood sour. She hoped the marchioness wasn’t even more arrogant.
“Well done, everyone. Rest.”
“Please rest, Miss!”
Stepping down from the carriage, Agnes greeted Tarin and Tamohan cheerfully, wanting to thank them for keeping her safe.
Listening to the servants’ greetings while entering the mansion, she realized she had overlooked something important that day.
‘The voice…’
The voice she had heard at the jewelry shop. She wasn’t sure if the tone was the same or different. She had heard so many voices she couldn’t clearly distinguish them all…
What was that voice? Where could she go to find an answer?
